The Future of Building

Because of ever increasing energy costs, efficiency is becoming more and more important. When purchasing a new appliance or car, most of us carefully evaluate the long term cost of purchasing an inefficient item and will pay a premium if it promises to have a lower operating cost.
In light of this, the BC Building Code is continually implementing changes to mandate better energy efficiency in new homes and buildings. The focus of the latest changes, which will be implemeted in the spring of 2012, are to create a structure that is as energy efficient as possible, so that with the addition of top quality windows and heating appliances, can ultimately be net zero ready.
Because of the need for technology and building practises to improve before this is possible, BC is using a gradual approach, and will phase in Net Zero ready structures over the next 9 years, with the current goal being 2020. Along the way, incremental changes will occur that will gradually improve the standards.
What this means for the consumer is slightly increased building costs (less than 5%), but much better efficiency over the long term. It also means that construction methods will have to change, as it will no longer be possible to meet code requirements with conventional stud and batt construction.
At Jomi Construction we have chosen to address this by becoming a certified Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) supplier and installer. ICF's are foam blocks used as concrete forms that stay in place as your permanent insulation. It is possible to construct an entire home out of ICF's including walls, floors and roofs. ICF's offer incredible R-value, soundproofing, and strength. They are not affected by water, and create a permanent structure.

Past Projects

Over the next few months, I plan to publish some of our pictures of past projects. These have been completed in the past five years and will showcase some of the work we have done. I hope these give you some ideas for your own home or business, and that you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed building them!

These first pictures are of a small farmhouse that was in very sad shape when we first got there. It was constructed in the mid 1900's and was in need of a major renovation. We did structural upgrades to the foundation, saved the floor and most of the exterior walls, and replaced everything else. Its been given a new lease on life, and should serve its owners with little maintenance for the future.

Homes for Haiti

Here are a few pictures of our recent trip to Haiti. Myself and one of my employees were privileged to spend 6 days in Haiti last month as part of a group of 9 people from Chilliwack. We were able to complete thirteen homes, feed about 400 children, hand out 1000 articles of clothing, and give 185 Creole Bibles.

It was an amazing experience! One we hope to repeat on an annual basis.

Here we are with a very grateful homeowner. Seeing the extreme poverty makes you very grateful for the blessings we enjoy everyday. More than 1 million Haitians still live in tent cities that are deteriorating rapidly due to the extreme heat. Running water and sanitation are almost non existent, and the stench of garbage overpowers everything else.

Welcome to our blog!

Hello Everyone,

To all our past, present, and future clients, welcome to the blog of Jomi Construction Ltd! We hope to use this as a way to show you our current work, share some insights, funny stories, and interesting pictures of the thing we run into during the course of our workday. Keep in touch as we keep you updated on our projects and please comment on what you like and don't like about our blog and website.

Sincerely,

Chris Klaassen
Jomi Construction Ltd