Planning and budget tips for home building and renovating. Make a realistic building budget and schedule This is, without a doubt, the starting point to a successful build - don’t underestimate the time and money it will take to complete a build or renovation . Even professional contractors tend to underestimate the…

Intelligent home devices allow you to control your home remotely, and send you notices of problems. So what is a smart home? Smart homes take advantage of smart phone technologies to provide you with automated control of your homes systems such as heating and lighting. Using our phones to control our homes can make…

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…

Natural paint is non-toxic, cheap and easy to make & provides a beautiful texture to walls. Ditch the VOC's & improve interior air quality for your family with these tips on making Eco-friendly natural paint at home. Making eco-friendly paint at home is easy when you know how If you want to decorate your home with…

Advice from a green building project manager: how to develop a construction budget and stick to it. The following is an interview with Patrick Ranger, General Manager at Belvedair , a construction company specializing in the design and construction of green homes. Patrick is trained in business administration and…

The Ice Box Challenge compares Passive House construction to standard code-built construction by measuring the volume of melted ice after weeks in the sun. A Passive House uses very little energy to stay warm and comfortable, regardless of the season and regardless of weather conditions. The requirements for Passive…

Kitchen counter alternatives to pressed wood: composite paper, aluminum, recycled porcelain, glass and quartz. Here is a look at their durability and cost. The most common kitchen counters you will find in homes are traditional laminate countertops. And they certainly live up to the adage ‘you get what you pay for’…

This hurricane-proof home can withstand a 200 mph impact. We found this story by Nicole Jewell for Inhabitat to be very pertinent given the devastating impacts of  the 2017 hurricane season. Weather events are more extreme in all regions of the globe, so building for a changing climate is very important not just to…

Solutions for preventing and eliminating some common pests and insects safely & humanely (if possible). Insects & rodents - how to keep them out of your home Below is a list of some of the more common rodents and insects that invade homes, and some ideas on how to rid yourself of the offending guests . We would…

How to choose and properly size a solar home battery system. Home battery systems have recently improved in two substantial ways, and the first big improvement is in the batteries themselves. Lithium-ion batteries on the market today are much more robust and functional than the lead-acid batteries we have relied on…

Get money for your old building material and Find used building materials on classified lists and through online brokers. When buildings are decommissioned there can be a lot of valuable materials that could be used again, but when buyers can’t find sellers, otherwise usable materials are being sent to a land fill…

Whether a house is worth rebuilding or is better torn down depends on a lot of factors, many of them personal, but also financial considerations like grants, sustainability & current condition of the building structure. Should I renovate, remodel or rebuild? This very question comes up a lot for me during site…

Removing radon gas from existing basements and crawlspaces can be very effective, here are different options for different situations. Radon gas in crawlspaces and basements - why is it a problem? Radon gas was not high on the radar of builders and home owners over the last few decades , but as it is the second…

Crawlspaces are becoming rare for new home construction in USA & Canada. If you've got a crawls space with damp, mold, odor & cold issues, here's how to insulate it properly to fix it permanently & have a more comfortable home. Crawlspace insulation - be careful to get it right A crawlspace comes with all the…

What to consider when choosing between a fixed-angle solar mount or one that tracks the sun all day. What to consider before buying a home solar power system Update your appliances and get your demand down as low as possible. Convert any appliances that you are intending to convert (such as installing heat pumps to…

Cleaning your heat recovery ventilation HRV unit will extend the lifespan and keep it running efficiently. Why cleaning HRV units is so important When any machine has its normal operation hampered, it will reduce its efficiency and ability to function properly. Many of us are probably guilty of forgetting about…

Are you wondering how to build a tiny house for living in cold climates? How much insulation does a tiny house need? See plans for the best tiny house on wheels that we've ever seen. How to heat and live in a tiny house in a cold climate? Are tiny houses a good investment? That depends on how you want to live and…

Handing the keys to the new owners of a home built by students completes a long journey for a carpentry school in a small Quebec town. Educators at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre (CECVC) in Ormstown, QC wanted to offer their students something beyond the standard skills they would get from most…

A life cycle analysis of the three major materials used as structural support for buildings - wood v concrete v steel - embodied carbon. Wood, steel and concrete each have specific structural advantages , each with their own characteristics. The following is a life-cycle comparison conducted by the Athena…