Designing a Passive House
While a passive house might sound odd, it’s actually a term used to describe the most energy-efficient kind of home. It attains this status by meeting a strict set of building standards that save energy, reduce noise pollution and improve air quality—providing the highest level of indoor comfort. The design principles. The five design principles of a passive home include the following: 1) Solar orientation, 2) Airtightness, 3) Insulation and zero thermal bridging, 4) Passive house institute-approved windows, and 5) High-performing ventilation and heat exchange. All of these must be met in order to qualify. Nature is key. To meet this building standard your home’s design and structure must focus on using natural, passive resources like the sun and shade to provide heating and cooling, which removes the need for traditional heat and A/C. This is achieved by using an incredibly high level of airtightness with the insulation design. Forget mold issues. While you might be worried that an airtight home sounds like a serious breeding ground for mold and dampness, the constant low-level ventilation built into the home ensures that any moist air is replaced so temperatures remain the same. And as an added bonus, an airtight home also means bugs have much less opportunity to make their way inside. Make it pretty. There is a common misconception that energy-efficient homes are ugly homes. While there was a time when this was true, today any home can be made into a passive home, and the more you focus on making it beautiful and energy efficient, the more appeal and resale value it will have. Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds? High-end homeowners want the comfort a passive home provides, but they also want a home that looks incredible.
Thinking of Downsizing? How to Choose the Right Time
Canadians love familiarity. They love spending quality time with family and friends, and many find it difficult to let go of the places such as the family home where those cherished memories were made. If you’re at a time in your life when the starlings have fled the nest and you’re finding that your voice echoes in many of the rooms in which all those memories were made, you may consider downsizing. Just thinking about it can be daunting and emotionally charged. But if you’re seriously considering moving into a smaller place, you may want to use these as a measure to make your final decision: You’re finding the upkeep to be too much.Needless to say, there’s a lot of work in the upkeep of a home. Winters can be especially rough since most parts of Canada get a lot of snow and it’s up to you to keep your walkways clear. In addition to all that yard work, there always seems to be something to do inside. Household maintenance can also put a pretty hefty dent in your pocketbook. Downsizing will give you more time to enjoy planning those trips to the sunshine using all those funds you’ve saved. You’re retired or planning on retiring in the near future.This is probably the single most prevalent reason people decide to move out of their homes. Selling a larger home will give you more funds to put toward your retirement and to pursue all those things for which you didn’t have time when you were working and taking care of kids. Moving into a smaller home will likely mean paying fewer taxes, having a smaller mortgage (if you have one at all) and shelling out less for home insurance. Use the capital that’s tied up in your home for your retirement nest egg. There’s just too much extra space.Are there unused rooms that have to be cleaned? Or doors to certain rooms constantly shut since the space isn’t being used? When your home has just too much square footage for you, maybe it’s time to call a REALTOR®. Having a larger home means added expenses. And if those four bedrooms aren’t always being used, why not sell to a young couple who is raising a family and would benefit from all those unused areas? It would be a win-win situation. You’ve been bitten by the travel bug.If you’re thinking of downsizing, you may be feeling the pangs of wanderlust. If you’ve always wanted to travel to the four corners of the world and scratch those marvelous, exotic places off your bucket list, now is the time to do it. Think about being the carefree Canadian snowbird you’ve always dreamed of being and use the capital in your home to get on a plane, train or automobile and do some serious sightseeing.
How to Maximize Space in a Small Bathroom
If you have a small bathroom, it doesn’t have to mean dialing down on the upscale factor. Here are some ways to make space and up your luxury game in a small bathroom. Opt for heated flooring. The good news about smaller bathrooms is that they take much less energy to heat! Choosing to install heated flooring makes a huge difference during those long Canadian winters and will make your tiny bathroom feel truly luxurious. Replace the toilet. Toilets made even just a few years ago tend to be bigger and clunkier than today’s sleek models. An older toilet can eat up valuable space in a small bathroom so upgrading to a new model can give you back that space, not to mention help save water. Consider alternate vanity shapes. Sometimes a small or unusually-shaped space calls for something a little different. Try a corner vanity or one that’s slightly rounded, both of which feel less bulky than a classic rectangular shape and may fit awkward spaces better. If you feel like splurging, go custom! Float the vanity. There’s no need to forgo a built-in vanity in a small bathroom, but the style you choose will make an impact. Opt for a luxury model that “floats” at least a few inches off the floor, which makes spaces feel airier and is easier to keep clean. Go minimalist. Small luxury bathrooms will always seem more spacious with clean lines and neutral colours. Opt for a neutral curtain or simple glass partition in the shower, sleek finishings and avoid bold artwork.
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