Make your home more energy efficient

It might have been the scorching temperatures of the Utah desert that swaddled us, or the flash-thunderstorms that disgorged immeasurable volumes of water upon us, but after spending the last few weeks of summer holiday in a small tent with my family the notion of an environmentally sensitive, energy-efficient shelter kept presenting itself to me.

Photograph by: Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

Living in a tent has a way of making one reflect on the simple things that can positively affect the livability of a home and maximize its efficiency. It's straightforward stuff really. By taking a few simple steps one can greatly increase the energy efficiency of the places we live.

Draft-proofing your home is likely the easiest and cheapest way to make energy-efficient gains in your home. Seal things up and your energy bills will drop.

Having a look at your furnace is always a good move. Older furnaces are often oversized and typically have very inefficient motors and heat exchangers. Upgrading to a more energy efficient model will see immediate gains.

Increasing the insulation in your home is a guaranteed way to move towards energy efficiency. A well insulated, well sealed and properly ventilated home will be a warm and comfortable one and will be the most energy efficient solution.

Replacing single glazed windows with double glazed ones will bring huge gains as a single pane of glass has very little insulation qualities.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. has a number of programs to help out homeowners wishing to make energy-conscious changes to their homes. A quick review of their website will indicate eligibility.

Simply put, an energyefficient home uses less energy and is less expensive to operate. Making some simple changes won't break the bank, you might receive financial assistance to do it, you'll be reducing your greenhouse gas emissions and in the end you'll see significant reductions to your monthly utility expenses.

Make use of nice views

Why is it that so many homes seem to have been plopped onto their site with little or no consideration to the environment they inhabit, their windows appearing as decorative elements facing out to nothing at all while stellar views meet with the blank stare of a solid wall.

Photograph by: Mike Wakefield, North Shore News

Last weekend while exploring my Lynn Valley neighbourhood I was amazed by the number of homes in the area that boast truly remarkable gardens but was equally struck by how few of them actually capture this magnificent landscape splendor for their insides.

Creating a strong connection between the interior and exterior spaces of home, between the man-made and the natural environment, makes for a more livable home. Here on the North Shore our yearround warmer temperatures allow us to utilize our exterior spaces more than most other Canadian locales and it's well worth our while to think about how to better connect our interior and exterior worlds.

One of the simplest ways to do this is to strategically locate a window to capture a desirable view outside.

This might be a view to the mountains, to the ocean beyond or simply to a beautiful tree in your yard, but a conscious effort to frame something from the outside that can be experienced from the inside is the right idea.

Rather than thinking of windows as simply openings to let light in, think of them as picture frames of the world outside. Think about how you will inhabit spaces within the home and what opportunities you have to connect them with the outdoors. I've placed a small window near the floor on one occasion just to capture a view of a small rock garden. A peek-aboo window beside a child's bed that allows a private view, a horizontal window sandwiched between a kitchen counter and its upper cabinet creating a backsplash of garden rather than backsplash tile or vertical slot window that frames a beautiful tree while hiding the garden shed are all good examples of what I'm getting at. Ultimately, breaking away from the preconceived notion of the symmetrically placed window, three feet above the floor in each room is a good place to start.

When designing a new home both the landscape and the physical layout of the home should be designed in tandem as each, ideally, influences the other. Pre-existing homes should weigh the difficulty of landscape manipulation to household reconstruction. The mountain won't move but maybe that Japanese maple can.

Local West Coast modern architects like Ron Thom, Fred Hollingsworth and, of course, Arthur Erickson all loved to blur the line between inside and out, utilizing large planes of glass to capture magnificent views and ultimately to capture the world outside for the inhabitants within.

The concept of home need not be limited to the walls that define it. Understanding the connection between interior spaces of your home and the environment that surrounds it will help you capture some of that outside world as your own.

Entrance key to good layout

As the influential architect and theoretician Christopher Alexander states in his book A Pattern Language: "Placing the main entrance is perhaps the single most important step you can take during the evolution of a building plan."

