Langley Real Estate

A new home in Willoughby is solid and quiet; rot, mould and bug proof, and very fire resistant.

That's all well and good, but the big impetus behind the ECO-Block insulated-concrete-form dwelling is energy efficiency, and a reduced reliance on lumber.

Both the Langley builder, Scott Plante, and ECO-Block's distributor, Bruce Eaton of Rempel Bros. Concrete, extoll the energy efficiency of this home.

Eaton, who has worked in construction for decades, first used the insulated concrete ECO-Block about 10 years ago, on Vancouver Island.

Similar systems are not new, the technology has been around for 40 years, Eaton says.

"This (new market) is really driven by energy costs. They are extremely energy efficient."

Eaton says this form of construction is increasingly popular in both colder and warmer climates than that of the Lower Mainland.

He estimates that while initial construction costs are between six and 10 per cent higher than conventional wood frame, energy savings for both heating and cooling begin to recuperate that premium immediately.

Plante says that while a conventional home gets to lock-up stage sooner, "we get to the end of the project about the same time."

Once the ECO-Block walls are done, there's no need to call in the insulation crew. The drywall is installed immediately, with the polystyrene serving as vapour barrier. Eaton and Plante say that the energy savings are between 40 and 60 per cent of a conventional home.

Plante, who with his partner Rolf Terlaak operates Bratco Construction Ltd. which built the home at 9408 207 St. in Shaughnessy Woods, calls the ECO-Block method a "fun way to build.

"It is light-weight construction, it is especially nice in the winter."

Eaton likens the light-weight polystyrene block to Lego. They run from the footings of the basement to the ceiling joists of the upper floor. At the basement level, the walls are 13 inches thick, with upper walls at 11 inches.

With 2.5 inches of polystyrene on both the inside and the outside of the reinforced concrete walls, ECO-Block homes have an insulation value of R-32, far more than even 2x6 insulated stud walls.

"When you stand inside one of these houses, you can just feel how quiet it is, peaceful and tranquil," says Plante.

They are also draft free, he adds.

Eaton, who acts as a support technologist for contractors, says that the homes are fully engineered for earthquake resistance, and use rebar reinforcing both vertically and horizontally.

The floor joists are hung on steel ledgers embedded in the forms before the concrete is poured. A plastic stripping replaces studs, for hanging gyproc inside and siding outside.

The polystyrene, which is inert with zero off-gasing, is fire resistant, and with gyproc, results in a four-hour, fire-rated wall.

"That is quite hard to achieve, other than with cinder block," says Eaton.

These characteristics give the wall applications for multi-family homes which include sound proofing, fire proofing and security, he says.

Eaton says that there are as many as 80 companies in North America supplying similar products. ECO-Block is a Canadian product, with the manufacturer headquartered in Ontario, and five different plants in Canada and the United States.

The company is expanding rapidly, there is already a plant in Australia, and ECO-Block is now going in to Eastern Europe, Eaton said.

"It makes sense. The more extreme the temperature, the better it works, the more savings (through energy efficiency)," he said.

For the most part, individual homeowners have been the driving force behind ECO-Block, people interested in energy efficiency and conservation.

Contractors and developers have not been as eager, for the most part, said Eaton.

But he said Plante, 31, is open to new ideas. Plante, who has built four other homes, and an office for Rempel Bros. using ECO-Blocks, has built the Willoughby house on spec.

"He is a local builder, a young fellow. That is kind of what it takes, someone to look at things and think: That's a betterway to do things than we have done for the past 25 years," said Eaton.

Plante would build another home on spec, but may not have time. He has been getting many inquiries, both before, and since an open house at the Shaughnessy Woods home on Sept. 20.

This high-end home is listed at $849,900 through the Schacter Team RE/MAX Treeland Realty (info@langleyhomes.net). It boasts 4,000 square feet, with four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and a greatroom concept - kitchen, family room and dining room all adjacent in a large open space.

The block system lends itself to large open spaces, and the home is built with a suspended floor over the garage, a theatre room below, said Plante.

But Eaton says the ECO-Block system also lends itself to smaller homes, and many customers are from the interior, including people who are building second, recreation homes.

"A lot of these are small, second homes (and) they can be done by the owner. The systems now are so slick, they are so simple, people can do it themselves."

But Rempel Bros. will provide a six-hour training seminar, after which most people will be fairly "comfortable" with the project, said Eaton.

The Schacter Team - Concrete Homes in Langley