Secondary Suites

• Secondary suites can provide affordable living space and intensify urban development without adding new buildings. This article explains what the homeowner should consider before building or renovating a secondary suite.

Renovating Your Kitchen

• Conduct a pre-renovation inspection and prioritize the most desirable features for your new kitchen.

Renovating Your Basement – Moisture Problems

• Creating a clean, dry and healthy living space is a critical first step in this renovation.

Renovating Your Basement – Structural Issues

• Fixing foundation problems before renovating is essential to preserve the durability and structure of the house.

Renovating your Basement for Livability

• Find out about common problems that can be fixed, as part of the renovations, to make your basement a healthy living space.

Flooring Choices

• Things you should think about when choosing resilient, laminate, and wood flooring, as well as carpet and ceramic tile.

Renovating Your Bathroom

• Bathroom renovations offer the second highest financial payback rate and are one of the most common home improvement projects.

Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating

• Radiant floor heating is a method of heating your home by applying heat underneath or within the floor

Buying a Water-Efficient Toilet

• Tips and advice on buying a water-efficient toilet using current toilet rating programs.

Replacing Your Furnace

• This fact sheet provides you with information on replacing your existing furnace with a new one.

Garden Suites

• Introductory information on garden suites for seniors or persons with disabilities.

Before You Start a New Addition

• Identify the features you need and inspect the current structure and mechanical systems to be sure they can support the new addition.

Repairing or Replacing Exterior Wall Materials

• Repairing or replacing exterior wall finishes will protect and preserve the durability and structure of the home.

Repairing or Replacing Roof Finishes

• Learn about the key factors that will determine whether you should repair or replace your roof.

Understanding Window Terminology

• Helpful guidance on buying the right type of window for your home.

Window and Door Renovations

• Before repairing or replacing windows and doors, consider all of the factors outlined in this fact sheet.

Assesing the Renovation Project

• If you plan carefully, you can renovate your home to make it look better, work better, last longer and be more comfortable.

Canada’s Housing Construction System

• Understand the elements of the system of construction and operation of buildings and houses in Canada.

Hiring a Contractor

• Make sure you get what you want and pay for when hiring a contractor.

Sample Renovation Contract

• A detailed written contract between you and the contractor you hire is essential to any renovation or home repair project, no matter its size.

Energy Efficient Upgrade — Mechanical Systems

• Before altering these, it is important to understand how the overall performance of the house will be affected.

Energy Efficient Upgrade — The Building Envelope

• Improving the building envelope can result in a better insulated, more airtight home that is easier to heat.

Exterior Spaces

• Learn how to successfully design a universally accessible exterior space by assessing the space and identifying how you, your family and friends will use it.

Living Spaces

• This fact sheet provides an overview of planning and design. guidelines to consider when creating, renovating or redecorating the living spaces in your home.

Fire Safety for You and Your Home

• How to prevent fires in your home and ensure the safety of people of all ages and abilities.

House Designs and Floor Plans

• This fact sheet provides design guidelines for the most common types of accessible house designs including: visitable housing, adaptable and accessible housing and housing built using the concepts of universal design.

Home Automation

• Home automation systems, or smart home technologies can control elements of your home environment, such as lighting, appliances, telephones, and home security. 

Lifts and Residential Elevators

• This fact sheet tells you about the types of residential lifts and elevators that are commonly available in Canada.

Residential Hoists and Ceiling Lifts

• This fact sheet tells you about the types of residential hoists and ceiling lifts that are commonly available in Canada.

Ramps

• Learn about ramp design, and other issues to consider before building a ramp for your home.

Kitchens

• Function, usability and flexibility are some of the latest trends in kitchen design that people are demanding so that kitchens work for themselves and their families as people's needs change .

Bathrooms

• This fact sheet provides the detail on how to successfully design a universally accessible bathroom.

Appliances

• Learn how to select appliances which can be easily used by people of differing ages and abilities.