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00:00Why don't we slide it open this week?
00:02I got it.
00:02Heating, cooling, and air transference is the lifeblood of a passive home.
00:07We want to stop any air coming in or leaving the building.
00:10If you don't get that right, all your effort is for nothing.
00:13I don't know if it's going to bend.
00:16We're kind of a race against time.
00:18Now the BC Hydro showed up.
00:21This is our first live plug.
00:23We have power.
00:25I really want it to be done before my 50th birthday.
00:28But I don't want to do anything unless we do it here.
00:38I'm Todd Talbot, and after 10 seasons of Love It or List at Vancouver,
00:42my wife, Rebecca, and I invite you to join us on our building journey.
00:46We are building a net zero passive house on the shores of Okanagan Lake in beautiful British Columbia.
00:51A resilient, energy efficient, and architecturally stunning house.
00:55And even though this story doesn't end the way we planned it,
00:57it was an adventure.
01:12I have been speaking about real estate, doing real estate television shows for a long time,
01:17and I am not a sentimental person when it comes to real estate.
01:23Yeah, I just don't think that that has a lot of place in the strategic thought process.
01:31Having kids and even building this place, I think, has changed my attitude.
01:36You know, I reserve the right to evolve, as it were.
01:42The inspiration for buying this piece of property was really my grandparents.
01:46I used to go to their cottage on Falcon Lake, just outside of Winnipeg.
01:49And the memories that were there, and how I got to see my grandparents have their kids,
01:58like my mom and my aunt, and the extended family come and hang out.
02:03And then the experience that we had water skiing when we were kids, and swimming, and having a little tin boat.
02:11I mean, I think my grandpa would think it was pretty cool, and he was both hips replaced and still water skiing,
02:19so I got a lot of time here.
02:24I think I've cried more during this process.
02:28Although this is for different reasons.
02:31It was a seminal memory for me, and I never actually thought it would happen,
02:36but I always had this fantasy of kind of creating that for my family.
02:49I got seriously obsessed with sealing up the home, making the airtightness as good as it could be.
03:10It becomes a little bit of a game, and an obsession, and I think that that bothered me.
03:17It bothered Rebecca.
03:19Can we try this bad boy?
03:22I got to the point where he would be working, and people would ask me,
03:27how's the A-frame going?
03:28And I couldn't be excited about it, because the process didn't feel, it didn't sit right with me.
03:37It was intense.
03:38Yeah.
03:41All of those things that were the minutia that he would obsess over, that didn't sit right with me.
03:46The conversations about, no, but it has to be perfect,
03:50and the way that that came out in the day-to-day living.
03:55But once there was more people involved, the crew got bigger.
03:59It didn't feel as, like, Todd-obsessing.
04:04And then I was able to be okay with how it felt to be around.
04:09I love passive houses, and so the idea of building to a higher standard,
04:34and ensuring that people can have a comfortable, healthy, energy-efficient, resilient home
04:39started to become my passion, and I wanted everyone to enjoy and have that type of home.
04:43I tease Sean about being a passive house nerd, but in the nicest possible way.
04:50His passion for passive house construction is contagious.
04:54I really didn't understand passive house construction before meeting with Sean,
04:59and then he kind of infused it into my thinking.
05:03I would phone him with a question, and he's five hours away, and he'd be like,
05:09I'll come up this afternoon.
05:11I'd be like, no, no, no, don't come up this afternoon.
05:13I'm coming.
05:14He's got a wife, kids, job.
05:17He would get in his truck, and he would drive up and sometimes bring pizza,
05:21and we would talk about air barrier details
05:24and how we were constructing a certain thing
05:27so that I didn't make a mistake down the road.
05:30Hot toddy.
05:31Sean came up to do the blower door test, or the red door of truth,
05:35which is the ultimate evaluation of air tightness.
05:38This is two years in the making.
05:40It's a huge day.
05:42The blower door test is literally this red door
05:45that goes in your doorway with a fan,
05:47and we then turn on a fan and see where the air goes,
05:52and the device will tell you how air tight it is.
05:55We typically, in construction, do one at pre-drywall,
05:59and then we do another one at the very end.
06:01Moment of truth here.
06:05Air tightness is foundation to walls, wall-to-window, wall-to-roof,
06:10and then all the penetrations.
06:12Most homes have like 200, 250,
06:14while he was down to like 12 to 20 range, which is good.
06:19Okay, you got 20 holes.
06:21Let's go find them.
06:22Well, we brought out a fog machine.
06:28So you've got this machine now going on.
06:31It's figuring out how airtight the building is.
06:34It's calculating all the pinholes, all that's being added up,
06:38and then you bring out the fog machine,
06:40and you blow the fog into the house.
