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00:00over the winter. I got so desperate I posted it on Instagram. I've always seen
00:05a little man crush on Todd from Love It or Listed. Let's do it. It was a huge relief to have the roof
00:12on. The next step. Windows! Our goal was we would be able to celebrate Christmas up here.
00:21I need a vacation. I'm Todd Talbot and after 10 seasons of Love It or Listed Vancouver,
00:27my wife Rebecca and I invite you to join us on our building journey. We are building a net zero
00:32passive house on the shores of Okanagan Lake in beautiful British Columbia. A resilient,
00:37energy efficient, and architecturally stunning house. And even though this story doesn't end
00:41the way we planned it, it was an adventure.
00:57By the time Todd wrapped up the snow was coming and he was done for the year, he came home
01:03to like a mental mess. It was a bit of a disaster. There might have been a little bit of like,
01:11oh my gosh, he's home, I don't have to hold it all together anymore. We struggled all through
01:18the Christmas holidays and then into the new year. And I think I'd been not realizing how
01:25much I was holding it together up until then.
01:30I looked back at my phone the other day and saw countless videos of me waking up in the
01:35morning saying... Morning kiddos. Sorry about the hair.
01:41Anyway, I just wanted to wish you a fantastic Friday. Just trying to keep some connectivity
01:49with the kids. I don't know if they appreciated that or if it was annoying, but maybe it was
01:56more for me than it was for them.
02:01We did spend a lot of time that winter kind of circling the wagons and trying to repair.
02:08We knew we had another year of building, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
02:15The last year was way less intense than the first two years. Way less intense.
02:23First of all, we'd gotten over the incredibly difficult components.
02:27Where if you don't get it right, the whole thing could fall down. Like once you get into
02:32the part where you're choosing a paint color...
02:35The stakes aren't this high. It's not life and death. No.
02:37Why don't we slide it over this one?
02:47I got it.
02:48I got it.
02:49We are starting our third year of building.
02:52Okay, nice and slow through here.
02:54Absolutely.
02:55The weather's cooperated. That is fantastic. I mean, to come up here and be able to be in
03:00this environment is amazing.
03:02We're on the rack.
03:03All right.
03:04It feels good and oddly stressful all at the same time. Like those feelings of overwhelm.
03:11Like this week has been overwhelming. Because you get here and you think, okay, it feels
03:16like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Then you start figuring out all the things
03:21that you need to do. And then it feels overwhelming.
03:25The first hurdle this season is to rough in our mechanical system, heating, cooling, HRV,
03:32air exchange. So this is kind of the inner workings, the lungs of the building. We tackled
03:38the structure first and the envelope and the insulation, a critical component. And now we're
03:44moving into the house to put the engine inside of it.
03:48One of the challenges with the roof that we have at like 65 and a half degrees is once
03:54we put the metal roofing on, really there's no way to penetrate that ever again. Would
04:01it be nice to put another vent up there in a perfect world? Maybe. But it's simply not
04:06an option. So as soon as you're kind of hemmed in by one thing, you've got to find another
04:12way to do it. And I think that's the theme of this build really, from day one is just,
04:19you know, we've got limitations or challenges and then we just have to figure out where you
04:23can sneak ducting. But that is going to be a massive exercise.
04:27Yeah, that looks really good.
04:29This week's cool because we've got Joel and his team from Pat Heating and Air and I've
04:33been talking with Joel for over a year, explaining what I wanted to do.
04:38I was expecting a cabin on the lake that's got, you know, thicker than average walls
04:43and a pretty lake view. I came and it was like, oh my God, what did I get myself into?
04:49We can put it, so where's our drill point going to be then?
04:52So both of us have been kind of percolating on what we should do, how we should do it.
04:57That day has finally come and we've got ducts going in and it's cool to see this next phase
05:04kind of come to life.
05:05This home had just logistical nightmares of how do you do it when there's nothing on the
05:10interior to hide your workmanship?
05:12So out of the box solutions is the nickname of this home to me.
05:16All right, coming down, watch yourself.
05:18Yeah, go for it.
05:20Where I started with this house was to actually walk through it and I asked about moisture,
05:26I asked about smoke and filtration, about smoke in the air.
