The Living Wall - What a Beautiful Addition to The Property Show!

Photo: PeapodLife's Booth at The Property Show

Toronto, The Hyatt Regency, March 30, 2013
2013 @ wobuilt.com

"An Informative & Affordable Show for Anyone Interested in Real Estate Investment"

The Property Show Event Press Release

A great summary of our time at The Property Show was given in our article Real Estate Developers and Investors Marvel at Indoor Ecosystem, and I would like personally to thank Valleyview Gardens and Menagerie Pet Shop for their generosity in making the ecosystem happen and of course Kelly and Robert from The Property Show for taking so good care of us.

Photo: PeapodLife at The Property Show

Toronto, The Hyatt Regency, March 30, 2013
2013 @ wobuilt.com

We had a great time meeting many interesting people. I had a very lengthy talk with Harry Stinson about his projects and about alternative funding models for real estate with Fortress Real Capital. Fascinating.

Our Project Director Attila Lendvai was interviewed by Dave Grossman of All talk TV and Gary Nusca of The Market ICI World Real Estate Network. Thank you Shannon Murree of Remax Chay Realty Inc Brokerage and TheRedPin Team for tweeting about us.

Thank you also to the many people who loved the ecosystem and inspired us with their comments.

Photo: PeapodLife's Booth at The Property Show

Toronto, The Hyatt Regency, March 30, 2013
2013 @ wobuilt.com

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a living wall ecosystem at all trade shows?

It was wonderful to share the experience to be close to one of our living wall ecosystems with so many attendees. When I first saw the ecosystems made by our partner Genetron Systems I fell in love with them because I saw healthy orchids growing in them (I cannot keep orchids alive to save the day). I loved the vibrancy, the healthy looking plants and of course the fish.

But until the show I hadn’t had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the vicinity of an indoor ecosystem. What an eye opener. Knowing that the system has health benefits by producing fresh air and water and experiencing them are two different matters.

Photo: PeapodLife's Living Wall Ecosystem at The Property Show

Toronto, The Hyatt Regency, March 30, 2013
2013 @ wobuilt.com

The indoor vertical garden ecosystem not only looked amazing, but it also produced noticeable fresh air in a very short period of time. Within a couple of hours it formed a fresh air bubble around the unit which was experienced by a lot of visitors to our booth. It gave us well needed boosts of energy through-out the day. Tradeshow days are long and physically demanding, but due to the ecosystem I still felt more energetic at the end of it than usual.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a living wall ecosystem at all trade-shows where you could spend quality regenerative time with nature without having to go outside?

But musing aside, the living wall ecosystems are a must for indoor spaces especially in urban environments. The air produced by the plants is better and purer than the fresh air intake from outside. Just imagine the boost for productivity, physical energy and general well being.

Please contact us for more information.

Martina Ernst
President
PeapodLife - Advanced Human Habitat via Building EcoSystems & Technology

'The Living Wall' - What a beautiful addition to the show thanks to @peapodlife! Everyone is in awe... #TPS13 twitter.com/PropertyShow/s…
— The Property Show (@PropertyShow) March 30, 2013

youtube.com: Advanced Human Habitat with Attila Lendvai from peapodLife 

Published by David Grossman on Mar 31, 2013

David Grossman from ALLTalkTV.com and Gary Nusca from http://www.iciworld.net

talk with Attila Lendvai about Advanced Human Habitat

at The Property Show - http://www.thepropertyshow.ca/

For more information go to http://peapodlife.com/

For more shows, go to: http://www.alltalktv.com

Category: Education

Toxic Indoor Environments Require Advanced Human Habitat

Collage: Advanced Human Habitat: Surround Yourself with “AHH!”

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Nature Deficit Syndrome (NDS), Seasonal Anxiety Disorder (SAD), Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)… the problems associated with indoor space as-is (non-habitat) are numerous and toxic: physically and psychologically. The Antidote is Advanced Human Habitat (“AHH…”).
Image Credits: MS Office ClipArt: Person with house icon;
Metaphor of upset stick-person with a green face and bloated stomach;
Smiling stick-person resting in a lounge chair.

The best way to detoxify is to stop putting toxic things into the body and depend upon it's own mechanisms.

~ Andrew Weil, M.D.

