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Archive for June 2012
 







Did You Know National BBQ Day is Here? Guess what important event takes place this Saturday, June 23?

National BBQ Day.




Categories: Green, Green Living


Green Kids in a Green Home This Sunday is a great day for every dad out there. New dads in particular will always remember it. (One of the best things about building new home communities is interacting with families across all stages of their lives, from first-time parents at Avonlea to empty-nesters at Port Hope.)

Besides being a happy day, Father’s Day is also a good time to reflect on the education you’re giving your children.

One of the most important things you can teach them is how to live responsibly and how to grow into an adult who loves and cares for their family. Because doing will always set a better example than preaching, the best way to instil these important principles is to live by them.

Luckily, you’re setting the perfect example by living in a Mason Home. Your home and community not only protects the environment, but thanks to our Green for Life program, it also protects your loved ones and leaves more money in your pocket to provide for your family.

You can always do more, though. Be a role model — I try to take the following steps on a daily basis and to make sure I tell my son not just to do the same, but to take the time to explain why.

Now I turn it over to you:  what do you like teaching your kids on a daily basis? How do you do it?




Categories: Green, Green for Life, Reflections


Making Homes Affordable and Green Through Stud Spacing At Mason Homes, we believe efficiency plays a key role in building safe, affordable homes that preserve the environment as well as your pocketbook.

While I generally avoid writing about technical issues, a homeowner recently asked me whether we use studs at 24-inch spacing rather than 16. I wasn’t really surprised, as I have as of late noticed an increasing amount of homeowners who are curious about the technology and practices that make their home green.

What’s more, I noticed that this precise topic is getting a fair amount of attention online, as this article attests.

While using studs at 16-inch spacing is the traditional way to go, studs spaced at 24 inches have several advantages. They reduce costs somewhat, thanks to a reduced number of studs and reduced labour costs. More importantly, 24 inches on centre brings about improved insulation.

For all these reasons, Mason Homes use studs at 24-inch spacing, which helps make them energy-efficient and quite affordable.




Categories: Green, Quality


The Most Popular Mason Homes Blog Posts


My first blog post went up on December 9, 2009. Hard to believe it’s been that long.

Taking a look at the blog’s stats, I was surprised to find these 3 most popular blog posts to date are:

The reason I was a bit surprised is because in writing this blog, I set out not just to share Mason Homes news and updates but also to discuss practical ways in which people can reduce energy while saving money. My most popular blog post discussed narrow roads, a common feature of New Urbanism communities.

I’ve also attempted to discuss topics that interest me personally and are embodied in the Mason Homes philosophy — topics like  New Urbanism, which I discussed in the most popular blog post, according to the list I showed above.

In other words, I didn’t want the blog to focus on Mason news solely. I wanted to reward readers with tips and information they could use right away to better their lives.

Yet, for all the interest some of my readers have expressed in these topics,  the second and third most popular blog posts dealt with Mason Homes announcements.

(Of course, if I look at say, the next ten most popular posts, many of them deal with green tips and New Urbanism.)

Still, these findings made me curious: what would you like me to blog about? Which posts did you enjoy the most? I look forward to hearing from you!




Categories: Reflections

