Ep 59 Transcript: Rethinking Sustainable Home Design with Cailyn Poschner

This transcript was auto-generated and may contain errors in spelling or inaccuracies in the spoken words.

Hello and welcome to the Real Women Real Business podcast. And today we've got a lovely Earth Day episode for you because we're to be talking about sustainability. I've got Cailyn Poschner from Habitat Design Co. She's an architectural designer in Canada and she's going to be talking about sustainable design and architecture. And she's got an architectural design firm that actually focuses on creating those beautiful and functional homes that are also sustainable. And

She's got a lot of great knowledge that she can really dig into for us about what qualifies as sustainability, how to incorporate that into your design. think a lot of people think they've got to compromise function and style in order to get that sustainability. And she's here to prove that that is absolutely not true. So Kaylin, welcome. Thank you so much for having me, Shauna I'm really excited to be here today. I am super excited to dive into this because you have...

white the resume in all honesty about like the different certifications that you have in your just your level of understanding about design and sustainability. And it's something that I've always been very interested in. But I'll admit as an interior designer myself as well, it's not something that I'm overly comfortable. My clients come to me and they say like, I want to incorporate sustainability. I'm like, okay. Like I know some basics about, you know, obviously like we've all heard about paints and VOCs and things like that. but

That's kind of where it ends. know something about some flooring about, you know, what's more sustainable. But I don't really know how to really incorporate that into design in a meaningful and strategic way. So I really appreciate you, you joining me and talking about this. I want to start off though with like what inspired you to get into the sustainable design aspect of things, because it's not an easy road. It's not like there's just...

a one stop shop for all the things that you need to know about this, that you're constantly learning and things are constantly evolving. So what inspired you to get into this? Yeah, think I've always been pretty passionate about the environment. As a kid growing up, we would just camp, visit family members' cottages. So it was just always something that was a personal connection to me. My mom and grandma were Cub Scout leaders. So they would always teach us to leave a campsite cleaner than you found it and instilled that knowledge on us.

So just growing up, I was always passionate about it. I originally went to school for environmental engineering and then I switched out of that into architecture because I just was looking for something a little bit more creative, more tangible, but I just kept that passion with me as well. And in school, when we started having courses on environmental design, that was just something that was really just really stuck out to me and I just thought it felt so cool.

just to learn about the different ways that you can design homes to be more sustainable and just different architects we learned about it just felt magic to me. So I was just very drawn to it. And then I just found out about kind of it is a huge topic. There's just so much to learn and I think we can ever like, I'm definitely not an expert right now. All I can say is that I just want to keep learning about it and keep just helping other people learn more and just open doors for people and show them the connections that I found. So.

Yeah, and I would definitely I would disagree about being an expert because the definition of being an expert is knowing more than most people know. And you certainly know more than most people know. And I'm certain you know more than I know about this. So so definitely don't set yourself short on that. But I think what you're alluding to is so true, think, in so many different things. And a lot of a lot of entrepreneurs in their careers will also say, like, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. Yeah, exactly. For sure. So I certainly understand that.

And so like I said, it's kind of an interesting topic for me because I am also an interior designer myself. And we've actually had the pleasure of recently kind of teaming up a bit on a project, which was great. I find, I'm thinking for myself, I don't have a ton of education and sustainability, but I can see the value. There are certain things that I try to practice. I love nature as well. I very much despise food waste and I ignore every expiry date on every product that I ever buy.

And so if someone pulls out like a salad dressing out of my fridge, they're like, it's expired. like, no, it's fine. Like it's, I completely ignore those things. Like there's certain things that like I'm very passionate about. And I can only imagine though, the challenges of like a client comes to you and they said like, I want the house to look like this, but I want it to be sustainable. And they probably don't even know what that means when they're asking you for that sustainability. So what has been probably your biggest challenge in, educating clients on what sustainability is and how to achieve it.

Mm hmm. Yeah, I I think people, when they think about sustainability, they kind of think your whole entire house has to be perfectly sustainable, has to be a passive house certified or net zero certified. You have to design it from the ground up, thinking about how it's oriented on the site and all these different things. You have to have exactly the right mechanical systems and everything. But I think with this knowledge and learning more about these certifications, you just can take different tidbits that you can apply to any home. So little things like.

