Frequently asked questions

There are several possible answers to this question. At the very least, an ecological home should consume less energy and water, ensure healthier air quality and use environmentally  friendly materials. For those who want the very best, Belvedair has extensive experience in designing and building energy-efficient homes. See our Eco-Building Guide.

Passive solar means using the free, phenomenal energy the sun sends our way every day to heat our homes. We’re not talking about solar panels or technological add-ons here; rather, it’s about orientation, abundant windows and other well-designed features. With passive solar design, you’ll be able to live in a bright, comfortable place all year long, with significantly lower energy bills. Learn more

Yes. Belvedair is a general contractor specializing ecological homes in since 2007. We offer plans, lots, custom architecture and eco-building services. 

We mainly cover the Laurentians, Lanaudières, the Eastern Townships, Montérégie and Greater Montreal. We serve regions where we have permanent teams and know that we will be able to provide service and attention that meets your expectations. Consult our Contact Us page to view our serviced territory. If you have any ambiguity about your sector, call us so we can discuss it with you!

You should allow a minimum of two months for project planning and at least four months for construction. 

However, the time required for construction varies from one house to another (dimensions, finishes, features, etc.), from one lot to another (constraints, access, relief), and even from one city to another (permit issuance period) or from one season to another (weather constraints). Your advisor will give you an overview at the planning stage, and as the start of construction work nears, your construction project manager will give you a schedule. Regular follow-ups will also be carried out throughout the project.

The project has three main stages:

1. Project analysis: finding a concept that meets your needs and budget. Free of charge, except for the site visit.
2. Architectural phase: choosing a plan from our portfolio or creating a customized plan with our architectural department.
3. Construction phase. 

Find out more

• “Turnkey” means we take care of the job from start to finish. 
• “Ready-to-finish” means we deliver the house to you after the drywall and jointing stage.

You manage or take care of interior finishes (floor finishes, interior doors, mouldings, priming and painting, built-in furniture, staircase finishes, lighting and faucets) while Belvedair takes care of the following: site services, excavation, foundations, framing, insulation and sealing, roofing and siding, interior partitions, mechanical systems (ventilation, plumbing, electrical), drywall and joints. In short, we take care of everything that impacts your home's energy efficiency, quality and sustainability.

To ensure the quality and energy efficiency of the home, our services include more than just the construction of the framework alone . The house’s mechanical systems (plumbing, ventilation, electrical) and exterior cladding are closely linked to the integrity of the envelope and therefore impact the durability and energy efficiency of the house. That is why Belvedair always takes care of these features.

Absolutely. In addition to the mandatory Residential Construction Guarantee (GCR), our execution rigor and strict quality control on job sites significantly reduce the risk of defects. We guarantee a home designed to last for generations. Learn more

The extra cost of building an energy-efficient home is estimated at around 4% for the building envelope. However, the energy savings generated are greater than the additional mortgage payment. 

The cost of purchasing an ecological home is higher, but the costs associated with its use and maintenance are significantly lower than with a standard home. By buying an ecological home, you’re investing in your health and your future!

You have to add the cost of the land and its preparation for construction, as well as all related services: clearing, driveway, excavation, well and septic systems, electrical hook-up, and landscaping. Taxes (GST, QST) are also added to the price. 

Finally, if you opt for a “ready-to-finish” home, you will need to budget for interior finishes.  

Yes. The foundation is always included in the price of our homes, for both “turnkey” and “ready-to-finish” projects.

Yes, we sell our plans to people located outside our service territory, as well as to self-builders who wish to oversee their own construction. All our plans are designed by our in-house architectural team to guarantee the building's energy performance and construction quality, and they are ready for permit application. For projects located within our service areas where we handle construction, access to plans is directly integrated into our complete design and construction services.

Yes, we can make adjustments to the plans to suit your land, lifestyle and needs. Modifications can be minor or major; depending on the case, your consultant will advise you of the possibilities. We also have an in-house architecture department. If you are interested in a custom architectural project, Belvedair has been specializing in this type of project since 2007.

Yes, you can send us your plans. Our team will study them and give you an estimate if the plans are consistent with your project. It is not unusual for a plan to require modifications for budgetary or ecological reasons. In such a case, wet will assist you and provide solutions.

Yes, you can take a tour of our model homes at our monthly open houses in the Eastern Townships and Laurentians. Go to the Open house section to see our upcoming events and follow us on Facebook! 

