Nutmeg Homes

Building Basics

Our concrete showhome has been nominated for the prestigious
Connie award in the single family home category. The Connie awards are
the concrete industry equivalentofo the Georgie awards. Thanks go out
to Keith Tatton of Cumberland Ready Mix for the nomination.

 Nutmeg Homes has been selected to build the British
Columbia Concrete Show Home for 2007. The British Columbia Concrete
Ready Mix Association chose Nutmeg Homes to build the 2007's "Home With
a Difference". As Nutmeg Homes standard building practices use a large
amount of concrete for it's strength, durability, etc. our local
concrete supplier put our name forward, and we were selected to show
case our spec home located in Comox!

Welcome to Nutmeg Homes

What if every one settled for average?
What if no one raised the bar?
What if we all let someone else do it first?

Build to Last

We are a family company, striving to build sustainable, energy efficient, very comfortable and healthy homes. A Nutmeg Home is built to last centuries, not decades. Construction in Canada is a relatively new industry. In Europe and Asia homes are often built to last centuries, not mere decades. We're not saying regular or - stick, chipboard and tar paper - buildings are wrong or prone to rot, but at Nutmeg Homes we know we can do better. We have had Europeans in our homes who comment "we didn't think Canadians knew how to build like this!" - For us at Nutmeg Homes, that is high praise.

As useful as the building code is in terms of safety, it's not enough. Why? Because the building code doesn't set standards that will necessarily give you long term comfort or lasting value. That's not it's job. It's job is to ensure houses are safe and to help keep house prices reasonable by setting out the minimum that has to be done. But we can and we must do better. Mike Holmes - from his book - Make it Right

Logging - BC (Before Chainsaws)

The history of building in Canada, and the Canadian Building Code took advantage of our local resources - namely - high quality (in the olden days), plentiful wood. Early European settlers on the prairies used sod! Perhaps it's time to move on, sending houses to the land fill after 60 - 80 years is - perhaps - not a good idea. Nutmeg's building methods and materials would be considered -just average- in most of Europe, for example.

At Nutmeg Homes we try to build with the best materials that are reasonably available (we really like concrete). We treat the primary building details as the most critical. What we don't do is build merely to the minimum Canadian or BC Building Code Standards.

Solid, warm, quiet, SUPERIOR .... not just buzz words - we deliver!

Building Basics

The Shell

The shell, or building envelope (the bones of the structure) is the most important thing. The seal between the exterior environment and the interior living environment includes - footings (and sub-surface drainage), below ground floors and walls, above ground walls, wall 'penetrations' (windows, doors, etc.) and roof system.

Solid, Warm, Quiet, Superior

Nutmeg Homes is known for our use of Insulated Concrete Forms or ICF's. ICF construction combines man's best building materials - concrete and steel, with high-tech rigid insulation. Concrete construction offers rock-solid homes that can withstand hurricane-force winds and firestorms, drastically cut energy costs, and provide unbeatable air quality and really (really, really) good sound-proofing . We use ICF's because we believe that it's the right way to build, and we apply that belief in our building practices.

Windows and Doors

Rehau 1400 series, Low E Casement, tiled drywall return

For example our doors and windows are ... well, great. We have for many years now used the superlative German window frame line from REHAU. There is a local manufacturer in the Comox Valley (shipping internationally). At first we occasionally used sliders, but our window suppliers broke us of that bad habit. Now we only use casement, awning or tilt/turn for our opening windows. Much of the envelope failure in the construction industry has been due to window failure and, of course, fast rotting wood sheeting. Thankfully for all consumers, the Canadian Code will be addressing the sad current minimum window standards by 2010.

New home buyers in many parts of Canada are being ripped off. We live in a climate where there are hot summers and cold winters. Home buyers in some jurisdictions are being told that their new home meets the building code, while actual levels of insulation and the quality of windows used in the construction of the home are woefully inadequate and often result in huge energy bills.

