Renovation & Design

Are you dyeing to try?

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

“I like to grow plants with purpose,” Bethany Booy said as we sat in her backyard in St. Vital on a warm day in August.

Booy is a fibre artist who gardens and forages locally grown plants for projects that she makes such as clothing items and baskets. She made a vest, for example, out of yarn she dyed using the indigo plant (Persicaria tinctoria) which she grows in her garden. She has also made her own natural dyes for yarn using onion skin, coreopsis (tick seed), and dock, a common perennial weed, as well as sumac and the bark and leaves from apple trees.

She grows a range of flowers such as Hopi Red Dye Amaranth, Rudbeckia black-eyed Susan, black hollyhock (Alcea rosea Nigra), Scabiosa Black Knight, marigolds and Cosmos sulphureus (sulphur cosmos) which she harvests and dries, and then uses for natural dyeing.

Booy also grows a dainty flower called Dyer’s chamomile. “It’s not used for making tea. It dyes a beautiful bright yellow,” she says.

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Marc LaBossiere photos / Free Press
The old window met egress width requirements, but needed more depth, which meant enlarging the rough opening by cutting out the lower portion of concrete footing.

Window of opportunity

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Preview

Window of opportunity

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

The prospect of tackling a window upgrade to meet egress specifications in the bedroom of a basement I had recently remodelled had been weighing heavily on my mind all summer.

Although I’m used to breaching concrete footings, the work is quite arduous — a daunting end to a basement project that would not be finished until the window arrived. Last week, the window was installed. Be advised, the process is not for the faint of heart.

Unlike introducing a completely new window opening within the concrete footings of a basement, egress rules can often be met by simply deepening the opening of the existing window, provided the width meets the required minimum as set out in local building codes. This avoids having to create a wider window opening, which can pose crucial implications for structural support with exterior walls. Fortunately, the existing window in this case was wide enough to allow a section of footing to be cut out.

Before breaching the concrete, a window well was installed at the egress window location (to the proper depth, tied into the weeping tiles), and the interior framing was done and the opening left unfinished until the window was installed.

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Saturday, Sep. 5, 2026

Renovation & Design

Photos by Colleen Zacharias photo
Crabapple trees have been the No. 1-selling tree variety this year at Creekside Tree Farm & Nursery, owner Mikkel Grabinski says.

Welcoming Creekside Tree Farm & Nursery

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Welcoming Creekside Tree Farm & Nursery

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

The local horticulture industry in Manitoba is a close-knit, supportive community, in which wholesale growers and retail garden centre owners know each other well. Many are long-standing, multi-generational family businesses.

If a local grower decides to expand greenhouse operations or a garden centre changes ownership, it’s big news that ripples throughout Manitoba’s entire horticulture industry, including the gardening community.

So, when a brand-new, independent wholesale nursery and garden retailer sets up business on 236 acres just 35 minutes north of Winnipeg, it merits considerable interest. A new startup in an industry with very few new players stands out.

Creekside Tree Farm & Nursery, a retail and wholesale nursery, is located at 165 Tom Prince Dr. in Petersfield, Man., just down the road from Chesley’s Resort and Campground. The owner, Mikkel Grabinski, is 28. He purchased the site for his nursery in 2019. The past few years, he has worked quietly around the clock to grow his operation by planting thousands of trees, build relationships with wholesale suppliers, and hire a workforce.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

Renovation & Design

Assessing a project at every step avoids messy finishes

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Preview

Assessing a project at every step avoids messy finishes

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

Traditionally, the final day of a bathroom remodel includes the finishing touches: hanging the towel racks; applying silicone where required; and of course the bath and or tub shower enclosure installation.

However, at a recent bathroom-gut-and-remodel this tradition was turned on its head for the first time in my career, and for good reason.

Generally, once a shower base is installed against the wall studs, a moisture-protected backer is mounted on the walls, which overlaps the lip of the base along the top edge of the shower pan.

Much like a tub installation, this lip encourages water to flow back towards the base, should there ever be a breach in the silicone and waterproofing along the bottom edge of the tile. Once installed, the backer becomes the surface upon which the tile is then installed and subsequently grouted.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

Renovation & Design

Photos by Marc LaBossiere / Free Press
The look of the old kitchen transformed into a more modern esthetic.

Kitchen demo leads to baffling discovery

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Preview

Kitchen demo leads to baffling discovery

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

During the demolition process, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.

