A family-friendly Fortress of Solitude

Well-appointed country home completely custom-designed

AS well-appointed as Superman's Fortress of Solitude was, it (if it was real) would have nothing on a four-year-old bungalow in the RM of Tache near Lorette. Featuring 3, 400 square feet of livable space, the custom-designed home sits on a . . .

Posted: 2013-05-18

RENOVATIONS: Gutter Talk

Aluminum eavestrough beats vinyl in Manitoba's tough climate

A friend told me recently about a linguist who reads English words to non-English-speaking people to determine what words sound the most soothing to them. The overwhelming favourite is diarrhea; the least-liked is cud. I think a similar case could be made . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

Sprucing up the house can be good exercise

For many years, I have been involved in the building and supplies business, mentoring people in home-repair services, home renovations and a home-services referral network -- not to mention many years in radio.Most recently, I've been webcasting on the Internet, . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

Homegrown garlic beats store-bought

Q: My goal this year is to be-come a self-sustained gardener, able to grow most of the vegetables I use, including things like garlic. A few years ago I started growing garlic and couldn't believe the difference in taste from . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

MIKE HOLMES: Consider senior-friendly home renovations

It's no secret that Canada has an aging population. By 2036, the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to more than double -- growing to 10.4 million from five million. Baby boomers are getting older and soon . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

CONNIE OLIVER: A splash of fresh paint is kitchen-decor garnish

In early March, I wrote a feature about two affordable kitchen updates I'd completed. The updates included adding trim to plain kitchen cabinets and updating the backsplash with Smart Tiles. Both projects were DIY and affordable and I really love the . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Settlement, workmanship can create cracks

QUESTION: Ari, I hope you can help me with a problem. A number of hairline cracks are appearing in the ceiling of our 1, 500-sq.-ft. bungalow. The cracks are found in the foyer, living room, kitchen and nook, which is . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

SOLUTIONS: Use citric acid to see if glasses are etched

QUESTION: I have a problem with my four-year-old dishwasher. The acrylic glasses have a white coating on them, especially on the bottom and the top edges of the glasses. The cutlery has a blue color stain, like a stainless steel . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

Cherry picker

Hardy fruit choices for backyard growers

In spite of the extreme climate, the Prairies can support a multitude of unique fruit crops such as dwarf sour cherry, seabuckthorn and northern hardy grapes that are not only hardy here but produce an abundance of delicious, fresh fruit, . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11

Drought-tolerant seeds let lawns go green

URBAN lawns are under ever-increasing scrutiny when it comes to water usage. They're accused of using far too much water relative to what they give back. When I was growing up on the farm, the opposite was true. We had a massive . . .

Posted: 2013-05-11