An eclectic decor can be stunning

Our feature photo, courtesy of Dulux Paints, is a wonderful example of an eclectic and stunning decor. While nothing in the room seems to match everything co-ordinates into a really unique space. This got my creative juices flowing with the . . .

Posted: 2015-08-15

Skirting an issue brings new concerns

Question: I have a 40-year-old cottage that was skirted, is a three-season-use dwelling, and has no problems to complain about. When we visit in the winter we just bring in water, I heat the main drain pipe for the toilet, . . .

Posted: 2021-04-10

Collector selects plants based in part on how they transition through the year

Collector selects plants based in part on how they transition through the year

A stroll through Karen Loewen’s garden takes time. A single visit would hardly be enough to explore all the mysteries of her spacious property located in Steinbach. Loewen is a discriminating plant collector with a taste for the unusual. She . . .

Posted: 2017-09-09

Proper installation critical in parging project

Question: I have a question about parging. As per the Google definition, parging is a cover that is a part of a building, especially an external brick wall, with plaster or mortar that typically bears an ornamental pattern. The outside surface of . . .

Posted: 2020-12-12

CONNIE OLIVER: Hot weather, cool decor

The warm season sees us shedding layers of outerwear and donning cool summer fashions. Our homes need a reprieve from the winter blahs as well. A fresh colour palette and a few summery accessories will cheer up your decor for . . .

Posted: 2009-05-10

Electric water heater has advantages over gas-fired units

Question: We had a gas high-efficiency furnace installed in our 1991 built, one-storey house, about eight years ago. Seven years ago, our gas water heater was changed, with no modifications made to the chimney. I heard that a chimney liner . . .

Posted: 2022-03-19

Half-baked, homeowner-designed rarely the way to go

Question: I read an article you wrote back in 2012 in the Winnipeg Free Press regarding heat recovery ventilation units (HRV). I live near Aberdeen, Sask. We live in a SIPS (structural insulated panels) house built about six years ago. . . .

Posted: 2018-04-07

Digging in

Planting vegetable garden needs proper preparation

Donna Balzer and Steven Biggs's book No Guff Vegetable Gardening (No Guff Press, 2011) hit bookstores last month, but they're offering excerpts to get you started.   Donna says: I get a charge out of the garden-centre bags of "topsoil, " which . . .

Posted: 2011-05-28

White vinegar and water best for blinds

QUESTION: I love green pea soup. I haven’t been able to find it in stores for a few years now, so I suspect manufacturers have stopped making it. I have tried various recipes that I have found, but none of . . .

Posted: 2019-04-13

SOLUTIONS: Bandage 'ouchies'? Use water, olive oil, blow dryer

QUESTION: I have a three-year-old boy who constantly falls and scrapes his knees. He loves to wear animated bandages and immediately stops crying when I put them on him. But when it's time for the bandage to be taken off, . . .

Posted: 2013-02-02