During a bathroom expansion project a decade ago, I discovered live electrical feeds had been left within a closed wall that was insulated with wood chips and old newspapers. I found them the old-fashioned way, when reaching up into the stud cavity. After the jolt wore off, each line was properly terminated into an outlet box.

A similar situation occurred at a recent kitchen facelift project, during a demolition task that hadn’t even been planned.

Provided the existing kitchen cabinets are in good shape and continue to meet your esthetic taste, a homeowner can simplify a makeover by upgrading only certain elements and avoiding the cost of total kitchen cupboard replacement, which in some circumstances can easily render a project cost-prohibitive.

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Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026

Renovation & Design

NewRoots Construction and Landscaping photo
Grow plants year round in this four-season geodesic greenhouse. Raised beds on the outside provide additional growing space.

Imagine a year-round greenhouse

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Imagine a year-round greenhouse

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

Do you dream of having your own year-round greenhouse? Imagine walking into a warm greenhouse in the cold month of February to harvest fresh vegetables.

NewRoots Construction and Landscaping is turning that dream into a reality. The Saskatoon-based company specializes in three- and four-season geodesic grow dome greenhouses. The spherical structures are built from triangular, triple-wall polycarbonate panels and utilize passive solar heating systems.

Owners Garret Fisher and Oxana Ossiptchouk ship their greenhouse kits across Canada. (They also have an installation crew, but exclusively for customers who live in Saskatchewan.)

Demand for the grow domes is high, Fisher says, especially in the past two years. “We design and manufacture the grow dome greenhouses and make the kits right in our shop. Now we are building another bigger shop because the manufacturing side is getting quite large.”

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Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere / Winnipeg Free Press
The rec-room was redesigned from bare studs and concrete sub-floor and fully renovated from head to toe.

Basement re-imagination

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Preview

Basement re-imagination

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

A remodel of an existing basement provides not only a great opportunity to address dated aspects, but also allows homeowners to reorganize the space.

By repositioning certain walls in key locations, the functionality of various rooms can be greatly enhanced. At a recent three-month basement project, several areas were addressed in this fashion, and the new wall placements have made all the difference.

While it was evident the basement gravely needed a facelift, icing on the old cake simply would not suffice.

As you walked down the stairs, an awkward build-out blocked your line of sight into the big area of the rec room. The build-out, partly at a 45-degree angle, had been constructed to conceal the furnace room area, which had an access door located on the far side. Laundry room access was along the right-side wall along the last stair of the staircase, and the bedroom entry was situated on the opposite side, adjacent to the bathroom door. Lastly, two large appliances invaded the main rec room space, simply because there was no other place to put them.

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Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026

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Renovation & Design

Colleen Zacharias photo
The weeping form of Larix decidua Puli is flanked by the red foliage of Jack Frost maple trees — a cast of intriguing characters with sculptural shapes and textures.

A colourful cast of intriguing characters is the wow factor in this Winnipeg garden

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

A colourful cast of intriguing characters is the wow factor in this Winnipeg garden

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

There are top brand names that gardeners instantly recognize and seek out when they are shopping for plants. Brand recognition is a powerful driver that influences consumer choices. If the name Iseli Nursery doesn’t ring a bell, it should.

Iseli Nursery, located in Oregon, specializes in uniquely sculpted dwarf conifers that provide year-round colour and structure. Many of the selections are reliably hardy and adaptable to harsh northern climates such as Zone 2 and 3. Iseli Nursery also specializes in hybrid Jack Frost maples (Acer x pseudosieboldianum). A cross between the Japanese maple and the Korean maple, the Jack Frost collection offers outstanding colour and is hardy to Zone 4.

These popular premium plants are supplied to independent garden centres across the United States and Canada. Van der Meer Garden Centre in Île-des-Chênes is the primary source in Manitoba for Iseli plants.

“Iseli plants are as exclusive as it gets,” says Veronica van der Meer, retail store manager. “I would compare their key attributes to some of the esthetics that make a brand like David Austin roses so special. We have customers all the way from Calgary and places in Ontario who have driven to our nursery to buy the Iseli plants we sell, especially the maples.”

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Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

Renovation & Design

Photos by Marc LaBossiere / Free Press
This new driveway and approach conform to building codes, while meeting the desired layout requirements of the homeowners.

Driveway to heaven: making concrete magic

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Preview

Driveway to heaven: making concrete magic

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

A rear deck was completed for these homeowners two summers ago, and their next major exterior project involved the introduction of a private driveway.

