Fighting the flames had put such a demand on the small local #water system that the city’s reservoirs dropped to “dangerously low” levels, explained councillor David Chesney. “We haven’t drained our reservoirs, but they’ve gone down a tremendous amount in fighting this #fire,” “We’ve not had any indication that there is a major problem yet, but …
Category Archives: Housing
Tall Timber Buildings
With the failure of the suburban experiment, rising house prices and a greater desire to be in the downtown, designers are looking to stretch the limits of materials, to satisfy changing needs. Added to this, Canadian designers are looking to find ways to use pine beetle infested timber from our forests. But now, designers are …
Spring 2011 Canadian Housing
Our Own Experience A bit over four years ago, we entered the housing market in the Kootenays of BC, looking for a good value home that required no work to move in. We bought a beautiful house on 3/4 of an acre, which we soon converted into a food-producing garden, adding berries to the existing …
Fall and Falling Prices?
Image via Wikipedia As we slide toward Fall, out of the shimmering mirage days of summer, there is a lot of talk out there about housing prices in Canada – and none of it is real good. Interestingly, there is less of an attempt to put a positive spin on things from the Real Estate …
Boomer Housing Denial
Have you noticed the disconnect between reality and expectations for housing options in the Baby Boomer crowd? A recent AARP study, for example, found a massive disconnect between perceptions of aging and its reality. The vast majority of people surveyed expressed optimism that they would not only be in good physical health in their later years, …
Seismic Slope Stability Requirements in BC
As of February 1, 2010, the BC Building Code has been amended to require the consideration of potential for slope instability and it’s consequences at a building site becomes an explicit requirement in the design of structures and their foundations, additionally, the seismic design criteria has been increased to a probablility level of 2%-in-50 year. …
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The Smart Growth Manual
Smart Growth is slowly being recognized as having benefits outside of the usual talk of walkable neighbourhoods and streetscapes. This book, The Smart Growth Manual runs through the principles from the Regional context, the Neighbourhood, the Street, down to the Building design. If you are interested in New Urbanism, this is a book worth checking …
Home Ownership
The big push from the government, builders, banks and just about everyone else who has been part of the consumer driven craze for more stuff has built their pitch to the citizenry based on a desire for home ownership, particularly ownership in the suburbs.