No need to help your basement stay cool

Below-grade areas naturally colder; keeping heating registers open will ensure good air circulation

Question: I have an unfinished basement with four air vents. Can I close all or some of the vents in the winter, as I would like to keep the basement cool? — Thanks, Py Su.   Answer: Opening or closing heat registers to regulate . . .

Posted: 2018-09-29

Doors just don't last like they used to

Question: When our house was about six months old, we noticed the exterior door wasn’t closing symmetrically. It would be snug at the bottom, but shy of closing by about a quarter of an inch at the top. The builder had . . .

Posted: 2017-10-14

Vermiculite insulation likely not a concern as long as contained

Question: I recently had an insulation contractor come to my home to upgrade my attic insulation and ventilation, based on your recommendations from a previous inspection. I called you because there were moisture stains and cracks on my ceiling, . . .

Posted: 2023-08-12

Trailer the perfect addition to 'toolbox'

But do your homework before you hitch one up

There’s nothing that frustrates me more than a task that cannot be completed due to the lack of proper gear. At the beginning of my career as a builder and renovator, this resulted in an unrelenting pursuit for all the . . .

Posted: 2021-10-16

Demolition likely not required to inspect for mould

Question: Over the past 15 years, we have noticed minor seepage from under our baseboard in our finished basement bathroom wall, through the spring thaw. This year, because of the wet weather, we had major flow. We are thinking of . . .

Posted: 2022-06-11

Heating seasonal property not always necessary

Question: I was wondering if it’s advisable, or not, to leave a vacation home unheated during the winter months. It is well insulated and finished inside with drywall and knotty pine flooring and some stone tile. The water has been . . .

Posted: 2020-11-14

Good as gold

To ease kitchen update costs, revive rather than replace

A full kitchen remodel is a very expensive prospect. As I’ve often mentioned in the past, salvaging certain elements of an existing kitchen layout, provided they still serve the desired purpose, can be one way of reducing what can . . .

Posted: 2025-04-12

Flooring revolution

Vinyl plank offers endless variety of colour and style options

If there’s a reasonably priced flooring solution considered to be viable for any room lately, it would likely be vinyl plank with pad. Since first introduced as an alternative to standard wood-based laminates, vinyl has surpassed the older style laminate . . .

Posted: 2022-04-23

Do you get my drift?

Author wants to control blowing snow this winter with a series of fences

For nearly 17 years, I have thoroughly enjoyed living at ‘Boss Ranch’, in the great wide-open; the peace and tranquility, the scenic views, and of course all that space – what’s not to love? There is one glitch to this . . .

Posted: 2020-08-22

TREE CARE: Even great trees need proper planting, care

Every spring I get many calls and e-mails asking me what trees I would plant. I certainly have my favourites suitable for growing in southern Manitoba. Most of the ones listed are typically trees that have I find have the . . .

Posted: 2010-05-08