For years, their garage approach had been gravel, which had become a nuisance in winter — the snowblower regularly tossed stones while clearing snowfalls. So, they called upon me to arrange for a driveway estimate, and subsequently decided to proceed.

Unfortunately, weather delays pushed the project from fall 2025 until this spring. Although the crew was dodging rainstorms, the project did proceed, albeit a few weeks later than expected.

When it comes concrete, I’ve always deferred such projects to trusted sub-trades. Most concrete work requires heavy machinery and a skill set that exceeds my acumen. Although I have dabbled here and there (filling in breaches in a basement floor, and erecting a permanent post for a basketball hoop), big work should be left to those who are proficient within the trade and maintain a vigilant knowledge of current building codes. As such, I called upon my good buddy Roy Marques at Rokkon Construction.

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Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

Renovation & Design

Three sets of three faux window shutters cleverly conceal the old abandoned window openings set in stucco.

Decorative coverings solve exterior problem

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Preview

Decorative coverings solve exterior problem

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

After completing a massive feature wall that includes a beautiful, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace structure with a large flat-screen TV above the mantel and an electric fireplace below — and a symmetrical array of shelving and cupboards on either side — all that remained was the finishing touches on the exterior side of the wall.

Before the project began, three windows had been filled in to accommodate the continuous vertical surface required to complete the interior project. Early this summer, I had occasion to finally address the final steps.

Unlike breaching an exterior wall for the introduction of a window, filling in an opening is far less complicated. With the lintel already in place, framing within the opening is not structural — it simply serves to provide a nailing surface upon which the drywall can be mounted along the interior side, and the exterior sheathing (in this case, three-quarter-inch plywood) can be fastened outside.

Once the stud cavities were filled with insulation and the separate areas were sealed with vapour barrier inside and Tyvek on the outside, the interior processes continued with coats of mud, the required sanding and two coats of matching paint.

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Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

Renovation & Design

Colleen Zacharias photo
Annemarie’s Dream, a fully double Asiatic lily, comes into bloom just before L.A. Evening Star hybrid lily, situated directly behind, can steal the show.

Spacious rural garden makes smooth transition to urban space

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Spacious rural garden makes smooth transition to urban space

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

It’s not uncommon for homeowners to dig up some of their beloved plants when they sell their home and move to another property. But relocating hundreds of prized plants from an established and spacious rural garden to a blank slate is a whole other matter.

In 2022, Sandra Gessner Eggertson and her husband decided it was time to sell their three-acre rural property near St. Andrews. They purchased a home on a quiet street in Winnipeg where Eggertson planned to make a new garden. Their rural property was listed that fall and sold immediately. Eggertson moved in December, but first, hundreds of treasured perennials, including hostas and specialty lilies and iris plants, needed to be transplanted into pots.

With the assistance of a good friend — a fellow lily and iris enthusiast — the enormous task of digging and dividing took three months. The plant divisions were loaded into a truck and transported to her friend’s farmyard, where they spent the winter in a protected location with ample snow cover.

“First we placed bales of straw in the shape of a big square to act as a catch-all for snow,” says Eggertson. “The pots were placed close together inside the square and then covered with mulch. I had very few plant losses.”

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Saturday, Jul. 18, 2026

Renovation & Design

Jennifer Dumore photo
From left: A trio of flowering crabapple trees — Thunderchild, Spring Snow and Courageous.

Getting creative with flowering crabapple trees

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Getting creative with flowering crabapple trees

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

Flowering crabapple trees have come a long way since Spring Snow Flowering Crabapple and Thunderchild Rosybloom Crabapple were introduced to the market more than 50 years ago.

Spring Snow was developed by Bert Porter at his nursery in northern Saskatchewan in the 1960s. A completely fruitless tree with masses of fragrant white flowers, Spring Snow became the leading crabapple cultivar in North America. Hardy to Zone 2, it grows to a height of 7.6 metres with a robust width of 6.1 metres. While Spring Snow continues to be an option for consumers who do not want messy fruit drop, it is highly susceptible to apple scab, a fungal disease that thrives in wet weather, causing premature leaf drop.

Thunderchild Rosybloom Crabapple was introduced by Saskatchewan breeder Percy Wright in 1974. Slightly smaller than Spring Snow, Thunderchild’s glossy purple foliage made it a top seller for many years. Although resistant to fire blight, a bacterial disease that causes dieback of branches, Thunderchild is also highly susceptible to apple scab.

