Net Zero Renovations: Improving the Energy Efficiency of Canada’s Existing Homes

Aerial view of a house with gray shingles, solar panels on the roof, a wooden deck, a small garden, and neighboring homes in a green suburban area.

Net Zero Renovations: Improving the Energy Efficiency of Canada’s Existing Homes Canada has committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. But the country won’t be able to get there without significant energy efficiency improvements to Canada’s existing homes.  Although new construction homes are often built to much higher energy performance standards than the homes…

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How Design Can Make a Small Home Feel Bigger

Spacious cabin living room with high vaulted ceiling, large windows, stone fireplace, gray sofa, rustic wood furniture, and an open kitchen with island lighting, overlooking a sunny outdoor deck.

How Design Can Make a Small Home Feel Bigger The 2020 CHBA Home Buyer Preference Survey, powered by Avid Ratings Canada, showed an interesting trend in the size of homes that Canadians are expecting to buy. The study asked recent buyers what size of home they’d be looking for if they were in the market again. It…

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2020 Renovation Trends: Personalized Wine Cellars, Anyone?

A luxurious wine cellar with walls lined with bottles. Two tall, illuminated columns and a spiral staircase are featured, creating a warm, elegant atmosphere—a true example of the latest renovation trends. Personalized Wine Cellars like this one are becoming increasingly popular as standout reno trends in Canada.

2020 Renovation Trends: Personalized Wine Cellars, Anyone? Keeping up with the Joneses of home design and renovation trends is a great way to help make the most of your home’s staying power. Over many decades, we’ve seen design ideas appear only to fall flat fast (carpeted bathrooms?!). But we can’t help but believe that so…

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Love Your Backyard

A modern backyard features raised garden beds, a wooden pergola, a greenhouse, a small shed, gravel paths, a fire pit, and a grassy lawn, all enclosed by wooden fencing with trees in the background.

Love Your Backyard We’re halfway through summer… is your backyard begging to be used? Whether you have a compact yard or an expansive space, you can make your backyard your own personal oasis. Outdoor spaces can be as inviting, comfortable, and stylish as interiors, with the added benefit of fresh air and nature. Before taking…

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Five Fabulous Floors for your Home Renovation

Modern open-plan interior with a floating wooden staircase, black railings, skylight, large indoor plant, hexagon tile floor, and a dining area visible through a wide doorway.

Five Fabulous Floors for your Home Renovation Nothing ties together a room better than fabulous flooring. Feel like your space needs an upgrade? Get some inspiration from these finalists of the 2019 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence. Snazzy Tile Timberworx Custom Homes incorporated high-end finishes, especially the accent floor tiles, to give this bathroom a grand…

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Upgrading Your Flooring? Consider This

Modern kitchen with a central island, three chairs, stainless steel appliances, white cabinets, pendant lights, a clock on the wall, and wooden floors. Bright and clean design with natural light.

Upgrading Your Flooring? Consider This There’s more to upgrading your home’s flooring than simply choosing the material you like and having it installed. The perfect flooring will look good and be practical. Here are three things to consider when choosing to update your floors. Consider the room  Amsted Design-Build, Ottawa, ON: “Personalized Planning In The Kitchen” (Finalist,…

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How To Find a Professional Contractor

Two people shake hands over blueprints, with a laptop, calculator, tape measure, hard hat, and tools on the table, suggesting a construction or engineering agreement.

How To Find a Professional Contractor “Renovating not only restores a house, it revives the story of the home and its community.” – Unknown For anyone planning a home improvement project, like a kitchen renovation, finding the right contractor for your project can often be bewildering. You want someone who knows what they are doing,…

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Macanta Design Build Saves an Addition Renovation

A house under renovation with new white siding and exposed plywood near the windows, along with construction materials and tape visible on the lower section.

Macanta Design Build Saves an Addition Renovation The writer is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA).   This project involved a rental property that needed renovations to an addition. The planned changes were not complex, and for most professional renovators would have been a relatively small project. There was a 2-storey addition in…

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CCR Building and Remodeling Steps in to Complete Basement Renovation Nightmare

Scaffolding surrounds the exterior of a brick house under construction or renovation, with tools and building materials on the ground nearby and a leafy tree to the right.

CCR Building and Remodeling Steps in to Complete Basement Renovation Nightmare The writer is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA).    This homeowner hired a friend-of-a-friend for a basement renovation and to do some exterior refinishing. Although no contract was signed, an advance payment was made to the “contractor,” and he started work. The…

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How to spend less on heating your home

Four pairs of feet wearing colorful, patterned socks rest in front of a lit fireplace, suggesting a cozy and warm indoor setting.

How to spend less on heating your home Does your house cost a fortune to heat and cool? Should you switch energy sources? Get a new furnace? While all these questions are valid, they are not the most important ones. The main issue is something more basic — how fast does your house lose energy?…

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