Planning & Designing Sustainable Green Homes

Deep home retrofits through grants and interest-free loans to make your home more energy-efficient were a promise by Trudeau and the Liberals and now in 2021, it looks like they're becoming a reality. The Canada Greener Homes Grant scheme is investing $2.6 billion over 7 years to help up to 700,000 Canadian…

Canadian homeowners, with 2022's grants it's time to improve home insulation, to upgrade heating systems to more efficient ones like heat pumps, to install solar panels and replace old and leaky windows and doors. How and why to claim the Canada greener homes grant Buildings, including homes, account for 18% of…

With the high cost of lumber, we decided to look at how we can still build high performance yet affordable homes. The cost of lumber is at an all time high, and because of that fact, other wall assemblies are showing themselves to be more affordable in comparison. So it’s a great time to highlight a few…

Following on from our recent article on how putting old coffee grounds on gardens will not help them grow. We thought it would be useful to take a look at what coffee grounds are good for - like skin care. As we mentioned in our previous post, coffee has many magical properties but its magic should never be used on…

How to live a zero-waste lifestyle - reduce your climate impact and carbon footprint with simple lifestyle choices , learn more here. Garbage is a major contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions heating up the atmosphere and causing climate chaos. People generate over 3.5 million tons of solid waste every day…

In relation to tiny homes, the question we are asked most often is "Can I park a tiny house on my property legally?" - Often fueled by needing an additional living unit for family members, or even for visitors during these strange times. Getting tiny houses approved as habitatable dwelling units on your property…

What does 'FSC Certified' mean on wood and lumber products? Choosing FSC Certified lumber and paper products means it comes from sustainably managed forests and helps to protect old growth forests - which is good. What is FSC certified lumber? The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, not-for-profit…

Everywhere we look online we see cool & beautiful furniture like beds & headboards made from recycled wood from shipping pallets - but could they be slowly poisoning us? Here's how to keep pallet furniture safe. Pallet beds - cool but potentially dangerous! We've all seen these rustic shabby-chic pallet wood beds &…

If the recycling bin is overflowing with large plastic jugs & packaging from everyday grocery purchases maybe it's time to be a little more eco-friendliy with Tru Earth Laundry Eco-Strips laundry detergent? We put them to the test. Do Tru-Earth Eco-Strips laundry detergent actually get clothes clean? Any new product…

Those setting out to build an efficient, sustainable or even net zero home in the USA or Canada, or to renovate an existing home for lower energy costs and better comfort, need to ask first; "what climate zone am I in?". The first step to building a durable and energy-efficient home in North America, including…

Gabion cage walls can add thermal mass to homes without adding significantly to the carbon footprint of a home like concrete can. Gabion walls are retaining walls built by stacking stone in a gabion cage or gabion basket that can serve many purposes but are most often used to create tiered or leveled ground in…