Managing Snow: Keep it Cool and Know How Much it Weighs

Snow Equation

Snow + heat = water.
Water + freezing temperatures = icicles.
Thawing ice + the roof junctions = problems.

Melting roof snow over warm living spaces can lead to ice dams building up over the much cooler eaves. So when in Whistler, apart from thick insulation to keep the heat in, a good practice is to keep the roof space well ventilated top to bottom so it maintains a constant temperature, over both the main roof and the eave. After all, we do like the look and function of a nice wide eave, especially as it functions to push snow away from the wall.

This is a construction section cut through the middle of a house designed for Canadian snow. It was important to safely manage where the heavy snow falls off the roof and what effect it will have on the neighbours, as well as keeping it shedding away from front door. It is always important to mix practical issues with any romantic and inventive design concept.

My talented Structural Engineer explains how much higher the snow loads here are. It gives the building elements a certain thickness and a robust, even 'chunky' look. Some good design work in Whistler has kept chunky from looking 'clunky'.

Australian teenagers finding the call in Whistler

The arrow on the right points to the sunniest hillside facing both of the Whistler Resort Mountains. This is the subject of a ski chalet I am currently designing specifically for Australian ski-lovers. The amazing thing is how easy the government make it for Australians to own property here.

Here is the plan: Your teenager is not sure what life is calling them to do. Whistler is full of young Australians from both sides of the continent...all doing good solid physical and resort community work. You buy the ski chalet for your family and your kids spend a year working on the mountain, thinking through their future and making new life-long friends, in a profoundly different and beautiful environment.

The great part is that prices are half what they should be right now and I can design an extraordinary holiday home with a caretaker suite, that looks across a lake at one of the most epic ski resorts in the world, only two hours drive from downtown Vancouver.