Renovation / Discussions

...renovation tax credits and financial incentives and to learn what home renovations and upgrades qualify for grants, see the pages below – What is offered in the Canada Greener Homes Grant 2021 Canada Greener Homes Grant 2021 - the "how to apply" guide - step by step The oil to heat pump affordability (OHPA) grant  

...renovation, choosing the right sealant for home repairs ensures the job lasts for years.  

I'm doing some remodelling on a cottage in Ontario. Some walls are being stripped to the studs and getting insulated with Roxul R14, some walls are not. I plan on adding house wrap and insulation and siding on exterior soon. Do I need a vapour barrier on the interior warm side if I'm using house warp on outside? Will a...

...renovations I hope you  find something of value there, and if you find any for your region we don’t have listed please let us know in the comments section so we can update it.  As for energy efficiency upgrades, you are always best to find out where your investment will get the most bang for your buck, so regardless of...

Just finished demo on 100 year old house. With the removal of wall panels and the ancient insulation aka 100-years-of-mold, the house is pretty drafty. I want to test for radon to see if I should build in a radon mitigation system before encapsulating the crawlspace- but wondering if I'll get reliable results with so m...

I'm a tenant, not a homeowner, so I can't tear down drywall and reinsulate but winter is coming and drafts are already getting in. Is there anything I can do to prevent that without upsetting my landlord? The wall I'm concerned about is the only exterior wall in the apartment, it has one window and one door. And it's i...

...renovation project How to stay on budget with renovations How to insulate a crawlspace How to remove radon gas from basements and crawlspaces   How to insulate a CMU cinder block foundation The best way to insulate a basement to avoid mold How to insulate an attic and avoid ice daming How to install sid...

I need to pull the cellulose from the attic, I have a radiant barrier on the attic ceiling and floor. I am removing the cellulose, but what non toxic insulation can I use with the radient barrier?  Hemp or wool?  Where can I buy hemp?  Thanks! You can order Hemp insulation through Ecohome, and hemp is a natural and non...

Concrete block basement wall. Moisture issue in spring ( and I suspect fall). We get a lot of people asking about the best way to insulate a cinder block (CMU) foundation wall, I would say the first place to go is this discussion here which I think already answers all your questions -   How to insulate a cinder block f...

We recently moved into a 15 year old home and have a smell coming from the basement. We had a mold inspector test and look everywhere and found no issues. We took down our insulated wall panels and there is a clear plastic barrier then pink fiberglass insulation right on the foundation. The insulation and barrier/plast...

I’m insulating my basement with 2” of EPS against poured concrete foundation, then framing a 2x4 wall, then adding Rockwool. Unfortunately, due to some areas, like stairs and a laundry room which I’m not planning to demo, I’m unable to continuously insulate using EPS. Company’s directions are for product to be installe...

I'm trying to insulate Rim joists /cripple walls in basements have read about three methods using EPS & batt with slightly different orders. Plan to insulate concrete walls with 2" of EPS, with 2x4 framing (filled with rockwool batt), and then drywall. Which one of these approaches should I use?  1) Sandwich multip...

 I live in Calgary, Alberta. My house is a 1940s bungalow with a second storey added in 1988. We are replacing the vinyl siding with Hardie Board, and want to improve the insulation at the same time. Right now there is 1/2" rigid foam with foil directly under the siding. Someone recommended removing the sheathing and d...

...Renovations? If you are simply concerned because it is an older house without a vapour barrier then it would in fact be a good solution. But often with much older houses, there are several layers of oil paint from previous generations that act very much as a vapour barrier. But an additional layer wouldn’t do any harm.

I bought an old timer home on Gibsons, BC and the siding needs replacing. I want to use the opportunity to seal up and insulate the wall cavity once exposed. I expect to see insufficient or no insulation. After applying spray foam what is best to apply (tyvek vs. something other) before installing the new board and bat...

We want to insulate a 3 season cottage to keep it cooler in the summer and warmer in the spring and fall. We are putting a metal roof on and insulating on top of the old one. Is it better to insulate the rest of the cottage from inside or the outside? And what kind of insulation is better? The inside of the cottage rig...

I have an old home, circa 1920’s, I’m currently renovating in Saskatchewan, Canada. I want to add insulation on the exterior of the home. The house is currently covered with an old concrete type stucco that may be original? I was thinking a “bubble wrap” type product, strapping then siding. I’m second guessing myself n...

My bungalow is around Toronto, and is a little over 100 years old with block walls in the basement. we recently learned our basement wasnt insulated properly, and probably done to hide some flaws. In response we’ve decided to rip it all out and do any necessary repairs. This is going to take us some time, and we probab...