recycled-products / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

All materials will have a history, the pros and cons of which will need to be weighed. Unfortunately there isn’t always an obvious right or wrong answer as to whether or not something is a sustainable material. The design of your home, where you live and your lifestyle are all factors that determine what the most ecolo...

What is FSC certified lumber? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, not-for-profit organization created in 1994 whose mission is promoting responsible forest management and the production of sustainable lumber and wood products via their FSC wood certification labels.  Their goal is to protect natur...

Finding essentials while at home with the kids - ordering online What a year this week has been! As we're quarantined for 14 days, we've been brainstorming about relevant and helpful subjects to write about for during these testing times with the coronavirus or COVID-19 (which word is even the right one to use there?)....

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...

b sq. Design Studio Inc. is a Toronto-based landscape design and build firm that endeavours to create elegant and modern landscapes with a focus on sustainability and longevity for their work. “Plug and Play – the Pallet Garden” is their 5th feature garden installation for the annual Canada Blooms Garden Festival. Bui...

They might be parked a little more precisely than an auto wrecking yard, but that doesn’t mean theses planes 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 int...

Whether you are building a new home, renovating an existing property, or completely deconstructing a building, you will end up with substantial amounts of waste, and some of these building materials can be reclaimed or recycled. With these tips, you can reduce to a minimum the materials you send to the landfill and lea...

Healthier kitchen components - countertops If you're into healthy green homes like we are here at Ecohome, there's a lot to think about when choosing a healthier kitchen. Firstly, some beautiful kitchen cabinets, preferably built from FSC certified woods and formaldehyde-free plywood boxes, and that's even before choos...

Pallet beds - cool but potentially dangerous! We've all seen these rustic shabby-chic pallet wood beds & headboards on social media - these days it seems we can't get enough of being creatively frugal and independent - but while certain pallets are a great source of rustic wood with character for repurposing, other...

The definitive guide to cleaning and treating tile and slate roofs As one of the world's most durable and long-lasting roofing systems, this definitive guide to cleaning and treating slate or tile roofs will help you protect your investment for a lifetime. Whether made of concrete, clay, or natural slate, tile roofs ar...

Officially billed as displaying the best of 'carbon minimalism', Third Quadrant Design's Third Space Commons building combines the best of sustainable design with intelligent recycling of materials.  It includes a portland cement / concrete-free build and extensive use of innovative green building materials like hemp a...