Anthony Franciosa, Coreslab Structures, with Mike Holmes
Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc. was actively involved with Holmes on HomesTM rebuilding a family’s home in Toronto, ON.

Installing concrete grout between the hollow core slabs
This project is what inspired The Holmes Group to create The Holmes Foundation.

The house that was rebuilt was ruined by a contractor renovating the family’s home.

The contractor left the house unfinished and unsafe and put a lien on the home for twice the value of the original agreement.

The Holmes on Homes™ team decided to tear down and rebuild the entire house rather than attempt to repair all the construction that was unsafe and improperly done.

Second floor installation
The new home was reconstructed using reinforced concrete walls carrying 3 levels of hollow core slabs (ground floor, second floor and roof), complete with solid slab landings and precast stairs.

Hollow core slabs are precast, prestressed concrete factory made elements generally used for floors and roofs. Some of their advantages are long spans, design flexibility, fire resistance, sound control, durability, low maintenance and very fast construction.

The 1220 mm (4 ft) wide slabs used here have six longitudinal cores running through them. The primary purpose of the cores is to decrease the weight, and material within the floor, yet maintain maximal strength. To further increase the strength, the slabs are prestressed with 12 mm (1/2 in) diameter steel strands, running longitudinally.

Rain water is collected into an underground tank for reuse
The goal of Mike Holmes and his team (including industry sponsors) was to create a house that is environmentally friendly, energy efficient, fire, water and mould resistant and designed to stand the test of time. Precast concrete provided the ideal solution.

Exposed hollow core slabs in the kitchen
The house is now complete. One of its unique features is the exposed building materials; the hollow core slabs were left exposed in the kitchen and bedrooms and simply painted. As you ride in the elevator you can see the cross-section of the hollow core slabs though the glass door.

The family has moved into their new house with a sense of security knowing that it was built right and built to last.

You can watch this project come together in the 2 hour special entitled “Lien on Me” airing on HGTV. Go to https://www.hgtv.ca/holmesonhomes/

Precast Products:
387 sq m (4,170 sq ft) of hollow core and solid precast slabs
6 precast concrete stair units

Credits:
Contractor: The Holmes Group (Holmes on Homes™)
Architect: Baird Sampson Neuert Architects
Engineer: Blackwell Bowick Partnership Limited
Precast: Coreslab Structures (ONT) Inc.