Why is it important?
Definition:
Thermal Break Technology – The separation of the framing wood which includes the walls, ceilings (and floors for tiny home) from the interior surface to the exterior surface, to severely reduce the thermal transfer of energy through the framing members.
All of our construction incorporates our Thermal Break Technology. Did you know wood is a conductor rather than an insulator of thermal energy? Any wall that touches the exterior and interior surfaces of a building carries heat or cold through the wall directly. This is an inferior build practice which North 49 Homes almost completely eliminates. Watch your utility bill be diminished with our break through technology!
With our tiny home construction we fit the Thermal Break Technology into a 4" wall, with the same technique and results.
Thermal Break Technology Explanation Video
Thermal Break Technology Proof Video
Hiding A Cool Secret
In 1984 the concept of making the interior wall independent from the exterior wall was made available to me during a comprehensive home building night school course. From my training as an Electronics Technologist and particularly my work with “heat sinks” and their intended purpose, I immediately latched on to the concept of how heat & cold may affect the building envelope. This procedure has exclusively dominated my building practices, for homes and shops, since taking that night school course in 1984.
The proof: "The Laugh Factory" 2649 Highway 3, Keremeos, B.C. Canada
Our gift shop/art gallery/production facility, located at the above address was built in 2017 with Thermal Break Technology. It is a 50’ x 50’ building with a 10’ ceiling, totaling 25,000 cubic feet. During each of the years, 2018 & 2019, this building consumed less than $40 in natural gas during these periods of one year.
This building not only produces low energy bills during the winter months, but also remains cool during the very hot (reaching > 40 deg. C.) summer months, removing the need for an air-conditioning system. It is the latest in a proven string of building projects and renovations, over the past 35 years.
Copper Supply Lines
Why is it important?
Metals have been used as supply & waste plumbing lines for centuries. Iron has been used since the 17th century and copper has been used for the past 75 years. As such they have proven themselves over the course of this time period. Additionally, copper and iron are usable by the human body.
Plastic piping, while being around since the 1960’s has only become “popular” since the 1990’s. The first attempt (Poly-B) ended up with burst piping in wall cavities and multi-million-dollar class action lawsuits throughout North America. The follow up product (PEX) has 5 independent problems associated with it, not the least of which is leaching of chemicals into the water that it is delivering.
So how is it that PEX piping became the largely exclusive option for residential plumbing over the past number of decades, given these circumstances? In a word: PROFIT. As with many fundamental aspects of our civilization, they have not been determined by whether or not they are best for the consumer or environment, but rather with a focus on “the bottom line”. No need to go into details here, but suffice it to say that I have never used plastic supply lines during the past 35 years of residential construction. This holds true for the construction of ‘tiny homes’, for the same reasons.