2011 Summer Newsletter

Jul 27, 2011

  The Value of Neighbourhoods - A message from the Board   Communities are the backbone of society.  They enrich our lives, not just as a backdrop for our busy days, but as an integrated setting for who we are and how we live.  As we move further into 2011, and begin to enjoy the benefits of warmer weather, we start to pay attention to our homes, our neighbourhoods and how they contribute to our enjoyment.  Home maintenance, landscaping, restoration all come into focus at this time, and our neighbourhoods start to come alive as people spend more time outdoors.

It is a good time to focus on what makes our neighbourhoods good places to live.  This edition of our newsletter focuses on the value of our homes, how the curb appeal of masonry can not only raise the value of a home, but enhance the neighbourhood, contribute to energy efficiency and the environment, and provide comfort and safety to your family and neighbours.  Masonry is not just a pretty face, it has real value to communities.  

The masonry industry has been involved in community and social contributions for a long while, and this quarter is no exception.  In this edition of the newsletter, you can read about a project in the GTA sponsored by our members and built by Habitat for Humanity.  The appeal, safety and social enhancement supplied by the use of masonry has added to the acceptance of this project in the community, and greatly contributed to the comfort and aesthetics of the building for its occupants.  Our industry is pleased to be involved with Habitat for Humanity, and proud to add value to the community in such a meaningful way.

MasonryWorx is interested in communities, and concerned for the safety of neighbourhoods.  Recent fires in Toronto, Ontario and Richmond, B.C. have highlighted the importance of maintaining safe building codes and standards.  MasonryWorx has been actively involved in lobbying for high standards and ensuring strong masonry firewalls in all new construction.  The unfortunate danger, and even deaths in these recent fires highlights the need to remain vigilant.  Contributing to codes and standards committees, supporting allied industries, working with government and sending out press releases to keep the public aware of the real issues are an important part of what MasonryWorx does to protect and enhance our communities.

We hope you enjoy reading about the importance of masonry to communities in this newsletter.  MasonryWorx will continue to keep you informed of our efforts to ensure the continued safety and prosperity of our neighbourhoods.

Dante Di Giovanni
President, MasonryWorx

More to Curb Appeal than Just Looks

Merriam Webster online dictionary defines curb appeal as the visual attractiveness of a house when seen from the street (www.merriam-webster.com).  While curb appeal is most often thought of in terms of aesthetics, there is more to curb appeal than just looks.    A broader definition of curb appeal would be when the attributes of a home’s exterior invoke a sense of comfort and permanence when viewed from the curb.  To those of us directly involved in the masonry industry it is intuitive that the curb appeal of a home will be improved with the use of a masonry cladding material and such a home will inherently sell for more because it has masonry on it.  In addition to its appearance, we know that masonry provides many benefits when compared with alternative cladding materials: 

• moisture and freeze-thaw resistance,
• wind and impact resistance,
• sound resistance,
• thermal mass and energy efficiency
• fire resistance, and
• protection from rotting, mould and fungus.

The good news is that these value-added attributes are also recognized by the general home-buying public.  This was confirmed by the MasonryWorx funded Leger Marketing survey conducted in Ontario in 2006.   This survey confirmed that the majority of Ontarians (77%) are aware of the benefits of masonry (Masonryworx newsletter, Fall 2006).   This comes as no surprise.   Dating back to the mid-1800s the Three Little Pigs fairy tale has taught us all that masonry homes are safe and comfortable compared to the alternatives. This high performance image of masonry has been repeatedly reinforced as we view images in the media depicting the aftermath of varied natural and man-made forces acting on our built environment.  Masonry cladding provides superior moisture, impact, wind and fire resistance.

This confidence in masonry as an attractive, durable and money saving residential cladding choice translates to higher property values for masonry-clad homes.    This was confirmed by the University of Michigan, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architectural and Urban Planning research on the impact of masonry ordinances on a community.   

This research concluded that the adoption of a masonry ordinance results in:

• Increased property values for homes in a community,
• Increased revenue generating capacity for communities both through property taxes and sales tax, and
• Continued population and housing growth.

This research also concluded that the adoption of a masonry ordinance “does not significantly increase the owner cost or rental burden for residents and does not make housing in the community any less affordable”.

