air infiltration, and high thermal mass attri-
butes to a 25-50 per cent energy savings using
ICF, versus wood or steel framed wall systems.
ICF construction is also very strong and very
quiet because of the Styrofoam, which acts as
a better sound barrier from exterior noise.
The Burnham Project for which the company
won the ICF Magazine International Builder
of the Year award particularly stands out as a
milestone achievement. The house is approxi-
mately 3,700 square feet. It has a full, finished
walk out basement, a main floor and second
floor loft which consists of another bedroom,
and a family room area, as well as a full four-
piece bathroom on the second floor.
Long standing relationships built on trust
and loyalty, not only with clients, but partners
as well have helped R&M to thrive in the in-
dustry. Kingdon TimberMart in Peterborough
is the company’s main supplier and carries full
supply of lumber, roof trusses and ICF building
material.
“Kingdon has never let us down, they’re al-
ways there for us,” said Smith.
The family legacy will soon continue under
a third generation in the industry with Dave
Smith at the helm, but client trust and satis-
faction will remain the foundation of R&M’s
success.
“We want to have the same relationship with
our client, at the beginning of the project that
we do at the end. To have happy and pleased
clients is really what matters the most,” said
Smith.
For more info on R&M Smith Contracting
Limited, see their website at
SEPT/OCT 2014
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business elite canada 229
“We only take on as much work as we can do with great quality. To
take on anymore is to lose the personal touch that you have with your
clients. It ends up being more of a ‘Let’s build it, get it done, and sell it,’
kind of mentality. We’re definitely not that kind of company.”
