UPDATED 13Feb2020: Many homeowners love finished basements, but the way finished basement floors are typically installed is out of date and often leads to cold feet in winter and musty indoor air in summer. Too many basement floors are still […]
Continue ReadingLOUD BANGS DURING COLD WEATHER?: Understanding Why Houses Go Bump in the Night
Does your house make booming sounds during cold winter nights? Do unexplained seasonal gaps appear along the tops of interior walls, especially near the centre of your home? Thousands of new houses exhibit worrying symptoms like these, and the cause […]
Continue ReadingPASSIVE HOUSES: What They Are & How They Work
Finding new ways to save energy has become an important part of the social dialogue in North America. When the lens is turned to the home, the conversation sometimes revolves around green heating and cooling technologies. People are encouraged to […]
Continue ReadingSOUNDPROOF FLOORING: Rubber Underlay Keeps Foot Sounds Down
Canada’s Handiest Man, Steve Maxwell discusses a flooring rubber underlay to aid in soundproofing.
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SOUNDPROOFING A BASEMENT WORKSHOP: Technical Details & Videos
Got unwanted noise spilling over from one room to the next in your home? Peace, quiet and solitude is something we all expect from our homes, but many don’t deliver. This is especially true if you’ve got a workshop in your basement. […]
Continue ReadingSOLAR ENERGY Q&A: “Where Can I Learn More About Household Solar Energy?
Q: Where can I learn more about making solar energy a reality in a country home I’m planning to build? I need facts about the costs of various parts of the system, different suppliers and technologies, plus some sense of maintenance […]
Continue ReadingMETALWORKING: Welding Homemade Steel Staircase
UPDATED 3Jan2020: A while back we built a set of compact stairs for a small space here at our place on Bailey Line Road, making videos during the process. Click above to watch the main steel body of this stair project […]
Continue ReadingHOW TO BUILD STAIRS: Watch Video Lesson on Cutting Stringers
In this week’s two-video episode see how stairs are supported on notched pieces called “stringers”; determine how many treads you need for a given stair installation; accurately mark a stringer for cutting; take a video tour of a cherry stair railing.
a circular saw and handsaw are used for cutting the stringers you’ve marked
the second video below shows how to build a fancy staircase railing
TIMBER FRAME HOME: Canadian Craftsman Keeps Tradition Alive & Flourishing
Every so often I discover someone whose passion for craftsmanship is strong enough to endure a lifetime spent doing something else. That’s why Ottawa, Canada timber framer Ray Gibbs is worth meeting. He spent a 34-year career working as an […]
Continue ReadingELECTRIC IN-FLOOR HEATING: Toastier Toes Make Rooms More Comfortable
UPDATED 20Dec2019 + video: The phrase “cold feet” is more than just something someone says when they’ve lost enthusiasm. In some houses it’s a permanent source of literal discomfort each winter. Bathrooms, basements, floors over crawlspaces and those notoriously cold […]
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