We love green walls, but the economic reality of the project is that we could not afford a pre-manufactured option.  Instead, we decided to get a similar affect by lining a vertical element in the stairwell with plants.
We have…

In the late fall, we finally installed the green roof modules on the shed and a small part of the upper main roof.  In the spring, we will do the remaining green roof section on the upper roof, which is…

Just a quick note on performance in January.
We used 2172 kWh from the grid, and only produced 110kWh.  So, the balance for the month is 2062kWh.
This compares to a modeled consumption of 1298 kWh.   A very long…

We have lot’s of people inquiring about the performance of the house this winter.  The only month that we have reliable data for is December, because prior to December we still had a lot of work going on and people…

Certainly one of the more complicated aspects of our project was the stairs.  They serve a fairly critical function in a 3-storey house with a roof deck on top, but they are also the primary architectural element on the interior.…

In earlier posts we explained that we were using re-claimed Ash for our flooring, window sills, and steps.  We just wanted to post some pictures of the install in process, and the final product.  We have 4 widths and random…

Following the fire, life became overwhelming – insurance companies, more construction delays, additional specialty contractors, kids back to school, temporary housing, etc., etc., etc.  So, updating the blog dropped off the priority list.
However, the project is now pretty much…

We were feeling very close to the finish line a week ago.  The reclaimed Ash floors were being finished with a beautiful coat of AFM Safecoat Natural Oil and Wax (see http://www.afmsafecoat.com/downloads/acjyox4016%20Naturals%20Oil%20Wax%20Finish%20data%2008.pdf)
This product is primarily linseed oil, and the…

The finish carpenters are now hard at work.  Crafting Visions is doing this work for us  - and they have been terrific. (See www.craftingvisions.ca)  They built all the rooftop planter boxes, the balcony deck, and roof deck.  Indoors, they have…

We won’t dwell on the negative, but the stairs on this project have been a serious challenge.  They are not complicated, nor expensive, but they are “out of the ordinary” enough that we had no end of problems finding a…