Comforting new insulation for basements

A Winnipeg renovation expert has invented an easy to install insulation system that has the potential to capture a large share of the interior basement market. Ted Cullen's Quik-Therm Interior Basement and Concrete Insulation System (CIS) uses high density foam studs . . .

Posted: 2014-11-08

Scale insects and anthracnose fungal leaf disease

Each year in southern Manitoba I have observed growing numbers of Lecanium scale insects feeding heavily on the twigs of ash and occasionally elm and linden trees, causing their twigs and branches to die. Sometimes the infestation is so severe . . .

Posted: 2014-11-08

Natural beauty

Two-storey home with walk-out basement is grand yet practical

As cutting-edge as new homes with modern designs can be, there's the risk of the design being too modern. When that happens, a home filled with white finishes, stainless steel appliances and a wealth of windows can end up feeling . . .

Posted: 2014-11-08

Glycerin works well to preserve a wreath

QUESTION: My eight-year-old granddaughter made me a lovely fall wreath out of dried leaves at her girls club. I would like to know if there is anything I can spray on it to preserve it for another year. It will . . .

Posted: 2014-11-08

Ready to go

Bridgwater Forest bungalow offers all the benefits of a new home without the wait

With the popularity of Bridgwater Forest and Lakes unrelenting, there are two options you can pursue if you want to live there. First, you can build a new home, but it could take up to a year to complete. The . . .

Posted: 2014-11-08

Leaf a mark

New colourful, hardy shrubs add texture to your landscape

With the trend toward minimal fall cleanup of flowerbeds, ensuring at the very least that weeds or any diseased plant material or debris have been removed, landscapes can look a little messy at this time of year.Rather than lament the . . .

Posted: 2014-11-01

Manitoba's housing issues mirror Canada's

I just returned from our national (Canadian Home Builders Association) meetings in Ottawa and it was interesting to see the issues we have in Manitoba and Winnipeg are very similar to the issues other provinces and cities throughout Canada are . . .

Posted: 2014-11-01

Engineers can help solve moisture mystery

Question: I don't know who else to turn to. We had a Monarch sump pump installed in March 2011. We live in Meadowood, St. Vital. When it was installed, we were told we had a lot of water under the . . .

Posted: 2014-11-01

'Sawdust' at base of poplar is a sign of worms

Every two years I delve into the problems with fast-growing poplar trees such as Swedish aspen and tower poplar. It seems like everyone who has large columnar trees is looking at the piles of 'sawdust' at the base of their . . .

Posted: 2014-11-01

A home with history

Stonewall abode where movie was made sits on former estate of town's founder

It's not often you get an opportunity to purchase a beautifully renovated house and, at the same time, become a stakeholder in Manitoba's fascinating history and the owner of a bit of Hollywood glitz and glamour.In the early 1990s, Victoria . . .

Posted: 2014-11-01