Impressions of the Toronto Fall Home Show

Photos: Toronto Fall Home Show 2008

2008 @ wobuilt.com

Toronto Fall Home Show, Presented by REMAX
September 18-21, 2008
Location: Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place,
195 Princes' Boulevard, Toronto, ON

"DESTINATION RENOVATION by BILD
Do you have big plans but don't know where to start? Talk one-on-one with professional renovation contractors at Destination Renovation, presented by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). Gain valuable knowledge that can save you time and money. Bring your plans, drawings and photos and tap into this great free resource. Looking for a little more? Attend their workshop FLIRTATION WITH RENOVATION Saturday and Sunday from 2pm- 3pm.

Flirtation with Renovation | BILD
RenoMark’s professional renovators will provide you with tips on how to decode renovation and discuss eco-friendly updates for your home. It’s your guide to learning about what you need to know when starting your renovation project and the secrets to saving money. Get valuable tips on how to pay for your green updates and what you need to know to fall in love with renovation. The Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) created RenoMark™ to fulfill the need for expanded consumer education and improved professionalism among renovation contractors."

The air is getting crisper and the leaves are starting to turn colors. What time of year is it? Time for the Fall Home Show! As the air gets chillier, this is the time of year we start thinking about doing renovations and planning remodeling projects for the inside of our homes. It's also a good time to start planning for outside home renovations in the springtime.

Yes, the Wo-built team did make it down to the show to take a quick tour and see what's new in the home renovation industry. We got to see many interesting and new innovations for home remodeling and renovations. All the latest trends in colors and styles for inside home décor were there to be seen. If you had a bathroom and/or kitchen design dilemma the solution was there for you.

Interesting design features for outside home renovations were also available if those were in your plans. There were even new home furnishing if you didn't feel the need to renovate but still wanted a change. From stone walkways to storage while you renovate to how to be more "green" in your home, it was all there and more. Fresh ideas, as well as old ones for home renovation inside and out were plentiful. And if a DIY project is not your idea of fun, there was lots of help available.

We also can't forget all the samples of healthy treats and snacks that were on offer. All in all, lots of ideas to ponder over and lots of helpful advice with your home renovation projects. We at Wo-Built specialize in design, home renovations and additions and we can help you turn those ideas into reality so you can realize the home of your dreams.

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Design Tips

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Kitchen Design Tips: Why to Remodel

Wo-Built's Kitchen Design Tips Series

2008 @ wobuilt.com

Tip 1: Why to Remodel

In Canada a large modern kitchen ranks as one of the most important selling feature of a home. In fact, some experts estimate that a remodeled kitchen can increase the sale of a house by at least twenty percent. Even if selling your house isn't your objective, you might still be considering a kitchen remodel.

The kitchen has always been the heart of a home, where everyone gathers to chat about what is happening. It's also the busiest room. That's why it is the first room that a potential buyer looks at when they walk into a property listed for sale.

There are many reasons to update an old-fashioned kitchen:

1. Poor design
2. Outdated cabinetry
3. Outdated appliances
4. Insufficient storage
5. Poor lighting
6. Outdated colour scheme
7. Old flooring
8. Leaky plumbing

These are just a few problems that might make you consider a new kitchen design.

Look out for our next tip!

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 1: Know Your Zoning and By-laws
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 2: Design Time
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 3: Professionals Involved in the Design
homerenovationguide.com: Wo-Built - Toronto General Contractors - Toronto - Remodeling and Repair - Design Build - Home Renovation
Construct Canada 2008 - Canada's Largest Building Design and Construction Show: December 3 - 5, 2008, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building
dmoz.org: Open Directory - Business: Construction and Maintenance: Design: Kitchen and Bath

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Kitchen Design Tips: Announcement

Wo-Built's Kitchen Design Tips Series

2008 @ wobuilt.com

One of the biggest selling features for a home is the kitchen. If yours is looking a bit tired and dated, Wo-Built can help you with ideas for updating your kitchen with a more efficient and fresher design. In the next few weeks, look for our tips on kitchen remodeling to help you get the kitchen of your dreams!

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 1: Know Your Zoning and By-laws
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 2: Design Time
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 3: Professionals Involved in the Design
homerenovationguide.com: Wo-Built - Toronto General Contractors - Toronto - Remodeling and Repair - Design Build - Home Renovation
Construct Canada 2008 - Canada's Largest Building Design and Construction Show: December 3 - 5, 2008, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building
dmoz.org: Open Directory - Business: Construction and Maintenance: Design: Kitchen and Bath

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Interesting Reading: Government Help for Going Green in Homes

Flyer: The coENERGY Efficiency Initiative
Credit: ecoACTION - Using Less - Living Better

...The ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative is investing more than $375 million between 2007 and 2011 to promote smarter energy use by Canadians — at home, at work and on the road. These efforts will: reduce emissions that harm our health and the environment; save Canadians money; and make the most of our natural resources — because wasted energy is our biggest source of untapped energy.
The coENERGY Efficiency Initiative features the following components:

• ecoENERGY retrofit ($220 million) offers homeowners, along with smaller businesses and organizations, financial support to retrofit their homes, smaller buildings and industrial processes.
• ecoENERGY for Buildings and Houses ($60 million) encourages both the construction and retrofit of more energy-efficient buildings and houses...

