pre-drawn-plans / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

1. Hiring an architect: We discussed previously the idea of choosing an architect that specializes in high-performance Eco-friendly home design and can co-ordinate the work. They should be able to help you find general contractors and subcontractors that can help you carry out your work according to plan. This route is...

  Pre-fab homes are a very credible option for high performance home construction. When it comes to high efficiency sustainable housing, until recently prefab homes didn't even show up on the radar. A few companies in recent years have taken huge steps to change that, notably with the recent completion of the Beachaus ...

Invasive plants are defined as plants from other continents, countries or even other regions of Canada. Humans have been introducing foreign plants to new lands since the 17th century, for horticultural, agricultural or medicinal purposes. Due to a lack of natural competitors they can often propagate swiftly and comple...

The Fincube is a pre-fab multi-purpose dwelling, it's built to operate off-grid, it's portable, and it's beautiful. It's also made in Italy so would hardly be a "green" choice for a North American dweller, but one can't help but be inspired by it just the same.  The most obvious and unusual design feature about the Fin...

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...

The most common practices currently employed for finishing basement interiors as living space rarely account for the impacts that come with the added moisture load below grade, or the amount of heat that will be lost to the ground. Existing basements are typically under-insulated or not insulated at all, and if they ar...

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...

Learn how the Ontario Climate Change Action Plan can benefit you directly.  In June 2016, the Ontario government adopted a new Climate Change Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation, industry and building sectors. This will be backed by an investment of $ 1.9 billion annually over the nex...

Design basics for flexible housing: Depending on the stage you are at in your life, you might have kids, they might be gone or you might want to have some in the future. Design floor plans that work for you right now but can be easily adapted to accommodate different family dynamics in the future. Flexible housing star...

Vancouver has been fighting the good fight in a battle against urban sprawl that arguably started in the 1960's when citizens stopped a major highway from being built through the city, which would have been similar in scale to the Gardner Expressway in Toronto. Instead of a major artery allowing cars a quick exit from ...

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, ...