A house safe from water damage | The Press

Horror stories abound of buildings struggling with ruinous water infiltration. A general contractor launches a concept of a watertight house built in steel and concrete. He expects a recurring saving of 20% in terms of energy consumption compared to the traditional wood and brick house.

A general contractor from Brossard, Chevalier Séguin has been a small-scale real estate developer active since 2006. He notably built 12 Harmony condos in the Centre-Sud district. Its president Marc-Antoine Chevalier believes he has found his distinctive signature with the concept of EkkoHaüs: Ekko for ecology and economy and Haüs for habitat.

The structure of the house made up of concrete walls and a concrete and steel floor that fit together like Lego blocks. According to the company of 16 permanent employees, EkkoHaüs will resist water infiltration, bad weather of all kinds, including earthquakes, for decades, while offering superior quality insulation and soundproofing.

“Insurance costs half as much in concrete buildings,” said Mr. Chevalier, 42, in an interview with The Press during a site visit.

However, quality has a price: a starting price of 1.1 million for a townhouse with a living area of ​​2000 sq.² spread over four floors, an additional cost of 15% compared to the traditional wooden house, specifies Jason Guillette, vice-president finances, also present during the passage of The Press.

Build to last

“Today, housing is expensive and accessibility is difficult,” says Marc-Antoine Chevalier. From there arises the question of heritage. If it’s so difficult, let’s make houses that are a good legacy too, that will survive the years, the hundreds of years. In Europe, we can clearly see that heritage is important. It stays in the family,” he continues.

The first copy of the EkkoHaüs takes shape at the corner of Viel and Saint-Réal streets, in the heart of the Old Bordeaux district, in Montreal. The three row houses, called Kolme Houses (three in Finnish), look like bunkers covered with styrofoam. Their construction arouses curiosity in the neighborhood.

In concrete terms, the innovation comes from the combination of existing products on the market, such as a double-insulated concrete formwork (CIB) structure from Nudura and Comslab steel plates from Bailey Metal Products in Dorval.

An invention of entrepreneur Jean-Louis Béliveau, the Nudura block is a formwork made up of two boards of styrofoam insulation in which concrete is poured. Manufactured in Granby, Nudura blocks have belonged to the American Tremco since 2018.

The properties of Comslabs metal profiles make it possible to reduce the thickness of concrete by almost 30 centimeters for floors, which saves free height. Their use eliminates load-bearing walls, as they provide up to 30 feet of span. A feature that results in the development of open areas.

In addition to Nudura and Comslabs technologies, triple-glazed windows and high-efficiency mechanical systems ensure comfort and energy efficiency at EkkoHaüs.

Test bed for a 36 million project

The Kolme Houses serve as a showcase for Chevalier Séguin. The next step will be to use the same recipe for the Point Cardinal project, a future building with 72 rental units in Saint-Amable, in Montérégie. The investment amounts to 36 million. Rent will be around $2 per square foot for an average monthly cost of around $1800 including heat, electricity and WiFi. The start of construction is scheduled for the return from the summer construction holidays.

Thanks to the energy qualities of the future building, Chevalier Séguin is confident that the project will be eligible for the APH Select program of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which makes it possible to obtain financing on advantageous terms: reduced interest rate, amortization extended to 50 years and lower debt coverage ratio.

APH Select uses a points system to provide insurance incentives based on affordability, energy efficiency and accessibility.

“It gives access to financing which means that we continue to build in the rental sector. If it weren’t for this program, construction would really be dead. »