Architecture & Design

What is a 3D printed House? What are the pros & cons of 3D printing homes? Ecohome takes a detailed look at the printed home idea using new technologies and gives its verdict on this innovative construction technique that is very popular in the media. We've seen more and more headlines calling 3D Printed homes, "the…

Home destruction vs. home survival in wildfires point to embers and small flames control as the main thing to help prevent homes igniting in wildfires. Here are some tips for homeowners & builders to prepare homes to withstand wildfires. Let’s start by pointing out that this post is mostly about fire coming from…

Architect-Designed contemporary homes always attract attention - especially ones that are super efficient, stunningly beautiful and that ooze quality - But the Abri range is all that and more - It's Affordable too. Exceptional Prefab Eco Homes - introducing the Abri range These ultra high performance prefabricated…

Prefab homes make choosing an Architect designed LEED or Passive House high performance house design easy. All the important choices of non-toxic Sustainable materials have been made, add a building lot & in a few months you're home & dry (& warm!). Prefab Home kits are ideal for Passive House or LEED certified…

Design ideas and home-durability measures to help families and homes withstand a changing climate. Future-proofing homes: Our society has a collective trust in its commercial building industry to provide us with homes that we assume meet some realistic standard of resilience. They do to an extent, but a very minor…

Planning and budget tips for home building and renovating. 1. Make a realistic budget and schedule: This is, without a doubt, the starting point to a successful build - don’t underestimate the time and money it will take to complete a build or renovation. Even professional contractors tend to underestimate the costs…

Advice from a green building project manager: how to develop a construction budget and stick to it. The following is an interview with Patrick Ranger, General Manager at Belvedair , a construction company specializing in the design and construction of green homes. Patrick is trained in business administration and…

Living in a recycled shipping container home may not be all its cracked up to be. Here is a look at the ups and downs of this housing trend, and whether we think shipping container homes are good or bad as a tiny home choice. Shipping container homes are gaining popularity globally, especially as Tiny Houses , as…

Despite the good intentions, Earthships in cold climates can't work because they contradict the laws of physics. I'm not the Mike Reynolds who invented the Earthship, I'm the Mike Reynolds who thinks Earthships in Canada and other cold climates are a bad idea. A coincidence of names; just putting that out there so…

Understanding building science basics will help you design and build durable and efficient wall systems, in this instance LEED Platinum v4. LEED Platinum V4 Wall Design: Building Science The wall we designed for the Edelweiss house, Canada's first LEED Platinum V4 Home is best categorized as a 'REMOTE' wall, a high…

Professional energy raters use HOT2000, an energy modeling program designed to determine the energy consumption of buildings. Mindscape Innovations is a sustainable design firm from Kitchener, Ontario that has developed a free online version for the rest. Energy modeling is a process for determining the approximate…

The Awards recognize excellence in the design & execution of all types of sustainably-designed, high-performance Canadian residential & non-residential buildings & interiors, both new & renovated. Ecohome are collaborating with SABMag, here's more info. It's that time of year again, when Architects, Designers and…

The federal government has proposed a groundbreaking solution to the Canadian housing crisis: the establishment of a standardized home directory. Ecohome would like to see the accent on performance and sustainability. In Canada, the pursuit of homeownership faces formidable challenges, including escalating…

High performance energy efficient homes help to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool them, but this is only half of the story! The embodied carbon in the construction is also important, especially when building mid-rise high density homes. Embodied & operational carbon comparison for mid-rise…

Handing over the keys to the new owners of a LEED home built by students and donated to Habitat for Humanity. Our House is the story of a small town united around the construction of an exemplary home. After being awarded with the ‘Prix d'excellence’ at the end of 2017 by the Public Administrator of Quebec (the…