The Citizen, 2018-05-10, Page 21THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2018. PAGE 21.
Bring the indoors outside for entertaining options
MS — Upon the arrival of warm
weather, many individuals prefer to
spend their free time outside,
relishing the fresh air and sunshine
and evenings spent under the stars.
But cracked patios and makeshift
chairs and tables may not establish
the desired ambiance. An outdoor
entertaining area that offers the same
amenities found inside a home can
make outdoor retreats both
comfortable and functional. Creative
planning can help homeowners
design dream areas perfect for
hosting friends or family.
• Establish goals: As with any
project, the first step when co-
ordinating outdoor living areas is to
determine what you hope to achieve
with the space. Will it be a location
for lounging? Will people be
Continued on page 22
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A new take on entertaining
By offering some of the comforts of the indoor in an outdoor entertaining space, like food and
drink access, fabric -covered furniture, pillows and warmth, a unique and inviting outdoor
entertainment space can be created that blends the best of both worlds. Consider adding fire
features to accomplish the warmth and to create a romantic feel and increase the space's
uses in the shoulder seasons. (Ms photo)
Passive belongs in Huron: Lee
Continued from page 20
is the part of the process Lee says
has been easy, because the
construction process for a passive
house isn't much different from that
of a code house — most of the
differences are materials.
Scott Tousaw, Huron County's
former Director of Planning and
Development, has completed a
number of courses on the passive
house concept on his own time over
the years. The concept has been a
passion of his for years.
He says he's very excited to see
the Lees build what he believes will
be the first certified passive house in
Huron County.
And, like Lee, Tousaw has
confidence that because passive
houses focus more on being sealed
tightly and insulated to a greater
standard than most code houses,
many Huron County builders will
have no problem building houses to
passive house standards with simply
a little education.
In fact, he said, many of the
building code changes are already
leaning towards passive house
standards anyway. Many European
countries already have passive house
standards written into their building
codes, he said.
The project has not been without
its doubters. Lee says it took a while
to convince Judy that a passive
house was the way to go and when
he told his father, he said that house
sounded great, but that he should
leave enough room to build a
furnace, because he'll need it.
However, for Lee the need to build
a passive house runs much deeper
than saving money on the monthly
hydro bill.
Born in England, Lee became a
Canadian citizen in 1967, Canada's
centennial year, and since then he
has become immensely proud to be a
Canadian. However, he says that the
North American share of energy and
resources is so disproportionate that
he feels he can no longer ignore our
need to improve the environment.
In 2016, he took his cues from
Canada's most prominent
politicians. In speeches both by
Premier Kathleen Wynne and Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau, they hinted
at leading Canada away from its
dependency on oil.
Lee says he feels this isn't simply
something to ease carbon emissions
or to stimulate the renewable energy
economy, but rather highlighting the
lack of sustainability of the world's
energy landscape as it sits right now.
Much of that energy consumption
comes from the day-to-day running
of an average residential house, he
said, in addition to cars, machinery
and industry.
"We take that energy and we blow
it out the walls of our homes," Lee
said. "We can't keep living that way
indefinitely."
So while he said he felt he was
doing his part by recycling and
cutting energy consumption when he
could, building a passive house is a
way to take a huge bite out of what
had been his family's carbon
footprint for decades.
For more information on the
passive house concept, visit the
Passive House Institute's website at
www.passivehouse.com.
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