without / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...without a car One of the nice things about living in the city is public transportation and proximity to services, which makes it possible to live without a car. Or at the very least, it can reduce the amount of driving you have to do. When choosing a place to live, check the walking distances from buses or subway stops...

...without having to build an 8-foot concrete wall, nor do you have to build a wooden subfloor on top. Comfort and efficiency: In the absence of 5 feet of dirt, a slab-on-grade in cold climate zones requires additional measures to avoid frost heave, so it includes levels of insulation that otherwise seem to be omitted fro...

How to cool a home without AC While it's true that no matter where you live, be it urban, suburban or rural, the hottest days and nights of summer may have you dreaming of cooler climates. However, those living in dense urban areas will feel it the most, where ambient temperatures can be 5 to 9 degrees Celcius higher. ...

...without elbows and as lengthy as you can manage. Be sure to make your cuts at least 2 inches away from any elbow or union joint for doing reassembly. Cutting ABS drain pipe to remove and clean it can solve a plugged sink drain. - Image © Mike Reynolds With luck, at this point you would now be holding a length of drai...

...without fire retardants: This, unfortunately, is not an easy feat. The old adage of 'buy local' may help you here; look for products made with natural materials such as wool, cotton and jute. You could also check with manufacturers to determine the nature of the flame retardants in their products. Phosphorus compounds,...

...without over producing. Hydro electricity can be balanced somewhat without significant changes in water levels, but solar and wind (arguably the more eco-friendly renewable energy sources, but let’s not open that can of worms now) are not overly-predictable, since they rely on weather reports to anticipate supply. A t...

...without them deforming, overheating, or in worse-case scenarios, exploding or catching fire. In general, trickle or slow-charging a battery causes the least colateral damage and ensures that the battery lasts a long time while retaining a good and usable level of charge. All that said, there are some good tricks to lea...

...without pouring toxins into the ground.  Weeds poking up through permeable landscapes where they are intended to be is a nice natural-looking patio. Unwanted weeds in cracks between patio stones where they were not intended however, instantly ages your backyard landscape and looks unkempt. While chemical herbicides off...