buildling-reused-wood / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Stairs made from reclaimed barn beams
Wood and organic materials

All about wood

Finding sustainable wood: We live in a country with over 400 million hectares of forest, so the supply is there; it's simply a case of properly managing it. That also means that when we cut one down, we should plant another. Wood is a renewable material, requires little processing and can almost always be purchased loc...

Recycled building materials
Recycled and Reclaimed Materials

Where to buy and sell used building materials

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. There is a growing amount of used building materials that can be found at online classified websites such as Craigslist and K...

Recycled barn beams and a refinished clawfoot bathtub
Recycled and Reclaimed Materials

Recycled & reclaimed materials

The cost of every item we purchase is determined in part by the price of oil. This includes products that are in no way petroleum based, since material extraction, manufacturing and transportation will in one way or another, rely at least in part on oil. As the price of oil continues to rise, the money saved by employi...

"The Boneyard" in Arizona, the world’s biggest aircraft graveyard
Recycled and Reclaimed Materials

Old airplane fuselage is finding a new life as recycled building material.

They might be parked a little more precisely than an auto wrecking yard, but that doesn’t mean they will ever fly again. Decommissioned aircraft have been declared so, because they have reached the end of their safe flying days. While most of us might be fine riding in rusty old cars, few of us would climb into a rusty...

UBC's Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
LEED Homes

UBC Lab Exceeds LEED Platinum becoming one of North America's greenest buildings

The University of British Columbia has opened the most sustainable building in North America, a $37 million 'living laboratory' that will help to regenerate the environment and advance research and innovation on global sustainability challenges. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) is one of onl...

Wood is certainly the future of construction for mid-rise buildings in Canada
Wood and organic materials

The construction of mid-rise residential buildings in Canada - wood or concrete?

The vision: a brighter future for Canada and North America through an evolving mid-rise construction industry Canada is the country of wood and we are all invested in the successful future of this sustainable industry. The construction of mid-rise buildings (between 6 and 10 floors) is the most important sector of the ...

Plastic in landfill
Recycled and Reclaimed Materials

Turning Waste Plastic Into useable Fuel

Though we all diligently cart our plastic to the curb for recycling, the sad reality is that only about 7% of it is commercially viable for recycling, the rest ends up as landfill. Plastic is a petroleum product that until now has been very inconsistent and unstable when returned to an oil form. Recently a North Americ...

Timber frame construction
Wood and organic materials

Wood frame construction

  The environmental advantages of wood frame construction: As just about the only renewable building material, wood has many advantages over other materials. It requires less energy to produce in terms of resource extraction, manufacturing and transportation. While still prevalent in residential construction, wood has ...

Which wood is best for framing timber frame construction in homes?
Wall assemblies - new construction

Lumber choices for wood frame construction - choosing timber for framing & building homes

Framing lumber choices for building homes Framing lumber, also known as structural wood, is the grade of wood used for house framing (studs, Larsen Trusses for Double-Stud walls, headers, roof trusses and floor joists, etc. as well as in timber frame construction). Its technical characteristics make it perfectly suitab...

Jenine Alexander's homemade mobile tiny house
Tiny house

DIY Tiny House for less than $3,500

Using materials found on Craigslist and salvaged from the landfill, Jenine Alexander built herself this super affordable Tiny House. Since first building this sweet little home on wheels, she has actually completed two more. If you're interested in DIY Tiny House projects, be sure to check out her blog where she writes...

Tips for Urban Gardening and Gardening in Small Spaces
Food production

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

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 food at home but have limited space, don't despair. Your dream of home-grown food is still within reach. You may be wondering how to grow ...