An expert in electromagnetic fields at Hydro-Québec advises against the use of certain radiant electric floors which could increase the risk of infant leukemia.  <<As children are often laying and sitting on the floor, it is to be avoided, not recommended due to the doubts we have on this>>, declared Jan Erik Deadman, labour hygiene counsellor at the company.  <<It would surprise me if Hydro-Québec recommended (these systems) in daycares.>>

This labour health doctor was reacting to the fact that certain of these heating systems, composed of an electric wire typically installed under a ceramic floor, emit a magnetic field measuring up to 100 milli gauss (mG0) at ground level.  According to nine epidemiological studies, a chronic exposure to an average field of more than 4 mG doubles the risk of child leukemia.  In 2002, this is what incited the International Center for Cancer Research, along with the World Health Organization, to class magnetic fields of 50-60 Hertz in Group 2B as ‘potentially cancer-causing’.  The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation in its Mechanical Equipment Guide for a Clean Interior Environment, that radiant electric floors <<can emit significant electrical and magnetic fields.>>

Four Cancers Targeted

The most solid proofs of noxious effects of electromagnetic fields come from epidemiological studies, explains Health Canada: <<The studies have led to suppositions of the existence of a weak positive association between being exposed to fields of 50-60Hz and leukemia, brain cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer.>> But we cannot exclude that other statistical, environmental or socio-economic factors may be responsible.

Also a researcher at the McGill Faculty of Medicine, Jan Erik Deadman is co-author of a historical study published last July.  It concluded that female workers, whose average weekly exposure was at least 4mG during or within two years preceding their pregnancy, doubled their risk of having a child who will develop this type of blood cancer.  Other studies concluded that chronic exposure to a field of 2mG doubled the risk in children.

Should owners of electrically heated floors disable their system or turn it off before entering a room?  <<The risk is considered too weak and too uncertain to change heated floors in houses and daycares, analyzes Denis Gauvin, biologist at the Institut nationale de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) Must the population be informed?  Yes.  If people have the possibility of choosing a floor which exposes them less, all the better.>> Electromagnetic fields are composed of electrical fields produced by voltage (live wires) and magnetic fields from amperage (power consumed)  They are measured with a multi meter which frequently acts as a voltmeter, gauss meter and radio frequency and microwave reader.  The intensity of the field and the degree of human exposure diminish rapidly when moving away from the source, easy if the radiant system is in a ceiling but impossible in the case of a floor.

At one foot from a floor emitting 100mG at ground level, the field can measure 16mG, a level at which very brief daily exposures are, according to a recent California study (Li, 2002), associated with an increased risk of false labour.  These fields are weaker in a house where electrical consumption is lower and if the wires are close together and laid out in parallel, their fields have a tendency to mutually cancel themselves out.
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Rightfully considered as the biggest investment that a person makes in his or her lifetime, buying a house involves a number of equally crucial steps, and this is especially true for a new-home construction project.  

In the few lines that follow, we’ve tried to compile the 10 major steps that comprise a construction project, from the initial idea to final delivery.  Please feel free to keep, and if need be, refer to this reference tool, which we hope will further raise your appreciation of the intricacies that such a development project entails and how important it is to be able to rely on top-notch professionals to make this as positive an experience as possible.  

The steps

Pre-building

1. Select a location that is in tune with the family’s priorities

In recent years, the availability of lots (make sure that the lot is debt- and defect-free) and their cost have had a direct bearing on buyers’ decisions. Thus, choosing a lot according to family needs (school, daycare, work) and/or recreational activities (municipal pool, bike path, etc.) is essential.

2. Choose a lot that fits your needs

Depending on what you plan to do with your land (gardening, swimming, using the barbecue, or other), it’s important to choose a lot that is most likely to get the amount of sunlight you’re seeking at specific times of the day. 

3.  Research and negotiate with a lending institution

Every dream comes with a price attached, so before venturing any further, you need to meet with a financial institution or mortgage broker to clearly establish that your dreams don’t exceed your means. 

4.  Research a house plan tailored to your needs

Home needs (space, facilities…) vary from one person to the next. That’s why it’s paramount, during the initial house-hunting, to be able to rely on an extensive inventory of plans, and have the flexibility of being able to change them, if need be, while continuing to respect standards and aesthetics. This is exactly what Drummond Designs offers, affording the possibility, at minimal cost, of adapting a home to a person’s lifestyle, using the original plan designs.

