About

Taylor McCarthy, Frontera Homes

We postponed construction for a year while we did more homework on what a net zero reno would entail. When we felt ready to begin, we interviewed a group of contractors all of whom had had some experience with green build. We chose Taylor McCarthy. Before establishing his own firm, Taylor worked with Mark Bernhardt - passivhaus practitioner and energy modeler. Taylor and his core team (Matt, Graham, Gavyn, Auggie) worked assiduously, intelligently and hard for fourteen months (even through Covid) to get our house to net zero….and handsomer than ever. Everybody on the block will attest to them being thoughtful and good guys, as well as fine builders. Taking a house from 14.5 air exchanges per hour to under 3 without resorting to foam is no easy feat. The Frontera guys pulled it off. I think it is fair to say that we all learned a ton on this job. Hats off!

Here is Taylor’s bio.

Bachelor of Commerce (Concentration in Entrepreneurship)/Minor in Political Science (International Development) from McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Diploma in Heritage Carpentry & Joinery from Algonquin College, Perth, Canada

Taylor finds challenge and fulfillment operating Frontera Homes while continuing to explore the world at every given opportunity.  It is no wonder that the path that led him to start Frontera Homes stems from a combination of his love for the outdoors and traveling, as well as his passion for building.  The name Frontera brings both of these worlds together for Taylor, representing a street he lived on in Latin America and the motivation to be at the forefront of building with a focus on the environment.

Growing up in Ottawa, Taylor could be found playing hockey and skiing in the winter, or paddling the rivers of Ontario and Quebec in the summer.  Prior to university, he pursued two of his other passions:  skiing and surfing.  He first lived in a quaint ski town in the Canadian Rockies and then later moved to Byron Bay, Australia to surf.  Since that time, he has lived or traveled in dozens of countries in Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa and Latin America. He comfortably speaks four languages including English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

While studying Business (Bachelor of Commerce) and Political Science (International Development) at McGill University, Taylor spent his summers tree-planting in British Columbia and renovating homes back in Ontario. After graduating in 2005, he drove across Central America in a VW bug and surfed, worked, volunteered and studied his way through most of South America for 15 months.  In 2008, he returned to Ottawa to work as a LEED-accredited consultant (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), before returning to São Paulo, Brazil in 2009 to intern for a non-profit (Endeavor) and to teach English. While volunteering for an organization (TETO) that builds shelter for impoverished families living in favelas (slums), Taylor renewed his passion for sustainable building and carpentry. This led him to return to school and complete an additional 2-year degree; this time in heritage carpentry and joinery at Algonquin College in Perth, Ontario.  Most recently he has taken part one and two of the Canadian Passive House building certification.

In addition to operating Frontera Homes, Taylor volunteers with at-risk youth at Power to Be (Victoria, BC) and leads Latin American based experiential education programs with Where There Be Dragons, primarily leading treks through Peru.