Value packed

Meticulously designed home offers style and function

In an effort to distinguish themselves from their competitors, builders spend long hours trying to conjure up distinctive yet practical designs that properly balance style and function. That’s no simple task. Make a home too stylish, and you stand to lose function. . . .

Posted: 2020-01-18

SOLUTIONS: When cleaning wooden furniture: Don't hold the mayo

QUESTION: We have unfinished cedar chairs. Last summer they became darkened from the drippy stuff that comes off our elm tree. I used soapy water and a scrubbing brush last fall and they are a tiny bit cleaner. Do you . . .

Posted: 2009-05-31

RENOVATIONS: Foam framed

News stories miss key details in bid to slag spray-foam insulation

There's something fishy about a couple of recent stories concerning off-gassing purportedly caused by the installation of polyurethane spray-foam insulation (PSFI)--yes, the very insulation lauded until recently as a green product used extensively in the U.S. and Canada for more . . .

Posted: 2013-11-16

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