I've seen too many homes torn down before proper deconstruction has taken place. With a bit of effort, there are many treasures to be removed from an old house before the wrecking ball arrives.

Harwood flooring is a beautiful thing. The old pink house that will make way for the Mill Creek NetZero Home (MCNZH) contained about 400 square feet of maple hardwood before I salvaged it. Here's how to do it.  read more... »

This is the house at #### - ## Avenue. Sometime in June, it will be demolished by a backhoe to make way for a home that needs 95% less energy, and produces all of it from the sun: the Mill Creek NetZero Home (MCNZH). I'm going to deconstruct the house as much as possible before its demise in order to minimize the environmental impact of it reaching the end of its useful life.  read more... »

I know a lot about how the Mill Creek NetZero Home (MCNZH) will perform once it's built because my computer told me all about it.

HOT2000 is a really useful - I would call it essential - free piece of software available from the Government of Canada.  read more... »

MCNZH, First Floor

We have a bad habit in North America of not planning for the future. In our built environment, one way in which this habit manifests itself is disposable buildings. Tearing down a building after 30 years, a practice that would shock most Europeans, is completely normal here. We need to change this mindset.  read more... »