06:42I'm blowing the fog in every corner.
06:45We identified about three areas.
06:48There's a ton of smoke coming in here.
06:51We had lots of rolls of tape.
06:53We had a strategy to get in there.
06:54We just kind of ran out of daylight,
06:57and then we had to pack up and drive home.
06:59What I like to think is that Passive House is sort of the North Star.
07:03We want people to aspire to build to Passive House,
07:06to adopt the Passive House principles,
07:08to adopt our methodology.
07:09It's not easy, but you can do it.
07:12Some people will get discouraged that they didn't get Passive House certification
07:16on their first house,
07:17and we say, well, so what?
07:19You still have an amazing house.
07:20I'm sure that we can get that score down to Passive House standards, no problem.
07:25We'll be working on that over the next little while
07:27so that we can get that score and actually beat it for our final test.
07:32Oh, Jesus.
07:38The guys from Riverside drove down from Camel's,
07:41and so we've got the electricians here, solar experts.
07:45We're going to talk about the size of the array,
07:48how it's all going to get hooked in,
07:49how it works, why we're using it.
07:52Long before we did anything,
07:53I knew that I wanted solar on this house.
07:56We need some kind of a rapid shutdown switch next to the meter.
08:00This is just a prime location for using solar.
08:03Why everyone doesn't use it here is beyond me.
08:06How does the magic happen?
08:07The sun's hitting the panels.
08:09It's bringing the electricity down the cable into your inverter.
08:13The inverter turns it into usable electricity.
08:16When you're making solar power,
08:17it's actually using the power from the sun first in your house.
08:21So if you needed more power from the utility,
08:24the utility is just there to kind of supplement
08:26when you're not making enough with solar.
08:28If you're making too much with the solar,
08:29it's just going back out to the grid.
08:31You're getting a credit for it.
08:32It's much bigger than I thought.
08:36This is the small one.
08:37Okay, good.
08:38This is the small one?
08:40Yeah.
08:40This is a big day.
08:42I mean, I'll be working for Riverside Energy before I know it.
08:44Yeah.
08:45The whole way in here,
08:46how can we get caught on the tools?
08:47Yeah.
08:48You've got them on the tools right now.
08:51These are like the two that,
08:52with the inverters that we use in this climate,
08:54these are going to work best.
08:55This one is busy,
08:58but somehow it feels lighter.
09:01We didn't put any glazing on this side
09:03for any solar heat gain,
09:06but also it gave us the opportunity
09:07to kind of load up this side.
09:10This is a very good site.
09:12The metal roof is the perfect application for solar
09:15because they have these clips
09:16that clip on to the profile of the metal roof,
09:19and you build these brackets on it.
09:22You can stand on that,
09:23and then you install the solar panels.
09:25All right, let's do it.
09:26I'm lifting panels.
09:27Let's go.
09:27Let's go.
09:30We came up with this incredible plan
09:32to install the solar on the south side of the building.
09:42That was cool to put that on.
09:45I've never done that before.
09:50Nice and easy.
09:53So we installed the solar array,
09:55and then there's some electrical components
09:58that can be installed later,
09:59and then it all gets hooked up at the very end.
10:02One more!
10:05Pull in some big-time veteran moves.
10:07Yeah.
10:08Yeah.
10:09Todd!
10:09You got it?
10:11That's a veteran move right there.
10:12He even got coffee at the end.
10:14Yeah.
10:14All right.
10:16Oftentimes, your net-zero calculation
10:18is based on an annual basis.
10:21So you might generate more power
10:23than you need in the summer,
10:24and you feed that back to the grid.
10:26But in the winter,
10:27you might draw some power.
10:28And if you're generating more power
10:31than you use,
10:32then technically,
10:33you are net-zero or net-positive.
10:35I'm actually running around
10:53trying to take care of some of the structural components
10:56that will be a part of the final framing inspection
11:00when Jim comes up from Vancouver
11:02so that he can evaluate everything that we've done.
11:05So all holes need to be cut.
11:07Mechanical, plumbing, electrical,
11:08all needs to be in.
11:10Anything that is integral to the structure,
11:14we need to have finished.
11:15We've got some cross-bracing
11:17that we need to put in for the A-frame
11:19for our lateral stability.
11:23Originally, the structural engineer
11:26called for big timbers
11:29to cross-brace for lateral support
11:32on the A-frame.
11:33But I didn't like the look
11:35of having these big, massive,
11:37chunky pieces of wood in here.
11:39So he suggested that we could switch
11:42to this cable,
11:45which I thought was a great idea.
11:48It's exponentially more expensive
11:50because we had to have these brackets made.
