Green Home Blog

Got Your Gutters Up Yet?

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:15:43 GMT

It's nearly July, it rains almost daily, yet too many homes are still without a gutter system. What gives? I got mine two years ago, and I'm soooo glad I did. See it here.

New Pages You Don't Want To Miss!

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:17:54 GMT

IF YOU HAVEN'T VISITED My Green Home Project lately, you've missed these new pages:

See you there!

Another Reason for Going Organic

Fri, 28 May 2010 21:31:05 GMT

There is a myriad reasons for going organic in the garden, but one that is often overlooked is the fact that if you don't you may be poisoning pets and wildlife. This spring, a family of red foxes have made their home in my rhubarb patch. I have been watching their antics from my kitchen window, so glad that neither the rhubarb nor the big apple tree next to it ever get sprayed. Want more reasons for going organic? See here.

Improving Yard Drainage Could Dry Out Your Basement

Thu, 20 May 2010 17:26:15 GMT

This step-by-step report shows how improving yard drainage is not as complicated or expensive as you might fear.

Tired Of Your Damp Basement? Hate Your Leaky Basement? Five Strategies For You.

Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:54 GMT

Five strategies to get rid of your damp basement

A Gutter system Can Prolong The Life of Your Home; Here's Why, How and How Much

Tue, 11 May 2010 11:23:29 GMT

Have you ever wondered why it's important to have a gutter system on your home? Would you like to install it yourself? The answers are here.

Are You Eating Green?

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:30:52 GMT

Today, I had my first dandelion salad of the season. What's that got to do with a green home project? Just that living green has a lot more to it than an energy-efficient house. It includes shopping and eating locally, and what could be more local than the wild foods found in your back yard? Dandelion salad is a traditional European treat; there, people grow dandelion greens in their vegetable gardens. Yes, deliberately! Dandelion greens are diuretic, high in potassium, and have several other medicinal properties. And they taste great. Here's the classic French recipe I used today:

Pick dandelion greens before the flowers appear
Wash them in several changes of water
For each pound of greens, fry 3 oz of chopped bacon; when it's crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon
Add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar to the pan and stir
Pour the hot vinaigrette over the dandelion greens
Mix well, taste and add salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle the bacon on top
Eat while still warm
A bit of raw garlic and/or chopped onion can be added

Delicious!

Going organic in your garden: a quick guide.

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:13:50 GMT

Planning on going organic in your garden? Wondering where to start? You've come to the right place!

A Submersible Well Pump For My Green Home's New Water Well

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:23:08 GMT

How to get water from well to faucet? With a submersible well pump. Installation required a specialist: see my step-by-step pictures of the whole process.

Demise of Canadian EcoENERGY Grant Program Is Announced

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:54:49 GMT

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT

"March 31, 2010

Effective today, the ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes program is no longer accepting bookings for pre-retrofit evaluations. The program will continue to be administered until March 31, 2011. If you have already booked an appointment for a pre-retrofit evaluation, have completed an evaluation or applied for re-entry to the program, you remain eligible to apply for a grant.
Deadline for Post-Retrofit Evaluation

It is suggested that you complete your energy upgrades well in advance to allow enough time for your post-retrofit evaluation, as all post-retrofit evaluations must be completed by March 31, 2011. Contact the energy advisor that is listed on your pre-retrofit evaluation report or contact a licensed service organization and provide them with your file number. For more information, refer to the questions and answers."

For more details, visit the Canadian Government's website.
For details about my own adventure with this program, the following link will take you to my Energy Audit page.

My Second Door Blower Test

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:15:33 GMT

What did my second door blower test reveal? Did I get those government energy efficiency grants? Find out here.

For energy efficiency incentives, New Brunswick residents have quite a choice.

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:53:27 GMT

Chances are there's an incentives program just for you here.