05:29So that's why we went to a ducted system, which allows you to have filtration that you
05:33wouldn't typically have with a ductless system.
05:36The indoor air quality of a passive house, because it goes through the ventilation system
05:41and the filtering system, is very healthy.
05:44The federal government has estimated somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 Canadians die prematurely
05:49each year because of what's known as PM2 pollution.
05:52Very tiny particles of air pollution that come from burning fossil fuels, but these days really
05:58come from wildfires.
05:59Little particulate matters that can kill us.
06:03When you live in a passive house, those get filtered out.
06:07So up in the very tippity top of the A-frame, this is the attic space, which honestly I wasn't
06:13sure what we were going to do with it, but it has come in handy for some mechanical runs.
06:17This is for the bedroom area.
06:19We're going to leave this exposed.
06:21And so there's going to be another four inch pipe that runs along on top of it.
06:26And then it comes down and it punches down into our ERV right below this floor right here.
06:32If you look over here, it's pretty cool.
06:40In this home, we went with an ERV.
06:44An ERV is an energy recovery ventilator.
06:47It transfers fresh air coming within the home with exhaust warm air from wet areas in high
06:53temperature locations in the home.
06:54So it crosses those flows and then redistributes them throughout the home.
07:00If you don't have an ERV, you're going to have a very stuffy home.
07:03So more fresh air, the better.
07:08So we're putting in a six inch pipe and we want to stop any air coming in or leaving the
07:13building.
07:14So it will have a tight seal around it.
07:16I'm just going to put it in a hole here.
07:18We can then take sealing agent.
07:20Perfect.
07:21So when we apply it, it comes around our membrane so that we will not have any air transfer from
07:27exterior to interior.
07:29The mechanical conversation, most people are going to be like, but it is the lifeblood of a passive
07:37home or net zero home.
07:39If you don't get that right, all your efforts with insulation and everything you're doing
07:44to kind of seal this building up is for nothing.
07:47You have to get the mechanical right.
07:50The heating, cooling and air transference.
07:53Steep learning curve.
07:55At the end of the day, we just have to do what we have to do with this home.
07:58And it's just understanding the building and how we're going to do it.
08:01It's super fun to see some of the rough in go in.
08:17It makes you feel like we're actually going to get there at the end of the day.
08:20Getting the plumbing in is the next step.
08:22Like I want to tackle this to get around the corner.
08:25I don't know if it's going to end.
08:27We've had some hurdles definitely with the plumbing.
08:30Number one is that we don't have any floor space to run plumbing through, which is normally
08:34the way that you do it.
08:36So we've had to be very strategic about where we're putting the drain lines.
08:41In two days, we're going to start the electrical rough in and hopefully we're done in the next
08:47week and a half.
08:48Then we'll call for inspection and then drywall and finishing.
08:55Can you imagine?
08:56Where do you want to have the half-inch seats just kind of to the bottom of the cabinet?
08:59Well, the problem with that is that it wrecks the cabinet.
09:02Right.
09:03We could just stub them out up here.
09:05It's such a cool stage to be at where you can see everything and you're still intimately
09:10involved in the building process.
09:12And as much as I want to finish it, once you cover it all up, it's on to a different phase.
09:17It's on to living in it, which I guess is the goal at the end of the day.
09:23But for a guy who's addicted to building and renovating, it's, I don't know, I don't want
09:29to find another project.
09:30Yep.
09:31Let's just bump it to the top and then call it a day.
09:35Cool.
09:36One of the other big challenges that we had was running electrical.
09:47Amy came up with a great solution, which was to use switched plugs and swag lighting from
09:58the plug onto a beam, which is done.
10:02She showed us examples of it being done in Europe all over the place and it looks absolutely
10:06stunning.
10:07This is, this is super cool.
10:08It's very farmhouse.
10:09Yep.
10:09I like it a lot.
10:11It's really old school.
10:13It really is.
10:14So basically we like exposed all of the wiring for our lighting.
10:20Yeah.
10:21I mean, which is like, it's quintessential for an A-frame also.
10:24So it also gives you a nod to that retro finishing of an A-frame.
10:29100%.
10:29Everyone in an A-frame has to deal with that because there's nowhere to insert your electrical.
