Why ICFs are something to wine about

If you store your wines in the kitchen cupboard or under the stairs, your full bodied reds will be wilting in the summer heat. Temperature control is key to preserving the integrity of your wine. Use environmentally friendly green building technology to create the ultimate wine cellar that will be cheap to build and cost almost nothing to run.

Whether you are converting part of your basement, or building yourself a new cellar, ICFs provide the most stable and cost effective alternative for an above ground or underground cellar. ICFs reduce build time and require less skilled labour which reduces construction costs. ICFs provide insulation with an expanded polystyrene (EPS) exterior and thermal mass with a concrete core. The ICF blocks fit together like building blocks and the concrete is poured into the steel reinforced center. This means that the walls have no vacant spots where rodents can enjoy the bounty of your cheese and wine socials. Read more

How to get your green home LEED certified

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system which determines just how environmentally friendly a building is. The system was adopted in order to measure the efficiency of sustainable green building practices and materials. Intended as a universal standard for performance criteria for materials and techniques utilized in green buildings, the rating system was implemented in Canada in 2009.

The LEED certification system examines buildings holistically; rating their performance in:

• Energy and atmosphere
• Location and linkages
• Water efficiency
• Awareness and education
• Materials and resources
• Innovation
• Site selection and sustainable development
• Indoor environmental quality

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Choosing a Contractor for your Green Home

Building a house is one of the most important investments you will make. Hiring an inexperienced green building contractor may cost less initially, but you will pay for it in the long run. Many green building techniques and materials are state-of-the-art and contractors have not had enough experience with them to do a good job. If your contractor has been ‘building this way for 20 years’, he’s probably not the right man for the job. But how, exactly, does one tell the good from the bad and the ugly? Read more

Government rebates and green mortgages have made energy efficient homes accessible to all. Now that you can afford it, making your home more energy efficient is a no brainer. Investments that streamline your energy consumption pay for themselves in a couple of years and then proceed to save you a fortune in utility costs. With utility bills poised to double before 2015, there has never been a better time to save yourself some green and help the environment too. Read more