build-natural-swimming-pool / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Swimming Pool Heating - Save energy & money & be Eco-friendly as possible Tips
Natural swimming pools and ponds

Heating a Swimming Pool - Top 10 Cost-Efficient & Eco-friendly ways to heat a pool

Happiness is a warm pool - but how to heat it? Swimming in a warm pool is a wonderful feeling, and while we hear from many pool owners in the cooler states & provinces that they really enjoy the experience of a warm swim from late spring or early summer through to autumn, the cost of heating their pool can be a maj...

Natural swimming pool design DIY (NSP) for eco homes
Natural swimming pools and ponds

Natural pools and natural swimming pools

Natural swimming pools - what are the origins? Natural pools were inspired by the beauty and joy of swimming in mountain lakes, a team of Austrian researchers are credited with launching a movement back in the 1980's that saw chlorinated swimming pools being replaced by natural swimming pools and swimming ponds. The id...

Saving Energy in Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs - Our Top Tips to Save Money
Natural swimming pools and ponds

Top tips for energy efficient swimming pools - reduce pool cleaning & running costs

Energy efficient & Eco friendly swimming pools - are they even a thing?!  The current global  situation puts renewed value on staying fit and healthy, and enjoying time with our families, mostly at home. In light of that, we’re going to assume that many people will want to relax in their own pool or spa, despite th...

Reducing the need for air conditioning
Heating and cooling

How to keep homes cool without air conditioning

  How to cool a home without AC While it's true that no matter where you live, be it urban, suburban or rural, the hottest days and nights of summer may have you dreaming of coolers climates. However, those living in dense urban areas will feel it the most, where ambient temperatures can be 5 to 9 degrees Celcius highe...

Pre-fabricated straw bale SIPS panels, an environmental choice
Wall assemblies - new construction

Modern straw bale SIPS construction: high performance, durable, affordable & interesting

Straw Bale Homes, are they any good? Traditional straw bale home construction can be a low-tech and affordable route to a very ecologically responsible home. There are, however, some legitimate drawbacks and challenges that can cause many people to dismiss it completely as a building technique. It seems all of these is...

Mineral wool insulation in roof by Rockwool - LEED Platinum V4
Roof assemblies - new construction

Using mineral wool insulation batts in roofs

Mineral wool roof insulation used to best effect: Watch more green building video on the Ecohome YouTube channel here The Ecohome's Edelweiss House LEED Platinum certified V4 roof is a 2/12 pitch insulated to R95 with Rockwool (formerly Roxul) mineral wool batts. R95 far exceeds the most rigorous Canadian building cod...

Milwaukee expander tool for Uponor pex tubing
Plumbing and water heaters

Plumbing just got faster and easier with the Milwaukee ProPEX expander tool - video

Traditional pex piping is installed by slipping a metal ring over the exterior of the pipe, then slipping a union or any other joint inside and crimping the ring to hold it in place. It works, but given that its success lies in the installer doing a good job on crimping, there is room for error even if that is a small ...

Why build LEED?
LEED Homes

Why build LEED?

There are no LEED certified builders, only LEED certified buildings. To build a home to LEED certification is something that is accessible to anyone, no accreditation is required to undertake the process. It is simply a matter of registering your project and successfully completing the requirements of the program. Why ...

How to Build a Beautiful Cedar Deck that Last - Our Top Tips & Photos
Decks, porches and gazebos

Building a deck ? Our Top Tips to make your deck last longer

Deck building tips for a durable deck construction: Meeting setbacks and getting building permits in Canada & US Raised Deck frame specification - make sure the structure is strong enough Which raised deck foundations are best: cement pillars (Sonotubes), screw piles, floating deck blocks What's the best type of d...

Installing foam panel insulation, which is best?
Insulation and soundproofing

Rigid insulation panels: which ones to use for different applications

Polyisocyanurate (PIR), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) or Styrofoam? When building or renovating a high-performance building envelope there are really three main kinds of rigid foam panels you are going to have to choose from - Polyisocyanurate known as Polyiso (PIR), Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) ...

Natural gas fireplaces, furnaces, boilers and gas water heaters - Green or Not?
Heating with gas and oil

Heating with natural gas furnaces, boilers and fireplaces

The cleaner burning process (than diesel fuel) and price has made heating and cooking with natural gas quite popular in the last couple of decades. However, popularity put a pretty heavy dent in supply, so much so that alternative sources are being explored to meet demand. There are some potentially greener sources of ...