You can think about any home, it can have more insulation than what building code requires. You can do triple pane windows. So there's just little things that you can apply to any home that you can still get that look that you're wanting, still get that luxury home, for example, if that's what you want, but just adding more things to make it more energy efficient, more money on utilities, putting in more insulation, triple pane windows, just little things that you can apply to make it more sustainable.

So I want to just back up a little bit because I'm not sure if everyone's familiar with, used a couple of terms there, passive house and net zero. And I know lead is the other one, L E E D. Can you just talk a little bit about what are those? What does that mean? Yeah, if you want to learn more about sustainability and home design, these are just some great ones just to Google or look up on YouTube and just find out a little bit more about them. So passive house, for example, if you're in Canada, you can look up passive house Canada, but there's one in America as well.

and it will just break it down for you. So passive house is just a really super energy efficient building standard. And it just really talks about using the least amount of energy to keep and cool your house while keeping it as comfortable as possible. things that it tries to implement are your house's orientation on a site is one of them. If you're doing a brand new build and window placement. So placing windows on the South side, having solar shading to block sun rays that are coming in too strong in the summer.

and allowing those rates to come in in the winter kind of thing. Also talks about just having more insulation. So doubling even what's required from code, having more insulation in your walls, ceiling, under your floor slabs, maybe in your windows and doors, choosing triple pane windows, windows that have higher reflective coatings on them. So that's some stuff. are all pretty simple things and it's not really going to overly impact the overall aesthetic of things. Yeah.

Sure, yeah. also just airtight construction. So making sure your home is as airtight as possible. And then just taking a longer look at the mechanical systems that you're using instead of going with just a typical furnace, like looking into Air Force heat pumps, for example, energy ventilators. So these are some things that Passive House, you can really take these tips and just apply it to your regular home as well. And yeah, in terms of Net Zero, Net Zero is just a home that produces as much energy as it uses.

as well as all of those principles from Passive House, just putting some things on top of that like solar panels and geothermal just to produce energy as well. Very good. That was a very simple explanation too, which I really very much appreciate. I know, like, you for example, let's talk flooring, for example, there's been a lot of conversations over the years about which flooring, you know, the actual production of them can be harmful for the environment. And there's

you know, the difference between like bamboo and hardwood and, you know, replenishable resources and such like that. Is that something that you get into in the design as well of like, you know, where is that furniture coming from? How is it being made? Is that a part of it? Or do you find most of your clients are looking more for the actual home build as opposed to some of those finishes and furnishings?

Yeah, most of my clients I would say are looking at the build since I am an architectural designer and I do mostly building permits and conceptual design for additions and new builds and things like that. So people are concerned about the build itself when they come to me, but some of my clients do want some assistance with the interior design and the selections as well, looking into furnishings and things like that. So at that point, I kind of just kind of go with what they're looking for and what they're interested in and then try to build on that. So

If they're looking for something rustic, then trying to implement something that's more reclaimed in their home or pieces, bringing those into their home instead of buying new. So that's kind of the, take that the road that I take on it, or even when, if they have a specific showroom they want to go to, if we're there, just even asking the salesperson like, Hey, can you point us in the direction of some materials that are, have a longer longevity? Like we'll take less or,

have certifications, like in terms of flooring, just looking for flooring that's sustainable for a certified, for example. Right. Yeah. And that definitely makes sense. like you said, you're dealing with mostly the build aspect of things. And I think a lot of businesses find it really challenging to, you hear about a lot of businesses who have these goals of being net zero by a certain year, such.

What are some of the things that a business is coming up against? Cause I know you're dealing mostly in residential, but I also, there's a lot of entrepreneurs on here and some of them might have warehouses and office spaces and things like that. And there's only so much control sometimes that we have, like these buildings are already built. So there's only so much that we can necessarily do. But if we are saying like, I want to actually build something or I want to make some adjustments, what are some things that they should be keeping in mind in order to incorporate sustainability into their practices and into their builds? Yeah. And it's not just their goals as well. It's also like,

Canada's goals, example, like all new builds are supposed to be set up to be net zero. Like they might not be net zero right away, but they're supposed to be set up for future solar panels. yeah, so that's coming. And I think that's going to hit the industry soon. yeah, in terms of what they can do right now, I think just taking it project by project, if you're doing a renovation, if you're doing an addition, just tackling that and taking it step by step. If you're replacing one window in your house, if you're replacing.

