Projects

Kid Cave
A playhouse is the start of many childhood adventures. —Dan Michie

Turn & Flip
Build this simple toy for some challenging fun. —Steve Maxwell

Lakeside Lazy-Boy
Recline in style on this Muskoka chair with a footrest. —Cathy Dalrymple

Gateway to the Garden
Frame the entrance to your green plot of plants. —Steve Maxwell

Sunset Bleacher
The perfect seat for the perfect view. —Paul Lewis & Steve Maxwell

Rings Around the Yard
An easy project for hours of summer fun. —Steve Maxwell

Home Improvement

10 Reno Tips
Grab your white hard hat; you’re the foreman. —Geoff Carpentier

Front Door Makeover
Small changes can transform your entranceway. —Jodi Avery MacLean

Departments

Editor’s Notebook
Celebrating our man behind the scenes. —Douglas Thomson

Toolbox
Big-wood wisdom: Three tips for getting outdoor structures right. —Steve Maxwell

Paul’s Place
It’s quoit a game. —Paul Rush

Ask a Pro
Paul Lafrance solves a deck dilemma.

Mystery Tool
A clamp that keeps frame corners flush.

Testimony
Finish outdoor projects with a paint sprayer.

Readers’ Test
Four handsaws are put through their paces.

What do you do if you want something in between? What’s available for houses that have no ducting? Isn’t there a more efficient way to cool your home?

Positioned between the extremes of window-mounted units and central systems is an air-conditioning technology that’s still new to most Canadians. Ductless air-conditioners, also called mini-split systems, are a newer approach to air conditioning developed in Japan, which use a type of heat pump technology to efficiently deliver cooling action to independently controlled zones in your home.

Ductless air-conditioners are called mini-splits because the two main halves of the equipment are separated by distance. One half is the compressor, which sits outdoors all the time, just like the compressor on a central air-conditioner. The other half of the ductless system, the indoor air-handling unit, is wall-mounted and connected to the compressor via a pair of hidden pipes. This is the unique feature of the mini-split approach.

Think of the indoor component like a radiator that delivers cold instead of heat. It can be located as far as 75 feet from the compressor and without losing power or efficiency. Noise and vibration never get anywhere near the inside of your home, and cooling action can be delivered high up on any wall for maximum benefit.

Typical mini-splits include two or three indoor air-handling units to deliver cooling throughout your home. Hook up is technically easy, requiring no ductwork and only a three- or four-inch hole drilled through an exterior wall.

Besides offering an air conditioner option that’s sized to fill the gap between central systems and window air conditioners, ductless systems have another advantage, too. They save money through lower electricity consumption. This happens in two ways.

Since the cooling action of a mini-split is delivered to several independently controlled areas in your home, it’s possible to selectively cool different zones depending on the time of day. By focusing cooling action in bedrooms at night, for instance, and living areas during the day, you can save substantially by reducing the amount of total air cooled. And added to this there’s another energy advantage, too.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, typical residential duct systems can lose a staggering 25 to 40 per cent of the heating and cooling energy supplied to them by a furnace or air conditioner. This happens because of leaks within the ducts, especially those drawing warm air back into the system to be cooled. Add to this the fact that the metal ducts themselves must also be cooled before you feel any benefit, and you’ll see where the energy losses come from.

Operating without all that sheet metal has its advantages. For duct-free houses heated with electric baseboard heaters or radiant in-floor heating, mini-splits offer cooling action that simply can’t be achieved with central air. Ductless systems also eliminate the risk of criminal intrusion into the home that window air conditioners create. Some systems are even designed to operate in reverse, supplying heat during cool weather. For homes without ducts, this can mean getting rid of those baseboard heaters, resulting in year-round energy savings.

At the moment, ductless, mini-split air conditioners are relatively new, and this means that a higher profit margin is built into their sales and installation. Currently, the cost-per-unit of cooling capacity is roughly one-third more than you’ll pay for central air. Despite the premium you might pay for new technology, the energy savings of mini-splits mean they’re worth considering. This is just one of a handful of technologies that let us do more with less energy while enjoying a better life in the bargain.

“I know I was going to fix that, but the sound of the floor reminds me of my youth in Mexico. All the houses there sound like this,” Juan said moving around the room to pick up the floor squawk. The standard Canadian floor, he claimed, was too quiet.

Juan then got into other differences between Mexico and Canada.

“Why have a floor if you can’t walk on it? Leave your shoes on.” he said. ” I get it: if it’s winter and you don’t want to make a mess, yes, take off the boots. But for the rest of the time, who cares? Floors are supposed to have scratches on them.”

And he does practice what he preaches. He hasn’t bothered to cover this floors when trades have been in and out of his place doing work. While his refinished second floor has a fresh coat of stain, it still has a distressed look. There’s still character in those boards.

Now, I must come clean. I fall on the opposite end of the spectrum from Juan. I have laminate floors and I do my best to keep them looking like new. I do appreciate Juan’s laid back approach, though. It’s probably more practical too. But, there’s something in me that keeps me from being so laissez-faire.

What do you think? Do you walk on your new or old floors with shoes on? Or do you try to keep the floors pristine? As this post goes up, the debate is spilt 50/50 on our Facebook page: it’s Canadian to take your shoes off at the door and it’s Canadian to leave them on (after wiping on a mat, of course).

First off, the  design is collapsible. When the garden turns barren in winter, just loosen a couple of bolts, swivel a couple of parts and the trellis’s bent slats come together for compact storage. Another great feature is the optional base holster. The copper pipes make it easy for you to drive the holster into the soil, then slide the trellis in place. You can then easily move it whenever you want. The holster also extends the wooden base of the trellis up and away from the rot-promoting damp soil. I also added a bit of Victorian flair to the crosspieces by giving them a unique profile.