11:52So you can take this pin out
11:54in order to hook onto there,
11:56and then it comes down
11:57and attaches to the turnbuckle,
12:00and the turnbuckle is adjustable like this.
12:02So we're going to have a cross-brace here
12:04and here,
12:05and then you tighten it up,
12:07and that, you know,
12:09I'm not a structural engineer,
12:10but it stops the A-frame
12:12from dancing around.
12:14I mean, it's not going anywhere anyway,
12:15but you've got to do
12:17what the structural engineer
12:18tells you to do.
12:33To go out and do my final
12:34and see it all in place,
12:36see all the beams tied
12:38the way they're supposed to be,
12:40see all the cable bracing
12:41anchored the way it's supposed to be,
12:43that was all done.
12:45So I have to say,
12:47I went out there
12:47at the final visit,
12:50and I was proud,
12:55proud of actually Todd
12:57and all the work he had done
12:59because this is not an easy build.
13:01This is not a normal house building.
13:03This was a very complex build
13:06on all levels,
13:07and he pulled it off.
13:09We've got a load of insulation,
13:1925 pallets coming from Rockwell,
13:21so it's a ton of insulation.
13:23We're waiting on two things.
13:24One is the tractor-trailer
13:25who was here a minute ago,
13:26and then he left.
13:27I met him.
13:28He went up to turn around
13:29so he can come down here,
13:30and then he can back in.
13:32This will be for the last step,
13:33which is getting insulation
13:34under the floor assembly
13:36so that the house
13:37is completely wrapped up,
13:39insulated, and protected.
13:41And then I rented a skid steer
13:42so that we can take the pallets
13:44off of the truck,
13:45put a pallet in the back of my truck,
13:47and then walk the skid steer down,
13:49dump that.
13:49So it's going to be
13:50a long, kind of slow day,
13:52but we'll get it done.
14:06Those ones are strapped
14:16to the pallet?
14:17Yeah.
14:17And so when I swung around here,
14:19the whole load just went whoop.
14:22Oi, oi, oi.
14:27Insulation is not light.
14:29You think it's light and fluffy.
14:31It's cloud-like,
14:32but really, it's dense.
14:34Santa's sleigh.
14:43There's a little skid steer.
14:44I wasn't quite sure
14:45how it was going to work.
14:45I mean, it was perfect
14:46for getting all the insulation
14:47off the truck,
14:48but it's not really doing much
14:50for our shuttling service.
14:52So we're just doing hot laps
14:54with two trucks.
14:55This is going to be
14:56the most insulated house
14:57on the planet.
14:59That's the goal.
15:04Up till now,
15:14we were very linear
15:15in our build.
15:16One thing had to happen
15:18before the next,
15:18and that meant
15:19that it was super slow,
15:21and there was only
15:22so many people
15:22that could be working
15:23at a time.
15:24This final build season,
15:29we could actually
15:29bring in some more people
15:31to help,
15:31and multiple things
15:32could be happening
15:33at the same time.
15:34And so we started
15:35to see progress,
15:37and things starting
15:37to take shape much faster.
15:39We had cabinets ordered.
15:41Everything was lined up
15:43to be delivered
15:43on schedule
15:44to come in
15:46so we could put in
15:47our finishing elements.
15:48Yeah, ready?
15:49We started drywalling,
15:51although not a lot
15:52of drywalling this
15:53because all of it's
15:54exposed wood,
15:55but the little bits
15:56and pieces that we needed
15:57were almost finished
15:58as well.
16:00And then we had
16:01a big surprise
16:02vacation planned
16:03we surprised the kids
16:04with, a cruise.
16:07It's a three-night cruise.
16:08We go to Nassau,
16:10we go to the Castaway Island,
16:12that is Disney's private island
16:14where we have Cabana,
16:15and then we sail back
16:18to Orlando
16:19and flying home
16:20via Montreal.
16:22It was quick
16:23because we have fit things
16:24in small windows.
16:25Five days.
16:31Todd, working on the house
16:32right up until the second
16:34we go to the airport
16:34and then starts working on it
16:36when we come back.
16:37And so we had
16:38a really good
16:39rejuvenating family time.
16:42Yeah.
16:43The funny thing was
16:44is we had this camp out
16:45inside the A-frame,
16:47inside a tent.
16:48So we put a tent
16:49inside the A-frame
16:50and the four of us
16:52all slept in the tent.
16:53So it was the first night
16:54that we slept
16:55inside this structure
16:56as a family.
16:58We are sleeping
16:59in a tent tonight.
17:00This is quite the change
17:01of...
17:02We foraged
17:03for all our blankets.