setting one space, thinking about what insulation you can put in that space, for example. So just take it step instead of just like the overwhelming entire project at once. Not everything has to be thrown out and replaced to be sustainable. That's actually not very sustainable, right? So just using it. And yeah. It's funny, like one of the things that you mentioned earlier was even talking about the orientation of the house and didn't even think about it. mean, like sometimes you don't have a lot of say in the actual orientation of the house, but

I have a house that actually has no front facing windows in my upstairs. that's going to be facing west. it's not where the sun rises, it's where the sun sets. And I don't think that that had anything to do with the design of it. I think it's just because of the actual design of the house and some of the unique choices that were made in the build of this house, let's just say. Just built in 1946 for that matter. But it's interesting though, because I'll admit like,

My cats love certain windows because that's where the sun's coming in the morning. I love certain windows because that's where the sun's coming in the morning. But in the summertime, I'm like, I don't like this window as much as certain times of the year. So it's really interesting. There are times where I'm actually kind of glad that I don't actually have a ton of windows that face east because I generally say in the summertime, I very rarely run my air conditioning because I don't have a lot of east facing windows that are getting that really deep sun, especially at the peak time of day.

So I think that's really interesting. Yeah, that's a really big principle for passive house. And one of the first things that kind of came across when I started learning about passive house, and I just was so interested in that as well. And also you're saying just for comfort. So it's not just thinking about sustainability and saving money for your home. It's also like your comfort and your family and your pet's comfort in your house and that you like, like having more natural light, for example, you don't have to use your electrical lighting as much.

But Passive House definitely talks about orientating windows on the south side of your home in order to get that sun. And it also talks about some solar shading as well. solar shading on those south facing windows is going to allow sun when it's in the winter, the sun rays are coming in at a lower angle. So it allows the sun to come into your home in the winter and provide some solar heat gain.

And in the summer, it blocks those high-facing summer rays from coming into the house. So it feels magic to me, learning those things. really does. Yeah, that's super interesting. And so I think one of the things that probably people are thinking as they're listening to this as well, like, OK, well, what is this going to cost me? But there are a lot of government grants out there, I know. And of course, I know you're located in Canada, so you can only speak to what's offered in Canada. And I also know it varies.

from year to year and such, but how do you navigate that part with your clients? Cause I think that's a really valuable service to be able to offer to be able to help people to navigate that. sure. And especially clients that aren't necessarily interested in the environmental aspect of it, they're interested in saving money. So, um, so there's a lot of grants out this year, a lot more than usual. So the homerenovationsavings.ca is an awesome website to start with, and it just is really easy to follow. And if you

go down to the bottom, they kind of talk about all the grants that are available. There's grants available for insulation, for windows, for heat pumps, just smart thermostats. So there's just a lot of grants that are available. And you can kind of the first step in getting a grant is an energy assessment where, and that website has a list of the organizations of someone that can come to your house. And they'll kind of go through your house and give you back a custom report on all of the things that they would recommend upgrading and what grants are available for them. awesome.

Yeah, so then you can just go through that. You can get it all done with a contractor and then they'll help you file the paperwork to get all your rebates back and you can even get reimbursed for that energy assessment itself. wow. Yeah, it does kind of sound like why wouldn't people be incorporating this more? But I think I don't think there's enough knowledge out there. So kind of going back to the educating your clients like are you what's happening? So let's say client comes to you.

and they don't know that you do sustainable design. They're just looking for an architectural designer. Are you incorporating that into the conversation that I'm saying, like, did you know you can make a more sustainable choice and get this grant for it? Like, is that something that you automatically kind of go to or how does that work? Yeah, I kind of kind of feel it out and kind of get to know the client a little bit and see what they're in and then kind of speak to what they would be interested in. So if they're really wanting a home that is very efficient, then just talking about like

you know what, we should double up on insulation and not necessarily even mentioning the environment in that case. Yeah. And saving on, on utility bills. So just finding out what they're interested in and then kind of just kind of throwing in little options and educating them along the way instead of also piling it all on at the beginning. So as we go through, just, just kind of mentioning it as we go. Definitely with, with design, think with it's just so important to get started right at the beginning. Cause even if you're

