Wed May 22, 2013

Top Tips for Communicating with Your Contractor

Home

Considering a home security system for your family

When considering security systems for the home, there are various options available from the very basic to the high-tech. Bigger is not always better, and picking a system on the basis of price alone is no guarantee that it will be appropriate. The determining factor should what will best suit the property and the specific [...]

Spotlight on Energy, Recycling and Conservation

Spotlight on Energy, Recycling and Conservation by Jessica
Jessica is gathering stories based on the environment, clean water and health. Read Green Topics

Decorating options to make your home environmentally friendly

The issue of sustainable living has been a hot topic for many years now as people seek out long-term strategies for an environmentally friendly existence. With governments in many parts of the world actively working to cut carbon emissions and encourage the take up of alternative sources of energy such as wind, solar and thermal [...]

Stay on Budget and on Time with Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings

The following is a Guest post Stay on Budget and on Time with Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings Tight schedules and budgets are an all-too-common struggle with construction projects. Luckily, some of this stress can be alleviated by utilizing pre-engineered metal SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels). Naturally, during the planning phase it is imperative to consider material expenses [...]

5 Building Considerations that Make Your Home Safer

The following is a guest post. If you’re thinking about building a new home, you’ve got a lot to think about. Will you side your home with brick, wood, vinyl, stone or stucco? What will the design be like? What types of flooring and tile will you choose? All these questions are important, but they [...]

Harnessing the Freedom of Deregulated Energy

The following is a guest post. Harnessing the Freedom of Deregulated Energy Depending on where you live, you may be able to choose which company you purchase your energy from. Across Canada and the United States, several provinces and states have embraced a system that fosters competition in the energy market called deregulation. Each province [...]

Flat Pack Houses – The Environmental Benefits of a Flat Pack House

As a collective society, we are growing increasingly aware of our responsibilities to the wider environment. With the Internet providing an endless source of information on the subject, it is also becoming easier for us as individuals to fulfill this responsibility and create a more Eco-friendly environment. Building a flat pack house to reside in [...]

Spotlight on Walls, Cabinets and Doors

Walls, Cabinets and Doors by Fredy
Fredy is our official 'finder of deals' for the smaller components that go into your new home.
Read Home Topics

Mather & Stuart – Home Improvement Problems and How to avoid them

As anyone who has ever undertaken a program of home improvement can testify, the act of remodeling or refurbishing a personal living space can be a great source of anxiety. Even the most simple of tasks can provide significant challenges to homeowners throughout the UK, especially if they adopt a relaxed approach that does not [...]

New Awards to Honour Green Interior Design

From our friends at Design Build Source The Australian interior design sector is slowly moving to incorporate green building design and delivery practices. US and Canadian sectors have already brought these green interior practices into the mainstream and seen their impacts on improving productivity and Interior Environmental Quality (IEQ) as well as long-term economic savings. [...]

Real Estate News: The Door Is Now Open to Home Builders

From our friends at Wall Street Journal Here is a collection of Real Estate articles collected from the Wall Street Journal. Some of these articles require a subscription to read. The Door is Now Open to Home Builders:  There is cause for at least short-term cheer, particularly for home builders that rallied after last week’s housing-starts [...]

Real Estate Watch: Adjustable mortgage’s risks and rewards

From our friends at San Jose Mercury News Even with mortgage rates near historic lows, not everyone gets a 30-year fixed-rate loan. Some homeowners choose adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs. ARMs have both rewards and risks. Among the rewards: lower interest rates and lower initial monthly payments, notes Gilles Gade, CEO of Cross River Bank in [...]

Real estate in western Canada booms as the eastern market lags

From our friends at The Financial Post Canada is one nation but these days it looks like two commercial real estate markets. There is the west where demand continues to soar, aided but a booming resource market, and then there is the east, which continues to tread water as it attempts to keep a lid [...]

