Patrick Langston
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Magazine, newspaper & web writer. Former housing & arts contributor, Ottawa Citizen. Intrepid dog lover.
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Articles by Patrick Langston
Take a look at how this 1970s Glebe condo kitchen was transformed
Style, storage, functionality and a stellar view: what more can a homeowner ask from a kitchen makeover? Designed and built by Potvin Construction, a new modern-themed penthouse kitchen in a 1970s-era condo in the Glebe met all those expectations and then some. “The old one was just a galley kitchen,” says the homeowner, who prefers to remain anonymous.
Keeping spirits high with road trips
We’re in the middle of an Ottawa winter with the pandemic still dogging our heels, but that’s all the more reason to discover what the open road offers. Our latest recommendations mean you need travel no further than Toronto, and sometimes just to downtown Ottawa, for a revitalizing change of scene. If your trip includes a couple of overnighters, keep your accommodation receipts. You could be eligible for the new Ontario Staycation Tax Credit, which expires at the end of 2022.
7 ways to improve your home’s air quality this winter
Poor indoor air quality — a particular problem as we hunker down for winter — can cause a host of health problems, from a simple dry throat and itchy eyes to more serious ailments like asthma, heart disease, cognitive deficits and even cancer, according to the United States National Institute of Health Sciences.
Financial incentives make improving your home’s energy efficiency even more attractive
Gasoline prices may have dropped recently, but the cost of heating and cooling our homes is unlikely to go anywhere but up in the coming years. That plus climate change means residential energy efficiency is more critical than ever. Fortunately, government programs can help defray the cost of reducing our homes’ energy consumption and our bills.
Protecting your home against summer rainstorms
Summer is around the corner and that could mean torrential rainstorms like last year’s record-setting deluge in Toronto, which caused an estimated $1 billion-plus in damage and left many homeowners with a frightening mess to clean up. More intense storms are just one of the many faces of climate change, according to climate scientists, and Ottawa is hardly immune to violent weather, as we know from the tornadoes, the 2022 derecho and other calamities that have swept through our region.
Top security tips for renters
If you’re a renter, your landlord should be looking after certain aspects of security and safety. But there are plenty of easy, affordable things you can do to make your home even more secure against thieves, accidents and other dangers. Start by always locking windows and doors when you leave your home, even for just a few minutes. According to a survey of burglars reported by Forbes Home, 42 per cent entered homes through unlocked windows and 39 per cent through unlocked doors.
Style plus substance drives RND Construction's Roy Nandram
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | October 20, 2024 Photo credit: Kevin Belanger Photography Photo credit: Gordon King Photography Photo credit: Kevin Belanger Photography Record-breaking heat, wildfires, flooding: the need to rein in, immediately, climate-ravaging greenhouse gases is clear. When it comes to the housing industry, however, that’s easier said than done, according to RND Construction’s Roy Nandram.
September 2024 resale market continued upward trend
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | October 10, 2024 Photo credit: All Things Home While prices barely budged compared to last year, transactions in the September 2024 resale market showed a continuation of the growth that’s defined this year. Realtors sold 1,047 homes through the Ottawa Real Estate Board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS), according to the board. That was an 11.4 per cent increase from September 2023, although still more than 15 per cent below the 10-year average.
Meet me by the flightdeck
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | September 19, 2024 Photo credit: Brendan Burden It may be the world’s only carport renovation inspired by a bird in flight. The project by Ottawa’s 25:8 Architecture + Urban Design is more than just a carport.
Shelter Movers Ottawa helps survivors escape abusive relationships
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | September 09, 2024 For Janet, it was like living with a landmine. A survivor of years of domestic abuse and now a volunteer with Shelter Movers Ottawa, an organization that helps survivors and their children escape from a dangerous home, Janet says living with an abusive partner “feels like you’re in a prison and you’re trying to break free. You feel like a landmine is going to go off or a bomb.
