Comfiest of condos

Smart layout makes unit feel like house

It's an intangible that doesn't come with every resale home: pride of ownership.Re/Max Performance Realty's Jim Born said he has a condominium -- a 1, 272-sq.-ft., two-bedroom-plus-den unit on the top floor at the Legend at Creek Bend -- that . . .

Posted: 2015-05-23

Open air, open design

Privacy, plants, lighting all come to play in personalized outdoor spaces

When professional landscape designer and horticultural consultant Lyndon Penner was a child in Saskatchewan, he asked for a playhouse to call his own. His grandmother responded by growing one for him.   Russian mammoth sunflowers which grow to a height of some . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Simple, subtle decor keeps magic of childhood alive

Thankfully, children's decor is no longer an explosion of garish prints and colours we would never choose for ourselves. The growing range of creatively conceived accessories now available is designed with both simplicity and subtlety in mind, and still manages . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Sort and organize your cooking essentials with ease

Spring is the perfect time to clean out your over-cluttered pantry, fridge and freezer, but how do you know what to keep or toss? Taste of Home magazine offers its top spring-cleaning kitchen secrets to help you sort and organize . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Canadian Home Builders' Association takes message to Ottawa

Last Tuesday, representatives of the Canadian Home Builders' Association descended en masse to Parliament Hill to talk housing with elected and administrative officials. It was part of the annual Forum for Growth and the goal was to educate, inform and . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

New home gadgets make life safer, easier and cleaner

Slick security cam THERE are lots of home-security cameras on the market, and while I haven't tested many, the Arlo from Netgear must be the easiest to set up and get running. The cameras are battery-powered, making them wireless and ready to . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Cabinet quality something worth considering

The saying "a five dollar horse with a fifty dollar saddle" relates to our current practice of purchasing mass-produced kitchen cabinets and mounting more expensive granite counters on top of them. Most of the cabinets produced today look good on the . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Electrical repairs off limits to DIYers

Everyone knows I'm not a big fan of people doing work around their home that they are not qualified to do. Leave it to the pros and you should only have to do it once. But getting a professional to do . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Use a hair dryer to stretch tight shoes

QUESTION : I own a pair of shoes that have a stretch fabric over the top of the shoe. I tried them on as I need them for a wedding this weekend and they are tight. How can I stretch . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16

Unique decorating ideas for unusual spaces

There's something interesting about a room that has unusual lines. Angled, low ceilings or walls, dormers, cut-ins or jut-outs can all be charming at first glance. When a space is outside of the box it can be inspiring, but also . . .

Posted: 2015-05-16