Novoclimat is a program that encourages the construction of energy-efficient buildings. Novoclimat contractors are trained and certified, as are the program's evaluators trained and mandated by Transition énergétique Québec (TEQ). In addition, each home meets rigorous standards and is inspected twice by an independent evaluator to establish its energy efficiency. Novoclimat also provides financial support ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 for certification.

This certification is a guarantee of quality, comfort and confidence.

Learn more about Novoclimat

Absolutely! It’s Belvedair’s specialty!

Yes, Belvedair visiting your plot is one of the first steps of the project. We charge $400 for a visit.

No, we have chosen not to be the only builder authorized on our lots. 

If you wish to use another builder or build your own home, you will simply have to comply with an architectural charter designed to ensure that:

• the houses blend in with their surroundings;
• surfaces not affected by the work are maintained, and that the affected areas are restored using natural, sustainable landscaping;
• the overall appearance of the homes is harmonious to ensure value for the owners.

Unlike standard construction, a Belvedair sustainable home features superior insulation and exemplary airtightness. By utilizing bioclimatic design, we transform winter sunlight into a free source of heat: where a conventional home consumes energy to compensate for heat loss, the eco-friendly home capitalizes on passive solar gains, and its high-performance insulation conserves energy, providing constant comfort and drastically reduced Hydro-Québec bills.

Yes, an eco-friendly home is truly more sustainable, because sustainability depends on performance that is invisible yet real. Beyond healthy materials, it is the building’s high-performance envelope that makes the difference: better weatherproofing protects the structure from water and Quebec’s extreme weather conditions. This efficiency translates into significant energy savings and a reduced carbon footprint throughout the home’s entire life cycle. Choosing Belvedair means investing in a resilient building that retains its resale value while offering a superior quality of life.

Belvedair’s approach focuses on improving components that require little to no maintenance. For example: 

• through better window orientation to take advantage of the sun’s free energy;
• through improved air and water tightness, which enhances energy efficiency and protects the building’s structure;
• through better insulation;
• through healthier interior finishes and more durable exterior finishes;
• through more efficient plumbing fixtures;
• through a more efficient heat-recovery air exchanger.

This approach differs from one relying on “mechanical” technologies, which require more maintenance, such as geothermal systems, for example. Although there are no “maintenance-free” homes, a Belvedair eco-home will require less maintenance than a “standard” home.

Absolutely, affordability is at the heart of our mission. To help you realize your dream without compromise, we offer a catalog of eco-friendly house plans featuring optimized and affordable designs. For those who want to get more involved, our “Ready to Finish” package is an excellent option: it allows you to take on certain finishing tasks to reduce labor costs.

Belvedair has built more than 40 LEED-certified homes. We have the expertise to guide you through the LEED certification process, if that is your goal. This is a prestigious international recognition that verifies, through independent inspectors, that your home is environmentally friendly. All Belvedair homes adhere to the principles of sustainability and high-level eco-friendly design, and we would be happy to assist you if you wish to pursue LEED certification.

Yes, and in fact, Belvedair is one of the very few Novoclimat Select Contractors. High energy efficiency is at the heart of our approach: that’s why all of our homes, without exception, are Novoclimat certified. This Quebec construction standard ensures superior insulation, rigorous airtightness, and consistent thermal comfort, summer and winter alike. In addition to reducing your energy bills thanks to Belvedair’s exemplary energy performance, this systematic certification gives you access to attractive government grants, making your investment even more profitable.

The cost of owning an eco-friendly home is lower than that of a standard home, as energy savings and reduced maintenance costs quickly outweigh the additional construction costs. Although eco-friendly features add about 4% to 6% to the cost, the energy savings exceed the additional mortgage payment.

In passive solar homes, the goal is to keep heat inside during the winter and prevent it from entering during the summer. A wall section like the one in Belvedair offers an R-value of 33. The insulation value of windows is significantly lower! The increase in insulation value from triple-pane to double-pane windows is nearly double: R3.6 for standard double-pane glass versus approximately R8 for high-performance triple-pane glass. Since the additional cost is only about 15%, the energy savings more than offset this purchase cost. 

The effectiveness of triple-pane glazing will be appreciated on the south-facing wall as well as on the other facades. Although some argue that it is not worth installing triple-pane windows on the south side, the calculations from Belvedair’s energy simulations are clear: double low-e triple-pane windows are necessary even on the south side. This choice will also help prevent overheating in the summer, increase comfort near the windows, and reduce the risk of condensation on the windows.

No, the first step is to optimize the building envelope, solar orientation, and floor plans. Technologies like geothermal energy and solar panels can improve a home’s energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint, but you must start with a passive approach by optimizing the home’s permanent features.