If the main entry of a home has been placed in a good location the various spaces of a home will naturally fall into place. But if the entry is placed poorly a layout will become confused and disjointed as rooms and spaces attempt to adjust to this improper entry point.

Photograph by: NEWS photo, Mike Wakefield

I believe the concept of entry is far more than just the passing though the threshold of a front door, but rather the transition from one state of mind to another, the feeling that you've entered a place of shelter and security.

Entry to a home begins, in a very real sense, at your first sight of a building. The building appears and you are given an immediate cue to the location of the front entrance as you make your approach. There must be no confusion.

Upon arriving at the edge of the property there should be some sense of a threshold between sidewalk and entry, a line that when stepped across feels like you've moved from the public realm of the street to the more private sphere of the home. This can be treated in a number of ways, from literally stepping through a gateway or arbor to simply changing a level or a surface under foot, but the feeling created should be that of arrival.

As you approach the house through this semi-public zone between building and street your thoughts should further transition to the more private ones associated with home. A step up or down, an altering of texture, light or smell, or a change in direction are all elements that will engage you and bring about this transition.

The physical entrance to the home, the separation space between inside and out, needs to be a symbol of both entry and shelter. It should be differentiated from the rest of the building and provide a place of protection from the elements.

Upon entering the home the entrant should be provided a place to hang their jacket and shed their shoes without being forced to be involved in the activities of another space within the house. This entry space can be treated as something grand or something humble but regardless needs to feel like a space from which you begin your entry into the more private areas of the home rather than feel like you've already arrived in them.

Entering a house involves a psychological shift as much as it does a physical one. It's a transition that affects our thoughts and emotions as we leave the public realm of the street and enter into the private, intimate world of the home. Next time you enter your home, think how you can improve the experience. 

Laundry room redefined

The laundry room today is a far cry from the cramped basement afterthought that so often defined the washer/dryer space of yore.

We've come to understand that a laundry room, enduring the day-to-day use it does, needs to be a place that is both well designed and pleasant to be in.

Laundry rooms come in all shapes and sizes and are as unique as the people that use them. If a new or remodeled laundry room is in your future ask yourself a few questions before you start.

Photo is courtesy of Innovative
Closet Solutions of North Vancouver.

What's the size of your household? Are you an active family with young kids or a more sedentary couple of empty nesters? Do you fold your clothes in the laundry room or bring it somewhere else? Do you typically do lots of smaller loads during the week or just a few larger ones on the weekend? Do you need space to drip-dry clothing? Will you iron there?

Answers to these questions will help shape the design of your laundry room and will help ensure that it best suites your particular lifestyle and habits.

Empty nesters and couples without kids will often find a laundry space close to their bedroom to be most convenient and efficient. The smaller household generally won't require a large laundry space, often needing only an efficient space for sorting and folding clothes with accompanying storage. A bump-out in a corridor with front loading washer and dryer and a countertop above works great for such a scenario and when concealed with fold-away doors, is the perfect setup for efficiency and economy of space.

As households grow so do their rooms and it's no surprise that larger households will typically require a separate, dedicated laundry room to satisfy their needs. The size of the room and how it functions depends strongly on the answers to the questions above. Some families see the laundry room as a multi-functional space that affords the washing and drying of clothes as well as a host of other functions. It's a real trend these days to provide workstations for hobby and project work as well as areas for repotting plants and the like.

Another trend is to incorporate the laundry space within the mudroom. This can be a very successful arrangement especially for active folks who can dump their clothing directly into the wash without having to traipse through the house to find the washing machine. The space ideally has room to hang-dry athletic gear or related outdoor clothing and may even provide a drying rack.

Incorporating the laundry area as part of the kitchen is also a popular trend. It's important to create some differentiation between the two zones though even if their physical relationship is close. The key is to have the capacity to close off the laundry area when needed. The last thing you want when entertaining is to look into the potential ramshackle of a laundry room.

