The Riel deal

It's modern, open -- and has lots of private spaces, too

As much as open-concept floor plans are the rage today, few people gravitate to a home that is one big, empty space. Designing a home, then, is no simple task. Make it too segmented, then you might lose those who lean . . .

Posted: 2009-05-17

Modern farmhouse a WELCOMING DESIGN

Warm, functional and stylish Sage Creek two-storey

Inspiration. As most of us know, it can be fleeting. Consequently, you have to seize the moment and act upon it when it hits. That’s exactly what happened when members of Hearth Homes’ design team looked at an oversized lot at . . .

Posted: 2020-10-31

Steps to prep outdoor plants for a long prairie winter

Each fall I get a number of inquiries from readers and clients about how to prepare their trees and shrubs for winter. There are now signs of leaves turning yellow. Did you know that trees and shrubs go through a . . .

Posted: 2014-09-13

Loaded with modern style and function

Open house Sunday at this pristine Southdale bunglalow

Buying a home in an established neighbourhood usually guarantees you’ll be surrounded by stately trees and be situated near schools and amenities. Such homes, however, are often dated because longtime owners haven’t done many updates over the years. That’s definitely not the . . .

Posted: 2020-06-13

Cable-bracing system a safer way to secure tree

I recently met with a client who had a 70-foot-tall Manitoba maple tree on the property. The tree was about 75 years old and for its species, getting close to the end of its life time. Older trees such as maples, . . .

Posted: 2013-03-09

Family-friendly

Stylish, functional and great for the kids

If you've ever wandered through a show home, there's a good chance you've thought, 'nice home, but something about it just didn't work.' Your intuition detected a flaw: the home's design elements didn't come together to create a flow between fashion . . .

Posted: 2012-07-07

Simple, yet sophisticated

Bridgwater Forest home offers striking blend of styles

When you're the new kid on the block as a home builder, you face a pressing question: how to distinguish yourself from your competitors. In the case of Tae San Homes -- a three-year-old company in the nascent stages of establishing . . .

Posted: 2010-08-28

Proven home design gets better with tweaks

Already livable abode now even more user-friendly

How do you take a proven home design and make it better? By taking an objective look at its floor plan and tweaking it in several key areas to make an already livable home that much more user-friendly, said Paradigm Custom . . .

Posted: 2013-03-16

TREE CARE: Trees one should never plant in our soil

QUESTION: What five trees would you never plant in city private yards? ANSWER: I would never plant any variety of poplar or willow on a typical city lot. Schubert chokecherry trees are dying from black knot disease, for which there is . . .

Posted: 2011-10-22

Grande, indeed

Paradigm show home luxuriates in its ample space

It's fall 2011. Paradigm Custom Homes frontman Jeff Baertsoen is wondering what moniker he's going to use for a show home that's going to appear in the Spring 2012 Parade of Homes. At 2, 933 square feet, the bungalow was one . . .

Posted: 2012-03-17