About The Authors
In 2021, my co-author Paul and myself recognized how the Climate Crisis was affecting homes. The academic community, government and media are producing an ever-expanding supply of technical data on what was earlier called the ” Climate Challenge”. While most of this information is relevant, in many cases it’s highly technical and often difficult for people to decipher what matters, let alone implement it into their own residence or lifestyle. Click on “Manual Series” for more information about our other manuals that are coming in the “Fragile Shelters Series.”
Cam Allen
Cam Allen has retired from the building trades, having spent over 40 years in home building, heritage renovation, and project management. During this time, he worked alongside co-author Paul Zammit and operated a building litigation consulting and inspection business, which conducted over 9,000 building inspections.
In addition to his extensive experience in the building industry, Cam spent 20 years writing two weekly columns in the Home Extra weekend section of the Kingston Whig Standard. One column addressed readers’ questions about home repairs and renovations, while the other, titled “Green Tech – The Series,” focused on sustainable living and green building practices. In total, Cam authored 1,867 weekly columns and articles.
Upon his retirement in 2021, Steve Serviss, the Editor-in-Chief of the Whig-Standard/Postmedia, expressed his gratitude in a farewell letter, stating, “You have been a cornerstone in the homes section for two decades, a position you earned with hard work. . .Average people were fortunate to learn from your years of expertise.”
Throughout his career, Cam achieve every major building inspection certification in North America. He holds a Province of Ontario license in Industrial Woodworking, an RPI Diploma in Interior Design, and certification from ARXX in ICF Construction.
Cam remained deeply involved in the building consulting and inspection industry. From 2016 to 2020, he worked as a consultant for the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services on the integration of the Home Inspection Act. He was also the Construction Manager for Ontario’s first “GreenHouse Certified” Seniors Townhouse Complex. Additionally he developed and taught the “Heritage Home Inspection Course,” which was used for education credits by most Canadian Home Inspection Associations.
He is recognized as a professional witness for heritage and residential building inspections consulting in numerous counties across Ontario. Over his 40-year career, he has participated in various radio and television interviews discussing building systems, sustainable construction and building inspection. In 2025, at the request of Environics Research and the City of Toronto, Cam completed an “impact study” on the costs and effects of cooling in city rental residences. His journey into book writing began in 2004 with a booklet titled “Why Block Basements Fail.”
Paul Zammit
Paul Zammit has known Cam for nearly 30 years and has worked with him in the building industry for almost 20 of those years. He has extensive experience in heritage and sustainable construction, boasting over 30 years of hands-on experience. His drive is sustainability and environmental impact.
Among the most recognized projects in Paul’s portfolio is the complete renovation of the Fall River Restaurant in Maberly, Ontario. Once restored, it was celebrated as “Canada’s Greenest Restaurant.” Additionally, he built one of the first timber frame-straw bale commercial buildings in Ontario. His most recent major accomplishment was the complete renovation of the “Perth Courier” building in Perth, Ontario, which remains one of the largest restored heritage-designated commercial buildings in Eastern Ontario.
Paul serves as a senior field advisor/technician for a major international manufacturer of “Passive House” windows.
Other Informative & Educational Manuals by the Authors
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Climate Crisis -
Building to Protect & Shelter
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Fragile Shelters -
Living at Home Seniors
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Avery's Dream - Building a Climate Crisis Home
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Home Inspection - A Fractious Industry
and natural disasters. A 10/10 read for sure! Very educational."