Renovation & Design

Renovation & Design

Walters Gardens Inc. Low-maintenance Purrsian Blue catmint has been planted en masse in the ACCESS Fort Garry therapeutic garden.

A healing place

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

A special garden meant to foster resilience, encourage conversations and support wellness opened at ACCESS Fort Garry on May 29.

The design of the garden by Bhavana Bonde and the landscape architecture team at Architecture 49 is inspired by the Seven Sacred Teachings — love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth.

“It is important to reflect on the role that land plays in wellness,” says Bonde, who is the national practice leader of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, Architecture49 and president of the Manitoba Association of Landscape Architects.

“This garden has been shaped with the intention of supporting mental health, connection and care — values that are deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and long-lasting relationships with the land.”

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Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere photos / Free Press A three-eighths plywood perimeter is installed above the sub-floor prior to setting the heating coil.

Heat beneath your feet

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Preview

Heat beneath your feet

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

On a chilly morning, there’s nothing worse than a cold bathroom floor, especially when you step out of a hot shower. Although bath mats help lessen the shock, it can be difficult to combat chills once they start. This is why, when I’m renovating bathrooms, I feel compelled to mention the possibility of heated flooring to homeowners. Many of my clients hadn’t previously considered the option, but it can make all the difference.

Heated flooring became popular in conjunction with tiled floors, but many projects now involve heating below vinyl plank. There are a variety of heated coil systems that allow straightforward installation, along with a wall-mounted thermostat for heating control. In recent years, thermostat technology has greatly improved, allowing for seven-day and 24-hour scheduling. Some thermostats can even be linked to a mobile app, via Wi-Fi, for greater convenience.

The installation process for heated floors may differ slightly from brand to brand, but the premise is the same. Essentially, the thermostat is connected to a power source (which can differ depending on the square footage of the flooring coil required), which then controls the output to the coil based on the thermostat settings. Much like the thermostat that controls the HVAC system in your house, a sensor along the floor transmits the temperature to the thermostat. When the value is below the preset temperature for that time of day, the heating coil engages and heats the floor until the desired temperature has been met, and then turns off.

Prepping the floor for heated coil installation means removing the existing flooring to the sub-floor. During a recent bathroom renovation, the existing sub-floor consisted of old 1 x 6 planks set at 45 degrees to the floor joist below. As this was not an acceptable surface for the coil installation (which requires a leveller poured over top), the main area to receive heated flooring was removed and a solid three-quarter-inch plywood was installed in its place. With the plywood secured to the joists, the area was then mapped for coil, with unnecessary areas — such as the footprint of the shower and toilet — excluded. Coil is also not needed within six to eight inches of the floor perimeter, since no one would stand that close to the wall.

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Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

Renovation & Design

LEANNE DOWD PHOTO This summer, tour Leanne Dowd’s one-acre garden, a.k.a. Alice’s Wonderland, in Neepawa.

Inspiring gardens to see this summer in Manitoba

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Inspiring gardens to see this summer in Manitoba

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

The first garden tour of the season starts on Saturday, June 20. Celebrating its 27th season, the Urban Retreats Garden Tour will feature 12 gardens in the Norwood area of Winnipeg, each showcasing its own unique landscape and character, says Shirley Godkin, longtime garden tour co-ordinator.

The Urban Retreats Garden Tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is a major fundraiser for 1JustCity, a Winnipeg-based non-profit which supports three core community drop-in centres. “Last year, the tour raised $35,000 in support of 1JustCity,” Godkin says.

Tour tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.1justcity.ca/gardentour. Tickets are also available at several local garden centres. A full list is available on the website.

The tour also hosts the Manitoba Tea, Craft and Plant Sale, which will be held the same day at the Norwood Community Centre from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

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Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

Renovation & Design

The key to creating proper drainage is a level base perimeter.

Unique shower-base job required a unique solution

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Preview

Unique shower-base job required a unique solution

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

Creating a bathroom walk-in shower in a basement with a concrete floor can be challenging, primarily because the existing layout of the rough plumbing (provided there even is rough plumbing) is pre-established within the concrete.

Moving services (or introducing them) can quickly inflate a budget, rendering the entire project cost-prohibitive. As such, making do with what’s there is always the best route for the wallet, despite the inherent design compromises along the way.

A recent basement bathroom “project within a project” presented a minor shower footprint hurdle, whereby the entry to the shower stall would have to negotiate an existing support telepost. Although the entry point remains at an acceptable 27 inches, the curb upon entry is much wider than usual, at nearly 12 inches.

