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

Small space not lacking in style

Capitol Hill row house maintains classic style with fresh DIY touches

WASHINGTON — In an old house, there are endless places to spend money. But for the Hoburg family, whose Capitol Hill row house is 117 years old, it’s never been about perfection. In the 14 years the family of four . . .

Posted: 2017-10-14

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

Sticking with what’s familiar goes a long way

No need to reinvent the wheel with this classy bathroom reno

All along, the homeowner had heeded my advice to reposition, reorient and enlarge the shower stall for an impending main floor bathroom remodel. During demolition, it soon became clear that our intended design layout may fall short of expectations. . . .

Posted: 2023-01-07

Securing subfloor the solution to squeaky floors

Question: Our house was built in 1960. The floors have squeaked since we bought it 11 years ago. They are the original hardwood floors. I am wondering, if we hired a professional to adjust the teleposts downstairs, could that help with . . .

Posted: 2020-02-29

Beaming with pride

Renovation project was a personal challenge, but also a pleasure

It’s tremendously fulfilling to embark upon a new adventure, especially one that involves a cool and challenging project. Hours can be spent contemplating the best approach, the building process and trying to determine the best solution to a problem encountered . . .

Posted: 2016-11-26

Nothing to sneeze at

Fort Garry Home built with allergy reduction in mind

Livability. It's a term oft bandied about when people talk about how user-friendly a new home is. Suffice it to say, livability means more than simply endowing a new home with a great floor plan and a host of luxurious finishes, . . .

Posted: 2013-12-14

What an open concept

New support beam makes wall history

Replacing a load-bearing wall with a support beam to introduce an open concept floor plan is a multi-faceted exercise. At my current jobsite, the removal of drywall on the existing wall exemplified this fact to the extreme — this . . .

Posted: 2023-03-25