"Landscaping"

Landscaping / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Natural swimming pools and ponds

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

How to save money on heating a pool Swimming in a warm pool is a wonderful feeling, and while we hear from many pool owners in the cooler states & provinces that they really enjoy the experience of a warm swim from late spring or early summer through to autumn, the cost of heating their pool can be a major downer, ...

Landscaping

Which are the best bee-friendly & eco-friendly alternatives to grass lawns in backyards?

...landscaping that reduces the need for supplemental water from irrigation. This often involves native plants which are hardy to the area, or drought-resistant flora from regions of low precipitation. Native perennial beds can replace a lawn providing local insect habitat & saving water Sustainable landscaping &...

Landscaping

Urban farming turns beautiful gardens into a grocery store!

...landscaping. Water is a quickly dwindling resource and Canadians and Americans are the highest per capita consumers of water in the world. So anything we can do to reduce water use for decorative purposes has to be a good thing. Rainwater recovery: For home durability, it's important that we properly manage the water c...

Decks, porches and gazebos

Building a deck? Our top tips to make your deck last longer

...landscaping a garden in cold climate zones and your home has a basement, is how to prevent spring thaw basement flooding - so be sure to carefully grade surfaces under decks and the deck itself away from your property to direct snow melt away from the home and basement. The best choices for building deck surfaces - wo...

Greenhouses and Sunrooms / Solariums

How to build a greenhouse in a cold climate

Growing fruits and vegetables all year round in Canada or the colder parts of North America would be wonderful but, sadly, our climate limits us to a few growing months in the summer. And even that would be in the balmier areas of our country; at high altitudes and further north it is difficult to grow any edibles with...

Permeable laneways and patios

Reducing emissions with CO² cured-concrete

A new cement block manufacturing process developed by an American company named Solidia Technologies® produces 40% fewer emissions during manufacturing than conventional concrete, resulting in a dramatically lower environmental footprint. Solidia’s concrete is formulated with less lime and is cured at lower temperature...

Landscaping

Avoiding invasive species when landscaping

...landscaping with native species: Having adapted to their environment (soil, climate, etc.), they do not require irrigation, chemical fertilizers or pesticides and grow easily in poor soil. They are also more resistant to diseases and pest attacks; Naturally pair with native wildlife (they provide shelter and cover for...

Lifestyle and environment

how your diet affects climate change

How does diet affect climate change? Dwindling water is the next big global resource crisis looming over us, and soil depletion isn't far behind. Living in a green home doesn't instantly equate to a low-impact lifestyle, if for example you have a long gas-powered daily commute and you eat a 12 ounce steak every night. ...

Food production

Grow food at home: 8 great tips for growing food in small spaces

...landscaping rock, bricks or any combination thereof. We have a page dedicated to keyhole gardens for more details. For Seeds, Plants, Tools & Gardening products Online with delivery to the door, try here. 5.) The edible landscape, forest gardens and permascaping The art of edible permascaping involves p...

Landscaping

A guide to growing edible perennials.

...landscaping and gardening in the Ecohome Green Building Guide and these pages here: build your own keyhole raised garden bed Which foods grow best in shade? Identify and avoid invasive species when gardening and landscaping All about growing food in small spaces Sign up now for a free Ecohome Membership an...

Natural swimming pools and ponds

Natural pools and natural swimming pools

...landscaping is required as would be with a traditional in-ground pool, which can make the total finished cost of natural pools even more competitive. Depending on the design and size, plan on spending between $10,000 and $70,000, give or take for either type - depending whether you get a professional to help or if you ...