12 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Green Building Product

A green building product better begin as a good product. Here’s what to look for before diving deeper into a product’s green claims. While the industry has made real progress in providing us with…

Feng Shui and Green Living, the Perfect Pair

Green living and green design are about living in harmony with our environment. Feng Shui is about living in balance and harmony with your environment. Feng Shui has been green all along! Feng Shui…

Tofino home wins provincial green award

Source: Stefania Seccia, Westerly News, Published: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Winners from the first-ever Built Green BC Awards were announced last weekend and among them was a home from……

Reduce, Reuse, Renovate

This is a great blog post from Calgary Realtors Michele and Shawn Duce: You may not have purchased a green home, but every time you undertake a remodeling project, you have the opportunity to make…

Solar Ready Basics

With the greening of many building codes, "solar readiness"  is creeping into the code. What does this mean and what is involved? In speaking with a number of builders, this is not as complicated as…

Step inside this fairy-tale garden shed

Are you an insufferable romantic? While "cordwood masonry" sheds employ a building method of days gone by, they still have an unmistakeable charm. This cordwood shed is a particularly charming and…

Spanish Eco-Lighting Shines

Sneak peek of some energy-efficient lighting solutions from Interior Design From Spain OUTDOOR LIGHTING We know that Spain falls on the more fortunate side of Mother Nature, but many of us have to…

Manitoba leads way in energy conservation

Article from the Brandon Sun, August 30, 2010 by Mike Moore THE Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance recently released its 8th annual report card and Manitoba led the country for the fourth straight…

Zero Energy Homes—Affordable Zero Energy and Net Zero Homes Are Now Available and Viable

At DrummondHousePlans, we strive to educate ourselves and share information regarding building trends and technology advancements. We encountered this article in Ideal Living Magazine and thought it…

The Future of Solar?

Dwell Product article: The Brooklyn–based start-up SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) was formed in 2005 by the brother and sister team of Samuel and Teresita Cochran. Their goal: to…

Built Green Canada Helps Renovators Build Green

Source: Financial Post - Business Wire, July 21, 2010 Built Green Canada – which earlier this year expanded across Canada – has increased the options for green building practices by introducing a…

Insulate your house – for comfort in all seasons!

It seems ironic to be in the middle of a heat wave and thinking insulation, but did you know that a well-insulated home will keep you more comfortable year round - and result in energy savings for…

Plan of the Week – “Charming single-level living!”

www.DrummondHousePlans.com - Plan # 3949-V1 This bright and cheery bungalow is surprisingly feature-rich, given its economical size. Ideal as a first home, a down-sizer for baby boomers, or a…

Plan of the Week – “Versatile Narrow Design”

The Murphy www.DrummondHousePlans.com - Plan # 2933 Much like the Murphy Bed, our Murphy is a wondrous bit of efficiency and flexibility. A slender 24-foot width allows it to be slipped onto infill…

NASA’s top ten indoor plants for healthy housing

Even in huge, busy cities, outdoor air is cleaner and preferable to indoor air. Why is that? One reason is that trees and plants are constantly cleaning the air outside. This suggests that the…

Water conservation to be built into (Alberta) code

Being from BC, we had always thought of ourselves as being the true stewards of the environment. However, our neighbors due East are giving us a serious run for our money! Alberta has a number of…

Plan of the Week – “Charming, Flexible & Economical!”

www.DrummondHousePlans.com - Plan #3507 If there’s one Drummond model that pleased as soon as it appeared on the market, it is house plan #3507. This house plan is charming, efficient and flexible in…

Save the trees !… But not all of them!

In our industry, we have the chance (!) to see some designs, construction, landscaping or many other mistakes.  But this one is the worst I've never seen !! This picture comes from a web site named…

Green Homes – Great Video featuring a friend !

A few days ago, I got and e-mail from a friend in Alabama, Architect Bob Chatham from Chantham Design Group, who featured in a very interesting TV episode from Dany Lipford. The video will explain…

Save April showers for August Flowers… & Lawns & Car-washing & …

This morning, I awoke to the wonderful sound of tree frogs croaking in the forest beside our home. At last spring appears to have truly sprung here on Vancouver Island! As I sat listening to the…