About Me
And My Green Home Project

Gina with computer



My name is Gina and I have been passionate about houses ever since I acquired my first property in 1973. (Please don't do the math!)

Since then, I have owned, built and renovated homes in Montreal (Quebec), London (Ontario), Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo (Mexico), and in New Brunswick, where I now live.

I am also a permaculture designer. From 1995 until my return to Canada in 2003, I worked on permaculture-based sustainable community development projects in Central Mexico.

I mention this because permaculture is the driving force behind my desire to live as sustainably as possible, starting with my house.

I decided to share my affordable green home renovation adventures -- good, bad and in-between -- with everyone because I couldn't identify with any of the remodeling projects (green or otherwise) that I saw online.

I figured that there must be other homeowners out there who were facing the same frustrations and they might need some encouragement.

In my previous life I was also a chef and restaurant owner, so now I have a food blog, called The Cook's Corner Blog. Come and visit me there!

About This Website

When the time came to create this website, I looked everywhere for a system that didn't require me to take a course in website design, or pay someone thousands of dollars to do the work for me.

You see, even though I'd owned computers for decades, I did not know a single thing about HTML or Java, or CSS, or anything. In fact, those things scared me to death!

The only system that fit the bill was, and still is, SiteBuildIt!

Why? Because with SiteBuildIt!, for a very reasonable investment you get all the tools you need, no experience required, no need to add "plug-ins" or accessories -- it's all included.

All that, and the best support out there. Bar none!

And a forum to put all other forums to shame.

But don't take my word for it: look at these testimonials from other passionate "SBIers" who are realizing their dreams, and even making money -- lots of it in many cases. (My website is too young to be one of those but I have every reason to be optimistic – just take a look at the screen shot of my traffic statistics, below.)

Anyway, take a look at the testimonials, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do my best to answer them and if I can't, I'll refer you to the right place.

Oh, and don't let that fancy new computer behind me put you off: over 90% of this site was built on a 12-inch laptop!

Happy site building to you!

Site Build It!


If you want to know more about how this works, just drop me a note on my contact form.

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POPULAR PAGES


Vapor barrier thumbnail for right column SEAL UP THE HOUSE
The what, where and how-to of our complete vapor barrier installation.

White spray foam insulation INVEST IN SPRAY FOAM INSULATION
Our insulation project uses two kinds of foam. You may need both too.

Basement stairs: New stairs MOVE THE STAIRS
Moving a staircase? It's easy! Watch this step by step stair project how-to from top to bottom. (All puns intended!)

Home insulation: Duct encased in blue spray foam insulation PILE ON THE INSULATION
Looking for ways to save energy? Home insulation should be high on your list of priorities. Get the facts.

Folding attic ladder label ANOTHER STAIR STORY
We took out the stairs to the second floor, so now how do we get up there? A folding attic ladder supplies the answer.

Drilling a water well: capped well for TOC TAP THE EARTH FOR WATER
We prospect for water by ancient means and lo! water appears. See it happening, step-by-step.

Zoom-out icon DOWNSIZE YOUR LIFE
Are you serious about reducing  your impact on the environment? Start by downsizing your home! See how I did it -- and why.

Solar energy for homes: sun and solar panels LEARN ABOUT SOLAR ENERGY
If you thought solar energy was only about solar panels, think again... and read this article by solar energy expert Michael Martinez.


COMMENTS

...I clicked to your site and found a great wealth of information. I'm about the least tool oriented person there is around, but I'm passionate about many of the topics you write about. And I find the writing to be very well done and informative even for a non-handy person like me. Well done.
Dean
Prague, Czech Republic

I would just like to thank you for maintaining this resource. It's essential that information about environmental issues are easily and broadly accessible.
Steve
United States

Thank you so much for sharing your exquisitely well-told stories! I have spent the last 2 hours reading the whole saga, and I appreciate all of the detail that went into your decision making. I hope you are enjoying your green home with cozy surroundings and energy efficiency.
Candice
Unites States
Thank you for taking the time to write down your experiences. It is truly a valuable service.
Rajiv
United States
Thanks for all the info on this site, it is very thorough.
Marie
United States
Very well documented and I appreciate the work and the effort you have put into this.
Brian
Canada
Hey! Just wanted to compliment you on your site! I'm a new, first time homeowner, with a dirt crawlspace and have searched for hours on how to set it up.

Living here in Montreal, and the conditions aren't easy on a house and this site sure helped to answer some questions.

Thank you for displaying your work and experience!
Bannon
Canada
Have to say I absolutely love your site. Really complete, well thought out, and has me clicking from page to page...
Marcus
Spain

BACKGROUND

A few years ago, I bought this fixer-upper for $10,000.

It had been vacant for six years, had no water supply, needed a new roof, and was likely to conceal an unsuspected number of nasty flaws.

Don't believe me? See these "Before" pictures.

My intention was to turn into as "green" as home as I could, within my physical, financial, and geographical limits – and to share this adventure with you, step-by-step and dollar-by-dollar.

I'm not quite finished, but I do have a few "After" pictures to show.

If you want to follow me on this exciting adventure, you can subscribe to this site by RSS feed -- see the box below the navigation bar on the left.