What's hot in homes

Must-have trends for the well-dressed home

At this year's Ottawa Housing Design Awards, held Oct. 17 and 18, photo essays of renovations and new homes were submitted by designers, builders and developers to the Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association's glitzy annual design awards. The inspiring images included . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

CONNIE OLIVER: Rustic, retro, vintage -- all brand new

If you read this column on a regular basis you know that my décor tastes run toward character homes and vintage items. As I've said before, there's something about an item having a history before I owned it. It gives . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

DEBBIE TRAVIS: Futons are fab again

'70s standby is new, improved and still flexible

Ah yes, it was so hot in the '70s. If you were a starving student or just managing to scrape it together in your first apartment, you had a futon. With, or more likely without a frame, the futon operated as . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Frost buildup leads to water leakage in fan

QUESTION: During a period of mild weather last February we noticed that the main-floor bathroom exhaust fan is dripping water. The water is not coming from within the exhaust duct, but rather around the casing of the exhaust fan. We recently . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

SOLUTIONS: Steaming may restore flattened velvet pile

QUESTION: I purchased a grey velvet sofa. It had some creases on the middle of the cushion so I foolishly decided to iron them out. Consequently, I flattened the pile. Is there anything I can do to refresh this velvet . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

Congratulations to Renovation of the Year winners

THE Renovators Council of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association held its annual Renovation of the Year Awards Night October 30 at the Niakwa Country Club. A record-setting 33 entries were received in six categories. Seven judges reviewed and evaluated all 33 . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

Sold & Offered - Nov. 6-09

Riverview Address: 695 Darling Street Asking Price: $299, 900 Sold Price: $278, 500 Taxes: $3, 513.31 Square Footage: 1, 860 Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 2 Lot Size: 55 x 130 Listing Agents: Cole & Ron Castelane, Century 21 Bachman & Associates, 453-7653 Transcona Address: 604 Melrose Ave. E. Asking Price: $154, 900 Sold Price: . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

Value-added living

Sage Creek home offers luxury at an affordable price

No matter what your budget -- modest, unlimited or somewhere in-between -- buying a new home is never a simple matter. However, it can be exceedingly challenging when it comes to trying to find a home for, say, under $400, 000. . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

Wild and not crazy

Conservation development is the hottest thing in some rural areas

For those who faithfully keep their lawns trimmed and carry out seek-and-destroy missions on dandelions, it's enough to make you cringe. But while we urban neat freaks can't get our heads around the fact people actually let their grass grow knee-high . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07

Striving for sustainablity

Canada's green builders could benefit from Swedish education

"THINK big, build small" would be a perfect motto for Sweden. One can find evidence of this while strolling through any local Ikea store, of course -- the company is renowned for its innovative furniture designs packaged in flat, easy-to-transport boxes . . .

Posted: 2009-11-07