Esprit de vie

Solid Bison Run townhome condos offer young families affordability, livability

If there’s one thing families prize above all else when they’re looking to buy a new home, it’s affordability. It’s easy to see why. With the cost of a new entry-level home running between $500, 000 and $600, 000, home-buying budgets, . . .

Posted: 2026-04-11

Get emergency heat with one simple wiring change

From this past autumn into the dead of winter, our household dealt with an unfortunate bout of HVAC issues. In the fall, the heat pump’s blower fan failed, resulting in sole reliance on the air handler (furnace) to heat the . . .

Posted: 2026-04-11

Move-in-ready marvel

Luxurious Normand Park two-storey perfect for big household

Over the years, many neighbourhoods emerged with great fanfare, creating real anticipation among prospective homebuyers. Those neighbourhoods include (in no particular order) the Bridgwater, Sage Creek and Ridgewood West — among others. Then, there are some neighbourhoods that — for some . . .

Posted: 2026-04-11

Pragmatic plots

Designing hardier gardens for a changing climate

Our climate is changing rapidly, and our garden plans need to adapt accordingly. “We need a planting design that functions as a resilient, self-sustaining ecosystem suited to our climate, ” says Nik Friesen-Hughes, landscape designer and owner of Dogwood Landscape . . .

Posted: 2026-04-11

Wallflowers and paper gardens

Regina watercolour artist brings nature-inspired designs to home décor

Inspired by her garden and the textures, patterns and colours found in nature, Michelle Austin’s designs bring the outdoors inside your home. Austin is a Regina watercolour artist and surface pattern designer. She creates original hand-painted works of art for . . .

Posted: 2026-04-04

Streamlined style

Revamped floor plan boosts Transcona two-storey’s livability

One of the most important aspects of new-home design is very subtle, yet extremely important. That aspect? Never being satisfied that a tried-and-true design is too good to be modified. In other words, there’s no room for complacency in designing . . .

Posted: 2026-04-04

An island unto itself

While working at a job site for weeks at a time, it has been my experience that conversations with homeowners eventually lead to the prospect of other impending projects. In this case, fortunately, this led to early preparations for a . . .

Posted: 2026-04-04

Like-new luxury

Stately East Fort Garry two-storey still stuns a decade on

Entertaining the idea of building a new luxury home in one of Winnipeg’s newer neighbourhoods is a romantic pursuit. After all, you’re getting a brand-new home from top to bottom. That being the case, it’s unlikely you’d get hit by . . .

Posted: 2026-04-04

Compare and contrast

‘Before’ and ‘after’ images highlight true transformation

On occasion, while rifling through my photo catalogue on my iPhone, I stumble across a forgotten “before” image taken at a job site. And when that photo underscores how spectacularly a transformative reno project has improved the homeowners’ abode, . . .

Posted: 2026-03-28

‘A step above’

Infill home’s exceptional livability comes down to deft design details

There are two types of infill home builds. The first is one done quickly to maximize profit. That being the case, its build quality, floor plan and finishing standards often leave much to desire. Then there’s the second type: a . . .

Posted: 2026-03-28