Source: BrainyQuote

The above quotation is telling because it recommends avoiding unnatural toxic things in favour of natural healing mechanisms. Every organism in nature exists because of its habitat. Their habitat usually consists of an ecosystem in which they play a key role.

Only people and those creatures we identify as pests seem to thrive in non-habitats. But are we really thriving? On a species-level, global population of both human beings and associated vermin are exploding. But what about on an individual level? Consider this list of problems with non-habitats:

Top Problems with Toxic Indoor Environments (Non-Habitats):

• Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) – There are numerous toxicity and other health and wellness related issues related directly to buildings themselves—their design, build quality, materials, building code, standard practices, etc.—from respiratory problems to symptoms of the central nervous system. 
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) – We fill our lives with stress: deadlines, meetings, background noise, jarring scents, and audio / visual distractions of every kind. It’s no wonder that ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder) is on the rise in children, teens and adults.  So much so, that it is becoming a societal “norm.”
• Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) – A term coined by Richard Louv, NDD refers to his observational analysis that children and adults are suffering a host of behavioural problems as a direct result of spending less time outdoors.
• Seasonal Anxiety Disorder (SAD) – Commonly called “the winter blues” or “the January blah’s,” anyone living in northern climes knows the effects which long nights and little sunlight can have. With temperatures requiring us to stay indoors most of the time, the effects are compounded. 
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) – It’s not just buildings we need to be concerned with. Many household items, from furniture and area rugs to toys and bedding, to air fresheners and cleaning agents contain compounds which break down over time, releasing noxious fumes and toxic particulates into the air we breathe. Offices and workplaces are often worse, with commercial-grade cleaners, toners, dividers, and other items containing manner of chemicals.
• Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs) – Unless we already live and work off-grid in a carbon-neutral building powered 100% by renewable sources of energy, complete with a sustainable lifestyle, then we are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. The long-term socio-economic and psychological effects of this behaviour are incalculable. But if global warming is on your mind (and severe weather events is making it moreso for more people), inaction on this front can be stressful, guilt-inducing and more.

Advanced Human Habitat: Surround Yourself with “AHH”

PeapodLife creates Advanced Human Habitat (AHH) in direct response to the toxicity of contemporary human non-habitats (our so-called “living space”). Designed on an integrated platform of cutting edge Building EcoSystems & Technology, PeapodLife AHH mitigates and even reverses the dangers of non-habitats.

Advanced Human Habitats balance the demands of modern life with the fundamental needs of human nature. Naturally lit indoor/outdoor spaces harmonize technology and ecology; improve health, productivity and overall feelings of wellness, vitality and happiness.  Advanced designs, materials and ecosystems prolong the life of buildings and promote a more sustainable future for all people.

This is PeapodLife’s Advanced Human Habitat Approach … our “AH-HA!” moment.  Surround yourself with “AHH;” experience your own “AH-HA!” moments.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

link:
wobuilt.com:blog: Health and Wellness through Indoor Garden Living Spaces
Be it in the home or at the workplace, PeapodLife strives to deliver a useable living space that supports people coping with the toxicity of modern day life.

Building an Addition – Treat Yourself to a True Professional

Image Collage by Wo-Built: Make sure Your Contractor isn’t Naughty but Nice.;

Use our List and Check it Twice! @wobuilt

Images Credit: MS Office ClipArt: Contractor Pointing, Santa with Christmas List.

Five Things that make a Contractor not Naughty but Nice

Building an addition is no joke. Whether it’s a single-dwelling home, multi-story apartment building, small office, business, or any building at all—no matter where or what it’s being used for—needs the keen eye, sound advice, and proven track record of a professional contractor.

Five things a True Professional Contractor Offers:

• 1. Experience.
• 2. References.
• 3. Consultation.
• 4. Execution.
• 5. Integrity.

1. Experience. The contractor should have worked on comparable new builds, additions or major renovations, and be able to explain why their experience is relevant (be weary if all you can get out of a contractor are unsubstantiated claims like “oh sure, we can do that,” and “no problem”).

2. References. The contractor should willingly offer you names and numbers of past clients. Use them. Remember that industry accreditations don’t mean too much these days: contractors pay to get them.

3. Consultation. The right contractor will have a roster of designers, architects, engineers and other professionals on-hand or standing by to look at your project, offer important guidance, advice and related expertise.

