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The Affect of Effect

By Nerissa McNaughton

Custom, eco-friendly and net-zero energy homes has Effect Home Builders changing and challenging the industry in very positive ways.

Dave Brettelle, Dominic Emmelkamp, Sydney Bond, Mark Vorster, Les Wold, Nick Harrington, Dale Rott, Will Berger, Krista Polukoshko, and Richard Burton.

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ome people say they want to change the world for the better. Other people roll up their sleeves and start making those changes, backing up their words with actions. Effect Home Builders falls squarely into that second group and not only are they making tremendous change, they are inspiring others to do so as well.

“We saw a real need in the market and we wanted to challenge ourselves to work with people to build the homes that meet their

Congratulations to Effect Home Builders on their success.

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needs, but are far superior to the standard construction that was going on. We thought we could improve the industry and have a positive impact on the environment at the same time,” says managing partner Les Wold, who co-launched the company 15 years ago with Dale Rott and Dave Brettelle.

“To Effect, it’s more than just building a home. It’s incorporating your lifestyle and having a positive impact with it, Wold continues.

“We create the least amount of negative impact and the highest amount of positive impact. For every home, we take the time to ensure you are optimizing everything the location has to offer, such as south exposure to the sun’s energy. We work with the homeowners to see what their current needs are and what their needs will be in the future.

“Some things might not get done at the start, such as a full solarelectric system, but we have the house ready for it – the roof engineered for the extra weight of the modules, the roof designed to face south and conduit run down to the electrical room. For limited extra cost it is built properly and a solar-electric system can be put up later without intrusion on the residents. All of our homes are built to be solar ready.”

Effect’s motto is to build homes that are “quieter, more comfortable and healthier” than the standard and above all, sustainable.

How do they achieve this?

Effect Home Builders | 15 Years | 1

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Our system preheats it so you only have to heat the difference.

It’s efficient and much healthier as opposed to older and poorly constructed homes where the air leaks in and out of The perfect blend of materials, texture, and colour showcase the home’s contemporary design in this efficient home.

the cracks.

Wold is happy to inform, “One of the key things is to have a well-insulated building envelope. That is critical to ensure you have the least amount of heat loss. Our homes are virtually airtight, so you are retaining the heat and further contributing to the home’s efficiency.

“We have a heat recovery ventilation system (fresh air pump) that draws in fresh air to be used in the home. It extracts the stale air and releases it, but it preheats incoming air coming in an efficient way.

In a normal home, you are blowing out +20 air and drawing in -20 air.

In this Net Zero Energy Home the polished concrete floors absorb and release passive solar energy.

Our system preheats it so you only have to heat the difference. It’s efficient and much healthier as opposed to older and poorly constructed homes where the air leaks in and out of the cracks. The system has very fine filters which remove allergens and toxins.

“We incorporate as many green options as are practical and make sense. For example. All of our homes have insulation under the basement slab.

This allows you to have a warmer, more comfortable basement floor. It’s not a major cost, but you are always getting the comfort and efficiency of it because it’s always working to prevent the cold from infiltrating through the floor.

“We use insulated concrete form (ICF) foundations, which offer significantly improved insulation values for the foundation, and all of our homes have triplepane low-e argon-filled windows.

Open, bright kitchen with innovative island design allows viewing of the Courtyard.

Effect Home Builders | 15 Years | 2

“Wherever possible, we source local materials. If we are removing an existing home, we reuse and recycle materials. The concrete in the existing foundation is recycled and used as road crush. We keep as much as possible out of the landfills.”

Congrats Effect Home Builders on 15 years!

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Congratulations Effect Home Builders on 15 years!!

We wish you many years of continued success!

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“We did three net-zero energy homes in Belgravia that garnered a lot of interest and recognition,” Wold explains. “The project won local, provincial and national awards from the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) as well as from many other organizations. Those homes caught the attention of Mike Holmes and his Group.”

Holmes was impressed. Very impressed.

“Now all of our homes are registered with the Holmes Approved program. They come and inspect the homes and provide a binder to the homeowners to give them peace of mind to see the structure and mechanical before it’s covered up. It’s an authentication of the process and products.

Dave Brettelle, Dale Rott and Les Wold.

In 2012, Effect Home Builders did their first net-zero energy project. A net-zero energy home consumes the same amount of energy it produces over the course of a year. It’s no small feat to achieve a net-zero energy home, which is why this project caught the eye of one of the most recognized celebrity builders in Canada – Mike Holmes.

Congratulations to Effect Home Builders on 15 years of Customer Excellence!

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“I’m very impressed with the Holmes Group. They stand behind what they believe in. They are about quality and doing things right. It is quite rewarding to work with them. They have never wavered in building better homes across North America and they are putting a lot of effort into doing that. Partnering with the Holmes Group dovetails nicely with what we are trying to achieve.”

Perhaps the most inspiring thing about Effect Home Builders, however, is not the fact that they impressed Mike Holmes, that they can build houses so efficient there is no energy waste, or

Congratulations

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We wish you many more years of continued success.

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The impact Effect Home Builders has made in the industry in such a short period

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S Effect Home Builders on 15 years of success!

of time is astounding, and the progressive company hopes the way they build will become the standard for all home builders across Canada.

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even that they have achieved the feat of an independent 100 per cent consumer satisfaction rating on Houzz. It’s not their awards cabinet that is bulging at the seams or the special requests they accommodate, such as a two-storey indoor slide in one home and a massive aquarium in another. No, what makes this company truly special is the fact that they share what makes them unique.

In a move completely contrary to most industry mandates, Effect Home Builders put their net-zero energy homes on display as they were constructing them, allowing students, utility companies and other builders to learn and grow with them. They flung their doors open, so as many people as possible could learn about, use and build with the technology.

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Congratulations Effect Home Builders on 15 years!

Wishing you many years of continued success.

That is amazing, but they didn’t stop there.

“On a national level, we are part of CHBA’s Net Zero Energy Housing Council,” says Wold with pride. We are working with the Council to be rolling out the net-zero energy home labeling program and to make homeowners, as well as other builders, aware of better ways to build. We are trying to lead by example on innovative and effective ways to increase the quality and efficiency of homes.

Founding partner Dale Rott is an active member with the Council.”

AB Sound Roofing Roofing Roofing The impact Effect Home Builders has made in the industry in such a short period of time is astounding, and the progressive company hopes the way they build will become the standard for all home builders across Canada.

“It’s been an evolution,” Wold concludes. “We have always wanted to build better homes and really meet the needs of the clients. As the homes grew, we were continually researching and developing better building methods and healthier, more durable ways to build. Our homes were becoming more and more efficient and more and more comfortable. “We really listen to clients about their wants and needs and marry that into efficiencies when creating their dream home.”

He smiles when he thinks of Effect’s future and sums it up with one simple, but impactful statement. “We love building new energy-efficient homes. There is going to be lots more of that.”

Congratulations

on 15 years of leadership and excellence in the home building industry, we are proud to be a part of your history! absoundexteriors.com

Congratulations to Effect Home Builders on 15 years of building excellence!

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46 Riel Dr, St Albert, AB T8N 3Z8 Phone:(780) 459-3707 Effect Home Builders | 15 Years | 5