If you're trying to make a more insulated wall, your wall is going to be thicker, your exterior wall. So it's something that we should implement right at the beginning. And instead of once you get to your contractor saying, I actually wanted to consider like ICF foundation, it's like, that's going to got to redo the permit basically. So I know there's a lot of interior designers that listen to this podcast as well. So they're all probably like nodding their head like, yes, the sooner you bring us in, better. There's probably interior designers who aren't specializing in this and would then consult with someone like yourself.

on their project to ensure that they're getting maximum out of it. But what I really like about what you're saying there, because I think this applies to any business owner who's running any type of service-based business, is you're talking about catering your response. You're technically selling the same thing to each client, but you're catering how you are packaging that up and positioning it for them based on what that client's priorities are. And I love that.

Because like, if it's a matter of, if they do care about the environment and that's what they're leading with, then you're going to lead the conversations with that. If they care about saving money, you're gonna lead the conversations with that. If they care about just being efficient, not necessarily for, I mean, obviously saving money is a part of it, but they're thinking kind of long-term and we would just wanna be more efficient and whatnot, then you're leading with that. But you're feeling them out, you're listening to the languages that they're using and then catering the conversation to them. And that is so smart because,

I think all of us can really benefit from being able to align your message with the clients that you're dealing with. And obviously like your ideal client is going to naturally align with your message. We talk about that a lot on this podcast, but sometimes even when they align with your message, which part of the message, know, so you kind of massage in a little bit to make sure that you're, making it meet them. But I think that's really great. Yeah. So what are some,

trends that you're seeing in sustainable home design that are kind of like on the like you mentioned like geothermal. I remember a friend of mine building a house I want to say about 15 years ago and put in geothermal and it was like what is that? And now it's become like a bit of a buzzword and you know so there's a few different heat pumps are another big thing like what are you what would you say is kind of like some of the top things you're seeing as sort of the new trends in the in the industry? New trends I see a lot more home builders advertising net zero so that's definitely a trend heat pumps for sure.

And heat pumps are just something that can take some of the heat from outside and they're able to transfer that energy into your home to heat your home. So they're really cool. They're getting, when they first came out, they weren't a hundred percent efficient. Like if it was negative 25 outside, but they're getting more and more efficient, which is amazing. So I think just coupling those systems with like energy recovery ventilators, for example, which when your home is being ventilated, some of the air that's being

stale air inside that's being ventilated outside, the energy recovery ventilator takes the heat from it and uses it to heat the new air coming in. mechanical systems like that are becoming more more asked for and I think that's thanks to the grants as well. So those ones, Net Zero, I think those are the biggest. Geothermal, I still don't see too many people in the city necessarily asking for it. That's This was a rural property. Yeah. Rural properties for sure. There is the way to do geothermal where the

they go straight down instead of being spread out on a field to go straight down. So those ones are better for tight spaces, but they do, they do are like more costly. So I would think, I would say solar panels are, are more asked for than that. That makes sense. Definitely. Yeah. And it's, it's interesting, you know, just even, you know, you're talking about some of the different things like, you know, contractors are advertising net zero, for example. And so I,

I'm gonna use an example in the food industry and I'm wondering if this kind of like applies to what you're dealing with. So I used to work for a company that made food type products, mostly like candies and chocolates and stuff like that. And there was a time where green tea became a really big thing. So we started putting just a tiny bit of green tea into our mints and saying they were green tea mints. Or put a little bit of echinacea in it and touting that like these are echinacea based. Are you finding things like that in your industry as well where people are...

adding like a phrase or a word that doesn't really mean anything to try to make something seem more sustainable than it actually is. Yeah, for sure. Definitely you have to be aware of greenwashing, like especially when you're picking up materials and things like that, could have a green label on it. And then when you kind of dig into it a little bit more, you're like, wait, what is actually sustainable about this? So definitely doing research on products and just checking for those certifications to make sure that it's legit. In terms of contractors actually going through their website and making sure that they're

either passive house certified or net zero certified. So they've actually gone through the training and know what's involved. Right. So they're not just marketing that they're net, that they offer net zero, if they're not actually net zero certified. For sure. For sure. And, on the flip side of that, a lot of clients don't necessarily need or want their house to be certified. They just want to implement some of those strategies as well. So yeah, just making sure that they can do that for you. That makes sense. Yeah. I remember I was eating that.

ice cream and I dairy free ice cream. I'm not 100 % dairy free, but I prefer the dairy free ice cream and I'm not vegan because I'm not dairy free. But on the side of the ice cream, it said that it was vegan and it was like, I don't think it was quite vegan certified, but it had like a cool little label on it. I think that's the thing. Like talking about the green washing where like I can see them putting a cool looking label. But when you dig into it, like when I looked at the ingredients, it said may contain milk.

