Home Buyer's Guide

There's an old adage about building a better mousetrap and waiting for the world to beat a path to your door.
Matthew Bratty of Remington Homes is betting it's true. His Royal Rouge Collection in Markham stands apart from the usual new home development in several ways. For starters, Bratty builds his homes with pre-engineered steel frames instead of wood.

"I don't want to knock wood but steel is a much better product," he said this week. "It's a more solid house, a more durable house."
The skeletons of his homes are built off-site and trucked to the development for assembly. Some American builders have been using this construction method, but Bratty's the first to do it in Canada.

"I think it's going to be the wave of the future," he said. The Royal Rouge Collection is 164, fully detached townhomes bordering the Rouge, greenspace and a golf course, set amid a mature community of larger homes at Hwy. 48 and 14th Ave.
Unlike normal townhomes, these share no common walls and are fully detached except linked at the footings only. Each property has a 26-ft. frontage and range in size from 1,523 sq. ft. to 1,885 sq. ft. Prices for the solid brick town singles range from $179,900 to $199,900, which makes them the best deal on new homes in Markham. And those prices apply during the preview period this weekend.
Home buyers can get a peek at the interiors of these innovative homes by visiting the Royal Rouge model homes. The builder has cut cross- sections through interior walls of the model homes to expose its steel frame.

"There will be no questions that can't be answered," Bratty said, adding that a steel home is stronger than wood, won't shrink, swell, creak or crack and lasts longer than a conventional home. "Certain things in wood houses are inevitable," he said.

Other benefits to a steel frame home include: No nail popping through drywall from moisture changes; more fire resistant; Building material is allergy-free and requires no chemical sprays to guard against mildew or moisture. That makes steel -framed homes among the most environmentally friendly in the world; Rust-proof steel construction keeps out termites, carpenter ants and other pests; Straight walls that don't shrink or expand in hot and cold weather.
All materials used in the home are CSA approved. Insulation and energy efficiency ratings in the home also meet government standards. Another innovation Remington Homes uses is CPVC plumbing instead of copper throughout its homes. CPVC pipe is quieter, requires less maintenance and lasts longer than copper. It's also "virtually leak-free" because it bends around corners and so needs fewer joints than copper piping. CPVC pipe also loses less heat than copper, which saves money on energy bills. This another innovation in these homes," Bratty said.