Ottawa’s August 2024 resale market grows, continuing an upward trajectory
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | September 08, 2024 The August 2024 resale market showed healthy growth in Ottawa, continuing the year’s mostly upward trajectory after the prolonged downturn that started in early 2022. Realtors with the Ottawa Real Estate Board sold 1,100 homes in August through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS). That was a jump of 10.2 per cent compared to the same month a year ago.
Ottawa a serious contender for 2024 OHBA awards
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | August 28, 2024 Photo credit: Gordon King Photography Photo credit: Gordon King Photography Photo credit: Kevin Belanger Photography Photo credit: Gordon King Photography Photo credit: Gordon King Photography Photo credit: West of Main Ottawa has fielded an impressive 16 finalists for the coveted 2024 OHBA awards.
July 2024 resale market continues Ottawa’s seesaw
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | August 08, 2024 Photo credit: All Things Home Ottawa’s July 2024 resale market continued the seesaw trend of the past several months. Sales transactions increased over July 2023 but followed a recent mix of declines and increases. The latest report from the Ottawa Real Estate Board says Realtors sold 1,241 homes in July through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
Essential security tips for renters
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | August 07, 2024 Photo credit: depositphotos.com Life is an uncertain affair, but our security tips for renters are a good way to reduce the chances things will go awry in your home. From helping to protect your belongings to enhancing your personal safety, our recommendations are easy to implement and won’t break the bank.
Top tips to protect your house against rain
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | July 21, 2024 Photo credit: depositphotos.com What have you done to protect your house against rain like the recent record-setting deluge in Toronto, which caused an estimated $1 billion-plus in damage and left many homeowners with a frightening mess to clean up, including rap star Drake? More intense storms are just one of the many faces of climate change, according to climate scientists.
June 2024 resale market shows little change from 2023
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | July 04, 2024 Photo credit: All Things Home The June 2024 resale market barely budged compared to last year and continued to underperform compared to the past 10 years, according to a report from the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB). Realtors sold 1,439 units through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system, just two homes more than they sold in June 2023.
May 2024 resale market down as buyers awaited interest rate news
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | June 09, 2024 Buyers waiting for a Bank of Canada announcement on interest rates may have contributed to a slower May 2024 resale market, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB). Realtors sold a total of 1,545 homes last month through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS). That was a drop of 9.2 per cent from the same month last year and 13.2 per cent below the 10-year average for May.
Housing crisis: Eastern Ontario Housing Summit looks to the future
By: Patrick Langston & Anita Murray, All Things Home | May 31, 2024 Photo credit: All Things Home What does the housing crisis, a national concern, mean for Eastern Ontario? This week’s Eastern Ontario Housing Summit tackled that question, and the answers left the audience of homebuilders, planners, consultants and others with fresh insights, multiple perspectives and, more often than not, pivoting between optimism and pessimism.
Ottawa in the spotlight at 2024 national housing awards
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | May 12, 2024 Photo credit: Kevin Belanger Photography Photo credit: Justin Thomason, West of Main Ottawa has made a limited but memorable impact at the 2024 national housing awards. The local housing industry fielded 21 finalists for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s (CHBA) National Awards for Housing Excellence, but intense competition from across the country whittled that down to two winners.
April 2024 resale market shows continued turnaround
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | May 08, 2024 Photo credit: All Things Home We may have just emerged from what T.S. Eliot once called the cruelest month, but the April 2024 resale market was far from brutal, according to the latest report from the Ottawa Real Estate Board. Realtors sold 1,465 homes through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS). That was not only a jump of 8.9 per cent from the same month last year but it was also just 6.9 per cent below the 10-year average for April.
Original Canadian art at an affordable price
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | April 30, 2024 Original Canadian art for as little as $170 without leaving the comfort of your own home? Sounds irresistible. That’s exactly what Noémie L. Côté had in mind when she launched the successful, inaugural online Petite Art Show last year. The show, which features compact art with a big impact by professional and emerging Canadian creators, is back May 24 to 26.
