Harvey

Harvey Juric has been building custom homes for 40+ years and writing about energy efficiency for 20. He’s based in Tiny Township, Ontario, and leads ICFhome.ca, building energy-efficient homes across Southern Ontario.

Joined: November 4, 2013
Articles: 288
Comments: 140

Kitchen and Bath

Tile Kitchen Countertops: When Ceramic, Porcelain or Granite Tile Makes Sense, and What Porcelain Slab Replaced

A tile countertop (glazed ceramic, porcelain, or granite tile on a plywood and cement board base) costs $30 to $80 per square foot installed, takes hot pans, resists scratches and is the most DIY-friendly counter there is. The problems are the grout lines (they stain, they catch crumbs, they are not

Harvey
December 17, 2013

Plumbing

Plumbing in a New Ontario House: Supply, Drains, Vents and What the Inspector Checks

A new house has three plumbing systems: the pressurized supply (well or municipal service in, hot and cold out to every fixture, ideally through a manifold), the drain-waste-vent system (every fixture through a trap into drains that fall to the main stack and out to the sewer or septic, with vents u

Harvey
December 17, 2013
5 Comments

Kitchen and Bath

Bathroom Design Checklist

Ontario – design + code 2026 trends OBC + OESC checklist Bathroom Design List 2026 (Ontario): Trends, Must-Haves, and the Code This Bathroom Design List 2026 is built for Ontario, and it is both mood board and reality – most…

Harvey
December 17, 2013

Kitchen and Bath, Miscellaneous, Portfolio

Kitchen Countertops for a New House: Nine Materials Compared on Cost, Heat, Knives, Stains and Resale

7 Materials For Creating The Perfect Kitchen Countertop

For most families building new: quartz (engineered stone) is the default, $80 to $150 per square foot installed, no sealing, stain-proof, not for hot pans; granite is the natural alternative at $70 to $140, takes heat, needs sealing; porcelain slab is the new premium at $100 to $180, takes everythin

Harvey
December 17, 2013
1 Comment

Kitchen and Bath

Kitchen Design for a Custom Home: The Five Layouts, the Five Styles, and the Decisions That Have to Be Made Before the Permit

Decide the layout first: a galley for a narrow plan, an L with an island for most open plans, a U for serious cooks, a peninsula where there is no room for an island, a single wall with an island in a loft or cottage. Keep the sink, range and fridge in a loose triangle with 4 to 9 feet between them,

Harvey
December 17, 2013

Flooring and Finishes

Choosing Hardwood Flooring for a New House: Solid or Engineered, Species, Width, Finish and Where Each One Belongs

For most new Ontario houses: engineered white oak, 5 to 7 inches wide, prefinished in a matte or satin waterborne finish, character or select grade depending on taste, $10 to $20 per square foot installed in 2026. Solid 3/4-inch hardwood where you want a floor that can be sanded four or five times a

Harvey
December 17, 2013
2 Comments

Insulation

Insulating a House in Ontario: What Goes Where, What the Code Requires, and the Mistakes That Waste It

Insulation only works as part of a system: a continuous air barrier (the shell), the insulation itself (the sweater) with no gaps, voids or compression, a vapour retarder on the warm side (the liner), minimal thermal bridging, and a way for the assembly to dry. In Ontario the Building Code's SB-12 s

Harvey
December 17, 2013
1 Comment

Green Building, Windows and Doors

How to Buy Windows for a New House in Ontario: The Four Numbers, Frame Materials, Glass, and Where to Spend

Read four numbers on the label: U-value (heat loss, lower is better; 1.4 W/m2K is Code territory, 1.0 or under is triple-pane), solar heat gain coefficient (0.4 or higher on south glass to collect winter sun, lower on west glass), air leakage (0.3 cfm per square foot or less, casements and awnings s

Harvey
December 17, 2013
1 Comment

Flooring and Finishes, Green Building

Bamboo Flooring: Facts, Fiction, and Whether It Survives an Ontario Winter

Bamboo Flooring - What You Need To Know!

Bamboo is a grass, cut and glued into flooring three ways: horizontal and vertical (the classic striped look, about as hard as red oak, soft enough to dent), and strand-woven (shredded fibre compressed with resin, two to three times harder than oak and the only kind to buy for a family). It behaves

Harvey
December 17, 2013
2 Comments

Flooring and Finishes

Hardwood Floor Tips for an Ontario House: Keeping a Wood Floor Flat, Unscratched and Unfaded Through Twenty Winters

Hold the house between 35 and 50 percent relative humidity all year; that single habit prevents the winter gaps and the summer cupping that cause most hardwood complaints in Ontario. Then keep grit off it (mats at every door, shoes off, a soft-head vacuum), wipe water at once, lift furniture, trim t

Harvey
December 17, 2013

Exteriors

Siding for an Ontario House: Every Cladding Compared on Cost, Life, Maintenance and How It Behaves at Minus 30

The cladding keeps most of the rain off; the drainage plane behind it (house wrap or taped sheathing, flashings, and a rainscreen gap) keeps the wall dry, and the Code expects it. On top of that: vinyl is the cheapest ($6 to $12 per square foot installed) and fades and cracks in cold; fibre cement (

Harvey
December 16, 2013
11 Comments

Ontario Custom Home Builder, Green Building

Custom Home Builder in Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay · Custom Builds · Since 1986 Custom Home Builder Georgian Bay: 300+ homes built across Simcoe County and the south and east shores of the bay Georgian Bay is a big body of water and “Georgian Bay custom…

Harvey
December 10, 2013
1 Comment

Green Building, Electrical

100 or 200 Amp Electrical Service?

Stop guessing EV and heat pumps 100 vs 200 amp – Ontario 100 or 200 Amp Electrical Service? The Ontario Future-Proof Answer (Without Overpaying) If you’re building, renovating, or adding loads – an EV charger, heat pump, basement suite, or…

Harvey
December 9, 2013
9 Comments