Concept and design

Faced with the rise in the cost of living that is hitting Canada and North America, reducing energy use and bills has become a necessity. To stay positive, the Ecohome team explores ways to save money while living better and greener. The current economic situation is pushing many Canadians and North Americans to…

Home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames control as the main thing to help prevent homes igniting in wildfires. Here are some tips for homeowners & builders to prepare homes to withstand wildfires. Let’s start by pointing out that this post is mostly about fire coming from…

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…

When having a home built, making better choices in design and materials is a wise choice. Even if unconvinced about climate change, green homes are proven to last longer, are healthier and more valuable. As the effects of climate change become more pronounced every year, it is becoming virtually impossible for the…

We have mixed views on homes built from shipping containers, but there's no denying that their architectural style can be appealing, here's one Tiny House example we found that seems to work well in a warm climate. We already have an article about whether shipping container homes are good or bad? But that was more…

Architect-Designed Modern & Minimalist homes always attract attention - especially ones that are super efficient, stunningly beautiful and that ooze quality - But Le Refuge is all that and more - It's Affordable too. The tiny house movement is on the far end of the scale of a very encouraging and growing trend…

Prefab homes make choosing an Architect designed LEED or Passive House high performance house design easy. All the important choices of non-toxic Sustainable materials have been made, add a building lot & in a few months you're home & dry (& warm!). Prefab Home kits are ideal for Passive House or LEED certified…

Tiny Houses – Washington State Paves the Way for Tiny Home Eco-Villages & minimum building codes for their construction. WA Paves the Way for Tiny Home Eco-Villages: Tiny houses, also colloquially referred to as tiny homes, are both an increasingly attractive and affordable housing option as well as a trending…

Design ideas and home-durability measures to help families and homes withstand a changing climate. Future-proofing homes: Our society has a collective trust in its commercial building industry to provide us with homes that we assume meet some realistic standard of resilience. They do to an extent, but a very minor…

Planning and budget tips for home building and renovating. 1. Make a realistic budget and schedule: This is, without a doubt, the starting point to a successful build - don’t underestimate the time and money it will take to complete a build or renovation. Even professional contractors tend to underestimate the costs…

Intelligent home devices allow you to control your home remotely, and send you notices of problems. So what is a smart home? When paired with intelligent and connected home devices, the phones that most of us carry in our pockets can make our homes safer, more comfortable and durable, and reduce our home energy…