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Welcome back to Change Builders, a video series where we connect with builders and industry change makers who are pushing the industry forward in practical, buildable ways.

For Part 1 of this conversation, we’re joined by Grace Bergen of Projects With Grace — a licensed residential builder with a decade of experience and a clear, consistent philosophy: build better.

Not “build code minimum.” Not “build what we’ve always built.”
Build better — for comfort, for operating costs, and for the climate reality we’re already living in.

Meet Grace: Builder + Consultant Perspective

Grace brings a unique lens to residential construction because she’s lived in both worlds: the office side and the site side.

Before becoming a licensed residential builder, she worked as a consultant — supporting projects through permits, paperwork, and design understanding. Today, she bridges both sides: helping ensure the plan works on paper, and then executing that plan in the field.

Building science has always been central to her work, and more recently she’s also expanded her focus into accessible and adaptive housing, recognizing that performance and accessibility both belong in the future of homebuilding.

But in this episode, the focus stays on energy efficiency — and what actually makes a difference.

A Simple Core Philosophy: “Build Better”

When asked about her core building philosophy on energy efficiency, Grace summed it up in one line:

Build better — for occupant comfort and lower utility bills.

That’s the north star.

And it’s why she’s committed to building beyond today’s minimum code — because the conditions we’re building for are changing quickly.

Why Future Code Matters Now

Grace’s commitment to “better than code” isn’t theoretical — it’s tied to what she sees happening in real time.

Over the last decade, B.C.’s climate has pushed into more extremes:

• hotter summers
• colder winters
• longer stretches of discomfort

When Grace started building 10 years ago, homes were primarily designed with heating in mind. Now, cooling is a necessity, and that shift has happened within the span of a single decade.

“The change is here,” she said plainly.

Building to future code isn’t about trying to be trendy — it’s about building homes that remain comfortable and functional in a climate that isn’t trending toward “normal.”

The Best Performance Upgrade for the Lowest Cost: Airtightness

When we asked Grace what energy upgrades deliver the best performance-to-cost ratio, she didn’t hesitate:

Airtightness.

Her approach is refreshingly grounded: most homes already have house wrap, so the opportunity isn’t always about adding expensive systems — it’s about protecting and detailing what you already have.

Airtightness comes down to:

• careful sequencing
• attention to penetrations
• consistent detailing
• trade education to avoid damaging the air barrier

“It’s not onerous cost-wise,” Grace explained — but it does require time, care, and training.

In her view, insulation values are fairly straightforward (“you insulate”), and many homes now include heat pumps. But airtightness is where efficiency truly comes together — and where builders can unlock higher Step Code performance without blowing up the budget.

Is Step Code Meaningful? Grace Says Yes — Because It Forces Proof

Grace sees Step Code as meaningful because it changed the game from assumptions to verification.

Before, builders could say they were building better — but no one had to prove it.

Now, with blower door testing and EnerGuide ratings, a home’s performance can be measured and verified. Grace put it perfectly:

“It’s almost like an appliance — you can have numbers assigned to it.”

And that matters not only for performance, but also for market differentiation. In a neighborhood where many homes look similar, being able to prove airtightness levels, mechanical systems, and EnerGuide scores becomes a real advantage.

What Homeowners Feel First: Lower Bills and Better Comfort

When asked what homeowners actually notice in the first year — not ten years later — Grace came back to the same point:

Airtightness shows up immediately.

When the home isn’t leaking heat, the mechanical system doesn’t have to work as hard. Comfort improves. Bills drop. The house holds temperature more consistently.

Grace shared that she has lived this herself. Ten years ago, she built her own home with practices that were far less common at the time:

• self-adhered membranes on the exterior
• exterior insulation from foundation to roof
• high-performance windows and doors (including triple glazing)

Yes, it cost more upfront — but the payoff has been consistent operating savings and comfort that she still benefits from today.

Has It Gotten Easier in 10 Years? Absolutely.

Grace noted that when she built her home, residential crews weren’t commonly doing exterior insulation and advanced air barrier work — she had to hire a commercial company because the expertise wasn’t there in the residential sector yet.

Today, knowledge is more widespread, and costs have improved.

Triple-glazed windows, for example, were significantly more expensive then — even though this technology has been “normal” in Europe for decades. (Grace shared a funny moment: when tilt-and-turn windows are in vent mode, her neighbors thought they were broken.)

The point: the market is catching up, and that’s helping both availability and pricing.

Incentives That Actually Help

Grace was clear that faster permit timelines wouldn’t necessarily drive adoption of higher-performance homes.

What did make a difference?

Direct financial incentives tied to performance.

She referenced a time when voluntary Step Code incentives were available and she accessed them consistently — using that funding to directly improve performance details for homeowners, including:

• high-performance window tapes (instead of “rod and caulk”)
• HRV systems (especially important in airtight homes)

The incentives didn’t become profit — they became performance.

Education Still Matters: How to Live in a Mechanically Ventilated Home

Grace emphasized something builders often forget: a high-performance home isn’t just built differently — it’s operated differently.

Homeowner education is crucial, especially in airtight homes that rely on mechanical ventilation and balanced systems.

She shared one example of a homeowner worrying they would “suffocate” during a power outage in an airtight home. Grace explained that doesn’t happen — but the fear reveals a bigger issue: people need clear guidance on how these systems work and why they matter.

Why Mid-Construction Blower Door Testing Should Be Standard

One of Grace’s strongest practical recommendations was this:

Mid-construction blower door testing should be mandatory.

Why? Because at that stage, the building is still “naked” enough to find and fix issues easily — before drywall and finishes make repairs difficult and expensive.

Grace described what you can literally see during a blower door test:

• ceiling poly stretching, holding itself
• house wrap “pillowing” when the exterior air barrier is performing properly
• clear indicators of where leaks are happening

And because final blower door results are typically better than mid-construction results, hitting your target early means you’re set up for success.

If you’re borderline mid-construction, you still have time to correct.

The “Envelope Trade” Problem — and How Grace Solves It

A key insight from Grace was how she’s structured her projects to reduce risk: she’s essentially created an “envelope scope” that sits across multiple trades — and she owns it.

Rather than relying on separate trades to manage interconnected air barrier details, she controls critical steps:

• she handles house wrap on her builds
• she details window and door openings herself
• she uses tapes and specific methods instead of leaving it to standard practices
• her insulation contractor knows where to tie into her pre-strip details
• her trades understand the sequence and stay in their lanes

Because her subcontractors are consistent and trained in her expectations, it becomes part of the normal workflow — not a special add-on.

“It’s not an added thing,” she explained. “It’s just part of our usual work now.”

Part 1 Takeaway

Grace’s approach is proof that high-performance building doesn’t have to be complicated — but it does have to be intentional.

Build better isn’t a slogan. It’s a system:

• prioritize airtightness
• sequencing carefully
• educate trades
• verify performance mid-build
• support homeowners in understanding their systems

In Part 2, we’ll continue the conversation with Grace!