What are my options for getting power to a cottage I’m building? Neighbouring property owners don’t want hydro poles on their land, and going underground is too expensive. Off-the-grid power systems are more practical and affordable than ever, and the…
What’s the best container to store carrots in my root cellar? Will plastic do or must I use metal? We’ve just moved into a house with a cellar below the front porch and I’m really excited about storing food for…
How can I expand the living space in my house on a tight budget? We are a family of five and my middle child is 9 years old and has a serious illness involving medical equipment and support workers. As…
What kind of inexpensive exterior wall siding can I install on top of the painted roll roofing that’s above the two doors of my garage? What’s there now has lasted two decades, but needs replacing. If you’re happy with the…
What’s the life expectancy of skylights? Mine are 25 years old, they’re leaking, and a roofer hasn’t been able to fix the problem. Where can I turn for reliable skylight replacement? I’m a single woman and don’t want to be…
What’s the best way to insulate the sloped second floor ceilings of my 1949 storey-and-a-half double-brick house? There are three options that I know of: The baffle method is time consuming to create, but good because it allows air movement…
How can I stop a strip of condensation from forming on one wall of my bathroom during cold weather? It always happens after a shower, and I think it’s caused by a cast iron plumbing vent directly behind the wall…
What’s the most economical method of heating a new home I’m planning to build electric infloor heating or an electric boiler of floor mats? Natural gas isn’t available on my lot and I don’t want to burn oil or wood….
What’s the best way to stop drafts from coming in around the new recessed light fixtures I’ve had installed? The electrician was careful to replace the insulation around each ceiling box but it didn’t do much good. Can I apply…
What’s the best product to use for finishing the interior of pine windows? I want to leave the wood its natural colour, and I’m thinking of either waterbased urethane or tung oil. Which do you recommend? The interior surface of…
What’s the best way for me to learn how to create a rural homestead for myself? I’m a 23 year old college student and I want to move to the country and produce as much as I can for myself…
Are sealed, unventilated attics a good idea? There’s a fair amount of debate on the topic, with some engineering folks claiming the advantages of insulating the underside of the roof deck with spray foam. This is a big change from…