ASK THE INSPECTOR: Detecting the source of home's odour is difficult

QUESTION: Our home in River Heights was built around 1918. We have an awful sewer smell coming from the basement and are at a loss trying to figure out the cause. The smell gets worse during and after a heavy . . .

Posted: 2010-06-19

A hidden gem perfect for young families

Almost-new starter home comes in a mature neighbourhood with nearby amenities

It’s only natural that young families looking for a starter home would prefer to live in one of the city’s more central neighbourhoods. Consequently, they tend to focus their home search on areas such as River Heights, Crescentwood or Linden Woods. While . . .

Posted: 2019-08-17

Sealing crawlspace prevents excess moisture

Question: I have recently acquired a house with a crawlspace about four feet deep. The crawlspace walls and under the floor have been spray-foamed, but with an open dirt floor. The crawlspace is currently not heated. As you can imagine, . . .

Posted: 2020-08-01

Test windows with garden hose to find leaks

Question: I have a newer window that leaks when there is rain and an east wind blowing onto the front of the house. The company that installed the windows has looked at it and said it is not the . . .

Posted: 2023-03-25

GOOD to GO

Waverley Heights bungalow move-in-ready

Young families looking for a starter home often experience two different schools of thought. The first entails buying a more "affordable" home (say, around $250, 000) that needs updating, and performing the required updates over a period of five years . . .

Posted: 2016-05-14

Get professional opinion before removing wall

Question: I have a 1, 070 square foot house, with a cottage roof, built in 1960. I would like to remove the wall between the living room and the kitchen, which spans the front of the house. How do I . . .

Posted: 2016-04-23

Crescentwood condo unique in the best way

Modern, open-concept home located in established neighbourhood

There are times when even the coolest of properties escapes notice. Case in point is 2 Arbuthnot St., a two-storey luxury condominium that’s located at the corner of Arbuthnot Street, Grosvenor Avenue and Wellington Crescent. Unobtrusively set back from the street amid . . .

Posted: 2019-10-26

Everything old is new again

Find different uses for stuff you'd probably just throw out

I recently decided to clean out the attic and closets and get rid of some clutter by having a garage sale. In boxing up the items for sale, I was thinking about how most of us have unused items we'd . . .

Posted: 2008-05-11

Turnkey treasure

Move-in-ready townhome great for budget-minded buyers

To say the least, the phrase, “affordable starter home” has become an oxymoron, of late. And it’s something many young families searching for such a dwelling know from first-hand experience, as many such prospective buyers have a limited budget of . . .

Posted: 2026-01-10

A turn for the turf

More homeowners looking to replace tough-to-maintain natural lawns with artificial grass

This is the time of year when residential lawns bear little resemblance to their pre-winter state.Did yours look lush and green last summer? No matter. Melting snow in spring may reveal a daunting combination of bare spots, snow mould, a . . .

Posted: 2015-04-04