10 Questions with Larry Clay

Larry Clay is a custom home builder in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is a past National President of Canadian Home Builder’s Association (2021/2022) with a passion for educating builders on proven best practices and implementing durable high-performance assemblies in their incredibly wet part of Canada.

We asked Larry 10 questions to get some insight on his approach to building custom homes and why education is such a priority for him.

(1) Do you have a “go-to” application with stone wool?

We absolutely love a 2”+ “sweater” of Comfortboard around our homes. The continuity of this sweater is critical as it keeps the wall sheathing warmer decreasing the propensity of condensation in the wall assembly, making it healthier and more durable.

(2) What’s the most unusual stone wool application you’ve ever used

We completed a unique roof assembly with Rockwool on the roof sheathing. While not terribly unusual, it is rarely done in this area. On top of the Rockwool, we installed venting, a second layer of sheathing and lastly, we installed our roofing.

(3) What's the biggest advantage of stone wool for you?

We love the fact that Rockwool is vapor permeable and will not trap moisture. Rockwool is an important part of a durable wall assembly that dries both directions; and an additional bonus is it’s fire resistant.

(4) What are the biggest challenges for building in your climate zone?

Our coastal climate zone is very, very wet so rainscreen is required by code. It is critical that our wall assemblies be able to dry both directions. Rockwool is a superior choice because it is inherently moisture resistant and vapor permeable.

(5) If you could make one code change to ensure homes are built to last, what would it be?

Rot and fire are threats to the longevity of a home. I would like to see a list of approved wall assemblies vetted by experts that would prevent unintended consequences. These wall assemblies would dry both directions while being resistant to fire and moisture.

(6) Tell us about the first house you ever built and what you learned from the experience.

The first house I built was to make additional money to support a one-income family surviving on a teacher’s wage. The biggest lesson I learned was I absolutely loved building homes which eventually led to a career change after 17 years of teaching. While I loved teaching, my life as a builder has been extremely rewarding.

(7) How is your business evolving to meet the need for high-performance in homes?

We hired an industry leader, Shaun St-Amour, who advanced this culture in our company. We focus on airtightness with the goal that all homes will achieve 1.0 ACH 50 or lower. We purchased our own Retrotec blower door test unit to assist in the success of airtightness. We have trained our trade specialists to install and maintain the continuity of the air/thermal/vapour control layers.

(8) If you could start your building career over, what would you do differently?

I would learn how to sell the benefits of high performance. Early in my career, I would suggest a variety of high-performance options from “outsulation” (a.k.a. exterior continuous insulation), airtightness, ICF, etc. I was consistently asked the ROI or payback which led to a rejection of my high-performance suggestions, and this reminded me of my high school dating days 😀.

I learned to talk about building a home that is healthy and comfortable and would share stories and pictures to support my recommendation. Soon, they were saying YES to high performance desiring a healthier and more comfortable home. Gord Cooke (President at Building Knowledge Canada) is fantastic at teaching how to sell the benefits of high performance.

(9) What is the one thing you wish homeowners understood about building homes that last?

Choose a builder who understands building science, unintended consequences, and the house as a system. This will lead to questions (and answers) about the permeability of the materials, the dew point, the drying capacity of the wall assembly and many other considerations that will affect the durability, efficiency, health, and comfort of a home.

(10) Where do you go in the industry for guidance/inspiration?

I learn different things from leaders like (in alphabetical order) Steve Baczek, Allison Bailes, Robert Bean, Travis Brungardt, Gord Cooke, Murray Frank, Joe Lstiburek, Andy Oding, Matt Risinger and John Straube. They are all leaders and educators I respect.

Get ready to see Larry and his team in action! In the coming months we’ll be following their work on the construction of a new high-performance home in Burnaby, BC with multiple stone wool applications.

You can follow Larry and his team at these links:

IG: @thelarryclay

IG: @theclayway

IG: @shaun_stamour

clayconstruction.ca