Welcome to Housecraft. I started this blog by sharing stories about DIY renovations, interior design, gardening
and recipes. Over time I realized that where you live isn't just about your house. When you zoom in it's about
your the health of your body and mind. When you zoom out it's about your community. We're all our own
ecosystems. From now on I'm going to take a wider look around. Hope you'll join me.
Part 2 of the story of our bedroom makeover. In this exciting chapter, we install housings for our pot lights in the ceiling – where previously there was just empty blah nothing.
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We get ready for an incredible bedroom renovation, and figure out our design strategy, budget – all that kind of fun stuff. This is all about the hopeful planning phase, before the exhaustion and despair set in. Just kidding!
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If you’re looking for a shrub with wine-coloured leaves and small delictate flowers in spring, this may be the shrub for you. But there are some things about this plant you won’t learn on the tag it carries at the garden centre. Find out the whole story in this plant profile.
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Thanks so much! I still think it was worth it. If you try it yourselves, try to do it before…
Everyone hates popcorn ceilings, including me. I hated mine enough to go through the dusty hell it takes to get rid of them. Here’s what happened, and it was so worth it.
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If you care at all about the quality of lighting in your home, you should install dimmer switches on your fixtures for better control. And it’s not just about mood – choosing the right dimmers means you can save money on energy if you leave them on a lower setting.
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This isn't really true. Gypsum board does not have much value in shear resistance. Actual plywood sheathing will be on…
If you’re trying to get a little more light flowing around your house, sometimes putting a window inside your home is the answer. But can you do this safely, without bringing the house down? When we were trying to figure out if we could put an interior window in one of our walls, this is the post I wish had been around.
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It’s not easy to find plants with great fall colours that are small enough and hardy enough for my garden in Ottawa. Here’s how the Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) did when I gave it a try.
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I wouldn't lump all smokers in the same group, don't forget they are *people* first.. A lot of People are…
For non-smokers, few things are worse than having cigarette smoke come in to your home through a wall shared with a neighbour. Now that so many of us live in townhouses and condos, it’s a pervasive problem. When we experienced the problem, here’s how we solved it – mostly.
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Let’s face it, even though there are lots of eco-friendly lighting solutions out there, some people don’t use them because they light they provide is ugle. In this post, I look at WHY the light is so different, and how low-energy light bulbs are getting better all the time.
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Great article and great answers from Mary Ann! On question #8 (climate change), I would phrase the answer somewhat differently.…
The Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton have a mission: to help more people enjoy all forms of gardening. Mary Ann Van Berlo talks to me about the club and how they put their expertise at your service, no strings attached.
Read MoreCopyright © 2018 by Jennifer Priest. I write my own stuff, so you should too!
Thanks Leanne! It's been taking a bit longer than expected, but the finished pics are coming up soon!