Masonry need not be considered a luxury amenity to be utilized only on high end homes. When compared to alternative cladding choices, and considering anticipated service life and maintenance costs over life of the home, choosing masonry makes economic sense too. These long-term cost benefits of a masonry home will be important to entry level buyers who are already stretching to simply purchase the home and have little additional cash to spend on upkeep.   

With the varied choices of masonry materials, colors and textures available in today’s market, builders can choose masonry to make a visual statement. Combined with its superior performance attributes, masonry provides the ultimate in curb appeal. 

Masonry adds value to your home. Masonry makes sense.

By Joe Ippolito, Vice President, Canadian Sales 
Arriscraft International

References

Consumer Survey,  MasonryWorx Newsletter, Issue 5, Fall 2006.

Deng, Lan,  2005. Construction Quality, Externality, and Community Competitiveness;  A Study of Masonry Ordinances in Chicago’s Suburbs, University of Michigan Masonry Ordinance Research, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.____.

Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com.

Habitat For Humanity Enhances Community Offering with Masonry Homes

by Neil Hetherington, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Toronto

Habitat for Humanity is well known for its social contribution to communities throughout North America and the world.  Founded in 1976, and introduced into Canada in 1985, over 1,800 homes have been built for low income Canadian families through Habitat for Humanity, utilizing millions of volunteer hours and the generous donations of partners like the masonry industry.

As an avid Habitat for Humanity advocate and CEO for the organization, I have met individuals in the communities where we work who say, “I love Habitat for Humanity!...but I love it more when you are not building next to my home.”  That sentiment is soon lost once they see what Habitat for Humanity does - how we work, what we accomplish, and our ardent belief that homeownership is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

With homeownership comes the sense of responsibility and care when an individual has a stake in the investment.  The excellent quality of the home built – in particular the elevations of the proposed development, contribute greatly to that pride of ownership, creating a desire in the new occupant to maintain and enhance the building and contribute to the community.

The homes that Habitat for Humanity Toronto volunteers build are simple, appealing, and affordable, and every effort is made to ensure that the home fits within the context of the community.  Therefore, they are attractive, well made, quality homes, something to be proud of, and something the surrounding neighbourhood will embrace.

Since 2005, Habitat for Humanity has made a conscious choice to clad the exterior of our homes with masonry - thanks to our generous friends in the masonry industry.  This product lasts a lifetime and beyond, which contributes to the durability of the building; is aesthetically pleasing for enhanced curb appeal; and requires virtually no maintenance, assisting the occupant in the care of their home.

In the affordable housing arena there is a term called “NIMBY” which stands for “Not In My Back Yard”.  We tackle this misinformed attitude by building homes using masonry—masonry-built homes virtually eliminate this preconceived notion in the community from those who might have been resistant.

Neighbours know that when we build a masonry home, the quality of construction ,and the look and feel of the neighbourhood will be upheld.  The list of positives doesn’t stop there.  Choosing masonry materials offers a number of advantages including superior fire performance, environmental benefits, energy savings, and durability.  With respect to the last advantage, when compared to alternative materials such as vinyl siding or wood, masonry is tougher, and withstands the rigours of wear and tear, weather and long-term use better than other materials.

Homes built with masonry materials offer a higher re-sale value, which can mean a better return on our partner families’ investment in a Habitat home, as well as raise the value of the neighbourhood overall.  Families take pride in the upkeep of an appealing, durable and well-built home, and in being part of a welcoming community--a welcome which is extended more readily to neighbours with an appeal, well-maintained home.

Hanson Brick and the masonry industry have been integral partners in helping to build durable and appealing quality homes.  Hanson has generously donated brick to all of our projects since 2004.  Most recently, they provided the brick for our new office, ReStore, and our homebuilding factory.  Their gift-in-kind conveys a concept of excellence and permanence to our buildings, qualities which help to combat the NIMBY attitude of Habitat home neighbours.

Working together with Hanson and the masonry industry to fight NIMBYism, we provide Habitat homeowners with a solid investment.  This year, Habitat for Humanity Toronto will provide a hand up, not a hand out, to 53 families…and Hanson is committed to helping us build better homes using masonry products for families living in need in Toronto.

Neil Hetherington
CEO, Habitat for Humanity Toronto

Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, non-profit organization working towards a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. www.torontohabitat.ca

Download the summer edition of the MasonryWorx Newsletter for more!

• Association News
• News Release: Oldcastle Architectural acquires Transpavé
• Announcing: Terry Klingspohn, ICI Architectural Representative for Ontario