The Hammer

Anyone in this business knows how to build things that work well and last a long time. That’s what contractors and renovators are good at. But what about all the other aspects of running a successful business? Sales and marketing? Administration? Customer communication? After-sales support? Michelle Kaplan came to the construction contracting world from the outside and quickly saw that small, independent contractors could use help in all these areas, and that homeowners would appreciate a one-stop-shop for trustworthy experts to do their jobs. Better Than New is Kaplan’s new venture in southwestern Ontario, and she joined The Hammer to explain her vision and where she’s hoping to take it in the future.

As event concepts go, Byron Brooks’ Builders and Brews has the twin advantages of simplicity and instant appeal. Let’s get together and drink craft beer. Brooks was inspired to launch his series of evening get-togethers for Calgary’s construction trades community when he saw how the local craft brewing industry collaborated to help each other with advice, labour and even supplies. So he joined forces with the brewers and started hosting casual events where contractors could get together, hear a short talk from an interesting speaker, then compare notes and lies over some wobbly pops. Byron joined The Hammer to tell us all about how it’s going, how he got the idea and how his background made him a fan of working with others in the trade.

Black Canadians have been part of our construction industry for as long as there’s been one, including many Black-owned contracting businesses. Now, a new organization known as the Afro-Canadian Contractors Association has come along to raise awareness of the good work they do, promote their inclusion and fair treatment and to help its members take advantage of the opportunities out there in our industry. Some grotesque incidents at Ontario jobsites last year attracted revulsion across the country, promoting construction leaders as high up as Geoff Smith at EllisDon to call for a focus on eliminating racism in Canadian construction. So it seemed like a good time to invite the president of the ACCA, Sephton Spence, to join The Hammer to tell us all about the new association and the proud history of Black construction work in Canada.

Building codes and the standards they reference continue to shift with the ongoing concerns about climate change and the new weather conditions our fenestration will have to endure. One observation we hear frequently is that it doesn’t matter how energy-efficient products are if they are installed incorrectly. Enter the CSA A440.4 window and door installation standard. George Torok chairs the committee developing this standard and joins the Conversation to share the latest updates that will be incorporated in the National Building Code’s 2020 revisions. George also puts out the call for you to get involved with the process to make the next round up updates, which will be starting soon.

Steve Nason is a building inspector in New Brunswick who has taken a special interest in windows and doors and the many issues around compliance with their codes and standards. It can be difficult for contractors to know when products meet their area’s regulations for things like energy efficiency and air/water ingress. Steve is here to help with some solid tips about using Fenestration Canada’s online calculator, reading labels and, mainly, providing the manufacturer’s quote sheets to building inspectors ahead of time so you know if the product passes muster before you buy and install. We also touch on some general issues of communication and enforcement and get into a couple other problem zones such as roof trusses and radon rough-ins.

From wildfires to floods to ice storms, our country is no stranger to disasters that do significant property damage. And climate change appears to be driving more of them every year. Jim Mandeville and FirstOnSite are, as the name suggests, some of the first people on site when disaster hits and they do important work coordinating the efforts to mitigate damage and rebuild afterwards. As such, Jim has had the chance to work with local home renovation contractors across the country who form a critical part of these rebuilding efforts. He’s seen a lot of wild stuff, and he knows a lot about the special challenges of reconstructing people’s homes and businesses after some awful event has taken them away. In this episode of The Hammer, we talk about what the contractor needs to know in order to be ready to assist in disaster remediation efforts.

Pandemic response expert Suzanne Bernier joins The Hammer to tell us what we’ve learned in nine months of pandemic about the virus, how it spreads and what businesses should do to combat it. We touch on some of the controversies around masks and lockdowns and whether surfaces are primary vectors for COVID-19. Suzanne looks ahead to the winter and the prospects for a vaccine – and the news is not all good.

On this special episode of The Hammer, sponsored by Huntsman Building Solutions, we’re learning about spray-foam insulation from top experts at Huntsman, Director of Engineering and Building Science, Maxime Duzyk and Director of Canadian Sales, Joe Upper.

Bonny rejoins The Hammer with crucial information on changes to various federal and Ontario pandemic relief programs. Overall, eligibility is tightening, but some new programs are on the horizon. We also chat about how effective these efforts have been and what is likely to happen to them going forward.

If there’s one thing Canada has, it’s trees. But right now we’re seeing lumber shortages right across the country and high prices when you can find what you’re looking for. What happened? Liz Kovachs is executive director of the Western Retail Lumber Association and she’s got some answers from her members and their suppliers that might surprise you. Hint: it’s not just the pandemic.