5. Select the entrepreneur/contractor

The ties that connect you with your contractor go way beyond simply building your home. Actually, the enjoyment derived from talking things over with your contractor will be borne out in those first few years after delivery of the finished product. An entrepreneur’s intrinsic workmanship, meticulous attention to detail, availability, receptiveness, and history of after-sales service, are all key factors that might attest to the type of buyer-builder relationship one might expect to have. 

The work site

In the following section, you’ll find the main things to look out for as your new home is being built. This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a good overview of the key stages.

6. Foundation and structure

- Drainage system (ground absorption capacity) 
- Height of foundation vs. the neighbour’s 
- Street level vs. yard entrance
- Foundation dimensions in accordance with the plan

7. Insulation, electricity and plumbing

- Insulation: ensure the house is well insulated, properly done in all places, check waterproofing of various materials, doors and windows

-  Electricity: check your needs (electrical outlets, exit lighting, switches, thermostats, telephones, TV…), vs. furniture arrangements

-  Plumbing: check to make sure that the selection of equipment and accessories corresponds to your original selection,
check on location of equipment installation such as hot water tank, furnace, central air system, the future bathroom in the   basement vs. your future plan of finishing off your basement. Also, check location of outside water outlet, garage

8. Finishings

- Quality of the joints, select the various paint colours and determine where you want each of these paint colours to go, pick out wallpaper and other finishings. Quality of molding installations, floor covering (selection, quality of the installation…), staircase. Make sure the inside doors open and close properly. Cupboards and vanities, adjusting the doors, etc…  
Post-construction

9. Final approval visit & signing the contract at the notary

Draw up a list of work that is unfinished or needs adjusting, submit this list in writing to the contractor. Make sure that all the work has been done to your satisfaction before making the final payment. Gather up all the maintenance manuals and/or warranties on the various equipment (heating, central air …)

10. Guarantees

To find out more about the responsibilities of the various parties involved (contractor, sub-contractors, manufacturers and others) we strongly suggest you inquire locally through any builder association that may exist in your region.

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In recent years, the residential construction industry has undergone an unprecedented growth, and it’s noteworthy that the province of Quebec has contributed more than ever to the record construction surge.

The relentless pace, which month after month continues to confound the experts, will, sooner or later, experience an inevitable slowdown. There are some very simple reasons why this will eventually occur: the rise in the cost of labour and building materials, combined with the gradual hike in mortgage rates will prompt people in this activity sector to reconsider their strategy.   

While the phenomenon is still in its infancy stage, it’s been happening for the last few months from a Canadian standpoint. It’s the direct result of housing prices, which, since the beginning of the new millennium, have spiralled, often beyond 50%. Some people see that as nothing but a good thing, even though the real-estate value of their home is practically wiped out by the proportional increase in costs of buying or building a new house.   

A growing number of home owners, however, prefer renovating their home,  financing the work through the equity that has been built up in their property.  Consequently, they avoid having to pull up stakes to go and live in a residential area that is likely to take a decade to mature from an urban development aspect. 

There are myriad reasons for sake-of-change renovation, as opposed to a straightforward move into another home. Usually, the decision is made once the children have left the family nest. Then it’s a matter of re-appropriating space, with practicality and comfort of the occupants in mind, by enlarging the living room or bathroom to set up your own peaceful oasis, by adding on a solarium or by finishing off a spare room above the garage.  

As residential designers, our knowledge of the housing sector and the need to oversee each of the stages one goes through in bringing a project to fruition has led us, more and more, to contribute not only to the development of plans to carry out the work, but also to play an active consulting role, thereby providing support service throughout the project, if need be.

All the more true, the renovation projects are becoming more sophisticated and expensive as lands and properties value are increasing.

It is no longer uncommon today, to turn a bungalow into a cottage and double the floor space of a home in order to maximize the value of a property located in an area in demand or on the edge of a water-course, for example. This type of transformation, we understand, requests an excellent planning for future use of space.  This is the task that is increasing more and more the workload for designers and creators specialized in residential construction.

If we add other determining factors such as the scarcity of land and urban sprawl, it is likely that the decline in starts of new homes will be largely offset by the major renovation projects in the next following months.

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