Backfill: Caulking, Canadian Style

When I was first asked to write occasional articles on construction practices from a Canadian (translated: cold) perspective for NEB, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I realized that the northern regions of the U.S. were having the same problems as we in Canada—that is, being smothered by the mainstream, well-financed, glossyphoto- and-expensive-graphics information machine that projects temperate America’s way of building things as North America’s model. In Canada, we’ve been fighting California dream homes for years. But, finally, one specific mid- American practice has received a strong reaction from public utilities and provincial energy departments clear across Canada. In various forms, the message is clear: Do not follow the advice of American publications on how to apply caulk to residences. The