Odd sounds may be nothing to worry about

Question: I have a ranch home, which was built in 1979. I purchased the home two years ago, and one of the first things I did was call an insulator. The insulator not only blew a significant amount of insulation into . . .

Posted: 2014-10-04

PRAIRIE GARDENER: Great weather — if you’re a weed

Pulling them out often makes things worse

Nothing gets under a gardener’s skin more than cold, rainy weather — well, except for the resulting proliferation of weeds that is. And this summer we have both. Weeds thrive in these conditions, even if they are about three weeks behind . . .

Posted: 2009-08-30

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Soil moisture key to sinking basement floors

QUESTION: I have a 2800-square-foot, split-level home on the Assiniboine river in Westwood. Over the past few years, with dry summers and limited rain, the floor in one section of the lower level has dropped around two inches. There are . . .

Posted: 2014-02-15

ASK THE INSPECTOR: No weeping tile system? That's the pits

QUESTION: I am sitting here watching a brand-new home being backfilled without weeping tile. I live quite close to the Red River, about 500 yards away. It is a concrete foundation and they took the care to wrap the foundation . . .

Posted: 2009-09-13

Retailer could help with mortar repair

Certain projects require specialized advice

Question: I have an old Wolseley home, built in 1911, with a stone foundation that appears to be a limestone/Tyndall stone type. There are a couple of small areas that I am looking to repoint on the exterior above grade. . . .

Posted: 2019-10-26

Cold-air ventilation will fix moisture problem in camp's crawl space

Question: My camp is up in Sudbury, Ont., and I have a problem with moisture in the crawl space. It is mostly enclosed, due to the previous owners living up there full time, so they required this for the plumbing. The . . .

Posted: 2019-04-13

Lavishly livable

Solid and stylish, Sage Creek home crafted with young families in mind

Building a new home properly involves far more than endowing it with a“wow” factor, both outside and inside. Simply put, quality must be the main theme from start to finish. That’s the approach the design team at Paradigm Custom Homes takes . . .

Posted: 2025-12-27

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Adjusting teleposts a skill best left to pros

QUESTION: We are in a six-year-old home in Richmond West. This house has two beams and is a cab-over design, so telepost adjustment may present problems. The doorway leading to the master bedroom in the cab-over has been sticking in . . .

Posted: 2009-10-18

Healthy apples keep the tree doctor at bay

Last week we discussed a number of issues that are causing problems for apple trees. This article will continue with other issues faced by declining apple trees.Apple scab is a fungal disease that occurs mostly on ornamental crab apple trees . . .

Posted: 2015-07-11

From dungeon to desirable

Laundry rooms rarely make for aesthetically appealing spaces

The laundry room is a utilitarian space and basically serves one main purpose: to clean dirty clothes. As such, this space often ranks quite low on the list of renovation priorities, despite its often dungeon-like appearance. During a lower-level remodel this past . . .

Posted: 2017-08-12