Your Green Home Questions Are Answered Here

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:17:01 GMT

Visitors' questions about green homes are posted here, along with our answers

Third And Last Passive Solar Experiment

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:13:35 GMT

I was waiting for a really cold day to carry out one last experiment to share with you.

Sunday, January 23 was a perfect day, with a temperature of -19 degrees C (that's -2.2 degrees F) at 10 AM and the promise of a sunny day from the weather man.

I wanted to find out if I could repeat the previous results at extremely low temperatures.

Read the result here.

Tiling Kitchen At Long Last

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:13:06 GMT

You know you're close to the finish line when there's a man in your kitchen and he's wielding a trowel!

Now that the dishwasher had been installed, it was time to apply the kitchen backsplash tiles.

The white subway tiles remind me of my childhood, when all the bathrooms I knew had this type of tile on the walls.

Going Organic Made Easy

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:17:08 GMT

Are you thinking of growing some veggies this summer?

The time to plan (or maybe plant, if you're in the other hemisphere!) is now.

And this is the year for going organic.

With an expert's help, we have put together a short guide to help you get started.

You'll find it at http://www.my-green-home-project.com/going-organic.html

A passive solar house costs less to heat. See how we proved it.

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:09:41 GMT

You could have a passive solar house and not know it! Try this test and find out.

Another Use for Leftover Foil Insulation

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:34:48 GMT

I've found another use for the reflective foil insulation that was leftover after the foil insulation project.

I figured if it was good for water heater jackets it would make a great additional layer of insulation on the built-in dishwasher when we installed it yesterday.

It will serve a double purpose: it will help reflect the heat back (that's why the shiny side is facing the dishwasher), and also keep the noise down.

Waste not, want not!

Does Global Warming Exist? Yes It Does, And Here's Why

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:49:10 GMT

A quick overview of the subject of global warming, how it affects us, and what we can do about it

A stair remodeling project that involves moving stairs to a new location.

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:42:58 GMT

Ever thought of moving a staircase? It's easy! Watch this homeowner's step by step stair remodeling how-to explanations.

Home insulation is one of the best ways to save energy

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:35:36 GMT

Let's simplify this complicated subject by answering the questions I was asking myself about home insulation when I embarked on my green project.

Vapor Barrier Installation Is The Key To A Tight, Energy-Efficient House

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:37:45 GMT

The system that creates a tight house envelope must include vapor barrier installation.

A Folding Attic Ladder For My Green Home

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:47:27 GMT

We install a folding attic ladder to provide easy and safe access to the attic space.

We Are Featured on Loving Nature's Garden

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:56:05 GMT

I am honored to have been asked to be this week's guest blogger on the great green blog Loving Nature's Garden. The article is out today. Check it out here or...

Foil Insulation For My Green Kitchen

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:58 GMT

Foil insulation will add R-4 to my north-facing kitchen. See it, step-by-step.

Water Heater Jacket Installation, Step-By-Step

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:38:40 GMT

You can make your own water heater jacket to save money and conserve energy

Solar Energy For Homes: Solar Energy Possibilities For Your Green Home

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:01:18 GMT

Get the facts about solar energy for homes and what are the energy possibilities for your own green home

Remodeling Costs of my Green Home, Dollar by Dollar and Step by Step

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:01:48 GMT

You can have a green home, even on a modest budget! Green remodeling costs CAN be reasonable, as this homeowner demonstrates.

Too Cold To Work Outside?

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:21:27 GMT

Time to get ready for cold-weather projects! Interior deconstruction is a good example...

Moving Into My Green Home

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:27:34 GMT

Yes, this is every bit what it seems - I have moved in (a month early)! And now, to roll up the old sleeves and add the finishing touches. And, hopefully, to find the time to fill you in on all that's been happening in the last few months. So do keep checking back! Meanwhile, with Winter huffing and puffing at the door, why don't you head on over to my home insulation pages? I have gathered there, for your benefit, everything that I have learned and applied about insulation over the past two years.

