Rave reviews: two-storey offers flex space galore

While large families need ample space to function properly, that space must be well-ordered.

The reason is simple: a logical layout allows a family to live in a more organized and orderly fashion and to have different zones that allow for separation when private time is required.

Randall Homes’ new 2025 Fall Parade of Homes show home at 109 Mill Rock Road was designed to be exceptionally family friendly, says the sales representative for the 2,027 sq. ft., two-storey design, Davinder Thind of Century 21 Advanced Realty.

“People who went through the home on the first weekend of the Fall Parade loved the home’s layout,” he says. “It really works well for a large family.”

Product promises to extend shingles’ life span

After upgrading the windows on the original portion of my house last fall, the prospect of incurring another major expense in the short term had me slightly concerned.

Well-built bungalow is a homey haven

These days, purchasing a brand-new house can cost a family $650,000 or more.

A fence postscript

During a recent backyard deck upgrade and partial fence replacement project, the homeowners forgot to include one other section of fence that needed to be replaced. Luckily it was a fairly short section and I was able to squeeze the job into my summer schedule.

Reimagining the garden

Next week, close to 100 horticultural professionals from botanical gardens and conservatories across Canada and the U.S. will be in Winnipeg for the American Public Gardens Association’s 2025 Horticulture, Greenhouse, & Facilities Symposium, which will be hosted by Assiniboine Park Conservancy at The Leaf.

Wonderful Wellington: Houses like this don’t come along every day

One of the most indelible images of Wellington Crescent is of the stately, early 20th-century homes lining the street amid stands of mature trees.

Sophisticated bungalow in Sage Creek has it all

One of the biggest challenges a builder faces when creating a modern, open-concept home is to also make it warm and inviting.

Fall Parade of Homes celebrates 45 years

Today’s the day — the Manitoba Home Builders’ Association’s 2025 Fall Parade of Homes officially opens at 12 noon, showcasing 135 new show homes built by 32 of Manitoba’s best home builders. The MHBA is proud to present the biggest and best Parade of Homes in Canada.

Show home hours in Winnipeg and surrounding areas are Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Each parade show home is also available for private viewings outside of the regular hours, and on Fridays. Private viewings are a great way to take additional time and have a more in-depth discussion with the sales staff. Contact the show home builder to book your appointment.

During parade hours, each parade show home will have staff ready to explain the special features of that home. Be sure to ask them about the builders, suppliers and materials used in the home. MHBA new home builders pride themselves on building the best new homes in Canada.

Style and function go hand in hand in this home on Ruth Crossing

Even though it’s something prospective homebuyers may not dwell upon, flooring can greatly influence the look and feel of a house.

That’s certainly the case with the main living area in Randall Homes’ new two-storey, 1,433 sq. ft. show home at 176 Ruth Crossing in Bison Run.

The instant you walk in, you can’t help but notice the upscale look of the wide plank flooring.

“I’d have to say that the flooring is my favourite design feature in the main living area,” says the home’s sales representative, Jay Gajjar of Coldwell Banker Elite Realty. “Even though it’s laminate plank, it looks like engineered oak flooring. It really gets the area off to a great start with its rich look.”

Phil Broomfield lectures on Thomas Hardy’s horticultural history

It’s September, and just as the kids are back in school to gain knowledge, garden clubs and horticultural societies are planning program evenings that provide learning opportunities for their members and the gardening public.

Prior to the pandemic, few garden clubs used video conferencing services such as Zoom. But lockdown changed everything. Virtual programming not only allowed learning opportunities and networking to continue during COVID, but has since opened doors to a greater audience for both garden clubs and public speakers like Phil Broomfield.

Broomfield is a United Kingdom-based garden historian and storyteller who gives lectures to women’s institute groups, garden clubs, horticultural societies and other organizations whose members are interested in exploring the evolution of gardens, horticulture and design.

Broomfield, 44, is also a horticulturalist and owner of The Garden Doctor, a garden maintenance service in Bournemouth on the south coast of England.

This timbered rustic retreat will wow you

As exciting as city life can be, there are times when many of us dream of getting away from the stress of our high-paced, ultra-busy lives.

On challenging days, our thoughts often go back to time spent off-grid, either camping or at a cottage set well off the beaten path — times when life was quiet and filled with beauty.

When the frenetic pace of the city becomes too much, some people start looking for a way to lead a simpler life.

That could mean finding a place to raise a family in a safe neighbourhood that offers outdoor activities for kids, or downsizing to an area that promises solitude and tranquility after many years of commuting to the office in heavy traffic.

Finding a new (driveway) approach

I’ve been involved in reno projects that involve forming, pouring and finishing concrete, but those tasks have always been left to the certified professionals.

In the case of a recently proposed driveway upgrade project, the costs could have gone up substantially because of changes to city code involving a new driveway approach that ties into a right-of-way. Could we find a creative solution that would wrangle the overall project costs closer to the anticipated amount?

In replacing an entire driveway and approach, the overall square footage generally dictates the costs — the volume of concrete required can be calculated by multiplying the square footage by the average depth. When prepping the area, gravel is compacted within temporary wooden forms set along the perimeter of the driveway and rebar is strategically placed to reinforce the concrete once it’s poured. After the topside finishing is done, partial-depth lines are cut at set intervals to discourage haphazard surface cracks.

Typically, the calculated volume of concrete required also dictates the amount of rebar and the overall labour needed to complete the project. This past spring, a change in city code upended the initial quote that had been provided to the homeowner. Although the driveway is residential, it was explained to me that the city now requires all driveway approaches to meet commercial standards. In other words, the approach would require a much more invasive preparation, which of course means higher costs.

Wolseley Classic boasts modern charms

Few neighbourhoods in Winnipeg capture people’s imaginations the way Wolseley does.

How a shady pollinator desert became a flower-filled haven

Drive through any older, established neighbourhood in Winnipeg and you will see fully grown evergreen trees that dominate small front yard landscapes, often completely blocking houses from view. Decades ago, when the trees were small, they probably seemed like a very good idea.

Porch project got a tad prickly

A dilapidated front porch in need of a facelift nearly led to adventures in bushwhacking when I had to work my way through foliage that had overgrown in recent years.