For more information visit ecoaction.gc.ca
Credit: The ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative

We felt that this is an interesting link for home owners and as it benefits the environment we decided to share this link with you for easy access.

Did you know that you could qualify for a grant from the Office of Energy Efficiency Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) for retrofitting your home?

NRCan offers the ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative which is geared to promote better energy use in the home, at the office and on the roads.

For more information about the initiative and to find out how to qualify for a grant to improve your home, go to http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/eeinitiative.cfm?attr=0.

From our point of view we always suggest before we start construction of an addition or renovation to have an energy audit done of the existing home to see if any energy improvements are eligible for a grant. As the renovations can be quite substantial it makes sense to see if the house can be made even more energy efficient and to take advantage of the government incentives.

Wo-Built's Team

link:
ecoACTION - Using Less - Living Better: Home Improvement: Grants for Residential Property Owners

Renovation Design Tips: Professionals Involved in the Design

Wo-Built's Design Tips Series

2008 @ wobuilt.com

Tip 3: Professionals involved in the design

A design professional is a given during the design process of an addition or a more extensive renovation, however, you should also hire an engineering expert to join your team, especially if your home / building is of a certain age. For instance, if you were thinking of a second floor addition you will need to have an engineer inspect your existing foundation and to determine the capability of the soil to carry the extra weight.

There is usually a predominant soil condition in any given area, however due to historical factors such as mining, leveling and filling, the local conditions of your house may be completely different. The foundation design would then be adjusted according to the engineer's findings, therefore preventing any structural problems at a later date. It is to your advantage to know all this information before you start construction of your project to minimize any unpleasant surprises and /or costly alteration to the design.

Look out for our next tip!

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 1: Know Your Zoning and By-laws
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 2: Design Time
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 3: Professionals Involved in the Design
homerenovationguide.com: Wo-Built - Toronto General Contractors - Toronto - Remodeling and Repair - Design Build - Home Renovation
Construct Canada 2008 - Canada's Largest Building Design and Construction Show: December 3 - 5, 2008, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building
dmoz.org: Open Directory - Business: Construction and Maintenance: Design: Kitchen and Bath

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Wo-Built’s Team Is Expanding!

Image: MS Office + Wo-Built's logo
Keywords: architecture, blueprints, construction, design

Welcome Deborah!

On behalf of the Wo-Built team we would like to extend a warm welcome to Deborah McKenna, our new Senior Construction Project Management / Interior Designer. Deborah is the newest member of the Wo-Built team and hails from GTA with an extensive background in residential and commercial construction management and interior design. She has trained at Ryerson as well as the International Academy of Design in Toronto, so that she can not only design a structure from the ground up, but also understands the importance of the interior finishes that make a home complete.

Deborah’s conviction that women bring a fresh and creative edge to the construction industry and her dedication to supporting women in this industry is an ideal fit for Wo-Built and its social mission of getting more females to consider a career in the finishing trades.

She also has great community spirit and is involved with volunteering / fundraising for worthwhile causes.

We are confident that she will be a great asset to us in all our future projects and would like to take this opportunity to welcome her to our team.

From the entire Wo-Built team - WELCOME DEBORAH!

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Renovation Design Tips: Design Time

Wo-Built's Design Tips Series

2008 @ wobuilt.com

Tip 2: Design Time

The design time for your addition or renovation will vary, depending on how complicated the design is, how quickly decisions can be made and how firm your ideas are. If your project will have to go to the Committee of Adjustment for approval, it will extend the projected time frame by at least two months. In the (GTA) Greater Toronto Area, Committee of Adjustment sessions are booked well in advance and only meet once a month. So you should book your appointment as soon as you know that your case will have to be presented. On the positive side, the drawings required for the Committee can be far less detailed than the permit drawings. Following the meeting, you will have a waiting time of 20 days even if no objections are raised. This is to allow the public time to raise an objection if they have any concerns with your planned project.

During that time period, you can put the finishing touches to your design and the permit drawings can be prepared. Once you have received approval for your planned project, the permit process can be as short as 10 days if all your documentation is in order. The more information that can be included in the drawings the faster the process will be. It will minimize any questions and/or requests for an amendment to your design.

Look out for our next tip!

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 1: Know Your Zoning and By-laws
Wo-Built Inc.: Renovation Design Tips: Tip 2: Design Time
homerenovationguide.com: Wo-Built - Toronto General Contractors - Toronto - Remodeling and Repair - Design Build - Home Renovation
Construct Canada 2008 - Canada's Largest Building Design and Construction Show: December 3 - 5, 2008, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building
dmoz.org: Open Directory - Business: Construction and Maintenance: Design: Kitchen and Bath

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