Homeowner Preparedness Guides
Build a Climate-resilient Home and Know How to Handle Disasters
In this weekly Q&A column, retired builder/building inspector Cam Allen answers readers’ questions about home renovation and climate resilient homes. Have a question? Enter it in the form below.
Some weeks ago I entered into a discussion with the management at Green Building Canada about expanding the mandate of this column. This step ahead was welcomed by a progressive group like GBC. Over the past weeks I have, with my co-author Paul Zammit, finished three brochures and two booklets on preparing your home for a climate that is clearly taken to extremes that have become more constant and severe.
It is common knowledge that both the federal and provincial governments now fully recognize the impact climate change is having on our lives and homes. While the need for emergency adaptation plans are recognized and
in many municipalities across Canada, they are in varying stages of implementation. Unfortunately many are still in the early stages of support for local residents. The federal government has numerous studies on this issue. One of the most recent, June of 2025, is called the “Climate Resilience Guide” and is one of the best we have seen so far. It was funded by CMHC and developed by a group called “Ha/f Design”. Commercial organizations like the
“Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction” have produced numerous individual subject periodicals on managing climate change and protecting your home. This organization is almost totally funded by the Canadian Insurance Industry.
The one major gap we noticed was that while all of this information is well researched, documented and technically supportive, most are deep in research and technical language, thin on a hands-on approach for the average homeowner. As authors and retired builders/contractors who have experienced helping damaged homes recover, we decided to fill that gap to help Canadian homeowners grasp the changes needed to protect their home.
So the first step is a brief understanding in common terms. What is climate change? Climate change is described as the long-term effects of aggressively changing weather patterns that affect the planet, both globally and locally. While the media mostly expounds on greenhouse gases as the cause, in reality there are a number of areas that combined are the cause of Earth’s weather changes.
Human activity is the primary driver of climate change and this negative effect actually started back in the 1800s during the Industrial Revolution. It has grown rapidly since the advent of combustion engines and the industrial activity needed to support the Earth’s growing population.
The after-effects are also significant. Deforestation for food production and habitation has dramatically reduced the number of trees that manage C02, adding to the atmosphere carbon levels. The after-effects of severe weather are increasing soil erosion and drought, amplifying the climate issue. The climate reaction is actually an accumulation of years of negative effects on our planet.
While the green building industry has been active in helping to reduce the carbon issue, along with sustainable materials and methods. They already understand the need for climate-resilient homes and they also recognize this resiliency effort can be given more support.
A climate resilient home is designed and assembled to withstand climate extremes that now affect our lives. The long-term intent is to build a safe, durable and functional home that is comfortable when normal living conditions fail and the efforts put into the home to protect you and your family come into play. The ability to build or renovate a home that can endure and adapt to the impacts of climate change and maintain its structural integrity is
utmost in all home building or renovations today.
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Our first book and subsequent second version were based upon that pretext. Build with common sense, responsibility and cost awareness along with being sustainable and resilient. Earlier this year we, myself and my co-author Paul, realized that we are lacking in “down to earth,” understandable information on what to do before-during-after a climate disaster. How do we prepare before,
recover after and what should a clear evacuation plan look like?
Shortly, we will have free downloadable guides available, written with the intent on keeping the contents clear and understandable. They are called “Home Triage Guide,” Emergency Readiness Guide” and the “Evacuation Planner & Go-To Bag Guide.” Over the next three weeks I will expand upon each of these so every reader can grasp the content and then ask any direct questions. Starting next week, we are setting up a downloadable link after each column for GBC readers to freely download these guides.
While we were producing these guides, we had a wide range of neighbours, friends, professionals and trades read them and give them a constructive critique. The one suggestion that came up constantly was “You need an expanded book with writing space, larger print and more in-depth support that is clear and concise, just like the brochures.” In two weeks we will have such books available.
They are called the “Evacuation Homeowner Workbook” and the “Emergency Readiness Playbook.” Following the suggestions we got about what these books should be like, these 48 page books have been printed on card stock with ample space for notes, numerous checklists and bound using a ring binder allowing you to fold the pages over. This makes it easier to carry around your home while you complete the contents of your chosen workbook.
These books will retail for $14.95. Any reader from this column who contacts me via email from here will be given a code so that when you buy a workbook as a GBC reader you will get a 50 percent discount off the price of either book. This is our printed cost for these books. We send 100 percent of any profits from Fragile Shelters book sales to the The Canadian Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
Climate change or crisis, whichever words you wish to use poses challenges and difficulties for our planet. Over and above the obvious environmental impact, it affects human health, the economy and the food supply.
Understanding how to prepare for what is coming, having a strong understanding of basic emergency readiness is vital to not only your home, but your most prized possession: your family. Over the next few weeks it is my intent to give you the tools to succeed in this process. Next week we look at
the “Home Triage Guide” and how it can help you with your home.
Images from Depositphotos
Have a Home Renovation Question?
Write it down below and we’ll get back to you. All questions get answered – every week, we’ll select one for publication in the column.
