For the second installment of our Eco-Renovation series (the first one on environmentally kind painting tips is here), we've culled a list of 5 great tips for all kinds of different home improvement projects, all of which aim to make them that much more earth-friendly. Enjoy, and we hope you put them to good use during your next project!

1) Reduce, Reuse, Reshingle?

If you're a fan of natural wood shingles, try re-shingling with reclaimed redwood shingles, a product made with the stumps of old growth trees. They are available at most major hardware stores, although you may pay a bit of a premium over regular wood shingles.

2) Say No to Poison Lumber

Most people don't realize that that greeny tinge in pressure treated wood is given to it by a toxic blend of pesticides that is injected into the lumber and can often leech out into the surrounding environment. If you're building a deck, or some other exterior wood project, consider asking for CA-B Pressure Treated wood, which is pressure treated, but without the harsh chemicals.

3) Go EnerGuide

This may seem like a no-brainer, but the simple act of making your next appliance upgrade an EnerGuide certified one will help the environment tremendously over the long term... and save you money as well.

4) Insulate Au Naturel

Rather than using fiberglass insulation, which is bad for air quality and difficult to dispose of, consider using all natural cotton-based insulation instead. Again, there is a slight premium associated with preferring this variety, but the R-Values are comparable and the ecological footprint much smaller.

5) One Man's Trash...

When you're ripping out old building materials for a renovation, remember that what you no longer need, someone else may be able to make use of. Bringing un-wanted building supplies to a Habitat for Humanity's ReStore location near you is a great way to give some renewed life to what was essentially your trash. There are two locations here in Ottawa, the locations of which are listed on the local HFH chapter website here. 

Do you have any other great green reno tips that you'd like to share with our readers? If so, drop us a note in the comments!

Many of our readers, both on and offline ask a lot of questions about how to go about doing eco-friendly renovations. When we looked at online resources for do-it-yourself renovations a few weeks back, we highlighted The Green Home Guide, which is a great site for planning out ecologically-conscious home projects. But since this is a topic of such interest among our readers, we'd like to start our own on-going series here as well offering tips and tricks for making your renovations as green as possible. Today's topic? Paint.

Every renovation involves painting at some point. Whether you're doing a freshening coat, or building an addition to your home, at some point the walls are going to need some colour! That's why we want to start today with a look at how you can make this part of the reno earth-friendly.

Just to Clear the Air

When it comes to paint and the environment, the main consideration is the level of VOC's in the product. Volatile Organic Compounds are toxic fumes that leech out of the paint when you're working with it and afterwards. Many of these are thought to be carcinogens when exposure is prolonged. Obviously, the lower the level of VOC's in a paint, the better it is for both the earth... and your lungs. 

Paint companies have been making low and no-VOC paints for some time, but independent testers have found that each brand varies in the amount of smell they emit, regardless of labeling. 

One brand that has come up several times in our review of many comparative studies, however, is called Aura by Benjamin Moore.  So keep your eyes peeled for that one, available at any Benjamin Moore retailer. 

Other brands that have received top marks from independent testers are True Value Easy Care and Glidden Evermore. True Value is a US-only hardware store, but Glidden's should be available at any Color Your World location or ICI affiliate in North America.

What Goes Around...

While VOC's are the most common measure of a paint's ecological standing, another issue to consider is the life-cycle of the paint production process: the very system of creating paint (and disposing of it later) can be harmful to the environment in and of itself. 

One innovative company I have come across that tackles this issue is called Boomerang Recycled Paint.

Based out of Quebec, this company uses patented technologies to take unused, unwanted paint and mix it together to form completely recycled product for commercial or residential use. 

The color selection is more limited than most paint lines because of the challenges of combining multiple paint varieties into one can, but other than that, the paint is largely the same in finish and durability as any of the paints that go into it. And of course, you can rest easy in the knowledge that by using Boomerang, you're keeping toxic paints out of landfills, and that virtually no pollution was created to produce the product. Oh, and a a bonus, because of the savings of reusing discarded product, their prices are very competitive too!

You can visit their web site, linked above, to see if Boomerang serves your area.

Now the floor is yours: Are there any other Green-Painting tips that you'd like to share? If so, let us know in the comments, and we'll update the post with any additional tricks!

When looking to buy a new home, most people know the importance of hiring a good home inspector to make sure all is as it seems before they put all your money on the line. 