This was necessary to properly conceal the support post, while maintaining esthetic integrity. The downside, however, was a reduction in the actual shower-pan footprint. No matter, the ceiling rises above the lower elevation of the main duct upon entry, and the overall volume of space within the shower feels much roomier than the old shower-surround unit that occupied the area prior to the renovation.

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Saturday, Jun. 13, 2026

Renovation & Design

NANCY MACKAY PHOTO Veronicastrum Culver’s root stands up to the strong winds at Riding Mountain National Park and is a long-lived perennial.

Prairie gardeners offer tips and advice on planting to withstand windy conditions

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Prairie gardeners offer tips and advice on planting to withstand windy conditions

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026

What do gardeners talk about more than plants? The weather.

“When is it going to rain? When is it going to stop raining? When is it going to warm up? How long is the heat wave going to last?”

A huge topic of conversation this spring, though, has been about the persistent strong winds that have blown across the Prairies in the months of March, April and May — especially the extreme winds experienced in mid-May. The forecast earlier this week for severe thunderstorms and potentially strong wind gusts moving across southern Manitoba prompted many gardeners to take immediate steps to protect their gardens.

Spring is historically the windiest season on the Prairies.

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Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026

Renovation & Design

A built-out wall features two large stacked aquariums for the homeowners’ pet turtles and fish.

Basement renos necessitate moving aquariums

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Preview

Basement renos necessitate moving aquariums

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026

On occasion, a renovation project presents an interesting twist on an existing concept. During a recent basement gut and remodel, the main rec room would include a feature wall unlike anything I’ve created in the past. Although several Reno Boss columns have highlighted feature walls that included a wall-mount fireplace and/or a flatscreen TV, surrounded by decorative stone or tile, this lower-level wall is sure to turn heads.

My fondness for animals knows no bounds. And anyone who truly knows me expects my attention during the first few minutes of most workdays to be directed toward my clients’ family pet(s). Those brief yet meaningful moments, bonding with newfound fur friends, are soothing and often create some of my favourite memories of a jobsite, beyond the satisfaction of the project’s successful conclusion.

The planning for this basement renovation included some standard upgrades: a better wall configuration to create efficient use of space for each room; bathroom and laundry room overhauls; and expanding upon the usable space in the rec room by creating wall insets for both the fridge and upright freezer.

But there was one lingering issue that created a few hurdles — where to place the two, 48-by-18-inch aquariums? Until this reno, these (and a few smaller aquariums) had been bunched together, hidden away within a gloomy laundry room. It was understood that once the laundry room was upgraded, the aquariums could no longer be conveniently housed there.

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Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere photos / Free Press After: new cabinets, countertop and sink have improved the space dramatically.

From drab to fab

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Preview

From drab to fab

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Saturday, May. 30, 2026

An untidy, dingy or even dirty laundry area is an oxymoron — an insult to cleanliness.

An uninviting laundry room can also lead to procrastination when chores demand action. During a recent gutting and remodelling of a basement, there were subsidiary projects that needed to be tackled, and the laundry space would prove to be the most dramatic transformation.

It’s quite likely that many homeowners have endured a less-than-favourable laundry space. Typically, home renovations start elsewhere, with the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring and painting usually taking precedent. The laundry room is often tucked away in a corner of the basement behind a closed door. It took years, even decades, before my own laundry room was upgraded, and boy, what a difference it has made in our day-to-day rituals. My wife said it best: “I used to hate doing laundry until the reno, and now I look forward to being down there.”

The basement renovation for my clients involved repositioning most inner walls to enhance the layout of the existing rooms. Although the laundry room square footage would diminished slightly as a result, the functionality would be greatly improved with the introduction of upper and lower cupboards for storage. A secondary “faux” wall would create a flat vertical surface upon which the cabinets could be mounted.

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Saturday, May. 30, 2026

Renovation & Design

Chris Lepard photo Rudbeckia Goldsturm (top left), Echinacea White Swan (lower left) and Echinacea Magnus coneflower (right) are built for resilience.

Smart planting

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Smart planting

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, May. 30, 2026

A garden may look effortlessly beautiful, but as with other facets of life, beauty is often shaped and cultivated.

No matter the size of the space you manage — whether it’s a large landscape or a postage-size patch — effort and strategy are required to achieve and protect the garden you create.

