Planning & Designing Sustainable Green Homes

The Fun Box is a masterpiece of energy and space saving solutions that translates into it's own brand of decadence. Check out the photos, and don't miss the YouTube video. There seems to be a design trend of trying to out-cool the previously coolest tiny house, and as long as that keeps happening we will keep having…

As part of their Greenest City 2020 initiative, the City of Vancouver is getting people out of their cars and onto bikes and trains, as well as setting new standards for energy efficient construction. Is Vancouver a green city with easy public transportation? The city of Vancouver continues to go to great lengths to…

Taking advantage of lanes in the middle of city blocks to increase housing density is only one step Vancouver has taken towards ensuring sustainable urban living. Ths is the first of two stories about the city of Vancouver's green housing initiatives. Laneway homes in Vancouver For years, Vancouver has been a leader…

The Fincube tiny house is off-grid, portable and enjoys a 360 degree view of the world. 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…

Three homes designed to approach or achieve Net Zero Energy consumption are now complete in the Belgravia neighbourhood in Edmonton. This project, affectionately referred to as Belgravia Green, is a collaboration between home owners, local experts and Effect Home Builders . Together they are pushing the envelope to…

The Ontario Feed-In-Tariff program has made micro-energy generation projects not only a noble gesture, but a profitable one as well. Are there incentives for installing solar power in Ontario? According to Natural Resources Canada, over 20% of the energy consumed in Ontario is used to run homes. Of that 20% chunk…

Earth Rangers is a conservation organization dedicated to educating millions of children across Canada about the importance of protecting biodiversity. The Earth Rangers Centre located in Woodbridge, Ontario has been awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the Canada Green Building Council, for Existing Buildings…

Completing a durability assessment and management plan is a prerequisite for LEED certification. Creating a durability risk evaluation and management plan means determining the specific risks and challenges your home would face - starting with the climate zone where you are building and moving on to building lot…

One of the more common plastics used inside and outside of our homes is so toxic it is banned in many countries in Europe. Is vinyl flooring safe in homes or toxic? The production of vinyl (also known as PVC- polyvinyl chloride) accounts for approximately 40% of the chlorine gas produced in North America. Vinyl is…

The checklist is your dashboard for tracking and reaching target points for the level of certification you wish to obtain. The checklist will help you understand the requirements for each LEED category, and help you decide on your targeted level of certification. It will not only be used for the evaluation of your…

On September 10, 2012, Naikoon Contracting Ltd. officially broke ground on the "Midori Uchi", launching the construction of what they hope will be the greenest home in the country. Naikoon Contracting Ltd . is embarking on a new residential project that's expected to achieve some of the highest green residential…