10:34And all of a sudden you're inspired and you're thinking, okay, this is fantastic.
10:37So solving little issues like that is also related to construction, makes things go faster
10:43and cheaper sometimes.
10:45And then you end up with a very cool design feature at the end of the day.
10:55So I've got Ashlyn helping me out.
10:57There's some really particular jobs around air sealing and I was saving this job for Ashlyn.
11:02So every single window needs to be taped to bridge from the window frame to the framing
11:09of the home so that we make sure that there's no air penetration at that spot.
11:13This air barrier strategy is you're either all in or you're not doing it.
11:18There's no like 80%.
11:19It's a slow detailed process and Ashlyn is doing awesome.
11:24Do you like this job, Ashlyn?
11:25Mm-hmm.
11:26It's kind of artsy and craftsy.
11:30Craftsy.
11:32Oh, it's more craftsy than artsy.
11:34We'll drop the artsy part.
11:36The care and attention where the exterior meets the interior is something that you have
11:42to keep in your mind at all times.
11:44We're going to put the pot light inside of there.
11:58But our air barrier is going to get taped to this box.
12:02So basically, we're going to make this box part of the air barrier.
12:05So we have to seal all of these seams in here.
12:09So we're going to tape these corners.
12:11Ashlyn's been awesome.
12:11You know, to be honest, she's not exactly a laborer when we're living in the city.
12:16But up here, she's motivated.
12:18I'm paying her by the hour.
12:19She's keeping track in her phone.
12:22So then once the wire comes through and we tape that wire, it hangs here.
12:26And then we can work inside this box.
12:29And we never have to penetrate the air barrier of the exterior of the building.
12:34You know what I mean?
12:35Does that make sense now?
12:37Are you willing to tape it?
12:38I'm like, I'm not taping this until I know exactly what's going on.
12:42She tells me I want to keep working.
12:44I want to work more.
12:44I want to work every day.
12:46We just have to make sure that you've got overlap, right?
12:48So you get, you go right to the corner, right to the corner.
12:50And then this one comes down and wraps down like a little bit.
12:55Okay.
12:55And then use your blue scraper on it to make sure it's sealed really well.
12:59As soon as you kind of get inside, you can start to multitask a little bit.
13:04So we can have electrical going while we're working on mechanical at the same time as some plumbing was happening,
13:12which allows the process to move a little bit quicker.
13:16You see this?
13:17Like all these wires, it's crazy.
13:19It makes more sense once you have everything kind of going where it's supposed to.
13:25So just deconstructing the old power line.
13:30Now the BC Hydro showed up, but we're kind of a race against time now.
13:34The fridge is moving up and we have no breakers.
13:38So, you know, time to rock and roll.
13:47That is going to go there.
13:52You know, we're just sparking things up, so don't touch electrical.
14:01Anticlimactic, good.
14:01Anticlimactic, that's what you want.
14:03You don't want a big finale.
14:05Okay, promising.
14:07Okay, you want to flip that on?
14:09The bunkhouse?
14:09Yeah.
14:10Yeah.
14:10Good, let's see.
14:13Looks good to me.
14:14This is our first live plug.
14:20And we are officially powered up with our new service.
14:25BC Hydro came.
14:26We scrambled.
14:28We got almost everything switched over.
14:30And now we're up and running.
14:33This has been a long time coming.
14:35And we had to do the plumbing and the electrical at the same time.
14:41This has been a long day.
14:43But it's like happy dance time.
14:47We have power.
14:48Can't believe it.
15:02You good?
15:03Yep.
15:04Oh, lightweight.
15:05Lightweight.
15:07This is, uh, this is my mental moment.
15:11It is.
15:12I probably spent more time with Peter Chow than I did with Rebecca for the last three years.
15:18Look at that.
15:20There we go.
15:21It's new.
15:21Woo!
15:22I met Peter through my next door neighbor.
15:24And Peter had lots of framing experience.
15:27We casually talked.
15:29You know, I'm going to build at some point.
15:30Maybe you want to come and be a part of it.
15:33And he was like, yeah, yeah, great.
15:36We started the journey working with Patrick.
15:39That's ZZ Top.
15:40I always felt like Patrick wanted us to succeed.
15:45This is right.
