I’ve seen a few articles written about whole house fans, mostly in US magazines and on web sites. Why aren’t they more popular here in Canada? They seem like an economical way to cool a house each evening. Yes, whole…
Our kitchen renovation turned out well, except for the clear silicone caulking around the back splash. It’s already peeling. What can we do? It’s strange that your silicone caulking isn’t holding up well. Are you certain it’s silicone? The most…
We’ve moved into a brand new home and we’re having trouble with a section of the basement we requested be built into a storage area. Liquid water seeps into the room and fuzzy growths are appearing on stored items and…
The vent cover for the range hood duct in our new house has four louvres and is noisy and ineffective. Whenever there’s a strong wind outside I can hear flapping sounds and feel cold air back drafting through the appliance’s…
The paint beneath our south facing windows is peeling on the inside walls, but I don’t know why. Some of it’s coming off in large, wide pieces with plenty of plaster attached. The paint that’s still firm on the wall…
A friend owns a cottage and would like to insulate the roof. The problem is the limited amount of space underneath the ceiling, and the view of the exposed rafters he’d like to preserve. That’s what got us thinking about…
Do you still like the low flow toilets you installed at your place? I came across an old column of yours where you describe this technology and how to install it. I have two toilets in my house of unknown…
Will a 120-volt, 12.5 amp tankless electric water heater fill a large, therapeutic bath tub with hot water? Filling this tub empties my current hot water tank so I’m looking for an alternative. I’ve done a lot of research into…
What kind of subfloor products do you recommend for a basement renovation? I don’t know what to make of the different brands. Basement subfloor tiles appeared on the scene about 10 years ago. I’ve worked with all brands and I…
Laminate flooring came to North America about 20 years ago. I’ve been watching both the flooring and the people who choose it for their homes since then, and I’ve noticed something that’s not found in other flooring choices: there’s a…
What settings should I adjust my new heat recovery ventilator (HRV) to? I had a unit installed in my tightly constructed new house, but I find that running it continuously at low or medium makes the house too dry. The…
Can I use spray foam to insulate the underside of the open roof on my 600 sq. ft. cottage? I understand that roof ventilation isn’t necessary in this case. Is this correct? Yes, is the short answer to your question….