(If you are looking for a reputable inspector in Canada, you can try the directory at MyHomeInspector.ca, or the home inspector section of HomeFocus.com. In the US, the American Society of Home Inspectors online directory is a great starting point.) 

But of course, when prospective homebuyers are looking at many different homes, trying to decide on the best one, even if they want to be look out for red flags, it's just not practical to bring in an inspector for every property they fancy. 

So for this reason, we thought we would pick the brains of some experienced industry professionals to try and suss out the best ways that these home shoppers can watch out for trouble homes. Enjoy!

Advice from the Pros

We spoke with two established home inspectors in Ottawa, Ontario: Neil Card from Barrhaven Home Inspectors Inc. (pictured above left), and Francis Caza of Closer View Home Inspection Services (above right), and both had some really great tips to share.

When asked what prospective home buyers should watch out for when touring a home for sale, Card says they should always keep moisture and vegetation in mind.

"The biggest issues with homes are always water and tree damage," he says, "Get the water and trees away from the home and you'd have no problems. Homeowners should look out for hedges and plants up against the house, as well as big trees that are close to the home. As a rule, the circumference of the root system of a tree is double that of its branches, so they should keep that in mind always."

 

Card also says that improperly installed eavestroughing is a common problem with homes. 

"One of the biggest and most common problems I come across in my inspections is a minor one that has to do with downspouts," he says, "often they drop directly down onto the driveway, which in the winter can lead to snow and ice buildup and dangerous slippery conditions. It can also cause damage to the foundation of the home.  It's a minor thing to fix and very inexpensive, and it's better to fix it now rather than waiting 5 years, and then you need foundation repairs or a new roof."

 

Both Card and Caza recommend that every potential home buyer take a trip or two down to the basement to look for evidence of foundation problems and flooding. 

"Using all your senses, you should walk around the entire home outside and then in the basement and look at all the parts of the foundation," says Card. "Look for cracks in the walls, especially around the windows. Smell for must and mildew that might indicate flooding has occurred. Be wary if there are two dehumidifiers in the basement."

Caza agrees 100%. 

"The main concerns in basements is obviously moisture. You should always check all walls for any visible discoloration or evidence of water damage."

Renos Gone Awry

Another red flag that you should be aware of, according to both inspectors, is home renovations that look as though they may have been done by a ... less than professional individual. (Obviously these must be DIYers who didn't take advantage of our exhaustive guide to reno resources!)

"One thing that concerns (inspectors) is that in a lot of areas we'll find renovation work in homes that must have been done by the home owner or some other non-professional," says Caza. "This is especially worrisome when the renos involve plumbing and electrical work."

Card agrees that this can be a real problem. 

"I always look out for 'handyman' work. I can tell when a job is professionally done, and when we've got a 'handyman house' on our hands... which can be very scary," he says. "The home owner maybe didn't know what they're doing or what's going on, they do what they think is right, but it's often all wrong."

Both inspectors say that with their experience, they can usually spot such unprofessional renovation work in a single pass, but that home buyers can probably get an idea as well if they pay attention to things like crooked walls and doorways, poorly fitted doors or (more scarily) electrical outlets and switches in unusual places.

No Substitute for a Professional Inspection

Even though these tips from the pros may help you spot problem homes earlier in the process, both Card and Caza made a point of urging all prospective buyers to take the time to find and hire a reputable inspector when they find a home they love. 

"At the end of the day, there is a lot to see in a home and you don't know what you're looking for unless you're trained specifically for that purpose," says Card. "Something may look fine to the untrained eye, but on closer inspection may not be working, for example."

"Home inspection is very cheap when you look at the cost of buying a home - the few dollars you're paying is peanuts when you consider how much it could save you."

While this opinion is obviously slightly biased, I have to agree with the logic. If you're going to be making one of the biggest investments of your life, it obviously makes sense to spend the money (usually $200-$300) to ensure that you're not buying a money pit!

At least with these helpful hints, you'll be able to better narrow your choices and avoid those homes-from-hell earlier on. Then when you've decided to put in an offer on the home of your dreams, be sure to hire a professional to really scour the place. 

For what it's worth, if you're located in Ottawa, I would definitely recommend either of the gentlemen I spoke with for this post, as both really impressed me with their knowledge and helpfulness. You can reach Neil Card of Barrhaven Home Inspectors by phone at 613 421 4001 or by email here. Francis Caza of Closer View Home Inspection Services can be reached by phone at 613 913 9020, or by email here.

