The best time for ageless design is now By: greening homes

October 28, 2024
Accessible Home, Planning a Renovation

How long do you think you’ll live in your home? Will it accommodate you and your family as you age or have a disability? Recently, Yvonne Bambrick, Greening Homes’ Managing Director, and I completed the Adaptiv Home Design course through the Canada Home Builders Association (CHBA). This course is new and long overdue. For years […]

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This multi-generational design-build offers a creative solution to affordable housing and is eco-friendly By: greening homes

July 22, 2024
Alternative housing, Green Materials, Resource Efficiency, Site Stories

Over the past few years, I’ve seen an uptick in inquiries about renovating for multi-generational homes. This isn’t a surprise.  More homeowners or would-be homeowners are finding creative solutions to secure affordable housing for themselves, family and friends. This may involve dividing their house into separate quarters with a shared space or building a laneway […]

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Green building is responsible building at the 2024 National Home Show By: greening homes

April 29, 2024
Community, Green Materials, Planning a Renovation

The term “green building” conjures up a lot of things for a variety of people. What I hope stands out is that green building is responsible building. In addition to having a minimum impact on your health and environment, it should minimize problems down the line. Green building is a sound building practice that provides […]

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The Green Building Learning Zone comes to the National Home Show! By: greening homes

March 1, 2024
Community, Green Materials, Planning a Renovation, Resource Efficiency

I am very excited to announce that the Green Building Learning Zone (GBLZ) is coming to the National Home Show, March 8-10 and March 13-17 at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place. What is the Green Building Learning Zone? It is the bringing together of Ontario’s best and brightest residential green building experts in a collaborative […]

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It’s December! Time to think spring By: greening homes

December 1, 2023
Planning a Renovation

December means holidays. It also means spring renovations, at least for me. I’m fielding a lot of questions from those of you hoping to start major renovation projects in April or May. This timeframe is feasible if you have architectural plans in hand. However, even if you checked all the boxes with your architect, you […]

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Safeguarding a breath of indoor fresh air By: greening homes

September 1, 2023
Indoor Health

For several days this summer, Toronto’s air quality was the worst in the world due to wildfire smoke from northern Ontario and Quebec. We were advised to stay indoors if we could and use a HEPA filter to remove any smoke-related particulate matter that entered the home.  A HEPA filter removes other particulates as well, […]

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Weatherproofing your home for a changing climate By: greening homes

June 1, 2023
Water Protection

On July 8, Toronto will mark the ten-year anniversary of the great rainstorm that cost the city $65 million. You may recall submerged cars on the Don Valley Parkway. According to Toronto’s Future Weather and Climate Driver Study, in just 20 years Toronto can expect an average 4.4 C increase in annual temperatures, and more […]

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Renovating in a time of high inflation By: greening homes

March 1, 2023
Planning a Renovation

If you’ve been thinking about renovating your home and are wondering what to do when inflation remains high and a mild recession is in the cards, you are not alone.   It’s important to keep in mind that the low interest rates and soaring housing market of the recent past were an anomaly. The days of […]

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