Economists: Real Estate Prices To Increase 15.2% Through 2016

From our friends at Seattle PI Blog Real Estate on Seattle's waterfront is as multifaceted as the people of the Puget Sound. Lake Union houseboats, Lake Washington luxury homes, and Alki Beach-front condos all have their own unique attributes. Learn more about the Seattle waterfront's history, current market trends, and unconventional quirks in the Seattle [...]

Spotlight on Design, Decorating and Furnishings

Design, Decorating and Home Furnishings by Amber
Amber loves all things art and fasion. She covers the Design section of The Ramsay Home Blog. Read Design Topics

US Real Estate Market Outlook Strong

From our friends at The Nu Wire Investor The U.S. real estate recovery continues unabated and more economists are becoming convinced that the trend is not a fluke. The Zillow Home Expectations Survey for 2012 polled U.S. economists, investment analysts and real estate experts and the consensus is that home prices will increase an average [...]

Green Living At An Entirely Different Price Point

From our friends at Curbed.com There’s a new subdivision under construction for the people who to live on the extra-green side of life. These planned houses will all come with their own water supplies, septic fields, compressed natural gas outlets for their cars, and space to grow enough vegetables to feed a family. Foxmont is [...]

Spotlight on Home Design, Kitchens and Yards

Spotlight on Home Design, Kitchens and Yards by Tony
Perhaps more comfortable on site then at a desk, Tony finds the time to pick out Building stories for The Ramsay Home Blog. Read Building Topics

What’s the Next Silent Spring?

From our friends at nature.org Rachel Carson’s 1962 best-seller Silent Spring famously led to the eventual banning of the pesticide DDT in the early 1970s. Carson argued that the chemical was endangering not only the environment, but human health as well. The book shed light on an important topic that had not garnered much attention [...]

Climate change threatens nature from coffee to Arctic fox-forum

From our friends at planetark.org Climate change is a threat to everything from coffee plantations to Arctic foxes and even a moderate rise in world temperatures will be damaging for plants and animals in some regions, experts said on Wednesday. Habitats such as coral reefs or the Arctic region were among the most vulnerable to [...]

Ecojustice recaps the week in Canadian environmental news: September 21, 2012

www.ecojustice.ca recaps the week in Canadian environmental news. Here is the week of September 21, 2012. Parliament resumed this week and it didn’t take long for the Conservative government to accuse NDP leader Thomas Mulcair of wanting to bring in a carbon tax that would hurt the economy. Lawyers Justin Duncan and Kaitlyn Mitchell filed [...]

5 Flickr Groups for Interior Design Photography Inspiration

From our friends at designbeep.com: Successfully marketing and selling a home necessarily entails making that home beautiful and then photographing it to death in order to show off each and every compelling aspect of the design; given the huge role that photography plays in real estate, getting things just right can be a bit trickier [...]

Spotlight on Real Estate, House Prices and Lenders

Spotlight on Real Estate, House Prices and Lenders by Samantha
Helping new home buyers pick out the right deals is Samantha. Read Real Estate Topics

5 Top Tips on How to Keep Your Roof in Good Working Order

The roof has a very important role in the house and it is vital part of the property’s structure to keep everyone dry and warm. Without the roof, your furniture and belongings can become water-damaged so it is imperative that you keep it in good working order. Replacing the roof can be extremely expensive therefore [...]

latimes.com – Obama blocks Chinese firm’s Oregon wind farm projects

From our friends at the LA Times: With the election looming, both candidates want to appear strong in their approach to both the booming economy and increasing energy demands of China. Obama used a rare presidential order to block Oregon wind farm projects. Obama cited in a presidential order issued Friday “credible evidence” that the [...]

Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster Than Thought

From our friends at ABC. Tony Eastley sat down with Walt Meier, Research Scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center and talked about the melting of the Arctic Sea Ice. TONY EASTLEY: The Arctic’s sea ice is melting faster than many scientists previously thought. Research released overnight reveals that the ice is now [...]