17:04We foraged
17:05for things.
17:06Oh my goodness.
17:08It was not only
17:09the first night,
17:10but it turned out
17:11it was also
17:12the last night.
17:13Good night, everybody.
17:15Good night, Ashie.
17:16Good night.
17:17Good night, babe.
17:25Literally the morning
17:26after our sleepover,
17:27we were dealing
17:28with a wildfire
17:28that was now
17:30close enough
17:30to cause evacuations
17:31right in our area.
17:32I decided just
17:37because of the air quality
17:39that I was going
17:39to take the kids
17:40to Vernon.
17:41The McDougal Creek
17:43fire was kind of
17:44inland and south of us,
17:46so I figured
17:47I'll head north,
17:48and I just heard
17:48there's this water park
17:49in Vernon,
17:50and I thought,
17:50I'll take the kids there.
17:51We'll have a fun day.
17:52They don't need
17:53to be in the smoke.
17:54Fires in the area
17:55happen all the time,
17:56so even being
17:58on an evacuation notice
17:59seemed to be
18:00somewhat normal.
18:02I looked it up,
18:03and the location
18:04of the fire
18:05seemed so far away.
18:06Like, it was
18:07two mountain ranges away.
18:09So I'm thinking,
18:10there's no way
18:11that it's going
18:12to reach us.
18:14Rebecca called me
18:15and said,
18:15what do you think
18:16we should do?
18:17And I was like,
18:17you know what?
18:17It's so smoky here.
18:19Why don't you just
18:19get a hotel room,
18:20stay the night.
18:22I'll stay here.
18:23We'll evaluate
18:23the situation
18:24in the morning.
18:26So that's what we did.
18:27We started doing drywall,
18:29which was odd,
18:31but drywall crew
18:32shows up.
18:33We're going at it.
18:35Everything's progressing.
18:37I'm watching the smoke
18:38kind of come over
18:40the mountain
18:40right behind the house
18:42and keeping an eye
18:44on it somewhat.
18:47So it's 8 o'clock
18:48on Thursday evening
18:50and we've got
18:52a massive fire burning
18:53coming over the hill
18:55right here.
18:57We've got the drywallers
18:58inside right now
18:59and I've just told them
19:00that I think
19:01that they should go
19:01because we've got
19:02some friends
19:02across the lake
19:03who have sent pictures
19:06over showing the flames
19:08coming just to
19:08Trader's Country
19:09right there.
19:10And people have been
19:11evacuated already
19:12right up to
19:14like the last house
19:15closest to us.
19:18Jesus,
19:19it's really coming
19:20over the mountain now.
19:23Rebecca and the kids
19:24are up in Vernon
19:25and they've got the hotel
19:25so I'm just going to
19:27pack up a few things.
19:29I don't even know
19:29what to bring.
19:30I don't even know
19:30what to do at this point.
19:33Just cross my fingers.
19:38Shit.
19:40God.
19:40God.
19:40We're three years
19:49into building
19:49this incredibly
19:50complex project
19:51and now only weeks
19:52away from finishing it.
19:55I was watching
19:56the color change
19:57above the mountain
19:58and getting friends
20:00sending me messages
20:01saying,
20:01I think you should
20:02get out of there.
20:03The fire had come down
20:05the next mountain range
20:06in about a half an hour.
20:07Like it was moving
20:08so quickly.
20:09The winds had
20:10shifted
20:11and had picked
20:12up pace.
20:15So evacuation
20:16order.
20:18Guys from
20:18the fire
20:19department just
20:20came ripping
20:21down the road
20:21and have told us
20:23it's time to go
20:25now.
20:26The flames are
20:26coming over the hill
20:27so I'm going to
20:29take one last
20:29quick look
20:30and then
20:31get the
20:32out of here.
20:33It's okay penny pie.
20:40We're good.
20:41Okay, it is
20:428.58
20:43and I can see
20:45the flames
20:46cresting over the top
20:48of the hill
20:48right now.
20:50Just helped
20:51Susan and Ray
20:51get their trailer
20:52hooked up.
20:54I've got penny
20:54in the car here
20:55and it's intense
20:57and it doesn't
20:59look good.
20:59And it doesn't
21:02look good.
21:02the fire
21:04and it's
21:06so
21:06it's
21:06pretty much
21:08like
21:08there's been a
21:09sequel.
21:09And it doesn't
21:09come to
21:10the end of the hill
21:10and it doesn't
21:10look good.
21:11We're good.
21:12We're good.
21:12We're good.
21:13We're good.
21:13We're good.
21:14We're good.
21:14We're good.
21:15We're good.
21:15Transcription by CastingWords
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