Courtesy of: Colin Best

I recently read an article about BONE Structure's innovative snap-together building technology (think, steel Lego). A few things caught my attention about Nancy White (The Star)'s article. One, the recycled steel-frame is environmentally friendly. A poster inside a model house said 6,295 plastic bottles were recycled and used in the polyurethane foam sprayed in a 3,000 sq-ft BONE Structure house. And, the company says there's no waste in the building process. Two, it's quick. The structure's pre-cut frame can be assembled in 5 days. Who likes waiting anymore? Three, its flexible design suits our dynamic society.They have a catalogue of plans that can be customized and with no load-bearing interior walls, the layouts can be easily changed. White quoted the company's president in her article, saying “When children leave at 28, you can easily knock down walls. And when they return at 32 you can erect them again.” It used to be the case that families lived in homes for 30 or more years. Nowadays, families are more likely to uproot after much less time to accommodate the changing needs of the evolving family. Although the cost of the steel-frame BONE technology is about 5% more than using wood, it seems like the payoff may be more valuable in the long-term (ecologically, at least). It would reduce the impact on our forests and the ripple effect of all materials that go into renovating (or building) a home. BONE Structures has built 200 houses in Quebec and has 200 more under construction, 49 of them in the GTA (according to the article). Combine the environmental sustainability with the speed and flexibility, it seems quite possible that we may all end up living in a life-size Meccano set. 

Photo Credit: Colin McConnell at The Toronto Star

Original article can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/09/28/home_made_and_made_easy_with_new_precut_steel_system.html

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106412174654623569282/posts

The Canadian Real Estate Association released a statement yesterday with data that showed the number of newly listed houses fell 1.2 per cent from July to August. Translation: supply of houses on the market has decreased. Tara Perkins (Globe and Mail) reported research from TD Bank Economist Diana Petramala, saying “The number of homes for sale have not kept up with demand and the market moved more in favour of sellers.” This is why now is a great time to list your home. Petramala continued to say the sales-to-listings ratio has moved back to the level they reached at the end of last year (when prices grew 8% to 9% year-over-year). According to this report, it suggests prices may be on their way up during the last quarter of 2014. Most economists agree that house prices are outpacing household income, combined with high levels of debt, and therefore putting the economy at risk. Ottawa has been banking on signs of a soft landing. But there seem to be just as many signs suggesting we should brace for impact.

Footnote: buyers, don’t be dismayed. With our team in your corner, hunting for your desired home, you can rest at ease by knowing you’ll have a step on the competition.