Backyard mural guaranteed to bring smiles

Local artist Dennis Bell brings bland walls to life

When Lisa Bertrand, owner and operator of Little Luxuries House and Carpet Cleaning, popped in to visit client Dennis Bell a few weeks ago, little did she know it would lead to Bell painting a big beautiful mural on her . . .

Posted: 2020-07-25

Seamless combination of style and function

Creative design blends modern appeal with rustic charm

Ask any builder, and they'll tell you it's no simple task to reconcile modern and rustic themes when conceiving a new home design. Fritzgerald Pacag, sales representative for Foxridge Homes' show home at 60 West Plains Rd. in Sage Creek, says . . .

Posted: 2020-07-25

Magical dream home loaded with space and style

St. Andrews bungalow ready for your growing family

Space is the one constant that growing families are always seeking when shopping for a new home. Ideally, that space will be well-distributed, which means there will not only be space to separate inside, but outside, as well. It would also . . .

Posted: 2020-07-25

Peroxide or specialized product can get rid of the blues

QUESTION: We have Plumbago in our courtyard, a blue-flowered plant which is used in dyes. They are sticky, and a flower attached to my pants and then I sat on our cotton fabric couch. We now have a blue mark . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18

Modern fasteners the fix for decorative shelf brackets

QUESTION: My brother-in-law has a situation with one of his decorative house brackets. At the front of his house, built in 1930, he has three of these decorative brackets. Upon these he attached a top piece of wood to act . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18

Weapons of weed destruction

Turn to the pantry to eradicate unruly vegetation

Last week I offered you a number of non-chemical options to try out for removing unwanted grass and weeds from your driveway or wherever. In the meantime, I tried them here at home. They included everything from various vinegar/soap/salt concoctions to . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18

Orchestrating the flow

Channelling sump-pump water into evergreen irrigation

A while ago, and before the basement renovation was set to start on my property, a sump pump was installed to minimize the potential for water seepage into the basement through minute cracks along the concrete floor. For the most . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18

'Tattooed Gardener' pushes boundaries

Joy of hybridizing, experimentation drives Gellatly

It is an education to talk to Paul Gellatly about horticulture. The curious mind of this avid plant collector, whose pursuit is to discover and understand the complexity and intricacy of every plant he meets and how it fits into . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18

Outstanding by design

Style, function, light abound in Randall Homes' Kentwood bungalow

Outstanding new home designs don’t happen by accident. Truth be told, design teams spend countless hours poring over home designs out of pure necessity. Why’s that? Simple. Homebuilders can ill afford to design a mediocre home in such a competitive marketplace. These . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18

Sanctuary in St. Norbert

Rustic retreat just minutes from all your city needs

For three decades, a well-forested pocket of land that runs discreetly off Cloutier Drive in St. Norbert has, for some reason, largely escaped the notice of home buyers. Yet, those who either built or bought a home in the area love . . .

Posted: 2020-07-18