Another older variety, Pink Spire Flowering Crabapple, is also highly susceptible to apple scab.

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Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere photos / Free Press
The prefab fibreglass shower stall required a custom tiled back wall to get the shower head at the proper height.

Making the best of a bathroom

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Preview

Making the best of a bathroom

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

This bathroom project turned out amazingly well. However, its journey to completion was far from straightforward.

The homeowner had intended to tackle this renovation himself. But during a fencing project on his property, he asked if I could take a look at his ensuite, where the work had halted nearly seven years prior. It was apparent the seemingly “easy” upgrade presented several obstacles, some of which had not yet come into full focus.

After presenting an estimate on the project, my involvement began midway through the demolition process, which continued until most of the walls were bare and the existing sub-floor was removed.

Initial hurdles included blatant issues — the main venting stack, for example, was within the room, having been concealed inside the old shower stall wall (which no longer exists), and the water and drain feeds for a new wall-mount vanity had yet to be properly routed.

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Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere photos / Free Press
The vanity was moved forward to nearly meet the face of the wall next to the shower.

Not just a vanity project

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Preview

Not just a vanity project

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 4, 2026

The bathroom in the basement had become a place to avoid.

The shower stall had flimsy plastic walls resting on a decrepit base with the drain bagged up, indicating it likely had not been used in quite a while. Indications of water feed leaks were visible in various locations. The sink vanity was tucked a few feet into a cavity created solely because the main ducting along the ceiling forced an awkward design. And although the toilet worked, it was not in an inviting space.

During a basement renovation, this had became one of two projects within a project. With the laundry room nearing completion, my focus shifted to finishing the bathroom, which had undergone a complete gutting and redesign.

Although the main wall dividing the bathroom from the neighbouring bedroom would remain, an extra doorway beside the main bathroom door was added from the bedroom to create an ensuite feel.

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Saturday, Jul. 4, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere photos / Free Press
Before and after: non-load-bearing studs were cut away to make room for the new design.

Basement staircase gets an elegant update

Marc LaBossiereReno Boss 5 minute read Preview

Basement staircase gets an elegant update

Marc LaBossiereReno Boss 5 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Sometimes, when planning a renovation, the least obvious change creates the biggest impact.

Of course, functionality and esthetics must be considered early on. At a recent jobsite, the staircase leading to the lower level felt like a tunnel, with both walls running through to the basement. But by strategically notching the stairwell walls, the entry to the basement was made much more welcoming.

The mandate for the project was clear from the outset — homeowners wanted a revised layout that better utilizes space, with an updated look and feel. Beyond the awkward wall placements and waste of usable space, the staircase was a priority. Although it served its purpose, it had been built in a very utilitarian manner and was an eyesore — a real blemish in the basement.

After planning a new design, I determined that the walls on either side of the stairs had been erected after the main structural components of the lower level were put in place. In other words, the staircase walls were not load-bearing and could be altered without undermining the upper floor joists. As such, two elements were implemented within the new design: the laundry room door that had been flush with the front face of the lowest stair would now be recessed, creating a short hallway into the laundry, and — most importantly — the wall adjacent to the laundry entry would be cut away in order to open up the stairs into the main rec room, with a lesser cutaway on the opposing stair wall. This would greatly improve the look of the space, while allowing for a broader view of the basement area.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Renovation & Design

Darwin Perennials photo
The new Salvia, Blue by You offers earlier blooming and up to five repeat blooming cycles.

Try growing Salvia and Veronica speedwell in your garden

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Try growing Salvia and Veronica speedwell in your garden

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

Salvia and Veronica speedwell are two of the most popular garden plants.

Both include varieties that produce dense, upright spikes of tiny purple or blue flowers and come in a range of colours and forms. Gardeners frequently confuse Salvia and Veronica, but there are distinct differences between the two.

Salvia, which is a member of the Lamiaceae family, has highly aromatic leaves, square stems and tubular two-lipped flowers. Salvia is also a significantly larger and more diverse genus than Veronica, with hundreds of different species of annuals and perennials.

Veronica, formerly classified in Scrophulariaceae, is in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. The leaves and flowers of Veronica are not known for fragrance. The stems are characteristically round, and the flowers are star-like with four spreading lobes that fuse at the base.

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Saturday, Jun. 27, 2026

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