The recent changes to B.C.’s building code are good news for Squamish builders and residents, according to the district.
“It has opened up the field for builders and architects to design different features now that they never could before,” said Richard Mathews, chief building inspector for the District of Squamish.
The changes brought in by the provincial government took effect Dec. 19 and apply to new construction only.
The code changes have an impact on framing installation, plumbing, ventilation and insulation in new buildings.
Basically, the new code expands energy efficiency and airflow requirements to include the entire building, not just the insulation in the walls.
“They have put a lot of green into it now, by making a house a complete system. So they want the house to breathe and actually function properly because they found that they were losing so much energy through construction practice,” Mathews said.
The changes will also reduce the chance of mould and mildew in new construction.
“Residents and tenants will find that their house or commercial space will be healthier because it will always be breathing now. You will always have a principal fan running now 24/7.
“So it is always drawing air in through all the rooms and it is being exhausted out, so you are always exchanging the air,” he said.
The province is divided up into six different zones based on climate, and in each zone the requirements of the code are different. Squamish is in zone four, which Mathews said is ideal.
“All the builders that are building now have minor tweaks to their construction… I call it paradise because we only have to do a bit of tweaking.
If you go to Whistler they have got two zones, based on climate, which are more stringent and they have a lot more that they have to apply, so here we are really fortunate,” Mathews said.
Because of the changes, building permit processing time will be increased and the municipality will require more inspections, according to a district information sheet on the code changes.
The district is currently working on a form that will accompany building plans and that will assist both the client and the inspector.
Mathews said it is important that builders and general contractors are educated about the changes and that tradespeople working on their projects are up to speed with the code changes. “Clients and contractors need to work with their trades a lot more,” Mathews said.
Overall, Mathews said the changes are good for Squamish builders – and residents. “To me it is going to work really well, I am quite excited by it,” he said.
On Feb. 5, the district will offer two training sessions at Brennan Park Recreation Centre. One will be held at 12 p.m. in the Garibaldi meeting room and the other at 7 p.m. in the Tantalus room.