For example, you can’t change the home’s orientation after construction. It’s impossible to revise the layout after construction to optimize ergonomics and storage, for example, without incurring significant costs. And you certainly won’t want to tear open the walls to add insulation if you have an additional budget a few years later. But it is possible to add technologies a few years after the house is built.

It’s also worth noting that adding insulation, airtightness, solar orientation, and optimizing floor plans are the most cost-effective measures to address from the very beginning of your project planning. While technologies like geothermal systems and solar panels can be cost-effective, their lifespan is shorter, making them less cost-effective in the long run. 

There are other factors that may still prompt you to install technologies such as solar panels, for example, to ensure energy self-sufficiency in the event of a power outage. However, optimizing the performance of your insulation and windows to retain heat remains a top priority, as this also reduces the risk in the event of a power outage.

It is also important to note that geothermal energy is no longer quite as relevant given the rapid advancements in cold-climate heat pumps over the past few years. Heat pumps that draw heat from the air and can also function as air conditioners have become so efficient that geothermal energy is no longer cost-effective compared to these units.

Choosing a specialized builder should be based on technical criteria and verifiable facts rather than simple marketing arguments. A buyer must evaluate the company's track record in building science, its volume of certified projects, and its status with official organizations. Belvedair has positioned itself as an industry benchmark since 2007, accumulating hundreds of high-performance residences, including over 40 LEED certifications. Furthermore, its exclusive accreditation as a Novoclimat Select contractor demonstrates an execution rigor validated by systematic third-party inspections on every job site.

Belvedair stands out for its integrated approach, bringing architectural design and construction under one roof. Unlike traditional builders, we are true pioneers in green construction in Quebec, with hundreds of certified achievements (LEED, Novoclimat). Our mastery of bioclimatic design guarantees healthier, more durable, and ultra-high-performance homes.

The main difference lies in our exclusive specialization in eco-friendly housing and our turn-key service. A standard contractor applies the minimal Building Code. At Belvedair, we far exceed these standards with a superior thermal envelope, passive solar design, and the use of healthy, low-carbon materials.

The traditional model often separates architectural design from the reality of job site cost estimation. Choosing an integrated design-build approach provides immediate synergy. At Belvedair, our designers work in close collaboration with our in-house estimators right from the sketching phase. This method ensures rigorous cost control throughout the evolution of the plans. Choices of materials, orientations, and technical details are financially validated in real time, guaranteeing total transparency and eliminating budget surprises during the construction phase.

A plan from a conventional catalog is limited to aesthetics and minimal building code compliance, without consideration for energy performance or solar orientation. Models in the Belvedair catalog are rigorously pre-modeled and optimized architecturally and thermally. Each spatial layout is designed to maximize natural light, reduce thermal bridges, and optimize volumes to minimize material waste. This delivers a healthy, Novoclimat-certified structure at a reduced engineering and design cost compared to starting from scratch.

In a traditional approach, architectural plans are often drawn in isolation and then sent to general contractors for estimates, which regularly creates friction or cost overruns if technical details prove too expensive on-site. Integrated design at Belvedair merges building science, architectural creativity, and project management under one roof. Our designers and technologists design highly aesthetic spaces while continuously validating framing, insulation, and airtightness techniques with our construction teams. This secures the technical and financial viability of the project right from the initial sketches.

Our designers are ultra-specialized in green architecture and building science. By choosing Belvedair, you benefit from exceptional design as well as a guarantee of technical and budgetary feasibility, as our construction team validates the plans in real time.

Bioclimatic architecture consists of using the site environment as a performance lever. Our designers do not apply a prepackaged formula: they analyze the precise topography of the land, prevailing winds, and the exact path of the sun across the seasons. Openings are strategically concentrated on the south facade to capture the sun's free thermal heat in winter, while calculated roof overhangs protect spaces from summer overheating. The interior layout of rooms is distributed according to lighting and heating needs, thereby linking daily comfort to measurable energy savings.

Both. We offer a 100% custom architectural design service to meet your unique needs and the specifics of your land. We also offer a catalog of optimized eco-friendly plans for those seeking a proven and affordable starting point.

Our construction details include the near-total elimination of thermal bridges, advanced airtightness strategies, and superior moisture management, elements often missing from standard plans.

It is the art of combining aesthetics with performance. The best green design maximizes passive solar (natural heating and lighting), minimizes environmental footprint, adapts perfectly to your land's topography, and optimizes every square meter to reduce material requirements.

