Halifax, Nova Scotia | THE COAST | Issue Archives | Mar 31, 2011

Mar 31 - Apr 6, 2011

Vol. 18, No. 44

News + Opinion

Arts + Music

Best of Halifax

Food + Drink

  • The laugh track

    Don't be fooled, there are funny people aplenty in Halifax and they want to crack you up. We found a a few of the spots they frequent.

    By Allison Saunders

  • Foggy notions

    St. Lawrence’s Kitchen in Hubbards celebrates rural culture. Andy Murdoch parties along.

    By Andy Murdoch

Lifestyle

  • Free Will Astrology

    Fear being watched by ducks, Virgo.

    By Rob Brezsny

  • OK to bail on orgy birthday

    It's not impolite if you don't want to stick around for your friend's orgy birthday party, Dan says.

    By Dan Savage

  • Ask an expert: George McCarthy, roofer

    With 30 years in the business, McCarthy has worked on roofs all over Atlantic Canada. His company, McCarthy’s Roofing, has locations here, in Newfoundland, PEI and New Brunswick, with 230 employees, working on residential and commercial roofs.

    By Carsten Knox

  • Ask an expert: Omar Gandhi, architect

    Originally from Ontario, he worked for Brian MacKay-Lyons, has been working for himself for the past year and is in the process of becoming registered as an architect, so he officially calls himself an Intern Architect.

    By Carsten Knox

  • Ask an expert: Glen Strang, home inspector

    The local co-owner of AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service along with Darren Smith, Strang has worked in his field since 1995. AmeriSpec offers the gold standard for home inspections, looking for more than 400 different points and items.

    By Carsten Knox

  • Ask an expert: Deborah Herman-Spartinelli, contractor

    She started as a labourer at 27, and after apprenticing and becoming certified as a carpenter, at 37, she started her own business, Trunnells and Tenons Construction. Currently building homes on the South Shore, she also does renovations.

    By Carsten Knox

  • Get paid to save energy

    Whether building a new home, buying an older one or just renovating your current abode, performing an energy audit is one way to get ideas on how to lower your overall energy consumption and reduce your power bill. And investing in renovations to make you

    By Colin Chisholm

  • The ABCs of mortgages

    What is a mortgage? What kinds of mortgages should you be getting? We have some tips and tricks to help get to the facts of the matter.

    By Colin Chisholm

  • Lessons learned

    First-time homebuyers share their tips and mistakes to help you on the way to buying a place of your own.

    By Carsten Knox

  • The condo solution

    When starting out, a condominium can be an inexpensive and safe option for your first home.

    By Tim Bousquet

  • A solid investment

    Flipping a house is a risky way to make money. Instead consider the example of Blye Frank and Jim Oulton, who lived in their character home for 19 years before selling—for nearly four times what they paid. How’s that for buy, hold and prosper?

    By Carsten Knox

  • An agent's secrets

    Rosemary Porter is one of the busiest and most successful realtors in Halifax. This is how she does it.

    By Carsten Knox

  • Home of the future

    Susan and Brainard FItzgerald’s modernist house stands out in Halifax’s north end, but that’s because it was built with the next 100 years in mind: to be a smaller, dual-purpose space for work and living.

    By Carsten Knox

  • My first reno

    This is the story of a city dweller who heads to the eastern shore and turns a shack with a view into her dream home.

    By Carsten Knox

  • Bathroom babylon

    If the kitchen is a home’s heart, the bathroom is its guts. You want that room to be trim, functional and reliable, with a bit of style, too. Here are three peninsular bathrooms, under three different budgets, given a touch of grace by their owners.

    By Carsten Knox

  • First-time DIY dreams

    A look at two DIY renovation projects

    By Carsten Knox