A classic with some character

Norwood Flats home mixes vintage esthetic with modern amenities

From the street, 157 Claremont Ave. is the personification of a turn-of-century Norwood Flats classic. For starters, there’s its huge, covered front porch complete with pillared staircase, white picket fence border and magnificent white pillars. Then, there’s its wide foyer, set next . . .

Posted: 2018-08-18

Reviving a rural property

'We shouldn't restrict ourselves, but instead be adventurous'

Maurice Larson, local plantsman and former outdoor garden supervisor at Assiniboine Park Conservancy, has been focused on garden-making all his adult life. Growing up on a farm in Hilltop in the former rural municipality of Clanwilliam located on the southeast side . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Embracing life as an empty nester

Follow these tips if you're feeling sadness after your kids leave home

During one of my daughter’s college visits, I started wondering what my life would be like when she was gone. We were sitting in yet another nondescript auditorium listening to yet another admissions counsellor extolling the virtues of yet another . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Plan and prepare now for rapidly approaching school year

In the blink of an eye, all of that planning and organizing you did to make your summer run smoothly is in the rearview mirror, and it’s already time to focus on yet another busy seasonal and schedule change. The . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Prepare your turkey in advance to save time later

Question: I am hosting a business turkey dinner at my house this year and I am in charge of cooking the turkey and gravy. The problem is that I work until 4 p.m. and don’t have time to finish the . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Project unexpectedly grows family tree

Drainage upgrade leads to chance encounter with relative

You just never know who you’re going to run into at the end of your driveway. This past Tuesday, I was already having a great day watching Fanset Construction rip up the end of my driveway to put in a new . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Creating a classic look at home

Tips from designers to keep your pad from looking dated

On Washington’s trendy H Street corridor, the new Lucille Condominium boasts a classic-meets-contemporary facade of old-school red bricks and sleek, squared-off balconies. "We were aiming for something classic and didn’t want the place to date too quickly, " Philip Simon of . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Floor and ceilings with maximum flexibility a no-brainer

Question: My wife and I are building a new home and have decided to finish the basement at the same time. Some people we have talked to have suggested putting down Drycore on the concrete floor, or a similar product, . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Front-porch deck step in right direction

New addition lends character to home, creates multi-functional area

Sometime this past spring, repeat clients of mine inquired as to the feasibility of adapting their concrete steps leading to their front door into a front-porch deck built entirely from treated lumber, without having to remove the existing steps. Although this . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11

Vista suites a great place to call home

Southdale's new 50-plus community is rich with amenities, full of function

For years, a fair-sized piece of land sat vacant in Southdale. Then — as chance would have it — Fausto and Louis Pereira of Sherwood Developments spotted the lot as they drove down Beaverhill Boulevard, a little over two years ago. "Apparently, . . .

Posted: 2018-08-11