Wild swings in temperature, strong winds, heavy rainfall or long dry spells can disrupt the best laid plans. Whatever the weather, keep your garden looking beautiful by choosing reliable plants for areas that are at the mercy of the elements.

Practical methods that are employed early in the season will fortify your garden against water loss, improve drainage and help to maintain your garden’s beauty.

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Saturday, May. 30, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere / Free Press The new basement configuration provides convenient access to nearly all the spaces along one main wall.

Not all basement doors are open-and-shut cases

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Preview

Not all basement doors are open-and-shut cases

Marc LaBossiere 4 minute read Saturday, May. 23, 2026

When it comes to basement overhauls, previous experience has prepared me for potential hurdles.

The usual suspects include uneven concrete floors, shabby ceilings and questionable window seals. And although I’m always prepared for the unexpected, a recent renovation threw a few extra curveballs my way.

Fortunately, I’m always ready to swing.

Once the basement had been re-framed, including introducing new walls to create a better flow in the space, subfloor panels were installed throughout to level the existing concrete floors, as well as to insulate between the planned vinyl plank and the cold basement shell. I had anticipated the extra height required to compensate for the rise in subfloor elevation when framing the doorways, but the existing ceiling joists (taking into account the gap needed to hang suspended tiles) no longer allowed for a traditional rough framing height of 81.5 inches for a standard 80-inch pre-hung interior door.

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Saturday, May. 23, 2026

Renovation & Design

Mary Ann Shaw photo A deer surveys the buffet of plants in Mary Ann Shaw’s front yard garden.

Even ‘deer-resistant’ plants can tempt hungry critters

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Even ‘deer-resistant’ plants can tempt hungry critters

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, May. 23, 2026

What does “deer-resistant” really mean?

With a growing deer population in Fort Richmond, resident Mary Ann Shaw is becoming increasingly aware that there is a distinct gap between assurances that a plant is deer-resistant and reality.

If there is one thing deer will tell you, deer-resistant does not mean deer-proof.

Shaw’s property is across the street from the 37.4-hectare Kings Park.

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Saturday, May. 23, 2026

Renovation & Design

Once the L-bracket is mounted along the perimeter, the main supports and cross section create a grid for the floating tiles.

Drywall or tiles with style? When it comes to replacing ceilings, you’ve got options

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Preview

Drywall or tiles with style? When it comes to replacing ceilings, you’ve got options

Marc LaBossiere 5 minute read Saturday, May. 16, 2026

Roughly a decade ago, a homeowner was adamant he wanted his basement ceiling drywalled, to match the style of the main floor of the house.

Although it was an older home, the basement had high enough floor joists above to allow for seven-and-a-half foot ceilings, completely drywalled. The project went fine, but several locations required quick access panels to reach service shut-offs and clean-outs. And therein lies the rub — why drywall a basement ceiling if a bunch of holes are required?

Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why a client might insist upon a drywalled ceiling in the basement — it makes the lower level feel much like the rest of the house. However, most scenarios would not allow a clean installation of drywall, primarily because of the services that run throughout the lower-level ceiling joists: main ducts for the HVAC system, hot and cold water feeds, drain plumbing that connects to a main stack, and so on.

There are generally accepted alternatives in these cases, and they can be quite complementary when installed strategically.

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Saturday, May. 16, 2026

Renovation & Design

Jpg 1_classic perennials_Siberian Iris_Swans in Flight_ with low carpet of Cerastium tomentosum Snow-in-Summer Walters Gardens photo Siberian iris swans in flight with a low carpet of white-flowered snow-in-summer are classic perennials.

It’s bloomin’ plant sale season

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

It’s bloomin’ plant sale season

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, May. 16, 2026

It’s been a cool and windy start to spring this year. The anticipation of flowers — not a few pretty blooms scattered here and there but a lush and abundant flowering display — grows stronger each day.

Even small spaces can be filled with masses of vibrant flowers. For lasting appeal, choose quintessential perennials such as irises, peonies, clematis, delphinium, poppies, salvia, foxglove, clustered bellflower, daisies, speedwell, salvia, lady’s mantle, phlox, echinops (globe thistle), daylilies, snow-in-summer and more. You can also sprinkle in self-seeding annuals like snapdragons, cornflowers and calendula.

What could be more satisfying than a classic cottage garden look that features extravagant colour? Key factors include planting densely in groups of at least three. Choose plants of different heights, including ground covers, so that no bare ground is visible. You may also want to create curved borders and add a vertical structure such as an obelisk, trellis or arbour.

