Radon & New Homes
Calgary-area radon runs among the highest in Canada.
Invisible, odourless, and the second leading cause of lung cancer. The newer and tighter the home, the higher the reading.
Sources: 2024 Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Exposure (Evict Radon); Health Canada.
Newer homes test higher.
A new home should be safer. The measurements prove the opposite.
Tight, efficient construction seals the envelope, which is exactly what you want for comfort and energy. But a sealed home also holds on to the radon rising from the soil, instead of letting it leak away like older, draftier homes do.
The code asks for a capped pipe.
A capped pipe is a promise to deal with it later. We build the complete system, then test the air.
Alberta's code requires only a radon rough-in: a capped pipe. No fan, no active system, no test of the finished home. The work, and the proof, are left for later, if ever.
We build it in, then test the air.
The gravel plane that drains water also collects soil gas, drawn up a dedicated vent stack and out above the roof. Number 5 on the drawing shows where it sits.
Hover or tap a number