Academic Sources

Academic Sources

1. Building Policy Branch (2006). British Columbia Building Code 2006. British Columbia, Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data.

2. Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2004). Renovating for Energy Savings: Row houses. Retrieved February 11, 2006, from www.cmhc.ca

3. Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2004). Renovating for Energy Savings: Split Level Houses. Retrieved February 11, 2006, from www.cmhc.ca

4. Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. (2004). Renovating for Energy Savings: 1960’s or 70s one storey houses. Retrieved February 11, 2006, from www.cmhc.ca

5. Elefante, Carl. (2007). The Greenest Building Is... One That is Already Built. Forum Journal, Volume 24, 26-38.

6. Goffman, Ethan. (2006). Green Buildings: Conserving the Human Habitat. CSA Discovery Guides. October 2006.

7. Natural Resources Canada. (2002). Energy Efficiency Planning and Management Guide. Ottawa. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada.

8. Natural Resources Canada. (2008). Retrofit Y our Home and Qualify for a Grant. Ottawa. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada.

9. Jalayerian, Mehdi & Eich, Steven. (2006). Blending Architecture and Renewable Energy. Ashrae Journal, 9, 70-72, 74-76.

10. Johnstone, David & Master, Kim. (2004). Green Remodeling. New Society Publishers.

11. Manaugh, Geoff. (2008). Solid Gold. Dwell Magazine, March 2008, 80-84.

12. Marshall, Brian & Argue, Robert. (1981). The Super-Insulated Retrofit Book: A homeowners guide to energy-efficient renovation. Ontario, Canada. Renewable Energy in Canada.

13. Reys, Gary. (2005). Build it solar: The Renewable Energy Site. Retrieved February 25, 2008 from www.builditsolar.com.

14. Sceckel, Paul. (2005). The Home Energy Diet. Canada. New Society Publishing.

15. Wagner, John D. (2008). Green Remodling. Creative Homeowners.

16. Wells, Malcolm & Spetgang, Irwin. (1987). How to buy solar heating… without getting burnt! USA. Malcolm Wells, Irin Spetgang, and Solar Service Corporation.

17. Williams, Daniel.E. (2007) Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture, and Planning. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &Sons, Inc.

Final Abstract

Abstract

Within the last half decade, the world has begun to focus more and more of its attention towards creating a more environmentally friendly planet. The realization of the damage that has been done to the natural environment has become clear, and attempts have begun to remedy the actions of the past decades. One large aspect of this movement is the concept of living a green lifestyle, and creating environmentally friendly and sustainable housing.

While there has been a strong influx of new construction and design which incorporates sustainable technology, the solution is not simply creating new buildings – we must also adapt those homes which already exist. Adapting our current buildings produces much less materials, and causes much less waste to be added to our environment. The vital ideas of adaptation and preservation are ones which will be explored thoroughly within this report.

The purpose of this applied research paper is to discover the main problems with the beautiful heritage homes within Kamloops, British Columbia, and to highlight sustainable and environmentally friendly methods to solve these issues. In-depth research was conducted, both through academic and non-academic sources, as well as on-site research at historical homes within the West end of Kamloops.

Heritage homes often have a sense of beauty and craftsmanship that is not commonly found within most modern residential design. While these homes have often been built very well, they have been designed and constructed more then four decades ago. Despite their classic craftsmanship, their old age has caused different aspects of the homes to deteriorate and eventually fail. They must be maintained and updated to create a more sustainable home for the future.

Balance is an important issue which must also be considered: how much work in updating your home can be done before it begins to take away from the look of the original home? How far is too far, and where should the line be drawn between maintaining heritage and becoming more sustainable? This is another issue which will be thoroughly discussed within this report.

While minor changes can be made within any home to make it more green, there are many larger renovations which can be done to greatly increase the efficiency of a residential heritage house. As with any renovation; cost, time, and scale are very important factors, and it is vital to conduct research to discover what changes in your homes will make the greatest improvement with the smallest impact on the look and feel of the home.