Joan Huzar, past-President of the Consumers Council of Canada

Steel door in a steel frame

For exterior doors, we usually use steel or fiberglass shell, insulated doors, set in a steel frame. All our exterior doors are out-swing. Only in single family dwellings are in-swing doors allowed - why? - no one knows. At Nutmeg we tend to find that following commercial building standards results in far superior finished product.

Climate Control

Electrostatic filter HRV unit

The insulating factor and air tight quality of an ICF structure is so far superior to traditional wood framing that comparison becomes almost silly. The two systems are completely different (see the Technical Section for more information). As a result the interior climate of an ICF structure is a serious, even decadent pleasure. At Nutmeg Homes we regularly use radiant in floor heat (the hydronic in a concrete slab style - see our "How We Build" sections), combined with an HRV system. HRV - or Heat Recovery Ventilator , also known as a fresh air supply system, provides a controlled amount of fresh - tempered and filtered outside fresh air. Many professionals (building and health) believe HRV's should be mandatory in all new home construction.

The current 2007 BC Building Code requires that in sealed wood frame houses, the bathroom fan must be on a continuous pulse timer. The timer is often turned off by home owners.

Another myth is that running a kitchen or bathroom fan can improve ventilation and get rid of moisture as effectively as an HRV. On the contrary, this does not provide a balance of incoming and outgoing air. Air being expelled from the bathroom creates negative air pressure in the home, so fresh air from outside will be sucked inside. The cold outdoor air leaking into the warmer air cavity condenses and creates mould, which is not good for the health of the home or its occupants. The HRV functions as the lungs of the house. It draws fresh air into the home where it is warmed by the stale, humid air passing through the unit before being expelled. The HRV's high-quality filter ensures a steady supply of fresh, clean air entering the home. the National Post, Post Homes Section, October 27th, 2001

Like sun lite radiant heat is very even

The best and most efficient way to heat a house is with radiant heat. The best radiant heat delivery system is Hydronic, or hot water. Hydronic delivery systems are the safest, most long lasting, top of the line delivery systems. Then the radiating medium - heat fins, wall radiators, etc. At the top of that list is the concrete embedded system - truly awesome thermal mass - great heat diffusion, and trouble free. That's the system we use at Nutmeg Homes.

Nutmeg Design

A man's home is his wife's castle. Alexander Chase

Fireplace set in a 7 foot by 4 foot sheet of granite.

At Nutmeg Homes we also specialize in house design. All of our spec homes are designed in-house. The reason we don't favor stock plans is because each building site is unique; neighbours, weather, sunlight, view corridors, etc. Sometimes a 'pre-done' design can work, but often the result is a window overlooking someone's noisy heat-pump, little or no winter sunlight - and so on. The effort of designing from scratch is well worth it.

Of course we can easily convert plans from stick framing to ICF structures. Most plans are easily adapted with little or no change to the original layout. The most notable difference between 2" by 6" wood stud walls and an ICF wall is the thickness. ICF walls are usually 11 3/4" thick. If the house footprint can be expanded by about 6" there are usually no internal layout or framing changes required.

A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience. Sydney Smith

Full detailed drawings are generated in house. Our design services are available for custom home designs or for existing plan adaptation. Engineering approval is no longer required for most areas in Canada as ICF walls are now part of the Standard Building Methods section (part 9) of the BC and Canadian Building Code. (Check the Building Code of your province). Nutmeg Design pages explain our design philosopy and stages.

Nutmeg Floors

Not Spanish Terracotta - shaped and stained concrete!

The best radiant heat system is hydronic (hot water pipes) embedded in concrete, typically 1 1/2 inches thick. This can be covered with tile, hardwood, carpet, etc. -- or just enjoyed as decorated concrete. We're talking - textured, stamped, stained, overlayed, steel polished, diamond ground and polished, brass inlayed, terrazzo, painted, sealed, integral coloured, custom stone mixes, -- and so on. How durable are these floors? Hey they're solid concrete - warm, heated, smooth. Super easy to clean, NO off gassing, no dust trapped, non-allergenic, they are great!

A Nutmeg Home usually features a Nutmeg Floor. However we have been known to do floors for other builders on the rare occasion. The Nutmeg Floors section has more information.