ASK THE INSPECTOR: Water leakage main worry for homeowner

QUESTION: We have a wood basement, foundation walls, and a concrete floor. There are eight-foot-high ceilings and there is approximately two feet above ground for the small windows. Recently we had a clean water backup in our basement. I have . . .

Posted: 2012-09-15

Shut the barn door

Introducing stylish doors presents several hurdles

What may appear to be the smaller project on a long list of impending jobs, can often take up more time and effort than expected. Two instances of barn doors were recently introduced on the main floor of a . . .

Posted: 2024-04-06

Good fences, good neighbours

Privacy project can be done in a day

Shortly after I sheathed a ground-level deck in composite for a homeowner last summer, I was asked the best way to increase privacy from a neighbouring property. There were two obvious options: erect a privacy wall along the side of . . .

Posted: 2025-07-19

Top-shelf idea leads to great little pantry

There is never enough space for anything — especially when it comes to storage in older homes. Other than the larger closet in the foyer of my main floor, there are only two other closets in my house. They’re smaller closets . . .

Posted: 2017-11-10

Finished basement now a great space

Improving lower level can be a daunting project

The unfinished, or partially finished, basement is a common residential attribute for many homeowners. At at tender age, I recall helping my dad frame what would eventually become my very own bedroom in the basement of my childhood home. Many of . . .

Posted: 2018-02-03

ARI MARANTZ: Removing chimney a vexing situation

QUESTION: I live in a house that we built on top of the foundation of a house we tore down. The original house and foundation were built in the 1940s. In the new house we put in a high-efficiency furnace . . .

Posted: 2011-04-09

SOLUTIONS: This solution sprays pesky plant flies away

QUESTION: I read your column regularly and find it very helpful. Some time ago, you gave a solution to get rid of the little flies that seem to take up residence in house plants. Was it 2 tbsp. per litre . . .

Posted: 2012-03-24

Joy in a Labour Day maple

I’m no stranger to planting trees. And anyone who knows me well recognizes my love of the process. On my property, over 3, 000 trees have been planted throughout the years, a good chunk of which have recently begun . . .

Posted: 2024-09-14

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Seepage may date back to foundation error

QUESTION: I would like your opinion on a situation with the basement in our home. We have a Logix Styrofoam/concrete basement in a six-year-old home. We had some water leakage into the basement a couple of years after the home . . .

Posted: 2013-01-19

Green -- one step at a time

Small changes add up to big savings

YOU'VE heard it all before: Recycle your bottles and cans. Change your furnace filter regularly. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Chances are, you've made some of those small changes in your home. Why? Because small is not . . .

Posted: 2009-05-03