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Home Renovations    -   Construction Guide

• Buckminister Fuller & The Geodesic Dome
  Imagine a house that creates its own power and is heated and cooled by natural means. Its structure can withstand earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes and does not require exterior maintenance (i.e. painting or roofing). The unique interior of the house is designed to include rooms with nonstructural walls allowing for changeable floor plans, cathedral ceilings, self-vacuuming floors, and evenly distributed light, heat and sound...[ read more ]
  
  
• Bamboo
  Bamboo is as tough as steel, sturdier than concrete and can be harvested after only a year of growth. It is an ideal building material and now after much research, innovative new uses are being found to incorporate bamboo into North American housing. [ read more ]
  
  
• Wheat: Bake it or Build with it?
  Prairie farmers might just have a new market for their stockpile of wheat. American researches have found an inventive new use for a staple food that has been a part of our diet and culture for millennia. Wheat starch is being tested as an inexpensive and lightweight aggregate in concrete. Potential uses for this concrete include roofing tile, insulation, flooring, soundproofing and water-resistant backing for shower stalls. [read more ]
  
  
• Do-it-Yourself Walkway
  Are you tired of tracking mud from your backyard into your house? Would you like to create a more unified and sophisticated garden? One solution is to build a brick or cut stone path. Even if you have never so much as picked up a brick in your life, you can do this project. It only requires an initial investment in the bricks, a means of transporting them home, a shovel, rake, sand or crushed stone, landscape fabric and depending on your lawn you may also need a drainage pipe. [ read more ]
  
  
• Choosing the Right Finish for your Deck
  A deck can be like a room onto the great outdoors. It won't be long before you'll be enjoying a summer of barbecuing, sunbathing and gazing at the stars as the perfume from your garden floats in on a breeze...[ read more ]
  
  
• Innovative New Building Materials
  Building materials are undergoing huge transformations to keep pace with innovations in architecture and demands that products last longer, cost less and create a healthy home. You need only check out the Internet under "building materials" or peruse a magazine rack to see the deluge of new products flooding the market every year. Terms such as "lifetime warranty" and "no maintenance" are very attractive to consumers as well as builders who guarantee their construction. If you are renovating or building a home you may want to consider incorporating some of the latest designs. [ read more ]
  
  
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• Plumbing for Gold - Great Canadian Toilet Debate
  Dave Barry, a humour columnist for the Miami Herald, recently wrote about Canada's high-flow toilets in comparison to low-flow American versions. Sensing a threat to national pride, Dave Barry has promised that if he ever gets elected president he will launch a full-scale attack on Canada. He has also made it his highest priority to seek the death penalty for whoever is responsible for making Americans install low-flow toilets. [ read more ]
  
  
• Building a New Deck
  Spring has officially arrived, and summer is just around the corner! OK, maybe it doesn't seem that way for some of us who continue to deal with snow and freezing temperatures. But the hour of sleep we lost the first Sunday morning in April signifies the time of year when homeowners feel inspired to build decks. But before you arbitrarily flip through the Yellow Pages or pick up your hammer and nails, you're going to want to consider a few factors first. [ read more ]
  
  
• Home Ability
  For any of us, a flight of stairs or a high shelf may someday seem like an insurmountable hurdle. Almost all of us, at some point in our lives will face a temporary or permanent loss resulting in reduced muscle strength, impaired vision, or reliance on a wheelchair. [ read more ]
  
  
• Timber Frame Construction
  Although timber frame design started centuries ago in Europe, it seems so perfectly Canadian. It's easy to imagine sitting in the great room (the living room) of one of these homes looking out over a vast lake or forest. Take a trip to Whistler, Collingwood or almost any ski area in Canada and you'll find stunning examples of timber frame construction. Currently experiencing a revival, the design is now becoming more popular in urban areas. It combines old-world style with modern building materials and modern conveniences. Majestic high ceilings, towering stone fireplaces and exposed interior beams are signature features. [ read more ]
  
  
• Renovations - Exterior Upgrades Add Value
  If you live in an older house, chances are that you will want to update or replace cladding, doors and windows at some point. According to the Canadian Home Builders' Association, exterior renovations can give new life to a tired home and reduce maintenance significantly. At the same time, you can improve the energy efficiency, security and general comfort of your home. When you are ready to begin planning, talk with a professional renovator to get ideas and a sense of cost. Make sure it's someone who is experienced in exterior renovations and can offer you both sound technical advice and design assistance. [ read more ]
  
  
• Home Renovations - Current Trends
  Renovations go through trends from time to time and reflect the nature of our changing lifestyles. Here is a sample of current trends and their potential effects on home renovations...[ read more ]
  
  
• Decorating on a Shoestring
  Whether you've moving into your first apartment or a spacious new home, chances are your decorating budget is limited. Rather than elegant furniture with matching rugs and accessories, you may find yourself turning moving boxes into end tables! Home décor magazines sell a dream of gracious living that few of us can afford. With a little ingenuity, you can incorporate that designer flair into affordable style. Your creativity will not only save you money, it will transform a new home into a personal space...[ read more ]

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