But above all, you will need beautiful plants that flower reliably.

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Saturday, May. 16, 2026

Renovation & Design

Syngenta Flowers photo Florencio begonias such as Florencio Cerise have bright-yellow centre stamens and superior heat-tolerance.

Beguiling begonias

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Beguiling begonias

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, May. 9, 2026

All it took was one look at Rodney Wohlgemuth’s begonias and I decided to break my own rule of not buying begonias before May 15.

Wohlgemuth owns Green Oak Gardens, located two kilometres east of Beausejour. The expansive greenhouses are tucked behind a large red barn in a picturesque rural setting with a winding creek and a sweep of mature trees in the background.

On my visit on May 1, the sun’s rays were warm and there wasn’t a hint of wind. I was primed to shop for plants.

Wohlgemuth grows a wide variety including annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. He especially loves begonias which are displayed throughout the main greenhouse — luscious begonias on plant tables as soon as you step inside the greenhouse, begonias in hanging baskets above you and begonias in beautiful mixed containers on the floor.

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Saturday, May. 9, 2026

Renovation & Design

Photos by Marc LaBossiere / Free Press Although the top decking hue has faded slightly, the canola oil has already lasted longer than the store-bought product applied years before.

The canola oil experiment, revisited

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Preview

The canola oil experiment, revisited

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Saturday, May. 9, 2026

In late June of 2023, my Reno Boss column depicted an experiment using canola oil to treat my aging deck boards, and the column generated the most feedback I have ever received for any of mine to date.

Interest in the ongoing performance of the canola oil on my deck still finds my inbox with queries, on occasion. After receiving a couple of them recently, I thought it might be a good idea to revisit the experiment and discuss the results it has yielded.

The concept of using canola oil arose after having treated my front and rear decks once they began to fade. Both had been subjected to years of sunlight, and the resilience of the brown treated lumber had clearly dissipated.

My first attempt at rejuvenation involved an expensive Behr deep-penetrating oil product. The process involved clearing the entire deck surface, prepping the top decking by using a high-pressure spray wand, letting it dry and choosing an arid morning to quickly apply the expensive oil in such a manner that sequential lines of application would not reveal any overlaps.

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Saturday, May. 9, 2026

Renovation & Design

Becky Slater photo Eighty to 90 per cent of Winnipeg’s three million trees are on private property. A private tree bylaw could help protect them.

Book a passionate, grassroots call to protect and grow our urban forests

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Preview

Book a passionate, grassroots call to protect and grow our urban forests

Colleen Zacharias 7 minute read Saturday, May. 2, 2026

Out on a Limb by Erna Buffie is a 100-plus page, digest-sized paperback packed with a powerful message about the importance of preserving and growing Winnipeg’s urban forest.

It’s one of those rare books where not a single word is wasted. This is not a sentimental ode to trees but rather a passionate call to immediate action.

Published this year by Great Plains Press, Buffie’s work is the third instalment in the City Project series. The series’ editors are Emma and Michel Durand-Wood. Together with Buffie, all three are grassroots activists who do not shirk from citizen-led action to preserve Winnipeg’s tree canopy.

As a documentary filmmaker, Buffie worked with CBC’s acclaimed series, The Nature of Things, for more than 20 years. She directed Smarty Plants, an award-winning 2012 documentary which uncovers the real secret world of plants. She also directed episodes of the incomparable Canadian documentary series, Recreating Eden, which ran for five seasons on CBC.

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Saturday, May. 2, 2026

Renovation & Design

Marc LaBossiere / Free Press The dryer duct and vent, new 30-amp outlet, and ABS drain plus water feeds combo insert make for a clean look along the back wall.

Seize the opportunity

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Preview

Seize the opportunity

Marc LaBossiere 6 minute read Saturday, May. 2, 2026

The introduction of an additional laundry room on the second floor within any home is a tricky prospect at the best of times and requires careful planning prior to execution.

Although a laundry room was not a priority during an elaborate kitchen remodel I handled, an opportunity presented itself to tackle the endeavour.

While the walls were being stripped down to studs on the main floor, a useful corridor via which to run rough plumbing and electrical from the basement to the second level was too good for the homeowners to pass up.

This particular kitchen remodel a couple years ago was a huge project. The area of the dining room into the old kitchen was roughly 700 square feet in size, and involved removing a dividing wall, introducing two new kitchen picture windows and a side coffee bar with sink beyond the centre island with the main sink area.

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Saturday, May. 2, 2026

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