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Green-thumb gifts
Great ideas for the gardeners on your list
The thing about gardening is that it is a constant year-round pursuit. Always, the garden beckons. A gardener could be standing in the middle of a polar vortex and still be dreaming about a plant they want to try . . .
Posted: 2025-12-13
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Family-friendly flair
Smartly designed two-storey crafted to maximize functionality
Ideally, a new home’s design should be distinctive both outside and inside. And while both qualities are important, it’s a home’s exterior that — for better or worse — sets the tone. Get it right, and the home will catch the . . .
Posted: 2025-12-13
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Warm and welcoming
Smartly updated bungalow condo modern and move-in ready
When a home is 25 years old, it’s neither old nor young in terms of its design and relative age. That said, there’s a chance it could reflect the era in which it was built. Which is to say it . . .
Posted: 2025-12-13
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Hearth-warming refurb
Like a puzzle, fireplace surround comes together piece by piece
Amidst a very hectic end-of-year work schedule, I was able to eke out a few hours over a couple of days to address a lingering upgrade in my very own step-down dining room, the main level of the addition . . .
Posted: 2025-12-06
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Daylilies star in doc
Film focuses on plant’s ability to inspire and improve lives
If filmmaking is a visual art form and nature is a powerful inspiration for art, then why aren’t there more films about plants and the people who are passionate about them? PlantPop is one of those rarest of things — . . .
Posted: 2025-12-06
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Distinctive digs
Vibrant flourishes, deft floorplan set Yvonne II model apart
As a home builder, it can become all too easy to become complacent. The reason for that is simple: after you find a formula that works, the tendency is to keep repeating it because buyers seem to like it. Oftentimes, that . . .
Posted: 2025-12-06
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Definite down-sizers’ delight
Value-packed Sanford bungalow a refuge for empty-nesters
These days, affordability is a huge issue for empty-nest couples with budgets that fall short of the magical $400, 000 mark. Next to affordability, the two most important issues are condition and livability. Which is to say a home should ideally . . .
Posted: 2025-12-06
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Aromatic sanctuary
Indoor herb gardens add savoury touches to recipes, elicit fond memories
‘Welcome to our living aromatherapy space, ” said Dave Hanson on my visit last week to Sage Garden Greenhouses. Every customer who walks through the door of the greenhouses located at 3410 St. Mary’s Rd. is greeted by the different . . .
Posted: 2025-11-29
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Step-by-step upgrade
While renovating on top of irregularly built substructures can frustrate, patience pays off
A good number of my recent job sites have involved a flooring upgrade, at least to some degree. Working at a house last month, the first phase of several separate renovations was just that — the renewal of the existing . . .
Posted: 2025-11-29
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Space and grace
Two-storey Prairie Pointe home makes most of every square foot
Designing a single-family detached home to fit a 26-foot-wide lot is no easy task. That being the case, it’s critically important for designers to use their imagination to come up with a plan that maximizes every square inch of space . . .
Posted: 2025-11-29