Tag Archives: building

Canada’s Housing Construction System

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The purpose of this document is to foster understanding of the elements of the system of construction and operation of buildings and houses in Canada.
Construction is a complex service and manufacturing industry, involving thousands of different component parts that are assembled into products and systems by a large number of workers both on- and off-site. Basic safety, health, accessibility and building protection features are addressed in construction codes. However, construction is primarily a market activity, the quality of whose products reflect the interplay of costs, time, availability of materials, skill and knowledge.

Each party involved in construction has certain responsibilities.

Owners have overall responsibility for their projects which includes: determining what will be built, meeting laws, and choosing reputable advisors and builders.

Designers have responsibility for producing functional working drawings and specifications that comply with applicable law and reflect owners’ requirements; they may also perform site reviews for the owner.

General contractors have responsibility for overall construction, including buying, scheduling, workmanship, and management of subcontractors and suppliers.

Subcontractors have responsibility for their portion of the work (mechanical, electrical, drywall, excavation, etc.).
Manufacturers have responsibility for supplying products that meet both their advertised specifications and applicable standards.

Standards development organizations have responsibility for producing reliable, useable standards.

The national government funds the development of model codes through the National Research Council, overseen by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC).

Provinces and territories have responsibility for adopting through legislation the building, fire and plumbing codes applied in their area.

Municipalities in most areas have responsibility for examining drawings for conformance with codes, and many inspect projects for compliance. (In some areas of Canada, this is done by provincial/territorial agencies. There remain a few areas with no public oversight .)
Because of the complexity of the system, there are practical limitations to each of these roles.

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Home Renovations – How to Blend and Match Materials

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When adding to or improving a building, nothing determines the success of the finished product more than how well structural and finishing details relate to existing works. When these details are well matched, new work blends with old creating a seamless integration of the features that helps your projects be all they can be.

There are obvious reasons for taking the time to fuse new and existing elements. The first is more obvious: looks. Most people wouldn’t go out of their way to make their home unattractive, so why not apply a little extra attention to detail to make sure the opposite is true? The second reason is value related. By ensuring that structural and aesthetic features are working together, a building is simply worth more, a handy consideration when the time comes to move up.

Often, integration can be as simple as ensuring that a new paint colour mixes well with an existing one, or if it doesn’t, that old wall surfaces are jazzed up with colours that compliment new ones. This same thinking applies to other finishing details such as mouldings and other woodwork. If Douglas fir is the trim used, then any new trim should be fir or a reasonable facsimile, and the finishes used should be similar if not exact for best effect. Some might think that making these kinds of matches is best left to professionals, and with certain materials such as textured ceilings and stucco matches this may be true. Most of time though, patience and a spirit of experimentalism will work wonders.

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