7 top gardening trends for 2024
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | April 17, 2024 Photo credit: depositphotos.com The top gardening trends for 2024 have something for everyone, including a special place for pollinators, drenching rainstorms and lovers of minimalism. Here are seven trends to help you plan your outdoor space. Where have all the flowers gone? I’m seeing a lot more vibrance in plants without flowers,” says Lana Doss, a gardening planner with Ritchie Feed & Seed.
Sellers confident but buyers cautious in March 2024 resale market
Ottawa’s March 2024 resale market showed continuing signs of renewal after a prolonged drought, with growth in sales, listings and prices. However, some numbers are still lagging long-term averages, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board. Realtors sold 1,165 units through the board’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) System last month. That’s up 10 per cent from the same month last year and means year-to-date sales are 13.1 per cent higher than 2023.
Ottawa’s October 2023 resale market remains listless
Ottawa’s October 2023 resale market continued a months-long listless trajectory as sales transactions slipped marginally, prices barely grew from a year ago and months on market increased only slightly, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board. Realtors sold just 816 homes last month though the board’s Multiple Listing Service. That number was down almost 31 per cent from the 10-year average and more than 56 per cent from the frantic market of October 2020.
September 2023 resale market a balanced affair
Ottawa’s September 2023 resale market was smack dab in the middle of balanced territory with demand and supply in equal proportions, according to the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB).
Hiring a renovator: What you need to know
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | March 20, 2023 Photo credit: depositphotos.com As homeowners, we know we need to do our due diligence when hiring a renovator, but the sudden closure of Orléans-based Highbridge Construction recently has many wondering exactly what due diligence entails. The company, whose website claims over 20 years of experience, closed its doors abruptly Feb. 3, walking away from incomplete renovation and home-building projects.
Playful Manotick home channels Nordic minimalism
Behind a half wall, a walkway leads around one side of this modern bungalow into a cozy lanai and a secluded courtyard. There, you spot not only the main entry but, on your right, floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal the spacious main living area. Thanks to extensive glazing, the view extends through the ground floor and to the backyard.
February 2023 resale market a sign of things to come?
By: Patrick Langston, All Things Home | The Ottawa Real Estate Board sees hope in the February 2023 resale market despite a sharp decline in transactions compared to a year ago and the eleventh month in a row of an underperforming marketplace. Members of the board sold 855 properties in February through its Multiple Listing Service (MLS), compared with 1,411 in February 2022, a decrease of 39 per cent.
Future List 2022: Rheal Labelle brings a collective approach to urban design
When architect Rheal Labelle was growing up in Timmins, rainy summer days meant one thing: Lego. “My brother and I had buckets of them. Whatever my brother would do, I’d try to one-up him — like, ‘How can I make that better?’” Making better buildings, and enhancing communities in the process, is still a driving motivation for Labelle.
Vanier North offers diversity and walkability, but stigma remains
This interview was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of Ottawa Magazine as part of a series on neighbourhood planning entitled “15 Minutes to the Future”. Find more articles in this package here. Diversity and affordability are attractive features of Vanier, says health care professional Jenny Buckley, but she wants more vibrant commercial areas. What do you love about where you live? I didn’t know my neighbourhood all that well until COVID hit and I started walking everywhere.
Densification, greenspace, and great cappuccino in Old Ottawa East
This interview was originally published in the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of Ottawa Magazine as part of a series on neighbourhood planning entitled “15 Minutes to the Future”. Find more articles in this package here. As new homeowners in a neighbourhood full of change, Joel Beddows and Lawrence Aronovitch ponder the risks and benefits of densification What do you love about where you live? That we are nestled between the canal and the Rideau River.
Better transit and more trees on the wish list for this Tanglewood renter
Rhea Sabatine really likes her neighbourhood near Algonquin College for its friendly green spaces, but says transit is unreliable and the area still suffers from a lack of shade following the 2018 tornado. What do you love about where you live? My neighbourhood is full of green spaces, walking paths, bike trails, and recreational facilities that help with staying active and getting outside and into nature, something I really appreciate.