Regardless of its size or location, a laundry room needs lots of work surface and lots of storage. Front loading washer/ dryers are the way to go these days as they allow a countertop to be placed above them for a convenient work surface for sorting and folding.

I like mixing up laundry room storage with both open and closed storage units utilizing open shelves above the sink and appliances for frequently used items (detergent, fabric softener, etc) and closed units to store everything else. I'll always incorporate a tall, full-height cabinet for storing brooms, mops and an ironing board at the end of the room.

The laundry room has taken an important role within the modern home. From the discrete executive arrangement tucked neatly off a corridor to the dedicated room housing a number of other household functions, the laundry room has an essential place within the modern home.

Small room demands a big voice

The powder room is defined as a half-bathroom with a sink, toilet and mirror and is typically located on the main living area associated with the more public to semi-public areas of the home.

Because of its small size the powder room can be relatively straightforward and inexpensive renovation project for anyone wanting to make some refreshing changes to their home. And designing it can be fun.

The powder room is a perfect place to infuse some design pizzazz. It's a small space that wants a big voice to express drama and excitement. Here are a few design tips to make the powder room the expressive room it should be.

Powder room by Interior Solutions 

• Embrace the intense. Don't be afraid to use strong, dark colours or a daring wallpaper for the walls. The added punch will add interest and surprise.

• Create a furnished look. Think about purchasing a one-piece toilet or a wall-mounted variation. Have the toilet appear more like a piece of furniture rather than as a utilitarian plumbing fixture.

• Treat the sink as objet d'art. Vessel-shaped sinks have become very popular theses days coming in all sorts of shapes and materials and they have the wonderful effect of transforming a regular household item into a piece of sculptural art.

• Make the counter shine. The counter your sink sits upon should also play its role. I would suggest a counter with lots of glitter and polish. Recycled glass is an interesting option as is granite, marble or quartz.

• A mirror to reflect it all. You can extend a mirror across the breadth of the room or place it creatively within the space but think about the mirror as a device to make the powder room dynamic and alive.

• A floor for a sophisticated space. The flooring for a powder room should also reflect its character as a special place. Natural stone tiles, granite and marble are popular choices these days as they add that extra level of fine finish. Another popular and successful trend is to use a hardwood floor in the powder room, often carried in from a hallway or an accompanying room.

• Add drama with light. Attaching vanity lights to wall mirror can create beautiful reflective effects within the powder room while adding under counter lights can add a level of sophistication and mood to the space. I've even used a pendant light in a powder room on one occasion to great success. Be creative with your lighting. And don't forget the dimmers.

• Keep your style in sync. Above all make sure the style of the powder room is in keeping with the rest of the home. A nice modern faucet and sink will look totally out of place if incorporated into a traditionally decorated home. Choose a decorative palette appropriate to the style of your home and then let your imagination take over.

The powder room is a small room that demands a big voice. Take some chances, have some fun and create a dramatic room that talks loudly about your home.

Eco-friendly green roof an age-old concept

Recent years have seen a clear and defined shift to a more ecologically conscious building industry. More and more people are looking for products and technologies that not only effectively do the job they are meant to do but also reflect an eco-friendly awareness when doing it. The construction industry is responding.

There's no question that technological advancements in the building industry are allowing us to do more with less and are giving us more ecologically minded options but many of the green building advancements we see today are being created by the simple reintroduction of building practices that have existed all along.

Case in point: the green roof.

The green roof or "living roof" is commonly recognized as a modern, environmentally conscious alternative to a standard asphalt roof but the notion of having contemporary beginnings couldn't be further from the truth.

Archaeological findings on the northern tip of Newfoundland have unearthed the remains of Lief Eriksson's ancient Norse settlement and point to the use of sod roof dwellings by Viking explorers over a thousand years ago.

