design-green-home / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Green homes climate change
Lifestyle and environment

Green buildings are better situated to handle climate extremes

The U.S. Green Building Council and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning released a landmark report Feb. 29 that describes how green buildings advance resiliency in disasters. “Green Building and Climate Resilience: Understanding Impacts and Preparing for Changing Conditions” ...

Efficient green home design choices
Concept and design

Efficient home design, or how to design a home to use less energy

The  principles of green building: High performance, energy efficient homes may include features like geothermal heating, wind power and solar panels, but these are not the defining features of green living. They come in second, and some you can even do without. A green home starts with being well-designed, well-insula...

House built by Matthew Smith of Mapleridge Homes
LEED Homes

LEED comes to the gatineau hills

Developer Luc Bélisle will be partnering with Matthew Smith of Mapleridge Homes to build the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified housing project in the Gatineau Hills of Quebec. Phase 1 will have 12 lots available, but the developer has 470 acres total on which he hopes to build about 1...

Resilient Homes, why they're important in dealing with Climate Change
Lifestyle and environment

Resilient Homes; Why we need to build to withstand climate change events

Future-proofing homes for Climate Change:  Anticipating future climatic challenges and constructing resilient buildings to withstand them should be an important consideration when building any new home - but we're often told that "a Green Home costs more", and too many people then decide in the face of resistance from ...

Building Green Homes on a Budget is Possible - Our top tips
Planning and Design

Top tips for planning and building a green home on a budget

Proper planning is the key to successfully building a sustainable green home. An energy-efficient ‘eco home’ doesn’t necessarily need to cost a lot more than a code-built home because a lot of that depends on design, but choosing and finding green building materials can take a bit longer as they often need to be specia...

Concept and design

How to stay on budget when building a home

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 information management, and is an experienced green building project manager. JP – Patrick, please tell us...

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...

Artistic rendition of one of the pre-fab net zero energy homes, Alberta
Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

Net Zero Energy Community in Calgary, Alberta

Landmark Homes Inc. In Calgary Alberta, In partnership with Brookfield Residential Properties, has just started construction on a community of 27 prefabricated net zero energy homes, the first of its kind in Alberta. A ‘Net Zero Energy’ home on an annual basis generates as much or more power than it consumes, and each ...

Green Home Design - What makes a city livable
Choosing where to live

What makes a green home livable to you?

First published in SAB magazine. Kim Barnsley Is a senior architect at the Vancouver office of Perkins+Will. The way we live is changing. As both an architect and a resident of Vancouver, I am regularly confronted with how our cities are changing through urban densification and shifting demographics, to accessibility a...

How to plan and budget for home renovations and new builds
Concept and design

Important tips for a successful build or renovation

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...

Mixed interior room lighting
Lighting

Home lighting design

The first thought of home lighting design should be the orientation of windows for quality of life, but also passive solar heat gain. Not only does the sun offer free heat, but free light as well. Natural and certain types of artificial lighting can reduce the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). Studies s...