Keeping spirits high with road trips
We’re in the middle of an Ottawa winter with the pandemic still dogging our heels, but that’s all the more reason to discover what the open road offers. Our latest recommendations mean you need travel no further than Toronto, and sometimes just to downtown Ottawa, for a revitalizing change of scene. If your trip includes a couple of overnighters, keep your accommodation receipts. You could be eligible for the new Ontario Staycation Tax Credit, which expires at the end of 2022.
The Future List: Renewable energy advocate Dick Bakker combines fiscal, social values to push solar power
“I tend to walk fast,” says Dick Bakker as we hotfoot it toward a solar-power set-up on his property in Manotick Station. Bakker — who once played defensive tackle and end for Queen’s University and, at 65, still looks fit and strong — gives the impression of knowing only one direction: forward, in high gear.
How to protect your home against climate change
Can you protect your home against climate change? That you need to do so is clear. This summer’s heat wave in western Canada and the U.S. reportedly killed over 1,400 people and triggered the hottest temperature ever recorded in this country when Lytton, B.C., hit almost 50 C before being destroyed by wildfire. In the past decade, we’ve seen a massive wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., and frightening floods in Calgary, Toronto and, most recently, southern British Columbia and Newfoundland.
Threads of history
We dress for success, comfort, style. But when a teenaged Alfred Bader put on his shirt each morning, he was dressing to become a potential target. Dr. Bader – an illustrious Queen’s graduate and benefactor who was born in 1924 and died in 2018 at age 94 – left his native Austria for England in 1938 when he was just 14, one of thousands of mostly Jewish children escaping Nazi persecution in Germany and German-annexed countries through the Kindertransport program.
Spending autumn hours with art
Maharaja with Tiger after a Hunt (a silver gelatin print with hand-colouring from India, dating to about 1890) is being shown at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto until Jan. 16, 2022. (The artist is unknown.) (Photo: Courtesy of Solander Collection) The fourth wave may be creating uncertainty, and winter is on its way, but there’s no reason we can’t get out and about in the coming months.
Rethinking the Home Office: Inside 3 Great Spaces
BY Patrick Langston POSTED August 19, 2021 1:20 pm Home offices have become a fixture in the pandemic, but they’re about more than just lockdowns. We look at three inspired spaces that blend style and function. This home office is anchored by the richly grained desk and shelves and the touch-latch storage units from Ikea. The dark textured wallpaper behind the desk and shelves adds a cozy feeling and contrasts with the surrounding light colours.
Theatre, murals and summer fun: 9 things to do
The Oeno Gallery culpture Garden, pictured here, is located on the Huff Estates Winery’s property in Bloomfield. It’s a changing display of 60 steel, granite and bronze sculptures, all of which are for sale. (Photo: zachary shunock, courtesy of oeno gallery) No question: It’s high time to rediscover the pleasures of local travel. Many public safety restrictions remain in place, but at the time of writing, opportunities for day and overnight trips were opening up in Ontario and Quebec.
Diplomat Magazine
Theatre, murals and summer fun: 9 things to do No question: It’s high time to rediscover the pleasures of local travel. Many public safety restrictions remain in place, but at the time of writing, opportunities for day and overnight trips were opening up in Ontario and Quebec. Our nine suggestions emphasize the outdoors (it is summer, after all) and even include a bit of […] Continue Reading Springing into travel mode If spring has you hankering to hit the road, you’re in luck this year.
Ottawa’s Frances Boyle up for major writing awards for first short story collection
Ottawa writer Frances Boyle’s first collection of short stories has been shortlisted for two awards in this pandemic year. Such success is a rare thing and worth acknowledging. To that end she answered some questions about her collection and her journey as a writer. Tell me a little bit about yourself. I grew up on the prairies, mostly in Regina, spent a few years in Montreal for university, then more than a decade in Vancouver before settling In Ottawa.