Yes. Well, then you're not vegan. That bothers me so much, especially like even Bacel has like a plant-based butter and it says plant-based, but when you read the ingredients, it says modified milk ingredients. I'm like, that's not plant-based. Are they just saying it's plant-based because it's mostly made of plant oils? it says, Exactly. So yeah, so I love that, you know, in the term greenwashing, I have heard the term, you know, in other aspects. And I think that that's a really good way of putting it like,

Yeah, there's a lot of things to kind of watch out for there to make sure. And to your point, like, yeah, you might not care that much about it. It might not really matter to you. Just make sure that if it does matter that you're reading the labels, that you're really checking into things and making sure that they're actually as sustainable as they claim to be. let's say that, you know, there's a lot of interior designers that listen to this and some architects as well that might be wanting to transition into sustainable design. I know you mentioned

you were going through for your schooling, they were offering courses. But there are some people like myself who've been working in the industry for 20 plus years and those courses just didn't exist. how does someone like that, what's the best way for them to get started? And of course, I know it's going to be different in Canada and the US, but are you suggesting like they go to like a college or university and try to see what kind of courses they have or looking to certifications? What's sort of their best starting point would you say?

I would say just to look right into those certifications. So passive house has some courses that you can take online. And so does lead. So I have my lead GA and that was something I just did online and all the study materials are there as well. Honestly, just researching those as much as you can. And then also just finding out what's kind of around you in your area. So for example, in KW, we have one called reap green solutions and they're kind of a volunteer organization.

And they kind of just have a lot of events going on all the time that kind of you can attend and just get to know like-minded people in the community and network and learn kind of their path and how they found out what to do as well. So that's a great one. They even have the Reap House and Kitchener that you can tour. And it's an older home that they've made extremely sustainable. I remember when they built that. I was pretty excited. Yeah, I was one of the first people into the house, actually. I had a contact there. It's pretty cool how they did that, especially because they used an old house to do it.

Yeah, exactly. So there's things going on in your area. And if you're looking to do a project and you're trying to find a contractor or things like that, Canada Home Builder Association, they kind of have a list of net zero certified builders. And also ReapGreen Solutions even has a list on their website of just different contractors that specialize maybe in installation or window installation. So you can check those to find them as well. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought about like having a directory that actually like I would have thought I'd just go to Google basically. But it's good to know there's some

associations that actually have that directory where you can find them. for sure. Passive House I know also has their boots on the ground events that you can attend. They're in like Toronto and KW. So finding out what events are out there and just kind of listening and keeping an ear open to what's going on. What would you say is like the biggest inefficiency that most people are experiencing in their home that they could easily fix? So someone maybe they're not planning on trying to do a massive renovation, but

What are some of the things that they could do to make their house a little bit more efficient? Yeah, I think the first thing is definitely to go to those grant websites and just find out what grants are available to you and having an energy assessment. So having someone come to your house and give you a custom report just would make a world of difference. Sure. So just hiring like a contractor that does have those certifications. So when they are, for example, building an addition on your home, you know that it's going to be airtight. You're not having leaks. They know exactly what they're doing.

And yeah, I think the biggest things are just insulating your home as much as possible, making it airtight, choosing more insulated windows and doors, so triple pane, for example, and then just take a closer look at your mechanical systems. Those are going to make the biggest difference for energy efficiency in your home. For sure. definitely, when I changed my furnace about three, four years ago now, I want to say, definitely noticed a big difference pretty quickly actually in my energy bill.

You know, they had, I think originally said that it would save me at least a few hundred dollars a year. And that doesn't sound like much on an average bill, but it was more than that. And then also getting the smart thermostat, which I think most people have smart thermostats now. I try to get most people onto the smart thermostats, but it's definitely game changing in being able to, you know, change the temperature. Like, I'm out of the house. like, you know, so you normally have like program, like I work from home, so I'm going to have it programmed that it's going to be decently warm while I'm in the home.