15:46That's how pretty it moves.
15:48He was trying to help us make decisions that made us successful.
15:52How's it holding there, Patrick?
15:54It's looking great.
15:56And when you lose somebody like that, you don't know how to replace them.
16:00When Patrick's house burned down and his life's circumstances changed, Peter stepped in.
16:11And, uh, and it was saving grace.
16:14I felt like he cared about what we were doing as much, and sometimes maybe even more than me.
16:23Can you reach up there?
16:24Yeah.
16:24Oftentimes, I would want to do something so that I knew it was to the standard that I wanted it to be done.
16:31I'd either just run them along.
16:32Oh, yeah.
16:32We're going to use them to tie into their two-by-sixes anyways.
16:34Yeah.
16:35Once you do these things and you cover them up, there's no going back.
16:39You have to get it right the first time.
16:40One of the great things about Peter is that I could trust that when he was doing something,
16:47that he would do it to the same level that I would do it.
16:51I've got to say, Todd has, like, the best work ethic ever, so it's just fantastic.
16:55So, um, and that's what really kind of worked well with the two of us.
16:59So we both seemed to have, like, the same work ethic.
17:01We were kind of cut from the same cloth.
17:03We both put in, like, some long days, you know, over the years.
17:06So some days, you know, we'd work from six or seven in the morning,
17:09and we'd finish until, like, five or six at night, you know,
17:12so just to get things done and be at where we need to be.
17:16The thing I felt a little bit guilty about was the fact that he was away from his family
17:20at the same time I was away from mine, and I know the impact that it had on us,
17:25and I can only imagine the impact that it had on Karen and their kids.
17:31But he stuck with me, you know, and continues to.
17:39Rebecca was planning my 50th birthday, and she had all kinds of great ideas.
17:58You wanted to do it at the lake.
18:00I wanted to do it here.
18:03I really wanted to be done before my 50th birthday.
18:06But then we went through a period of time that we were like,
18:08it's not going to happen, can't do it.
18:14Like, how can we have people here?
18:16We don't have the facilities to take care of.
18:19Yeah, we really had nothing, and I was like,
18:22I don't want to do anything unless we do it here.
18:27And so Rebecca reached out to everybody, and she was like,
18:31we have nothing, you have to bring all of your bedding,
18:34and you have to bring food.
18:36And in some cases, the place that you will house yourself in.
18:39You might have to bring a tent.
18:41And people showed up.
18:44Oh my goodness.
18:50I mean, they flew in from all over the place,
18:52and drove here, and we had a great celebration.
18:55That was really the first time that we had a bunch of people back here
19:05since we started the build, and it, I think it,
19:08well, it reminded me, I don't know about you,
19:10but it reminded me of the times before we started building.
19:13And it felt like this is what's, this is why we're doing this.
19:16Like, this is what's to come.
19:18I almost feel disconnected from the house.
19:36I'm not sure I can explain this well,
19:38but when people come and see it, and they're impressed by it,
19:41you would think that would give me kind of like a boost of ego.
19:46You know, like, yeah, I did that.
19:48It, you know, I'm proud of it.
19:50But I'm oddly disconnected from it.
19:53I almost see it from their perspective.
19:55I'm like, yeah, this, this is, this is crazy.
20:02I need to finish it.
20:04I think part of it is to prove to myself that I can do it.
20:11If I bailed now, I wouldn't forgive myself.
20:13Like, I would feel like I failed.
20:14My only regret about the time it's taken to build this
20:19is we kind of missed three summers.
20:21And in the grand scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal.
20:27But someone said to me,
20:29you have X amount of summers with your kids
20:31before they're off doing their own thing.
20:33Now, they may come back.
20:34But you've got a finite period of time.
20:40And you go, well, I got three more summers with Ashland.
20:43You know, four more summers with Kessler.
20:44So I really want to get this done.
20:47You didn't ask me whether I would do it again.
20:49But I'll answer that question.
20:52At least right now, no.
20:55I would definitely not do it the same way.
20:58It's too complicated.
20:59It's too much for me.
21:02I'm glad we did it.
21:03I'm proud of it.
21:04But it's, it's bonkers.
21:07I know, I don't know.
21:23I know, I don't know.
21:27I know.
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