 

Do you have any more helpful hints on how to spot a bad egg home during a quick walk around? We'd love to hear your ideas in the comments as usual!

Whether you were trying to spruce up that old home of yours for resale, or looking to make your new house a little more homey and a little more personal, you've probably been bitten by the renovation bug at some point.

When the urge to revamp strikes, you could always call reliable contractors and get estimates to have them take care of the project (hopefully seamlessly.) 

But if that's not in the budget, or you prefer to do things yourself, you might find yourself in need of guidance on how to make your vision come alive. (Or else you might end up with a scene like the one depicted in that "unmotivation" poster above!)

In this post, we're going to provide you with five of the best resources we've found online for teaching you how to do almost any renovation or repair project on your home. So get out your pen and paper and write these sites down, so you'll know where to find them later when you just can't wait to start knocking down walls!

1) The DIY Network: 

This comprehensive site, which is run by popular home improvement network HGTV, is completely dedicated to providing easy-to-follow video guides for any do-it-yourself project you can think of, including home renovations. From Installing Cabinets to tricky Plumbing and Electrical jobs, this site has videos to tackle whatever you're trying to do.   

2) The Green Home Guide:

As concern for the environment grows (as well it should), it is becoming more and more common for homeowners to be worried about the green-ness of their renovations. If you fall into the eco-conscious renovator category, you won't want to miss this excellent site. 

It is provided as a free resource centre by the US Green Building Council (Creators of the LEED standards for green homes that is also promoted by the Canada Green Building council north of the 49th, and has been mentioned on this blog before.) It is all about ways to make your home renovations as green as possible.

3) CMHC Renovation Planner:

I'm sure you've heard old adages like "measure twice, cut once" and "an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure." (And then there's "don't use too many cliches in your writing in order to keep it fresh", but I digress.) The point is, with a renovation, like any other endeavour, it can really pay of to plan carefully before you start tearing down walls and replacing fixtures. 

Luckily, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Commission (CMHC) provides the most in-depth guide I've seen online for choosing and executing renovations based on need, cost and return on investment. Definitely worth a read.

4) eHow Building and Remodeling How-Tos

In this age of web 2.0 collaboration and wikization of the web, I would be remiss if I didn't include the foremost for-the-people-by-the-people how-to resource online, eHow. This site is a sort of grassroots organization similar to wikipedia, where anyone who signs up can write or edit articles on myriad different subjects. The only difference is that on eHow, articles must be guides for completion of specific projects, and members can vote these up or down so that, in theory, the cream rises to the top. These are also supplemented by a number of expert-written guides. 

The site features nearly half a million different articles, nearly 5000 of which are on the top of home remodeling and repairs (the section linked to above.) There is also a burgeoning how-to videos section of the site as well, the Home and Garden section of which can be found here. Between this site and the DIY network, you should be able to find step-by-step instructions for completing whatever project you have in mind.

5) BEHR ColorSmart Color Chooser

As the former owner of a professional painting company, I may sound biased in saying this, but we all know that every reno ends with a paint job. And whether you tackle it yourself or pay a pro to take care of it, at some point you're going to run up against the age old question: "What colours should we choose?" 

Of course, if you're priming your home for sale (no pun intended), I had some advice on choosing appropriately neutral paint colours in a previous article about prepping the interior of your home for sale. But if you're renovating and choosing paint colours just for you and yours, then the sky is the limit. The problem with deciding on colours, however, can often be that it is difficult to visualize them in your home from those small swatches. 

Enter BEHR's excellent ColorSmart tool. With this utility, you can choose a model of room that is similar to the one you'll be painting, and then simply point and click to see how different colour combinations will look together. The site also makes suggestions for complimentary colours and the like. All in all, well worth checking out for anyone struggling with visualizing that final touch.

 

There is also a paid service offered on the same site that allows you to upload actual photos of your home and colour them using the ColorSmart system, instead of using computer models. I'm not sure this is really necessary for most people, but if it interests you, it's only 5 bucks a year for unlimited use.

Of course, this list could go on, there are hundreds of thousands of sites on home improvement on the web, but these are the five that we've found to be the most thorough and comprehensive of the bunch. 

What do you think, do you find them helpful? Are there any resources you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments, and I maybe lengthen the list to 10 at a later date.