burning-hardwood / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Choosing the right firewood for maximum heat
Wood stove and biomass heat

Burning the right firewood for maximum heat output and minimum environmental impact

First Rule for Choosing the Hottest Firewood? Before we get into which wood is best for burning, or which wood burns the hottest as a home heat source in a wood-burning stove or fireplace, remember this:  First rule for wood burning? Make sure it's dry or seasoned wood, or most of the heat will be lost on evaporating ...

Refinishing hardwood floors, top tips for sanding wooden floors DIY
Flooring and stairs

Refinishing hardwood floors or wood planks, top sanding tips

Sanding and Refinishing a hardwood floor, when is the best time to do it? It may seem weird to say, but the best time to refinish a hardwood floor is before it shows severe signs of wear and tear. Hardwood floors and hardwood laminated or engineered floors are durable and can withstand a lot of traffic, but over time, ...

Do you need a backup heat source with central heat pumps in a power outage?
Heating and cooling

Do heat pumps need a backup heat source?

Having a backup heat source that can operate without electricity should be an important consideration for many homeowners in colder climate zones, especially those who rely on a heat pump or electricity as their primary source of heat. In this guide, we will explore the various factors that can influence the need for a...

High efficiency wood burning fireplaces and how to choose the best
Wood stove and biomass heat

Choosing the best wood-burning fireplace inserts or stoves for heat output & the environment

Wood Burning Inserts & Stoves - which are best & which burn cleanest? Reading the specifications to find the best wood burning fireplace inserts or wood stove can be rather complicated, so how do you choose? Let's shake loose the important points from all the technical jargon and make the process a bit more enj...

Choosing a home and neighbourhood
Real estate

Shopping for a home? Some tips for finding the right house and neighbourhood

For most of us, purchasing or building a home will be the biggest investment of our lives. This section is about knowing what to look for in new homes to get the best value for your dollar, or what to look for in a building lot for the same reasons. What to look for in a home location: Being close to where you work an...

Wood Combustion - How it works and the different stages
Wood stove and biomass heat

Wood Combustion – How Firewood Burns & How to get the best heat while being eco-friendly

Understanding how firewood burns, the technical details Stage 1: The Evaporation of Moisture – otherwise known as “getting the d@mn thing going” If you’ve ever tried to burn wet or unseasoned wood in your fireplace you’ll know how very frustrating this stage can be. Gathering crumpled paper, kindling, an armful of smal...

Real estate

Real estate

For most of us, purchasing or building a home will be the biggest investment of our lives. This section is about knowing what to look for in new homes to get the best value for your dollar, or what to look for in a building lot for the same reasons. What to look for in a location: Being close to where you work and pla...

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...

Real estate

Downsizing your home: buying tips for seniors

Buying a house in retirement Are you planning to downsize, move closer to family, or relocate to your dream retirement destination? While changing homes is typically associated with younger adults, many seniors are making the decision to buy a home in retirement. However, buying at 65 isn’t quite the same as buying at ...

Real estate

Evaluating a home before purchase: how to recognize value and potential problems

The following are some things to think about while evaluating a home before making an offer. If you're a driver: Check the route from the house to your place of work on Google traffic maps to estimate how much time you will spend in a car every day. If you're a cyclist: Check maps for bike lanes, bike paths and general...

How to Build Homes & Protect Homes to Stop Wildfires
Concept and design

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

Let’s start by pointing out that this post is mostly about fire coming from outside of your home, like from a forest fire or grass fire or a house next door. It’s not about a fire starting when you forgot about the grilled cheese on the stove. But before we go outside your home, I want to make sure you have strategical...