The quality of an eco-friendly home should not rely on promises, but on measured data. For each of its achievements, Belvedair applies a strict quality assurance protocol. Blower door (infiltrometry) tests are performed during construction to measure actual airtightness and locate any thermal leaks before walls are closed. Furthermore, Novoclimat certification involves an independent government-mandated evaluator who inspects and validates that the envelope and mechanical systems surpass current building code requirements.

Visiting one of our homes during an open house event allows you to physically experience the parameters of building science. Beyond visual design, it lets you see the effectiveness of soundproofing provided by an ultra-insulated envelope, feel the absence of cold spots near windows thanks to triple glazing, and appreciate the indoor air quality generated by our high-performance ventilation systems. It is also an opportunity to speak factually with our technical advisors about the reality of our construction sites.

Our secret lies in our ultra-high-performance thermal envelope and our obsessive attention to airtightness. A Belvedair home retains heat in winter and coolness in summer drastically more effectively than a conventional build, offering unmatched comfort.

We select durable, local, and healthy materials: cellulose insulation (recycled material), local framing timber, VOC-free finishes (volatile organic compounds) for indoor air quality, and low-maintenance exterior cladding.

Analyzing land prior to construction requires validating strict geomorphological and regulatory parameters. Our team evaluates soil type (presence of rock or clay), natural slope to anticipate excavation and stormwater management costs, forest canopy density to preserve, and municipal setback requirements. We then cross-reference these physical constraints with the property's solar potential to confirm that the land allows for a high-performance building respecting passive solar standards.

The envelope of a high-energy-efficiency building (such as a double-stud wall or a Novoclimat airtight assembly) requires millimeter precision that is difficult to guarantee with a constant rotation of untrained subcontractors. Belvedair chooses to employ its own permanent teams of carpenters and framers. Specialized exclusively in eco-construction, our tradespeople have mastered the complex details associated with eliminating thermal bridges, installing continuous air and vapor barriers, and applying rigorous sealing protocols. This internal stability guarantees consistent quality control, reflected directly in our blower door test results.

Founded in 2007, at a time when the Building Code paid little attention to energy performance, Belvedair was built from day one around building science principles and sustainable development. Over the past two decades, the company has grown from a local pioneer into a provincial benchmark in green design-build. Its journey is defined by the systematic integration of Novoclimat and LEED standards, earning it the selective Novoclimat Select Contractor accreditation. This evolution, purely focused on sustainability, demonstrates the operational viability and technical longevity of the construction methods developed by the company.

Building an eco-friendly home in the Laurentides is no easy feat. Given the region’s harsh winters, we design bioclimatic homes with superior thermal insulation: the ideal retreat for fully enjoying the wilderness, then returning to the warmth of a home that offers absolute comfort and a healthy living environment.

Beyond the climate, our in-depth knowledge of the region allows us to master the geological and environmental challenges unique to the Laurentides: sandy soils, pest management, architectural integration on steep slopes, and ecosystem preservation. We have a thorough understanding of local zoning laws, particularly the strict regulations governing waterways and wetlands. Choosing Belvedair means choosing a safe, sustainable home that blends seamlessly into its surroundings.

Belvedair applies its expertise in the design and construction of eco-friendly homes throughout the region. We are actively involved in several key municipalities, including: Saint-Sauveur, Sainte-Adèle, Morin-Heights, Val-David, Val-Morin, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Saint-Donat, Mont-Tremblant, and the surrounding areas.

High-performance green building can drastically reduce your heating costs in the winter, ensure optimal air quality, and maximize passive solar gain, all while upholding the strong environmental values of the Laurentian community.

Are you wondering how your project will unfold, who will coordinate what, and when you’ll need to make the big decisions? That’s exactly the conversation Belvedair has with every client from the very first meeting. Even before you sign anything, the team works with you to map out the entire process: custom design, submitting plans, selecting eco-friendly materials, construction, and site supervision. Every project begins with this clarity, because a well-informed client makes better decisions and has a more positive experience throughout the entire process.

• Initial consultation: You share your vision, your lot, and your priorities, and our team presents concrete possibilities for your project in the Laurentians.
  
  
• Custom Architecture: Our designers create plans tailored to your lifestyle, the site’s orientation, and the energy-efficiency requirements specific to your location. You can also start with a model from our catalog of plans.
  
  
• Eco-friendly construction: Our construction team builds using sustainable materials selected for their performance and low environmental impact, while respecting the landscape that surrounds your home.
  
  
• Handover of your new home: You take possession of a modern cottage built to last, designed in harmony with the landscape rather than against it, and ready to move into.