"how to install siding"

how to install siding / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Heating and cooling

Heat pumps: Ground source geothermal GSHP or air source ASHP, what's the difference?

...to the outside air during the cooling season, potentially worsening the urban heat island, while GSHPs reject heat to the ground to be stored for the next heating season. The shared social good of a GSHP in this context is without a doubt real, but would be difficult to monetize. The initial cost of installing ASHP sys...

Natural swimming pools and ponds

Heating a Swimming Pool - Top 10 Cost-Efficient & Eco-friendly ways to heat a pool

...How can I reduce the cost of heating my swimming pool?” There are clearly two factors here – just like when heating a home. On one hand we need to consider how to reduce the cost of the energy used to heat the pool, on the other hand we need to consider how to reduce the amount of heat a pool loses and therefore needs....

Slab on Grade

Slab-on-grade construction: the Ecohome A to Z Slab building guide

...to establish how to seat the footing for the foundations. Soil tests will often be ordered to determine how to proceed. On expansive clay, unknown soils or infill, engineers will sometimes insist on the construction of a compacted rubble trench to support the loads of the foundation. In this case, a trench is dug aroun...

Wall assemblies - renovation

Winter preparation for your home - are you ready for the cold?

...how to install windows properly so they don't leak air Air leaks are easiest to find when it's cold and windy outside, so take advantage of those times to do some troubleshooting. Be sure to get the right caulking for the surfaces you are attempting to seal - be it wood, plastic, metal or stone. Different products bond...

Natural swimming pools and ponds

Natural pools and natural swimming pools

...toes, not more: According to Mick Hilleary, pond specialist and founder of Total Habitat, moving water and the natural predators of mosquito larvae that will inhabit chlorine-free water will make natural swimming pools practically mosquito free. In addition, having a natural swimming pond in your yard can actually work...

Lifestyle, location and commuting

Creating a farm and building a resilient lifestyle

...tove if we need to. Moving our focus outdoors As the cold of winter gradually ceded control to the sunshine of spring, I was only too ready to turn my attention to the out-of-doors. I had been thinking a lot about resilience and what exactly that meant for a rural landowner. We had done a good job with the house, and w...

Waste management

How to dispose of construction waste responsibly

...to a minimum the materials you send to the landfill and learn how to dispose of waste responsibly. The best way to reduce waste is to plan ahead to keep it at a minimum; here are some suggestions on how you can do that: Design your house with reduced waste in mind by keeping the plans at sensible dimensions. If you ...

Architecture and plan design

How to design for thermal comfort in a home

...to installers instead of engineers trained in that discipline. Installers are not trained on how to design a comprehensive home-comfort delivery system, they are trained on how to install them only. Don't have your engineer install a system, and don't have your installer engineer a system. Leaving the heating system de...

Roof coverings

How to choose the best roofing materials

...to the air when exposed to sunlight, and because they are usually dark in colour they contribute to the ‘heat island effect’ of higher temperatures in urban areas. Each year 11 million tons of shingles go to U.S. landfills, which amounts to an estimated 8% of total construction waste. Shingles are the default roof cove...

Paints, finishes and natural coatings

How to find a healthier wood finish

...to interior air quality and health. For this reason non-toxic wood floor finishing oils are gaining in popularity. There are a lot of benefits to oiled floors, especially with softwood which are prone to damage - it's very easy to touch up an oiled floor, especially when compared to a varnished one. Environmental impac...

Off-grid and Net-Zero Housing

A Toronto Off-grid home 20 years later; how did it fare? How could it be optimized?

...to the outdoors to keep the home cooler. It did work to some degree but not perfectly, so eventually they switched to a conventional highly-efficient fridge. All homeowners should also learn to organize their fridges to reduce food waste with our useful guide here. Paloheimo spoke of it in an interview with the Toront...