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House / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Insulation and soundproofing

Is spray foam a good choice? Lessons from the UK's spray foam insulation crisis

Spray foam insulation has gained popularity in North America as a go-to solution for improving energy efficiency in homes. However, as homeowners in the UK are now discovering, this seemingly convenient and cost-effective insulation method can come with significant downsides. The problems being experienced in the UK wi...

Insulation and soundproofing

Spray foam insulation: the hidden environmental costs of difficult removal

Spray foam insulation is often promoted as an environmentally friendly option due to its energy-saving potential. By creating an airtight seal, it reduces the need for heating and cooling, which can lower a home’s overall carbon footprint. However, the environmental benefits touted by spray foam manufacturers and insta...

Architecture and plan design

3D printed homes: Is this the future of residential construction?

...house on any site, quickly and at as low a cost as we've read? Does the 3D home printing technology really offer these benefits? We dug deeper into the subject. Layer by layer printing of a 3D concrete house © ICON What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printed houses? Construction time for 3D printed houses...

Concept and design

How to protect your home from wildfires - a burning need to know.

...house, fencing and sheds attached to the house, trees close to the house and so on. Recent studies found that wind-driven embers hit the house and drop to the ground at the wall, which is where they set fire to anything combustible. Wright pointed out that the houses that survived the Paradise Fire - one of the deadlie...

Insulation and soundproofing

Is spray foam insulation a good choice for your home? Or a toxic recipe for disaster?

...houses now with spray foam will do the same atmospheric harm as was done by 1 house in the past. You don't need to be a mathemagenius to know that's a pretty impressive improvement. So we do extend a big thanks at least to Demilec, for being 4 years ahead of the curve. All the good stuff aside, there are still ecologi...

Lifestyle, location and commuting

Moving to the countryside? Here's how that can work...

...houses. Yes, this probably comes as a surprise to many as you ask yourself, are kit houses considered a green home? That depends on how well they are made and the materials used. You can build junk houses in a manufacturing plant just as easily as all the junk houses being built in urban subdivisions, and you can buil...

Concrete and masonry

Gabion walls - what is a gabion cage & how to build with them?

...House The ZEB Pilot house in Norway is a good example incorporating gabion stone cages in home design where they are used to build both interior and exterior walls. This single-family, demonstration house is the result of a collaboration between the architectural and design firm Snohetta and Scandinavia's largest rese...

Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

Le Refuge - An architect-designed modern green prefab 2 bed kit home

...house on wheels that has to meet highway regulations for vehicle size. It’s a bit more like a bijou 2 bedroom condo than a tiny house, and with a few benefits that make it more liveable than your average tiny house, like being able to stand up in your bedroom while pulling your pants in in the morning. Or having friend...

Tiny house

Le Refuge - An architect-designed modern green prefab tiny house kit home

...house, and with a few benefits that make it more liveable than your average tiny house, like being able to stand up in your bedroom while pulling your trousers on in the morning! The LEED for Homes ready modern style tiny house prefab home kit - Le Refuge LEED, Passive House & Net Zero Energy ready prefab home...