ASK THE INSPECTOR: It's the attic leaking, not the plumbing stack

Sealing the ceiling will prevent moisture from freezing to pipes

QUESTION: I was recently in my attic, which is a place I had never ventured before. I discovered a fair amount of frost build-up in the attic. This is something I was told was not unusual for a house built . . .

Posted: 2010-02-27

Breaking barriers for more access to your home

There’s no doubt about it — busting through an existing exterior wall to introduce a new entryway can be a nerve-racking renovation. It is next to impossible to predict what’s within the wall cavity — you just don’t know until . . .

Posted: 2017-09-30

SOLUTIONS: Be proactive regarding fire prevention

Deaths from fires and burns are the third-leading cause of fatal home injury (Runyan 2004). -- Use extension cords as a short-term solution in your home. Since cords heat up and cool down during use, the cord tends to quickly wear, . . .

Posted: 2013-11-23

TREE CARE: Rooting out trouble

Protect your trees during construction

Inevitably, people need to add a room or a garage to their homes. There are trees nearby. New houses are built into treed areas. In many instances, the owners of these homes want to keep trees that are close to the . . .

Posted: 2010-11-20

Face it: the market is more realistic now

While it may not exactly have felt like spring, the spring market in real estate is almost coming to an end. With next weekend marking the official start to summer -- which I hope DOES come along -- just how . . .

Posted: 2009-06-14

Understanding heating and ventilation systems

Question: I am a homeowner of a relatively new house here in Winnipeg and I googled about the HRV system and I checked on an article you wrote in the Winnipeg Free Press in 2017. With this, I would . . .

Posted: 2022-09-10

Careful preparation key to proper paint job

LIKE any good Canadian, I love Victoria Day long weekend. It's the opening act to the big show -- the call that let's us know summer's here. Time to sit back, take a deep breath and take in everything that . . .

Posted: 2012-05-26

Hidden slice of nature

Rustic St. Norbert abode makes you feel as if you're in the country

For reasons unknown, some neighbourhoods tend to fly under the radar of homebuyers. One of those neighbourhoods is St. Norbert, says Glen MacAngus of Royal LePage Top Producers Real Estate. "The area on the east side of Pembina Highway is amazing, yet . . .

Posted: 2018-12-29

Pipe down those rumbling heating ducts

Ideas on what might be causing the racket

11Thank you for your time. -- Christine McBride, e-mail ANSWER -- As the heating season is now upon us, I thought this would be an excellent time to answer your question. Noisy forced-air heating systems are a common complaint and . . .

Posted: 2008-11-09

Granite versus quartz -- it's a hard question

I've been doing kitchen renovations for a long time. Everything the eye sees in a kitchen renovation is the eye candy. What's behind it all? That's my world. But to this day, the question I get asked most about kitchen . . .

Posted: 2012-08-04