Warmth, balance, and authenticity - Inside the home of design blogger Ashley Izsak
BY Patrick Langston POSTED May 7, 2021 12:00 pm If our homes tell the story of who we are, Ashley Izsak’s 1986 split-level in Osgoode is an open book. Izsak is a social-media- savvy lifestyle blogger and designer who rolls out the story of her home and family on Instagram — @ashleyizsak — cultivating an avid following (25K at last count) and sparking potential design contracts in the process.
Warm + sunny Glebe addition exemplifies efficiency of modular approach
BY Patrick Langston POSTED April 26, 2021 6:36 pm Drywall, says Jeremy McGregor, is a “nasty product” — an energy hog to produce and transport, costly to install, and easily damaged. Those are three reasons you’ll spot just three sheets of drywall in the entire living room and master bedroom McGregor added as part of a major cost-conscious renovation to his 1904 home in the Glebe.
Springing into travel mode
Espace pour la vie in Montreal is home to earthly and celestial delights, including Le Jardin botanique, which has more than 20 outdoor gardens. (Photo: Espace pour la vie) If spring has you hankering to hit the road, you’re in luck this year. The pandemic isn’t yet behind us, but travel opportunities — both real-life and virtual — are slowly opening up, and the long winter of our discontent will soon be a distant memory.
The row over ‘Embassy Row’
There are several streets that house embassies and ambassadors’ residences — Island Park, Acacia Avenue, and Range Road in Sandy Hill, seen here. (Photo: Padraic Ryan) Local residents and the National Capital Commission (NCC) remain at loggerheads over a proposal to turn 3.7 hectares of green space, west of downtown, into a new diplomatic precinct. In December, the NCC asked the city to rezone the land next to the Sir John A.
Diplomat Magazine
The row over ‘Embassy Row’ Local residents and the National Capital Commission (NCC) remain at loggerheads over a proposal to turn 3.7 hectares of green space, west of downtown, into a new diplomatic precinct. In December, the NCC asked the city to rezone the land next to the Sir John A.
Ottawa’s new poet laureates step onto the stage
Meet Ottawa’s new poets laureate. Albert Dumont is a poet, storyteller, and an Algonquin Traditional Teacher who will be the English laureate. Dumont has published five books of poetry and short stories and two children’s books, written in three languages. His most recent book, Sitting by the Rapids (2018), is a meditation on the healing power of poetry.
Cool, calm, and cozy — Inside the home of Clear Design's Serina Fraser
This article first appeared in the 2021 Interiors edition of Ottawa Magazine. It’s not what you’d expect in an early 1960s Alta Vista split-level. But the burnished-cedar ceiling of the main floor, original to the home by legendary Ottawa builder Robert Campeau, sure caught the eye of interior designer Serina Fraser when she and her husband, architect Jan Veer, first stepped inside the home in 2019.
Philip Chiu replaces Dutcher in Chamberfest concert series
Ottawa Chamberfest is heading into spring with seven more livestreamed concerts including one important change. The talented Canadian pianist Philip Chiu will now perform March 22 instead of Jeremy Dutcher, whose appearance has been cancelled because of travel difficulties. The fest also is offering a new way to put together a package of concerts with a flexible pass options for the remainder of the series. For more information: chamberfest.com.
Songs for Murdered Sisters film to be aired Feb. 19. Don’t miss it
I can’t think of a more horrific act of hate and misogyny than the one that occurred in the Ottawa Valley on Sept. 22, 2015. On that day three women were hunted and murdered by a hate-filled man who does not deserve to be named — ever again. He is in jail, but the memories of his victims — Carol Culleton, 66, Anastasia Kuzyk, 36, and Nathalie Warmerdam, 48 — live on as a blessing to their families. Nathalie Warmenden was one of three women murdered on Sept.22, 2015.
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