There are tons of home makeover shows, it seems. And I think the real appeal of them, apart from the whole attraction of transforming something ordinary into something extraordinary, is the idea that a new home means a new life. Stories like this take on extra poignancy when it sheds light on those who volunteer time and resources to help create this new life for someone else. I found this article about volunteers who built a home for a war veteran, having returned from Afghanistan in a wheelchair. … [Read more...]
Bamboo Bikes in Africa – Village Bicycle Project
March 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A few months ago, I was surprised to learn that it is possible to harvest a bike frame, provided of course that they are made from bamboo. I wrote a post about it, a part of my own continuing education about how versatile, and extremely tough, bamboo is. The company in question is owned and operated by Craig Calfree. But what I learned today was that there are plentiful bamboo forests in East Africa, as well as in Asia. And in Ghana, the practice of building bamboo bike frames using local … [Read more...]
Dueling Composite and PVC Decks
March 9, 2009 By 9 Comments
Seeing as Spring is rolling around (allegedly - it's snowing here in Vancouver today...), my mind has turned to the subject of decking. And in my travels I found this article about how the composite decking industry is shifting. It used to be that wood decking was the standard by which all other decking products are judged. This makes sense, given that most composites and vinyl decks for instance are made to resemble wood. There are textural elements added to the boards, and 'grain patterns' … [Read more...]
Bamboo on CNN!
February 25, 2009 By 3 Comments
Take a look at this video, which goes over a few things I've talked about here. But, the people on this video are scientists! Here it is, and pardon the commercial: Embedded video from CNN Video The sustainability and durability factor are pretty well underscored here. But, I was most impressed by the house shown, built entirely out of bamboo and the effects it renders. I realized it before, but its nice to be reminded that bamboo as a material is unique in terms of striking a balance. … [Read more...]
Fixing squeaky floors and more
February 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I found this article, from popular mechanics no less, that sheds some light on seven tips of home repair, one of which is fixing a squeaky floor. The article covers nicks, scratches, and even burn marks on wood surfaces, including hardwood flooring. There is a feeling, once damage has been done to a wood surface like a floor, that there is no going back, that there is no way to easily rectify the situation, that you're stuck. The great thing about the article is that most of the … [Read more...]
Memorable and atmospheric natural stone tile
February 16, 2009 By 1 Comment
I was reading about tile recently, specifically how it really makes an impression that seems to last a long time, sometimes from childhood. Read this Q&A by respected broadcaster and handyman Tim Carter, which outlines some great tips on how to approach the installation of a slate tile floor. The impetus for the person asking the question of Tim sprang from a childhood memory of seemingly random-sized slate tiles in the home he grew up in. Strange that the impressions that wall and … [Read more...]
Tips and Trends From Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover Home Edition
February 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Take a look at this interview of Extreme Makeover Home Edition's Ty Pennington, who spoke with Redbook magazine. He covers topics from DIY tips, to green building materials, to how the economic downturn will affect how homeowners approach renovations. When reading this, it occurred to me that I think of Ty Pennington mostly as a high energy TV host, and not the designer that he is. But he's got some pretty great insights to offer. One is that there is a time and a place for DIY, and sometimes … [Read more...]
Our Laminate Flooring Live Feed!
February 5, 2009 By 3 Comments
Lately, we've been conducting something of an experiment, as you may already know. What we've done is to put one of our offerings of laminate flooring out on our outdoor patio to expose it to the elements. And, because we're kind of off our rockers, we've also live streamed the floor so that you can see how it's doing in real time. Take a look: Free video chat by Ustream We've documented the process on our watchuswreckafloor.com blog, which if you haven't already checked out, I'd invite … [Read more...]
Hardwood Flooring Maintenance: Do What Mom Says!
January 28, 2009 By 1 Comment
Ah Winter. In this Pacific Northwest climate, this mostly means a fair bit of rain, although we've had some snow lately. here in Vancouver. In other parts of the world, even when it gets a lot colder, and there's more snow, the effect when you've got snow on your boots is the same as it is here. You've got water on your flooring. And when you've got hardwood floors this means bad news. Even worse is the presence of salt and grit which is used to clear snow. It must be said that hardwood … [Read more...]
Bamboo: an untapped resource?
January 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
As discussed in many, many posts here and elsewhere on our site, bamboo is a robust material as flooring, and in many other contexts. And I think too that we've outlined just how robust a material it is in nature as well, growing almost anywhere, and growing quickly. It's this last aspect which makes it something of a miracle plant in terms of green building materials. But, what it also represents for many countries is a potential goldmine for economic growth. I recently read this article … [Read more...]
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