Fresh air worth a bit of frost

Older intake ducts have role to play in airtight homes

Question: My house was built in 1984, with a forced-air heating system and a standard efficiency natural gas furnace. The furnace was replaced 15 years ago with a high-efficiency unit. During the recent cold snap, I noticed that one of . . .

Posted: 2022-01-15

On the grow

Two-storey family home in South Pointe even has a bonus room

For many young, growing families, looking to move up from a starter home to more spacious quarters can be a financial stretch. Yet it's a necessary one. Once the child count begins to increase, trying to raise a family of four . . .

Posted: 2009-08-09

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Get rid of cold-storage room in basement

QUESTION: We recently bought a home with a cold-storage room in the basement. There is a vent on one wall near the ceiling. Should this vent be closed in the summer season? If so, any suggestions would be appreciated. . . .

Posted: 2010-07-17

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Lots of options for leaving cottage in winter

QUESTION: We have purchased a home for summer use for the next few years. However, it is actually a year-round home built in 1995, and we may move there full time after retirement. The first owner lived there year-round for . . .

Posted: 2013-03-09

Odour from laundry room hard to pinpoint

QUESTION: Please end this torment. I am troubled with a laundry-room odour that I can't successfully eliminate and it emanates from my washer. I tried running vinegar through the machine as well as filling the drum and surrounding tub with . . .

Posted: 2012-07-01

Disdain for the deck stain

If there's any job I hate to do, it's this one

Occasionally a potential client will request to have a deck stained. Due to my contempt for the process, a prompt and courteous reply details the following sentiment: "I build ’em, I don’t stain ’em." That said, it’s no secret decks built . . .

Posted: 2017-08-05

Old ceiling fans likely cause of cold bathrooms

Question: My house was retrofitted with a heat recover ventilator (HRV) system a number of years ago. Both of the home’s bathrooms had ductwork retrofitted at the time to connect to the HRV system. The two bathrooms also have ceiling exhaust . . .

Posted: 2020-03-21

Low-cost luxury

Economical materials make KDR creation an affordable winner

It's quite the quandary: trying to figure out how to make a 2, 672-square-foot, two-storey home -- found in one of Bridgwater Forest's more exclusive areas -- relatively affordable. In order to do that, KDR Design Builders' Diego Vassallo and his . . .

Posted: 2010-10-30

Let the experts handle it

Simple requests -- like adding a piece to the bathroom -- can be tricky

The simplest requests can often be the most complicated to complete. Converting a two-piece bathroom into a three-piece is difficult, and introducing the required plumbing can be quite challenging. Now, add to this the repositioning of the three pieces within the . . .

Posted: 2017-09-23

To BEAM or not to BEAM

A question with big implications

Unlike a typical room renovation, the desire to remove walls to achieve an open-space concept can be a complicated endeavour. Certain walls of a house lend support to the structure. As such, it is imperative to ascertain which walls . . .

Posted: 2023-10-21