Eddy Davis, and the Esketemc of the Cariboo district in British Columbia, may be re-making the economics and livability of aboriginal housing. Davis, Operations Manager of the Esketemc, has been proving new techniques to improve efficiency and affordability in building community housing. A key to his success is the revolutionary Haven TimberHomes building system. The result is that new homes in this community are more affordable and of better quality than ever before. On April 29, 2011 the Esketemc people will proudly host an open house to showcase their newly completed, 7000-sq.ft., Haven TimberHomes 6-plex. This solid timber apartment building came in at a very real and very impressive $85/square foot, complete. The durability of the timber-frame construction will make this a lasting part of the community for generations; the style is traditional and consistent with the heritage of the people.

Local employment is another Haven TimberHomes advantage. The 6-plex was completed using community labour guided by an authorized Haven TimberHomes trainer. The timber walls of this 32’ x 216’ building (over 650 linear feet) were constructed in only six days by a crew of six! Use of local labour keeps the cost down, provides jobs within the community, and stimulates the village economy.

Haven TimberHomes of Lac La Hache, BC has developed a modern and economical building system based on the solid piece-en-piece timber buildings of the frontier. It is designed for durability, affordability, and simplicity – the timber shell of a 1000 square foot building can be assembled in one day by a crew of four – requiring no heavy equipment. You can see the model home on hwy. 97 between Lac La Hache and 100 Mile House.

Green building is the future, and timber homes can play a role! Through the use of renewable resources and improved energy performance, timber homes can be “greener” than conventional stick-frame construction. Haven TimberHomes commitment to the environment starts with responsible forestry, by making use of the extensive stands of timber killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle in interior BC. These homes, almost completely constructed of renewable resources, provide a healthy, natural, and non-toxic living environment. The energy performance of a timber home is roughly equivalent to that of a well-built stick-frame building of equal wall thickness. A telling measure of economy and of environmental stewardship is in the life-cycle costs of these solid timber homes: they will last an estimated 150 years or more, compared with the 20-year life span of the average First Nation house.

The Esketemc will continue to use Haven TimberHomes for future housing projects because of their cost effectiveness, durability, and aesthetic appeal. This First Nation intends to get its housing back to traditional roots.

For more information, please contact:

Eddy Davis, Ba. B.E.
O&M Manager Esketemc First Nation
Williams Lake, BC
250- 440-5611
eddydavis@esketemc.ca

Frank Behie
Canadian Sales & Marketing Director
Haven TimberHomes
888-630-5540 ext. 1
frank@haventimberhomes.com

Edmonton Log and Cottage Show 2011, April 8-10, 2011



Please click here for show details!

Eddy Davis started in the commercial and residential construction industries as a teenager, developing his skills from the ground level as a general labourer and working up to carpenter and finally as project manager. He has successfully built road works projects, commercial buildings, and several hundred homes, both production homes and custom homes.

With Haven TimberHomes products, Eddy is experimenting with new techniques in efficiency and affordability, heading up the Esketemc First Nation’s housing construction program. The result is that the new homes in this community are more affordable than ever, with a recent 6-plex project coming in at a very real and very impressive $85/square foot to completion.

This low construction costing allows the building to be a cash positive rental unit, covering financing, insurances and service fees, and still turning a profit to the Housing department. The aesthetic appeal of these units fits the traditional styles of the people, and there is a waiting list of eager renters for them.

The Esketemc First Nation will continue to use Haven TimberHomes products on future housing projects in an effort to continue the cash-positive rental trend and to get the housing back to traditional roots of aesthetic style, appeal, and durability.

EP=R+TM+AF

There seems to be a puzzle about R values and solid timber homes. The theoretical R value of wood is about R1.4 or R1.6 per inch – so a respectably thick timber wall of 8″ might be rated only R11 or R13. People unfamiliar with timber would dismiss this as inadequate for a home, but thousands of people all over North America and Europe have known (for hundreds of years) that these homes are cozy, comfortable, and economical to heat. Clearly, there is something more involved than just “R value.

When most people ask, “What is the R value of your house?” they are really wondering “What is the energy performance of your house?” How well does it keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer? How expensive is it to heat?” This is easily and objectively measured for all houses in terms of units of energy (gallons of oil, kilowatts, cords of wood) consumed per year.

People boil this down to asking about “R value” – or resistance to heat flow – because that is what mainly influences Energy Performance in conventional stick-frame houses, but solid timber houses have another important factor that conventional houses lack: thermal mass, the ability of a substance to store and re-radiate energy. There is also a third factor that is important for all houses: airflow, or how tight (or how drafty) the house is.

Energy Performance then depends on Insulation (Resistance) + Heat Storage (Thermal Mass) + Air Flow (tightness). In short, EP = R + TM + AF. For solid timber houses, when someone wonders, “What is the R value,” the real question is “What is the Energy Performance?” We need to examine all three of the important factors. Consider this:

• According to FPInnovations, Canada’s National Wood Products Research Institute, the R value of wood is understated by as much as 15%, while the R value of stick-frame homes is overstated by as much as 50%.
• There is little agreement on how to assign a numerical value to thermal mass – experts in energy performance computer-modeling programs agree that thermal mass is poorly recognized.
• Airflow is a result of craftsmanship and attention to detail – it is not inherent to any design or construction style. There are drafty stick-frame homes and there are tight stick-frame homes, just as there are drafty solid timber homes and there are tight solid timber homes. The “piece-en-piece” timberframe design, and the exceptionally dry timbers used by Haven TimberHomes, are easy to make tight. It is no more difficult to make a tight Haven TimberHomes home than it is to make a wooden boat that floats.

Advanced building codes recognize that there are many ways to build warm houses. A modern code may state a prescription such as “8-inch bats of Fiberglas insulation between studs,” but it will also allow for an engineer to demonstrate that an alternative structure (such as timber, straw bales, or adobe) can perform as well. Computer models are one way this equivalency can be demonstrated. In Canada, the National Research Council endorses the HOT2000 program; in much of the US, the Environmental Protection Agency uses ENERGY STAR; while the State of Alaska uses AKWARM. Haven TimberHomes was reviewed by AKWARM and received a rating of 86 – approved as suitable for building year-round residences within Alaska.

Current evidence indicates that equally well-built stick-frame buildings and solid-timber buildings of equal thickness give comparable energy performance measured over a year-round cycle. Haven TimberHomes will be participating in a carefully-designed and monitored demonstration study comparing energy performance of different building technologies at the University of Manitoba starting this year. We are sure this will confirm what we have already experienced: that Haven TimberHomes are tight, warm, and economical.

Richard Behn recently joined HTH as Indigenous Sales Representative for British Columbia. He is Eh Cho Dene, from Fort Nelson, and splits his time between his homes there and on Vancouver Island. Richard brings years of experience in First Nation administration and business as well as developing training for First Nations Chiefs, Councils, and administrators. He also has extensive experience in all aspects of house construction. We are excited to welcome Richard to the HTH sales team.

Paul Halper and his family moved to the Cariboo in the spring of 2010. He joined HTH last fall as a designer, draftsman, and cost estimator. Paul has experience in forestry, mapping, surveying, sawmill machinery manufacturing and mechanical design, as well as several year’s experience in construction doing renovations and as a general contractor. His creative design work, drafting skill, and construction experience have contributed greatly to the expanding capacity of Haven TimberHomes to meet the diverse needs of our customers. If you want us to design a building to meet your specific needs, Paul’s the guy to make it happen.

“Dave Loeks invented a low-cost, high-quality log home which he’s hoping will solve some of the housing problems in Yukon First Nations.”
Please click here for the full article at Yukon News!