Our Founder.
Bob Walker, the founder of Longview Services Inc., started the company in 2003. He is well versed in the challenges and the needs of not for profits and charitable organizations.
We Want Your Charity to Succeed
His motivation to start the company began when he realized that small-and medium-sized charities often lacked the resources to hire property and project management professionals, or experienced grant writers. Many of them owned or leased impressive facilities without the experienced staff to maintain or improve the space over time, nor the ability to successfully raise funds needed for building improvements.
Bob Walker
Founder & CEO
Passive House is a method of design and construction that was perfected in Germany and is now the established best practices approach for energy efficiency and indoor air quality. This rigorous and proven standard will deliver a building with the least carbon footprint, only cost slightly more to construct but will be the least expensive to operate. Perhaps most importantly, it qualifies for the most grants and incentives and the charity-owner could end up paying the less for the best in the end.
While analyzing your charity’s needs, Bob works towards a barrier-free environment while considering the economic and environmental impacts of your project.
Our Guarantee.
For qualifying charities, Longview guarantees to double all funds which are required to bring a charity into “grant ready” status.
For example, if a charity hires Longview to review their facility, create CAD drawings for the property, hire an architect to create concept plans to improve building access (perhaps a front ramp and to renovate an interior washroom), Longview guarantees to continue to write grant requests for that charity until the initial costs are returned and doubled. The initial cost to create a complete and compelling grant application may be six thousand dollars. Longview will guarantee to bring in at least twelve thousand dollars to that charity. Note: In actual fact, a multiple of seven or eight is more typical.
Because our grant requests focus on building requirements (e.g., fire code, accessibility regulations, health and safety issues), we have an extremely high success rate in helping client charities receive funds. As we become more familiar with your property, the less time and expense is necessary to write grant requests.
Passive House/PHIUS – Why it Matters.
The world of construction is changing – don’t be left behind.
Canada has applied a new carbon tax. Businesses are eliminating single-use plastics. Manufacturers are creating biodegradable straws. How will you leave your mark?
According to the International Energy Agency, the global buildings sector is responsible for 30 percent of energy consumption, more than 55 percent of the worldwide electricity demand, and contribute up to 30 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. This makes the way developers build homes a critical component to creating a low-carbon future.
Imagine constructing a facility that requires only 10-20% of the energy used by an average building.
Now, imagine a building that is heated in winter mainly by the sun, body heat, standard electrical appliances and light bulbs, and whose cooling needs in the summer are minimized by its exceptional design and orientation to the shade all while ensuring temperature consistency and excellent indoor air quality.
Passive house is a construction concept for creating energy efficient buildings, greatly reducing its ecological footprint. Passive House Canada is a national non-profit professional association advocating for energy efficiency of residential, commercial and institutional buildings. The design is such that the buildings can maintain heat in the colder months, and stay cooler during the warmer ones while using 75% fewer energy resources than typical building models.
We are PHIUS builder certified.
Sounds fancy, but what does it mean?
PHIUS stands for Passive House Institute US and is a designation given to professionals who have become trained and certified in Passive House building practices. PHIUS is the certifying body that trains and certifies building and project management professionals. Builders and planners must become certified in Passive House to use the model, which operates on the primary principals of proper insulation, zero air leakages and no thermal bridges (where heat can travel through walls to escape the building).
Passive House is a sustainable model that provides affordable, high-quality construction without compromising comfort or healthy living.
Overcoming the Construction Challenge.
We listen, design and write grants for your unique needs.
Construction is no place for amateurs.
When tackling renovations or new builds for small- and medium-sized charities, there are many factors to consider. Often times, not-for-profit organizations are dealing with a limited budget and time constraints – this can ultimately affect the quality of the work if an inexperienced contractor is hired simply based on a cheap quote. While an organization may save costs initially, many things can go wrong, and mistakes can be very costly.
Hiring a Project Management Professional as well as an experienced contractor well versed in charity projects and the Passive House building philosophy assures the best utilization of funds while ensuring project quality. They must consider building codes, building permits, zoning codes, inspections, health and safety requirements, and toxic materials which may be disturbed during construction. They must also be familiar with the Department of Labour and WSIB requirements and potential liability issues. An experienced contractor will:
Listen and understand the space and expectations of the project.
Choose an architect who can design the type of space required, and
Budget according to the funds available.
Testimonials.
I worked closely with Bob Walker of Longview Services Inc. during a challenging design process for the extensive renovation of 54 Wolseley Street for Stella’s Place Young Adult Mental Health Assessment and Treatment Centre. Bob demonstrated a strong understanding of how a 100-year old brick and timber building could be adapted to the unique needs of the client, and a creative approach to solving design problems. Among his contributions were his insistence on structural reinforcement that would greatly simplify the future addition of a fourth level, a wheelchair ramp design that minimized the amount of
ground floor space used, and a feature staircase to create an open and welcoming connection between floors. I enjoyed working with him.
