The term “green building” conjures up a lot of things for a variety of people. What I hope stands out is that green building is responsible building. In addition to having a minimum impact on your health and environment, it should minimize problems down the line. Green building is a sound building practice that provides peace of mind. Or, as Greg Labbé says, it’s about building professionals who care about your home and welfare. Greg is a building scientist who teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University. Like me, he is a founding member of the Green Building Learning Zone (GBLZ), which was fea ..read more

I am very excited to announce that the Green Building Learning Zone (GBLZ) is coming to the National Home Show, March 8-10 and March 13-17 at the Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place. What is the Green Building Learning Zone? It is the bringing together of Ontario’s best and brightest residential green building experts in a collaborative effort to share their knowledge with homeowners about the why and how-to of sustainable building. Greening Homes (my company) is one of the GBLZ’s founding members, and essentially a passion project. It is uniquely not a sales event. It is staffed by volunteer pr ..read more

December means holidays. It also means spring renovations, at least for me. I’m fielding a lot of questions from those of you hoping to start major renovation projects in April or May. This timeframe is feasible if you have architectural plans in hand. However, even if you checked all the boxes with your architect, you may still have work to do before the boots hit the ground. If you don’t have a building permit yet, your project may need to go before the Committee of Adjustment by January. After this public hearing, there is a month-long “cooling off” period for the project to be formally app ..read more

For several days this summer, Toronto’s air quality was the worst in the world due to wildfire smoke from northern Ontario and Quebec. We were advised to stay indoors if we could and use a HEPA filter to remove any smoke-related particulate matter that entered the home.  A HEPA filter removes other particulates as well, including dust, mold spores, bacteria and pollen. It’s important to know though that the HEPA filter doesn’t capture harmful gases, fumes and volatile organic compounds. The first order of business to ensure healthy indoor air is to avoid and remove harmful sources. Many b ..read more

On July 8, Toronto will mark the ten-year anniversary of the great rainstorm that cost the city $65 million. You may recall submerged cars on the Don Valley Parkway. According to Toronto’s Future Weather and Climate Driver Study, in just 20 years Toronto can expect an average 4.4 C increase in annual temperatures, and more extreme rainstorms. Will your house withstand the assault of chronic heat, high speed winds and heavy rain? My very first mentor in green building, Chris Magwood, stressed the importance of having a good hat and boots when it comes to your home. In other words, secure and wa ..read more

If you’ve been thinking about renovating your home and are wondering what to do when inflation remains high and a mild recession is in the cards, you are not alone.   It’s important to keep in mind that the low interest rates and soaring housing market of the recent past were an anomaly. The days of securing million-dollar renovation loans are over.   Today, it’s less about expansion and more about reconfiguring your existing space to make it work better for you and your family. COVID-19 is still active and hybrid working is the new normal for many of us. We spend a lot of ..read more

When you think of a green building, what first comes to mind? Most people envision solar panels. Some think of energy efficiency. Rarely if ever do they consider building materials and their “embodied carbon.” Embodied carbon is defined as the total greenhouse gas emissions from harvesting, transporting and manufacturing building materials, and it’s a big hairy deal. It contributes 10 percent of global energy-related emissions, according to the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction. It’s not unheard of for a building to account for 500 kg of emissions per square meter even before the ..read more

Supply chain issues, inflation, labour shortages, potential recession… welcome to the new renovation reality! Starting a home renovation these days may feel like embarking on a perilous journey to the unknown. However, there are ways to help make that journey go a little more smoothly. First and foremost, find yourself a trusted renovator. I’ve written about this before in this column and I cannot stress it enough here. I have seen substandard work firsthand, and heard horror stories of contractors abandoning projects. My advice when choosing a renovator is to ensure that they are properly lic ..read more

Most of us have spent an inordinate amount of time sheltered in our homes, courtesy of the pandemic. We want to ensure that our homes are indeed safe – not just from the coronavirus but from toxic materials. A home renovation is a perfect opportunity to remove asbestos, lead, mercury, mold and other debilitating and deadly substances from the home. While we prioritize creating healthy homes for our clients, we also want to safeguard the wellbeing of our employees and subtrades. It is a moral obligation – and a legal one too. Many homeowners and even contractors do not know that it’s the homeow ..read more

Greening Homes’ founder and President, Chris Phillips is an expert contributor of Neighbours of High Park Magazine. This article appeared in the June 2021 issue ..read more