Renovation / Discussions

Our house is a little over 100 years old, with a cinderblock foundation walls in the basement.  We’ve got a minor crack in the grout, and we were advised to fill the block with concrete for strength, in addition to repairing the grout.   Thanks in advance  Hi Nina,  That's a structural question that we would be unable ...

...renovations. How would you approach the heating/cooling of this house? I should have two heating sources, I've heard.  Some options: -Mr. Slim ductless system with a zone for each floor? -hydronic underfloor heating for the main floor (seems feasible to install from basement ceiling) -new electric baseboards -geotherma...

...renovations and energy efficient upgrades. The honest question, is there simply is no single 'best way' to do it, so if someone tells you that,  they're wrong. It depends on your climate zone, the water table on your property, and your own personal preferences for material selection, and the list goes on... So the best...

I'm getting water dripping down the inside walls of two opposite exterior walls.  I checked the attic and found 1) frost of the underside of the roofing plywood  2) insulation stuffed to the soffit and touching the roofing plywood 3) 6-ish inches of paper covered fiberglass bats 4) no vapour barrier but the topside of ...

...renovation anyway then I would say you are best to insulate from the inside, and there are few methods. First, have the wiring checked by a licensed electrician to be sure its safe and up to code. As for insulating, there are a few methods you could choose from: If you have a 2x6 wall and don’t want to lose any interio...

I'm renovating a 1901 house, detached wood frame with stone foundation. We are creating a ~1500SF owner's duplex on the 2nd floor and former attic. The basement and the 1st floor are a second apartment with a completely separate entrace, which is not being renovated at this time. The two units have separate mechanical ...

We have an extremely old house and we are loosing lots of heat, looking to do  upgrades and want to know if there are tax credits available. Tax credits and financial incentives for home energy efficiency upgrades and renos are different by region, and they are prone to come and go pretty quickly. You can see what gran...

An insulation contractor toured my 100-year old house near Toronto and told me that they wouldn't recommend installing any insulation in the basement because it could cause freeze-thaw damage to the foundation. Their stance was that these old houses like to "breathe" so it's better to avoid any changes because it's las...

We are contemplating an energy retrofit to several 1960's chalet style cabins in Northern VT.  Budget matters and the windows of the cabins are in reasonably decent shape.  We have a strategy to insulate the attic space and crawl space but were wondering the most cost effective method to insulate the walls and if we ca...

I'm planning to install and seal 2 inch eps foamboard to my basement foundation walls. From all of my reading it says that your basement foundation walls can only dry to the inside. If I put foamboard on the concrete and seal it everywhere, when moisture comes through the concrete it will have nowhere to go. Perhaps I ...

...Renovations Windows aren’t always best to replace unless they are really bad, read more here – When to replace windows and when to repair them Here is our page on choosing the best roofing materials and a cost comparison of metal roofs and asphalt shingles. Also in general I would point you towards these pages about re...

Hello, My husband and I are considering our options for our home and lot in Peterborough, ON Canada.  We have been thinking of completely renovating our current home but then came across the option of the Pre Fab Kit.  Could we speak with someone directly to find out more information and if this would be feasible for u...

...renovations, though I can’t guarantee how much it will cost. First though, you need to realize that rely on opening a window for fresh air will in the long run be an expensive solution to bring fresh air into a home, and when you aim to sell it you would likely benefit by having a ventilation solution beyond just 'open...

...renovation design, this page here  How to Insulate Exterior Walls from the Outside If you have a total of 3 inches before you risk encroaching on a neighbouring property, you can still make that work, and it seems you have a pretty good plan already. Myself I would probably go with a peel and stick exterior air barrier...

...renovation project and then having the floor rot out. One way or another you would need to do something about the 6” high section.  

Hi, I have recently purchased a home in Toronto. We had some water issues and I've opened up the walls where I found some mould to see that the previous owners installed batt insulation directly onto the concrete wall and didnt have a vapour barrier. I've also noticed my joists are embeded into the wall. How would I pr...

We bought an older home with an existing basement. We would like to take down the top of the house and rebuild on the basement. What do I need to do to make sure it's stable? The house has been there at least 30 years and has zero water issues.  To demolish a house and rebuild on an existing basement foundation can be ...

...renovation project since it doesn’t trap moisture in any wall system. You could apply Rockwool (rigid Comfortboard, not batts) then a weather barrier / air barrier, then strapping and your final siding. The only thing that might prevent you from doing this are municipal bylaws, which sometimes in older neighborhoods th...