But I actually set it up, I tend to spend most of my time in one room. So just have a little micro heater in this one room and let the rest of the house be cold. But let's say that I do have it set where like, okay, it's gonna turn up the temperature at 9 a.m. when I'm starting my work day. But all of a sudden I'm being called out of the office for the day and I'm on the road all day. Well, I don't want it to stay at that temperature. So I can easily like on my phone, change it like, oh, I'm not actually there. Let me just change it because I forgot to. So it's things like that being able to be a little bit more aware of. And there's also the ones that of course,

automatically kind of adjusts just to your behaviors and when you're naturally changing things. And those ones are so cool, just like turning it down at night when you're going to bed and things like that, where you're going to have a cottage, just being able to keep it at a kind of a dormant cool state when you're not there. Yeah, exactly. So I think it's interesting how technology has really helped us to adopt a lot of these things. So even if kind of to your point earlier where you're like, not all my clients are actually that into the whole environmentally friendly thing. Like it's not, it's not necessarily about that, but

there's an opportunity for all of us to just be a little bit better, a little bit easier. Are there other things that you incorporate into your daily life in terms of sustainability? I you mentioned like you've always loved the outdoors and nature and the environment. So are there other things like, cause I will also preface this by saying I had an uncle who sadly passed away a few years ago, but he was like into recycling before it was cool. Like he was the one who was very instrumental. lived out in BC and he was very instrumental in getting that actual.

their recycling plant started in the first place. It's going back like 40 years, I want to say. you know, so it's hard to be the... So with all of that, I guess what I'm trying to say, with all that came a lot of like, there was a lot of restrictions within his household, but what was allowed, what wasn't allowed, like plastic bags were simply just not allowed in his house ever. They reused every bit of wrapping paper, like all sorts of sustainable strategies, which I think are fantastic.

But I think a lot of people have a hard time adopting some of those things into their daily lives. Are there some that you practice where you're like, again, I'm not expecting that you're perfect at everything, but what are some that you maybe you practice on a daily life that helps you with sustainability? Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Since I'm passionate about the environment, I definitely implement it into other things in my life. But yeah, I just want to start by saying you don't have to be perfect, like you said, little things are what's most important.

I definitely drive my fiance nuts with the no paper towels rule. So definitely just having reusable things around the house, like those things that you attach to your mop instead of buying new ones each time. So things like that. I'm also vegan. So once I did go vegan for the animals initially, but then there's just so many things that I learned about how it can help with the environment. So just trying to encourage people to eat plant based like once a week, for example, or when they come to my house, just trying to introduce them to new plant based recipes. So things like that.

just always been passionate about composting. And yeah, I think those are kind of the main ones, but it does trickle into kind of little aspects of your life. Trying to like thrift as well instead of buying all new things or trying to have clothing swap parties with my friends we've done a couple times just to try new clothes that way instead of buying new. So yeah, and your projects like interior design, if it's possible to bring in antiques or go antique shopping or find something on marketplace like

Things like that. I've had some clients that are very receptive to the idea of getting some things on Facebook marketplace, getting some used items. They love it. It's more for like accessories, cool artwork pieces, that kind of stuff. Not usually as much in furniture, but sometimes we've actually had some really cool antique finds for furniture as well that just fit with the style. But it's interesting though, yeah, like in terms of being able to bring it into your daily life, I kind of look at it as similar to when it comes to eating healthier.

So for example, just making a healthier choice. So instead of having going to the grocery store and buying the full fat mayo, maybe I'm buying the half fat mayo. And before anyone says it doesn't taste the same, like whatever, taste their own. You it for something else. Like think of another item where you can like, well, I can get this less salty version of it and it really tastes just as good. So making those little compromises. So it's the same thing, I think, when it comes to sustainability and being environmentally friendly is it's not about changing all the things that you're doing, but just taking sort of a conscious look at what it is that you are doing is

and saying, can this be modified in a way that everyone has their different level of comfort with it and convenience that's required? Like for me, the reason why I use more paper towels, for example, than reusable cloths is because I have so many cats. Reusable cloths will always have cat hair on them because they're going to the washing machine with all the things with cat hair on them. So there's just no way to cat hair off. So not handing a hand towel to someone that's covered in cat hair.

