Exteriors - Eco-Friendly Alternatives

Landscaping

Urban farming turns beautiful gardens into a grocery store!

Sustainable home landscaping has permeable surfaces, doesn't require a lot of watering, and ideally incorporates rainwater collection. Urban farming means you can eat what grows there, and that's even better. How to grow vegetables & fruits in a garden Plants survived long before humans were around to water them, so…

Decks, porches and gazebos

Building a deck? Our top tips to make your deck last longer

How to build decks with greater durability - permits, deck materials, railings, foundations & construction techniques for longer lasting decks including natural wood finishing oils & stains. Deck building tips for a durable deck construction: Meeting setbacks and getting building permits in Canada & US Raised Deck…

Greenhouses and Sunrooms / Solariums

How to build a greenhouse in a cold climate

Three greenhouse owners share their construction methods and experiences for building greenhouses in cold climates where the benefits accumulate for food production. Can a greenhouse produce food all year in cold climates? Growing fruits and vegetables all year round in Canada or the colder parts of North America…

Permeable laneways and patios

Reducing emissions with CO² cured-concrete

This type of concrete reduces the carbon emissions by 70%, fuel consumption by 30% and water use by 80%. A new cement block manufacturing process developed by an American company named Solidia Technologies® produces 40% fewer emissions during manufacturing than conventional concrete, resulting in a dramatically…

Greenhouses and Sunrooms / Solariums

Solariums in cold climates won't heat your home

Solariums and sunrooms in cold climates will not add heat homes as commonly thought, unless carefully designed for Passive Solar Gain. Can you build a solarium in a cold climate? Solariums have been gaining in popularity over the last 20 years , as many homeowners have found them to be a very enticing solution to…

Landscaping

Avoiding invasive species when landscaping

How to identify and choose plants that are native to your region. Invasive plants are defined as plants from other continents, countries or even other regions of Canada. Humans have been introducing foreign plants to new lands since the 17th century, for horticultural, agricultural or medicinal purposes. Due to a…

Permeable laneways and patios

Water-permeable landscaping surfaces

How to create landscaping surfaces that allow for the absorption of storm water. Permeable pavers or paving stones are best for driveways and paths Gaining an understanding of the importance of stormwater management may steer you towards a design and product choice in interlocking paver stones, which will help you…

Food production

Grow food at home: 8 great tips for growing food in small spaces

With a little creativity & ingenuity small spaces can be maximized for a greater food harvest from your garden & look great doing so. Many of us look forward to the unmistakable taste of fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruit , especially those that come from our own soil. For those of you who would like to grow…

Landscaping

A guide to growing edible perennials.

Whether or not you're interested in edible landscape design, permascaping, or creating a food forest, this list of cold tolerant edible perennials is a great place to start. When beginning to think about permanent edible landscape design and forest gardening, taking in the general concepts of Permaculture can help…

Landscaping

Hydroponic bottle gardener launches kickstarter campaign

Canadian aims to make home-grown greens accessible all year round. More and more people are informing themselves on various forms of urban farming to counteract the heavy ecological footprint of industrial agriculture. However, there are very few options for the increasing number of people wishing to get involved…

Greenhouses and Sunrooms / Solariums

7 key principles for an abundant greenhouse

The year round off-grid greenhouse demystified, a Guest Post by Lindsey Schiller. Grow food in a greenhouse - the basics on how to get started As a native Californian transplanted into a much cooler climate (Western Quebec), I find myself mourning the loss of fresh local seasonal fruits and veggies all year long…