Let there be light

Design, colour scheme combine for a bright outlook inside the house

Take a walk through any 10 show homes and it's likely eight of them will feature interiors with medium to dark colour schemes. That's exactly why Jason Arlt took a vastly different path when he designed 43 High Meadow Drive. "The big . . .

Posted: 2009-02-28

Straighten up! There's no excuse for clutter

A tidy entry way is a warm welcome

There's a reason it's called the mud room. Kids track it in, along with leaves, pebbles and other debris from the yard. After they kick off their shoes, and throw coats, hats and gloves onto the accumulating pile, what you . . .

Posted: 2008-11-09

Help your garden grow quite contentedly

Simple choices can make a huge difference

As gardening season begins, here are 15 ways to help your garden grow quite contentedly. 1. When purchasing garden ornaments, some gardeners make the mistake of inappropriate quantity and size. Ornament selections have a tendency to be too small, too big, . . .

Posted: 2008-05-11

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Stucco may not be ideal for cottage application

QUESTION: Our cottage is finished with vinyl and the last two feet of pony wall is pressure-treated wood sitting on a concrete footing. We want to stucco the pony wall and I am wondering if one needs to use a . . .

Posted: 2010-07-03

Design creates big results

Bungalow seems larger than 1,600 square feet

When Parkhill Homes' design team convened to work on a bungalow for 17 Blacksmith Rd. in Oak Bluff West, they had a clear objective in mind. "We had about 1, 600 square feet to work with, so our goal was to . . .

Posted: 2012-11-17

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Adding fill to void will accelerate damage

QUESTION: I have a home that is 87 years old in the Deer Lodge area. We do not have any large trees in our lot, but our neighbours on the north side have quite a few, four of which are . . .

Posted: 2010-08-07

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Furnace new, but outside-air intake useful

Question: I have a question about cold-air intakes on gas furnaces. I recently had my old 80 per cent efficient gas furnace replaced with a high-efficiency unit that obviously has its own cold-air intake and exhaust pipes. Do I still . . .

Posted: 2011-02-05

Watch out for extra moisture in sun tunnels

Question: In a previous edition of the Winnipeg Free Press, you addressed the question relating to the removal of skylights. You highlighted general concerns about the installation of skylights, such as condensation and leakage. These are concerns I share. There . . .

Posted: 2015-01-31

Finding the right lighting isn't easy

Question: My husband and I will be purchasing a ready-to-move-in house next year. It will be about 1, 400 square feet with an open concept for the living/dining/kitchen area with a vaulted ceiling. As we do have some design input . . .

Posted: 2017-04-08

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Moisture mystery easily solved, not easily fixed

QUESTION: My house was built in 1950 and originally had downspouts from the eavestroughs emptying into the basement. I'm not sure when the original owners switched them to the outside, but that's where they are today. I don't believe we have . . .

Posted: 2013-02-09