Quebec City Farmhouse

When Stephen Lefebvre and his wife Johane started brain storming for their new custom home outside of Calgary, Alberta, they found inspiration in the 400-year-old architecture of Quebec City.

“We were trying to bring old Quebec City to Calgary,” said Lefebvre. “We love the architecture of old Quebec City, so the house is designed with those kinds of elements in mind: lots of rock, a timber frame, and large porches in the front and back.”

After spending some time sketching the concept of the house, they contacted Riverbend Timber Framing. With a staff of dedicated designers, Riverbend provided a whole-house design service and complete structural packages featuring the Insulspan® Structural Insulating Panel (SIP) System, the Advantage Insulating Concrete Forming (ICF) System®.

Lefebvre worked with the Riverbend design team to arrive at a custom plan that merged the traditional beauty of a timber frame with the durability and energy efficiency of Insulspan and Advantage products. Combined with a passive solar design and radiant heating, the 6,100 square-foot home will require less than $200 per month to heat in a cold climate.

For Lefebvre, who served as a first-time general contractor on the project, the Riverbend frame, panel and foundation system ensured that construction would go smoothly. Each Riverbend timber frame package is precision cut using CAD-controlled equipment. Timber frames are pre-fitted in the shop before shipping to the jobsite—a big Riverbend difference.

“One of the reasons I picked Riverbend Timber Framing was that the ICFs, timber and SIPs had to fit together perfectly,” said Lefebvre. “Being my own general contractor, I had to minimize the finger pointing. It proved to be a very wise decision and everything just fit like a glove.”

Architectural Highlight: Home Earns 86 EnerGuide Rating

According Canada’s EnerGuide rating system any score over 80 is considered excellent, while anything above 90 is designated as a zero-energy home. The Lefebvre home was able to achieve one of the highest ratings possible by using Riverbend’s energy efficient building system which includes Insulspan SIPs and Advantage ICFs.

View more photos in the gallery: Calgary Timber Home