One of the main problems in historical homes is their poor insulation. It is not uncommon for homes that were built many decades ago to be built without any insulation at all. This lack of insulation causes great heat loss, and thus increased heating bills. The walls in these homes were also often built with only 4” walls, which make adding insulation to them even more difficult. Doors and windows are also very troublesome areas of a home, where the heat retention around these additions is almost none.

Foundations can also be a concern in older homes, where holes in the walls of the fountain can cause drafts throughout the basement. Another obstacle can be the presence of knob and tube wiring, which was the typical method of electrical wiring, and often must be updated. When disposing of these materials in an older home, it must be carefully inspected to ensure it’s not composed of environmentally dangerous materials. It was not uncommon to see the use of lead, or asbestos within heritage homes, and these materials can cause harm to the homeowner and the environment.

These are just some of the issues which can occur within heritage homes, many more common problems and recommended solutions will be set forth in this report. This in-depth research will provide guidance to historical home owners, so they may decide what upgrades and renovations will be most effective for them to create a more environmentally friendly and sustainable home.

Final Graphic Submission

Final graphic completed. Does anyone know if there is anyway to post a pdf file, or am I completely out of luck?

Revised Outline

Project:

What are the most effective methods to make heritage homes more sustainable in Kamloops?

Methods:

1. Gather information from several different types of sources, on renovation, specifically the issues and problems relating to renovating historic, older homes.

2. Research information on energy effective materials and methods of building.

3. Apply this knowledge and lay out a report which will inform individuals how they can renovate their historical homes to create a more sustainable, green, house.

Special Problems:

1. Can the same advice be used for different homes, or are historic homes too different and need to be studied on a case by case basis?

2. How far is too far when it comes to updating older homes? Where do you draw the line between sustainability and keeping their heritage.

3. Is cost an issue that should be looked at?

4. Are there restrictions set out by the city which will restrict how much you can change your home?

Also:

As there are so many different choices on how to make a building more sustainable, I will need to focus on specific aspects of sustainability, as to not have too much information. Ultimately, I will be looking for what a homeowner can do to upgrade their home which will provide the largest impact while still attempting to maintain the heritage look and feel.

Final Graphic

Ok. I'm going to stop fiddling with it and call it complete!

Updated Graphic!

Updated graphic! We've got wind power, solar panels, rain water storage, added insulation, new windows and doors, and vents!

Graphic

Half of the graphic completed! Now to upgrade one side to be completely over the top green! I'm going to change the windows and door, add some solar panels to the roof, any other suggestions?

Heritage Home Tour

Met with Steve Mechem this evening, who owns a heritage home in the Kamloops west end. He gave us a tour of his home, and gave us a lot of information about how he's managed to retrofit his home to make it more efficient - especially in regards to insulation.





The majority of these older homes have no insulation at all, and very thin 4" walls - to add insulation to them, the most effective method to add spray foam insulation. To do this, you either have to create spaces on the inside or the outside of the home in order to fill it up with insulation.

This photo is an example of where they've drilled holes to fill the walls - these holes are across his entire house.



It can be very difficult to add air space and circulation into the attic space of a home, because of the way that the rafters were built.



The house has been added onto and altered, a basement has been dug out where there was not one originally, and has left the foundation which was previous underground now exposed. There are now holes in the foundation which create drafts through the entire bottom portion. You can also see where the foundation changes to brick. The original foundation was original stone, which was not properly sealed.



Hung windows are some of the most effective windows in terms of creating circulation because you can open them at the top and at the bottom, to allow hot air to escape and cool air to enter. However, there are areas on either side of the window where the weights hang, and there is no way to add any insulation to those spaces at all. There are also a lot of issues with hung windows because they do not seal very well in the winter.



Despite their old age, they were built to be easy to maintain, and small panels can be removed on the inside of these hung windows so that you can replace the cotton strings which hold the weights to balance the windows.

More Heritage Homes

Thesis Question

I've decided that my exact thesis statement is going to be:

What are the most effective methods to make heritage homes more sustainable in Kamloops?

I'm going to try and get in contact with some of the people who first designed some of the homes in the west-end of Kamloops and ask them some questions. I discovered I have a bit of a link to Glen Jardine, who built some of the homes in that area, so I plan to contact him and find ask him some questions about the area, his inspirations, and his thoughts on my topic!