The Suspense Is Over - Well, Almost

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:53:45 GMT

Notice Anything Different?

First blower door test, November 2007

Second blower door test, July 2009

The first picture shows how all the fan's rings had to be taken out to compensate for the many leaks in the house. (It first appeared on my Energy Audit page.)

In the second picture, all the rings were left in because after all the insulating and air sealing the number of leaks was minimal.

The final report - which is yet to come - will reveal the new number of air changes per hour (the initial one was 16.22) and this will have an effect on the amount of the grant that I will receive.

Stay tuned...

May & June Numbers Are In

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:56:30 GMT

Ouch! Visit the Dollar by Dollar page and then scroll down to see the latest expense reports (sheets 11 and 12).

The End Is Near

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:58:51 GMT

The summer rains have been letting up just enough to allow us to apply the missing siding to the sunroom and kitchen-dinette areas.

Just one more day outdoors and we can move in and finish floors and trim.

Yes indeed, the end is near...

Yep! That's My New Kitchen Going In

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:25:20 GMT

It's been nine long months since the rebuilding of the kitchen-dinette walls.

But this week, at last, the cabinets were delivered (pun intended!) and I was able to take this picture:

Stay tuned for the full install details...

Yep! That's My New Kitchen Going In

Sun, 31 May 2009 10:54:37 GMT

It's been nine long months since the rebuilding of the kitchen-dinette walls.

But this week, at last, the cabinets were delivered (pun intended!) and I was able to take this picture:

Stay tuned for the full install details...

The Fruits Of Deconstruction

Fri, 22 May 2009 11:22:11 GMT

Remember the picture on the left? It's from my Deconstruction page.

Well, the time has come to start reusing some of the trim that we salvaged back then.

We started by applying some of the casing to the sunroom-office windows, as you can see in the right-hand photo.

It's a very satisfying feeling!

The First Dandelions Of The Season

Sat, 09 May 2009 21:16:17 GMT

Pick dandelion greens before the flowers appear
Wash them in several changes of water
For each pound of greens, fry 3 oz of chopped bacon; when it's crisp, remove it with a slotted spoon
Add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar to the pan and stir
Pour the hot vinaigrette over the dandelion greens
Mix well, taste and add salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle the bacon on top
Eat while still warm
A bit of raw garlic and/or chopped onion can be added

Delicious!

Cool, Clear Water!

Wed, 06 May 2009 15:59:18 GMT

The only thing that's more exciting than the first water from your new well is the first water from your own rainwater harvesting system. The latter is not a possibility for me at this time, so last summer we drilled a new water well for my green home. And yesterday, the pump was connected and this fine, clean water came out.
Visit this page to read the story of that new well, step-by-step...

EEEK! I've Passed the $50,000 Mark!

Fri, 01 May 2009 16:30:07 GMT

I've been so busy with the construction lately that I've neglected filling out and uploading the monthly and quarterly expense reports. This morning was too rainy to provide any excuses, so I caught up with that chore. The big shock came when I did the first quarter for 2009. Here's the bottom line: You see, this optimist firmly believed that this project would come in under $50,000. If you click on the permalink, then scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can see the February, March and April reports, as well as the January-March quarterly report in full. I look forward to your messages of encouragement...

Folding attic ladders are the neatest invention

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:59:15 GMT

Once upon a time there was a two-storey house... which is now a one-storey house with an attic and a folding attic ladder...

Vapor barrier is the key to a tight, energy-efficient house

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:54:02 GMT

I never thought I could get excited about vapor barriers, but as I researched the steps required to make my house truly energy efficient, I soon realized that as an integral part of the system required for a tight house envelope, that layer of translucent plastic (or foil-covered bubble plastic) had an immense role to play...

Redesigning a home in the suburbs

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:16:16 GMT

The homeowner, Richard Telford, uses permaculture principles to transform a rundown old bungalow on a small suburban block - and does it with a very tight budget...