Finding a good house / Guides

...and water management Interior air quality Interior durability - water resistant surfaces in wet areas Interior design and functionality of space Soundproofing from the exterior and in division walls Good quality windows Quality mechanical systems Just because a home you like doesn't score an A+ on all t...

...assive House and LEED are green building certification programs, but even if you don’t want to bother certifying a home, finding a builder that has built a Passive House, LEED or ZNE certified home is a good thing because they'll know and understand the importance of the finishing details essential to a high-performanc...

...a bit more extensive than a multi-head screwdriver and a hammer. Really what a tiny house needs most is to stay put and have an accompanying shed. It may take some negotiating with your regional municipality and even a minor variance, but you can certainly build smaller than the national average and maybe smaller tha...

...ady and able to offer up any information that makes you feel at ease with such an important financial investment. Do solar installers have a NABCEP certification? A certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners is not a prerequisite for declaring oneself a solar installer, and there ...

...an they are underneath; they can be cleaned but that's a cost you should factor into an offer price. Bathroom water damage: Does it have wood around wet areas? Are there signs of water damage anywhere? Are toilets and faucets modern low-flow models ? If appliances come with it, take out your phone again and take a ...

...America seems to return an average air leakage rate of about 3 air changes per hour. Some building rating systems set ACH targets that must be achieved. The Passive House air leakage rate has to be 0.6ACH or lower , which is several times more airtight than the average home and that is partly why a Passive House consum...

...ave a detailed material list: Draw up a precise list of the necessary materials, with prices and the name of the store where you will get them. Don’t leave material selection to the last minute as product availability can be a problem at times, and even more so with higher quality materials that aren’t usually availa...

...Ann Cavlovic is a writer living in the Ottawa area. Her fiction and essays have appeared in several Canadian journals and newspapers including The Fiddlehead , The Globe and Mail , and PRISM international. Find her at: www.anncavlovic.com . Article first written in Canadian Architect Magazine,

...as a house wrap weather barrier secured with 1x3 wooden strapping to allow for air circulation and water drainage, on which Hardie brand cement board is mounted. Altogether these walls are a nominal R-47. For the below grade walls, which are about 5-6' tall around two sides of the walkout basement, the final assembly...

...al, and given the amount of time humans spend indoors I welcome features that make you feel a bit more like you are outdoors; skylights are great for that. If they are operational and within reach, they can also act as an exhaust vent in summer for releasing stale warm air. The benefits of skylights are real, but tha...

...at list should be the names of potential professionals you may need on your team – architects, designers and general contractors. Once you have that preliminary team in place, get them all in one room – or at least electronically - to make sure they play well together and are all on the same page. This is such a valuab...