exterior-doors / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Material choices for window frames: Window frames can be made from a variety of materials offering different levels of performance and insulation values. Air in the cavities between panes expands as it heats up and contracts as it cools, which puts pressure on the seals and frames. When we speak of durable and sturdy w...

Which is the best caulk or sealant? Finding the right caulking, and better still finding non-toxic caulk for sealing windows or doors, first requires identifying the exact type you need, which means choosing the right caulking for different surfaces and substrates. Hang on tight because discussing the various chemical ...

What is a smart lock for a home? Smart door locks are deadbolt front door locks that can be operated in a number of ways - either with a smartphone, a fingerprint reader, passcodes and combinations, or with voice command to Alexa or google phone to activate smart door locks. Everyone has probably at some point locked t...

The importance of installing doors and windows correctly: Window and door openings are breaches in a building envelope that need to be carefully managed in order to prevent moisture damage and air leakage in homes as well as to save energy. Water leaks from around windows and doors are the visible result of a poor inst...

As we mentioned in our previous post, coffee has many magical properties but its magic should never be used on your precious gardens.  We’ve already covered why coffee grounds are bad for your garden, from suppressing the growth of other plants, to making the soil too acidic. And even though most articles you will find...

What is a blower door test? Blower door tests are becoming part of many State and Provincial mandatory building codes - the new BC Energy Step Code in British Columbia, Canada is one example.  A blower door test is often an essential part of a home audit, we don’t know for sure just yet if it will be part of the free h...

We all know that coffee has many a wonderful benefit, from that ever-so-necessary espresso first thing in the morning, to rubbing it on your skin for a bit of exfoliation (you can thank us later). However, for all its goodness, are coffee grounds really that beneficial to use in the garden? Our initial searches suggest...

Why suspended-film insulating glass windows may be a game-changer Suspended-film insulating glass windows are an intelligent way to make windows super high-performance with insulating properties up to R-17, without adding too much weight for window frames to cope with. Since air is an insulator, trapping it (or gas) be...

After a difficult first half to 2020, heat waves then took hold across North America, from Canada down into the Southern and Central USA. These extreme summer temperatures pose a very real health risk to the most vulnerable members of society.   There are some tips to help keep a home cool during a heat wave, but faced...

Windows, Replace or Repair? We often get asked if it is a good idea to replace old windows with new and better performing windows to save money. Usually to the surprise and relief of homeowners we most often tell them to stick with the ones they've got. Not to say that the idea of replacing windows is always 'green was...

So are skylights a good or bad idea? It has been said that there are two kinds of skylights; those that leak, and those that are going to leak. This is not a true statement, but it is one that is derived from a truth of sorts. No, not every skylight will leak, but a lot of them will and a lot are going to look like the...