E2 Studio Inc.

12/01/2017

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - EXTERIOR VIEWS
Below are some recent views of the home we designed in North York.

07/19/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - WOOD SIDING
We're using a convincing 'wood look' vertical siding product at the second floor facade above the garage and at the upper floor soffits. There are a number of finishes to choose from.

07/14/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Finalizing exterior material selection for the Laneway Workshop/Garage with a tinted and honed insulated block and a charred wood siding (shou sugi ban). See post dated April 19.

06/27/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Zinc cladding with standing seam profile being installed at 1 Tottenham.

04/19/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Demolition is complete with hoarding in place to start a rare 2 storey Laneway Workshop/Garage build for a young family in downtown Toronto. Designed by E2 Studio Inc.

04/14/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Check out the article on Modular Steel Structures with E2 Studio Inc. in the Spring 2016 issue of Better Builder Magazine. We were interviewed about our BONE Structure house build in Don Mills. See page 26

Better Builder is a magazine geared towards the green energy construction market. Timely articles about new designs and products are featured each issue which …

02/05/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Pouring the Agilia Screed. Shout out to Paul McErlain of Mack Constructions Inc. for a great job pouring the screed.
Once the radiant tubing installation was completed, we were ready to pour the topping. We chose Agilia Screed A by Lafarge and distributed by Innocon. Agilia Screed A is a ready-mix, pump-applied, free-flowing and self-consolidating synthetic Anhydrite floor topping. Phew! Basically It’s a gypsum based toping that looks like runny oatmeal that dries hard. That’s right; it dries, it doesn’t cure like cement based toppings. According to Lafarge’s technical information, its thermal conductivity is up to 3 times greater than cement-based screeds. This is likely a function of the material's low viscosity ensuring full encapsulation of the tubing, a thinner application than most concrete toppings, and in part because of the product’s physical properties. The true benefit though of this topping is the physical and thermal mass it adds to the home. Having nearly 2” of dense underlayment, over a layer of insulation greatly reduces sound transmittance through the floors. Like a massive heat sink, it is also able moderate the indoor temperature in a building that otherwise has very little thermal mass. See the previously posted video showing a pour in the basement at 1 Tottenham.

02/05/2016

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Hydronic In-Floor Radiant Heating.
Preparations begin for installation of the in-floor heating pipes. For this house we used a variety of products to address specific challenges. The version of BONE Structure used here required that the floor levels be placed in 6" increments. In other words, you could choose a ceiling height of say 8', 8'-6", 9', etc.
There are a couple of landings at 1 Tottenham, at 12" and 18" above or below the adjacent floor levels. But because these landings are next to the stairs, the risers height for the landing steps would need to be made equal to the stair riser height. In our case, that was a very common 7 1/2". But this dimension does not divide evenly in either 12" or 18", so we needed to build up the floor levels to different thicknesses to meet Code. We did this using EPS panels of varying thickness. These panels incorporate nubs that hold the PEX radiant floor tubing in position and ensure consistent spacing of all the runs. The product we used is Heat-Sheet by LOGIX ICF. Where little or no buildup was required, a thin recycled polypropylene PEX sheet was used over a high performance underlay called Thermoquiet by Amvic. You may recall from a previous blog that Amvic was the manufacturer of the ICF used for the basement.
So why go through all this trouble and expense? Simply put, this is a premium home in a great location. The eventual owner’s will likely remain here a very long time, so it’s worth doing this kind of work now when it’s most cost effective and can be incorporated into the design. For instance, the finished floor thicknesses and ceiling heights had to be worked out so that the floor-to-ceiling windows lined up correctly with the floor levels and finished ceilings. There are operational cost benefits to radiant heating as well. It’s well known that our bodies can tolerate lower air temperature in the presence of a radiant heat source; like the sun on a cold winter day. And hydronic in-floor radiant heating is particularly efficient since it requires relatively low water temperatures to be effective; which makes it particularly well suited to air and ground source heat pumps. And of course lowering the home's ambient air temperature will lower the utility bill.

10/05/2015

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Careful attention is given to the installation of ceramic panels, mounted with hidden anti-vibration clips to vertical aluminum rails secured to the building's horizontal z-bars. Look closely at the sill detail for the bug screen visible from under the bottom row of glazed ceramic panel. The concrete garden walls will also be clad in the same material.

09/01/2015

MODERN HOUSE TORONTO - Base flashing; before tile cladding vertical rails are installed. Flashing redirects moisture away from sensitive areas like the tops of foundations and roof penetrations (i.e. chimneys, parapets). The structure in this house is made of galvanized steel, so we don't expect any rot or deterioration in structural elements, but preventing moisture from accumulating between building materials should prevent it from freezing causing heaving in unwanted places .