This is no surprise of course as it was a common building practice for the Scandinavians of yore to use sod atop structures of heavy timber and birch bark to create effective insulating and water resistant roof systems. For these ancient people, the green roof was a simple and effective sheltering system created from building materials that were readily at hand. The green roof as we know it today is clearly different from the sod roof of the past but the fundamental concept behind the two remains the same.

What we define as the "modern" green roof -- the integration of a growing medium over a waterproof roof membrane with the deliberate intent of supporting vegetation growth -- was first developed in Germany in the 1960s.

German designers were first drawn to the idea of a living roof purely along esthetic lines recognizing that the incorporation of a growing medium atop a building's roof would enhance the beauty of the building. But in 1970, the German landscape architect Hans Luz challenged this perception by suggesting that a green roof was far more than a simple decorative covering but rather a feature that would profoundly improve the quality of the urban environment. Today, more than 40 years later, the green roof has finally received mainstream recognition as an ecologically minded system that adds to any sustainable urban management plan.

The modern green roof possesses many benefits that make it an excellent environmentally conscious alternative.

A green roof greatly increases the insulating capacity of a roof system while protecting the waterproof membrane of the roof below. The added mass and thickness of the system provides for excellent sound insulation as well.

Storm-water runoff is greatly decreased by a living roof as the growing medium and vegetation retain large amounts of water that can be released back into the environment at a more manageable rate.

Much of this moisture is released through the process of evaporation which, in itself, creates a cooling effect that helps reduce the urban heat-island phenomena that is so common in our cities today. The large-surface tar and gravel roofs that blanket a typical city roofscape absorb solar radiation and re-emit it back into the city as heat. There's a reason cities are significantly warmer than the areas that surround them. A green roof helps reduce this heat gain.

A living roof is exactly that, a natural surface that provides a habitat for birds and insects while acting as a carbon sink by drawing carbon dioxide out of the air.

As we move forward to create a more ecologically friendly future we might be surprised to find that some answers lie in the past.

Child's room a place for imagination and fun

Designing for children is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

Kids intuitively understand the idiosyncratic nature of design and are quick to add their input if given the chance. They live in a place where imagination and reality blur seamlessly between one another and having them involved in the design of their world brings out the most for everyone.

When designing a space for kids it's important to remember that you're not creating a space of serenity more appropriate for an adult but rather a dynamic place of imagination and fun suitable for a child.

Don't be afraid to use colour -- your kids will approve of nothing else -- but try to maintain some boundaries when you do so. A colour scheme can be wild and vibrant but keep a method to the madness by adhering to a concept or theme.

Kids will always have ideas for a theme and won't be lacking in ideas on how to realize it but it's the adult's job to rationalize their dream into a reality. My instinct tells me to move away from branding as much as possible while still capturing the essence of what your child desires. A Harry Potter-themed room for example might best steer clear of the obvious commercial references while still evoking a sense of the fantasy world J.K. Rowling has so brilliantly created.

A kid's place is exactly that and should be scaled accordingly. I'm always amazed how the smallest of spaces can become wonderfully functioning spaces for a wee one. A space too small for us and just right for them will invariably become a special place for your child.

Bunk beds capture this concept well and are always a huge favourite for kids. They provide a perfect get-away space for a child while providing a great space-saving solution as well. On several occasions I've stacked a bed above a small play alcove allowing for a dynamic, above-ground sleeping area while freeing up space below for fun.

On a more pragmatic level, making your kid's room as green as possible is the best thing you can do for your child. Use only low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and try to use as much solid wood as possible while eschewing off-gasing materials such as fibreboard and plywood. Carpets have a nasty capacity to trap dust, animal dander and mold spores and, when new, off-gas chemicals as well. A wood floor is always a healthier choice. Replacing vinyl window blinds with cotton or linen window coverings is an easy, eco-friendly decision as well.

Designing for kids is great fun and brings out child-like creativity in all of us. If you're thinking about transforming your child's space, make sure to talk to them first and remember it's their world. Scale it for them and let it become a place for invention and play.