bathroom / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Why fix leaky faucets? One of the jobs that sat on my honey-do-list for quite a while longer than I care to admit has been to fix the leaky and dripping older-style faucet in the bathroom at the cabin - made worse by us being off grid and only having a finite amount of rainwater available in our outside catchment tank....

...bathrooms can lead to rot and mold, affecting air quality and forcing costly repairs. Venting kitchen fumes to the exterior will also reduce the amount of time spent cleaning, which few will complain about. In older homes it is worth a check to make sure bathroom and kitchen fans aren't vented into the attic.  Range ...

...bathroom counter, floors and shower stalls with a dark slate tile from Glendyne. Slate is a natural stone, so its surfaces have more character and inconsistencies in texture - and at times in thickness - than manufactured tiles. This can mean a bit more effort on the part of installers, but a more natural look with the...

...bathroom at the cabin - made worse by us being off grid and only having a relatively small amount of water available in our outside rainwater catchment tank. Over this long dry summer, our water supply kept on running out, so we became very aware of how precious every single drop of water can be. But I confess, that th...

...bathroom tissue!  The first hurdle to jump is to realize that this no longer means a second toilet-shaped throne in your bathroom to where you move your bottom after you’ve completed the first step of your mission – to successfully jettison all unwanted materials. You can purchase bidet add-ons that fit to existing toi...

Are low flow shower heads worth it? So, let's start with this somewhat shocking reality -  North Americans will on average use over 1.4 million litres of water per year, or about 4 to 5 times that of most European citizens. This is according to the SDWF (Safe Drinking Water Foundation). That makes Canada and the US the...

...bathroom chores will understand that it is not only about the look, but also for ease of cleaning. There is a lot to consider in high performance building, and details like performance toilets are not minor, they are a big part of delivering homes that will keep everyone satisfied - and it's also important to know how ...

After recently posting a story sharing the brilliance that is the Swedish Orbsys water and heat recycling shower, it was brought to our attention that there is a homegrown Canadian variety as well. The EcoVéa shower by Reveeco is made in Quebec, Canada, and works based on the same principles as the Orbys we recently wr...

The Eco Bath concept is simple: use the waste water from the sink to flush the adjoining toilet. The execution is nothing less than stylish. Though compact, the Eco Bath’s water tank is comprised of two compartments, one that holds drainage water from the adjoining sink and one that contains fresh water in case the nee...

Home water consumption in Canada: On average, Canadians use over 300 litres of water per person, per day. Compare this to consumption in the UK of 200 litres per day, and 150 litres per person per day in France. Hopefully, as we see the beginnings of water shortages hit closer to home, this serious issue will garnish m...

1. Make a realistic 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 costs and duration of a project. Get advice from multiple professio...