The House

From selling my house in Ontario to (hopefully) moving in. I'll keep this up to date as the build goes; the week-by-week photos are in the Build Log.

2024

• September: Sold my house in Kitchener, Ontario, and drove across the country
• Late November: Landed in Nova Scotia
• December: Found my property

2025

• January: Closed on the property
• January–September: Design with my architect, and finding trades
• April–December: Tree clearing and the driveway

2026

• January: Drilled the well
• May–June: Excavation and infill
• July: Slab prep, underground plumbing and electrical, and septic system install
• August: Slab pour
• August–October: Carpentry
• October–November: HVAC install, and electrical and plumbing rough-in
• November (scheduled): Drywall, siding and roofing, and chimney install
• December (goal): First bathroom and a small kitchen done, and move in

A 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, single-storey house, designed to allow for aging in place.

I'm building a Passive House (not certified). I'd recommend the book Pretty Good House to understand the principles behind a high performance home. I chose an architecture firm that specializes in passive homes.

I've always been an advocate of Made in Canada. In 2025/2026, while I'm building my house, this has become more important than ever.

I've been trying very hard to build my house with as many Canadian-made products and materials as I can. I want to highlight what I selected here (nothing sponsored), and also share some of the other vendors I discovered in my research.

This is a growing list:

• Engineered slab insulation & formwork: FastSlab, made in Truro, NS
• Concrete: made locally
• Wood: entirely made in Canada, various vendors, mostly from Home Hardware
• Insulation: high-density cellulose, made in Debert, NS
• Windows & doors: triple-pane, tilt-turn windows & doors from NZP Fenestration in Longueuil, Quebec
• Siding/roofing: Agway Metals, Ontario
• Plumbing fixtures: all bathroom and kitchen fixtures are from Baril, made in Quebec
• Bathtubs: Oceania Viele for my primary bath and a Produits Neptune alcove tub for my second bath
• Sinks: Blanco, made in Ontario
• Hot water heater: Giant, made in Quebec
• Wood stove: Stûv, made in Quebec
• Air handling system: Fantech ERV, HEPA filter, MUA, and inline fan, all made in New Brunswick

A few things I still have to order

• Tiles: there are very limited options here
• Engineered wood floors: there are many good options here
• Light fixtures: I'm looking at Anony, but I also have fixtures from Bocci, and there are some other great brands like Luminaire Authentik and Lambert + Fils
• Appliances: I have to figure this out, but we don't make many in Canada and I'm going to prioritize cooking quality and budget here

A few things aren't made in Canada

• Toilets: we don't make any toilets in Canada that I'm aware of. I am using TOTO wall-mounted toilets.
• Heat pump: we don't make slim-duct heat pump systems in Canada and I don't have the space for a forced air unit. The Daikin slim-duct heat pump is either made in the USA or Europe. I'll check when it's installed.
• Smart locks: made in Poland

• I'm managing the project, acting as the general contractor/project manager, and doing the interior design work
• Architect: Habit Studio, Halifax NS
• Structural engineer: Phil Denis, Gaspereau Building Science
• Geotechnical engineer: Phil Denis, Gaspereau Building Science
• Civil engineer: Eric Morse, DeWolfe and Morse
• Excavation, infill, driveway material, septic: Joe Pulsifer, Apex Excavation
• Well: Valley Well Drillers
• Carpentry: Aaron Rand, Up Country Builders, Canning NS
• Windows & Doors: NZP Fenestration, Longueuil QC