So there's limitations to things. However, I'm very big on like, trying not to use the plastic bags, for example, and using glass containers as opposed to plastic containers. you know, and I've already talked about my food waste, like I, I despise wasted food. It is something that, you know, I compost, of course, but if I chop up a broccoli, for example, the stocks go in my freezer and those go into my smoothie, like I'm trying to use that utilize every ounce of a vegetable.

skins I like to put into a soup broth. Like there's so many ways to be a little bit healthier, but I understand that sometimes for some people, like it's not convenient for them to save skins for all of their different vegetables in the freezer until they have enough to make a soup. Yeah, exactly. So it's just what works for you in your life kind of thing. Yeah, for sure. So in terms of your business, you've been in business for a number of years now. And again, you've got this, the sustainable design is a big

part of your focus. Where do you see your business going over the next several years? Is there something, is there another certification on the horizon? Do you want to just dig into what you're already doing a little bit more? Are you looking to work on larger developments? Like where do you see yourself in a few years? Oh yeah, that's awesome. I definitely want to get Passive House certified. So that's my next thing for the next couple of years. It is quite a long one and there's a lot to do with really? Yeah, it's kind of, it goes in depth. So that's my next turtle.

that I'm excited about. then, yeah, just in the future, just working on larger projects. Like I do do a mix of projects right now. So I do love doing new builds and kind of home transformations, like just being able to turn something, make something new out of something that isn't working, isn't functional for someone anymore. That's kind I love doing that. There's the problem solving puzzle piece making of a complete home transformation. So just working on those larger projects as well. And I love that. I have to say, I do relate.

I've had some great exciting experiences with new builds because it's just such a blank slate and there's just so much opportunity like, well, while we're building this, let's do this and this and this. And one of my big passions is actually accessibility. That's something that I'm quite well versed in. And so I'm always looking at how can we make this, you know, more of a lifetime home for you, for the next person, for the next generation. you know, so I, but I also, so as much as I can do a lot more of that more easily for a new build, there is nothing that gives me more joy than taking down some walls.

and opening things up in an existing home and just transforming it. Like that gives me so much joy. So I can totally relate to that. Yeah, yeah. Just making something functional again and better for the family that's living there. But I love that you brought up accessibility because thinking about the future and having someone age in place, for example, or having someone have their in-laws move in, like that is also thinking about sustainability because it's just using something for, just using something again in the future and just...

not having to tear down or renovate when you don't need to. Yeah, that's good. Absolutely. Yeah. And it's something I don't think, actually, I'd love to talk about this for a moment, because you had talked about going beyond minimum standards. And I feel the same way about accessibility. Minimum standards are exactly that. They're minimum standards. going beyond that will make it more accessible.

So I actually come from experience. It's not a secret on this podcast. I've talked spoken many times, but my dad lived with MS for 30 years. He was in a wheelchair for over 20 of those years. And so with that, I just firsthand learned a ton of things. So being able to apply that in interior design, and I designed the last home that he lived in and made it fully accessible for him. And so we're widening a lot of doorways, but there's more to it than just

widening some doorways. And that's what a lot of people think about like, okay, yeah, so I've got 36 inch doorways, great. What else are you considering? Are you considering the turning radius? And so similarly, when it comes to sustainability, as you said, there's minimum requirements for insulation, but going above and beyond those minimum requirements gives you a better home for the future as well. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I had a client not that long ago that was...

doing a new build and they wanted the basement apartment to be fully accessible for her parents as her father was in a wheelchair. And then she was like, you know what, let's just make the whole house fully accessible because what if one day one of us ends up in a wheelchair? We want this to be our forever home. We don't want to have to change the way we live if something happens. So we made all of the showers roll in like grab bars, turning radius, turning radiuses made even like when you first come to the house, there was no steps to get up. Like there's just a slight ramp to get into the home and elevators. So just thinking about

Just think about longevity and how you can use that home in the future. yeah, exactly. I actually worked with a client recently who was working on a new build and they had an elevator because they were saying the same thing like we want to be able to age in place. We want to put this elevator in. I'm like great. Why are all your doorways set at like 28 to 32 inches then? it's great that you're thinking about this, but can we take it just a little bit further and make sure that we've really got those those standards in place and yeah, the rolling showers and even you know, I understand you might not want grab bars in your house right now, but.