We started working with Longview Services in 2018. Since that time, we have expanded our property portfolio with four more buildings and our main site has undergone extensive renovations. Longview played a very important role in creating a wider vision, finding funds, managing the construction projects and raising the standard on how we manage these assets. We are now on the cusp of expanding even more and Longview will lead the way with our CMHC and FCM funding partners, creating a design that minimizes our carbon footprint and bringing in the best of the best consultants. I can’t adequately communicate the value they bring to the table or recommend them enough to the housing sector in particular, or charities in general!
We used Bob Walker to help us envision various possibilities for our facility. The chosen design included rental income which basically paid for the addition over time and allowed us to use it when we needed it. I highly recommend Bob and Longview Services to any organization who is thinking of potential changes to their facility.
I have worked with Mr. Walker, Owner of Longview Services Inc. before and I would highly recommend that every good cause in Ontario explore possibilities with him. You will be delighted with what he brings to the table and what his company can do for your property. I personally witnessed millions of dollars in improvements and the vast majority of those funds came from sources outside the charity.
It is my pleasure to recommend the firm of Longview Services to an organization interested in improving their properties and/or facilities. Renascent has used this company extensively since 2003 for major repair and maintenance work on our four facilities. …The principle, Bob Walker, has always ensured that the space created was very appropriate for the therapeutic work that takes place in our facilities and has remained true to the historical nature of the properties. In addition he has been proactive in seeking out “green” approaches…. In summary, I have no hesitation in recommending this company to any respective agency or organization. You will be well served.
Mr. Bob Walker combines careful attention to details with visionary, long-term strategic planning. As a former board member of a small academic institution, I witnessed first-hand how Bob negotiated space at a university and developed preliminary design plans to renovate an old building for our needs. He negotiated a one-dollar per year lease for the property and helped us create private space within it for the Residential Director and visiting professors. If Mr. Walker believes in your cause, I can recommend that CEOs and board members include him in your plans and watch as he brings imagination and an entrepreneurial spirit to build win-win situations for the future. Bob was the founding Chair of the Board for The Paideia Center for Public Theology (near Redeemer University, Ancaster, Ontario)
My engineering company was called in by Mr. Walker of Longview Services to design the underpinning and structural reinforcement of an old downtown building. It was a pleasure working with Mr. Walker and the masonry company that was chosen for the job. We made some changes during the actual construction based on the funds available to the charity and it turned out to be a tremendous success for all involved. It has been my experience that most charities simply don’t have someone on staff who understands construction, and for those that don’t, I would highly recommend Longview Services to you. I think for this particular project Mr. Walker also wrote the grant which made the work possible to begin with. Sounds like a no-brainer to me…its a win-win situation for charities!
As a former manager of a residence for university students, I worked with Bob Walker to manage and improve the facility. We also redesigned the layout; greatly improved the amount of revenue the site could generate and presented it to the leaders of the organization. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Bob or Longview Services Inc. to any organization who owns or leases property. Bob’s visionary leadership always exceeded our expectations.
My construction firm, Snyder Construction, was fortunate enough to win the competitive bid process and work with Mr. Walker, President and owner of Longview Services Inc., to renovate and expand a property near Whitby, Ontario. Mr. Walker was representing the charity-owner of this property and his knowledge of construction, the construction process and what was in the charity’s best interest made this rather complex job run remarkably smoothly. Bob was able to get everyone to work together to find cost effective solutions to unique problems which is very important for non-profit projects. Together, we made a real difference and now the whole community is benefitting from the renovation. If you are a charity in Ontario and have construction in your plans, then do yourself a favour and make sure Longview Services Inc. is representing you.
In 2005, Larkin Architect Limited was invited to respond to a Request for Proposal for a major addition onto a Toronto private school. The RFP mandate was to double up the classrooms from JK to grade 8 in a way that improved the overall viability of the campus. As the owner’s assigned project manager, Mr. Walker was responsible for writing the terms of the RFP, researching the work of the respondents, and for ultimately making recommendations for contract award to our firm. He continued in the capacity of owner’s representative and the project was ultimately successful in achieving the owner’s program requirements within a new building envelope that significantly reduced the energy footprint and operational expenditures. Mr. Walker played a critically important role in the success of the project. We found him to be well versed in relevant knowledge of the construction industry and his contribution brought added value to the project delivery. We would highly recommend his services as project manager and/or owner’s representative to any client.