template it then. So put the blocking in and template that shower so that you've got, can install those grab bars when you do need them. We're actually working on doing that right now in one of our homes. So, you know, there's, there's a lot that you can be doing that's thinking about the future. So I think what you're saying is too, like, let's make the considerations whenever you're doing the project. And it's so true. We, think every interior designer, again, who's listening to this is like nodding their head. Like, yes, when we're already doing these three things, it's important to think about, what else should we,

pop onto that to do list. When an interior designer is suggesting to you that you do a little bit more than what you were originally asking them, they're honestly not trying to just like make the project bigger. It's more that they're trying to save you the hassle down the road of something like, if we can do it just now, it's usually less expensive and more conducive to do it now when you're already doing the renovations than to think about it down the road. So bringing someone like you in when they're doing those renovations early on to be able to.

and to plan those things out. Because like you said, once that contractor is breaking ground or starting with their demo, depending on the type of house it is, I don't want to say it's too late, but no designer wants to come in at that point and be like, so I'd to change some things. Yes. No, definitely not. Once that permit is done, you're very much not stuck in stone, but close. So how do you find balancing the keeping up with your knowledge and that new training while also serving your clients? I imagine that

poses some challenges some days. Yeah. Yeah. I think when I started my business, kind of just started learning more about running a business and learning that I always wanted to be continuously learning and making myself better and not staying still. So it was just something of always putting a couple hours a week towards learning new things, just like anything else in your business, putting a couple hours towards marketing. So putting a couple hours towards learning, like, and just getting those certifications so you can bring more value to your clients. I love that. It's sort of like the

profit first methodology, for learning where like if you're prioritizing that and kind of working everything else around, like it's just a part of your schedule, you've just make sure that there's time in your schedule that week to be able to get in some learning. And that doesn't have to be formal training necessarily. It can be reading a book. You know, I think you and I've talked about the science of design and some off camera conversations as well. Mike Peterson talks about the science of design and biophilic design. And it's such an interesting topic that

You don't necessarily have to do the certifications for it, but there's some great books out there that you could just read a book on it. So there's always those ways that you can be growing your knowledge and finding better ways to serve your clients. So think for any entrepreneur, this is so true. Whenever I'm asked, what is the number one key to success? I always answer the same way. It's never stop learning. It doesn't matter if you have great marketing. It doesn't matter if you have great sales skills. It doesn't matter if you have the best product, the best service, the best whatever.

continually be learning, things that are going to help to improve you, your business, your skills, your knowledge, all of those things. If you stop learning and you start, as you said, kind of standing still, you're blockbuster. 100%. Like they're just coming out with new innovations for sustainable building all the time and you don't want to be behind and you want to have that knowledge for your client. And I can imagine, like you said, it's something that is changing so quickly in the world right now.

that it must be challenging to keep up with, but good for you for putting time aside every single week to keep up with it. Wonderful. Well, thank you. So this has been fantastic. If we were to leave our listeners with sort of one note, one takeaway from the things that we talked about today, what would you say is sort of the biggest thing that like of all the things we talked about, they get nothing else out of today's talk, what would you like them to be left with? I guess those energy grants. So I guess home renovation savings would be the biggest one because

If you remember that one thing, you're going to get a custom report and a custom energy assessment for your specific home. So that's probably the biggest difference, I would say. Perfect. I think you're absolutely right. mean, who doesn't want to save a little bit of money, first of all? And so if we can benefit our home, benefit ourselves, benefit our pocket all at the same time, that sounds fantastic to me. thank you, Kaylin. I honestly can't thank you enough so much for joining me today. I appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me on. was just an honor. out, Lynn. Thank you. This is awesome. So for anyone who's listening, all the resources, of course, that we have mentioned in today's episode are available in the show notes for you. So please go ahead and check them out. And if what we're saying today resonates with you, I just want to say, first of all, thank you so much for allowing us to continue to join you on your journey. But I hope that you'll also continue to tune again next week. Don't forget to subscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform. Leave us a review. And of course, the best way that you can always help someone else.

is by sharing this episode. Help your female entrepreneur share this episode with someone that you know is really going to to benefit from it. And that's the best way to support both us and your fellow colleagues. So thank you so much. Have a great one, everyone. Keep thriving.