4. Execution. The best contractors will give you a realistic estimate and project plan — including contingency plans and built-in cushions for inevitable cost-overruns — and have licensed and accredited tradespeople on-site and performing key tasks. They also visit the site regularly.

5. Integrity. It’s no cliché: the best contractors are nice, not naughty. Integrity makes the difference between an enjoyable and exciting building experience and a potential nightmare. It’s the quality which gives the other four items in this list real teeth.

Stuff happens during renovations of homes: all sorts of problems are discovered behind walls, under floorboards, in the attic, etc. Any contractor who fails to acknowledge these possibilities or does not account for them in their estimate are misquoting on your project. It’s a red flag, plain and simple.

Integrity is so key, because a half-baked contractor, will likely cut corners, fudge inspections, use “cheap” (read: unqualified) labour, and dozens of other tricks and tactics to maximize their profits while appearing to come in “on time and on budget.”

More likely, they will spring unforeseen challenges, problems, regulations, etc. on you, holding you over a barrel with a half-finished project, and start bleeding you dry with unforeseen and unplanned for extra expenses, at the end of the day delivering a sub-par result. But at what price?

Today in Paloma, Italy, four people paid the ultimate price—with their lives.

Image: "Firefighters clear rubble after two buildings collapsed overnight, in Palermo, Italy, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012…Survivors said a top floor had been added illegally onto one of the buildings recently." 

(AP Photo/Francesco Baiamonte, Lapresse) 

Read more: ctvnews.ca: 4 dead as 2 apartment buildings collapse in Italy

Image Source: ctvnews.ca: AP Photo: Francesco Baiamonte, Lapresse

If this is not reason enough to think twice before cutting corners on your next building project (starting by choosing the smooth-talking contractor with the “too good to be true” quote), maybe Wikipedia’s partial “List of structural failures and collapses” might help.

Don’t let history repeat itself on your next building project. Give yourself the gift of peace of mind. Get a professional contractor to do the work right the first time.


Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Building for Sustainability?

Collage by Wo-Built: “Envisioning a Sustainable Rebuild of the World via PeapodLife”
Image Credit: MS Office ClipArt: Building Global Business Metaphor

Top 5 Things You Need for Your Green Building Project 
& the Top 3 Things We Need for Our Planet

Here are the top 5 things to consider when building your new house, addition, extension for sustainability:

• 1. Intelligent green design.
• 2. Strong, efficient, resilient foundation.
• 3. Quality advanced materials.
• 4. Cutting-edge systems and technologies.
• 5. Superior workmanship.

Simple, right? Well, it certainly sounds simple, but execution is everything.  You want to choose an experienced green design & build contractor who shares your values for building a better world. After all, you’ve chosen sustainability on your major home renovation (or new build) for a reason, right?

Yes, you will save money in the long run with a more efficient house, but energy efficiency (and/or renewable power like solar, wind or geothermal) is just the beginning of sustainable construction, be it residential or commercial.

Every authentically green project (i.e. not green washing), is like a healthy cell of the larger organism known as humanity.  Each and every time someone renovates an existing residential or commercial property to be more sustainable, the humanity’s home improves ever so slightly.

That brings us to the top 3 things to consider when renovating the house humanity built: 

• 1. Biomimetic Foundations of Design and Integration into the local/broader Environment.
• 2. Biomimetic Materials, Systems and Technologies.
• 3. Naturally-inspired Cooperation in Workmanship.

Based on the above two lists, it should come as no surprise that Wo-Built’s PeapodLife Building EcoSystems and Technology is the cornerstone of your sustainable building: home or office, new build, addition, kitchen, or renovation.
Add an ecosystem to your world; the world breathes a little easier.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Your Home Renovation Begins TODAY

Image: Second Story Addition by Wo-Built

A second storey was added onto a bungalow and over the garage.

The first floor was gutted and rearranged into open plan concept.

So the leaves are falling, the mercury is dropping, and the last thing on your mind is that major home renovation, addition, extension, demolition, or new build. Time to rethink your timing.

Don’t wait until Spring to start planning your new build or kitchen; home addition or extension.

Fall is the best time to start looking at a major building or home improvement project. As with most things in life, it’s best not to procrastinate. And getting a jump on everyone else in terms of planning has many advantages.

• 1. Planning and design. You do not want to rush the planning and design phase of your building project, especially an addition, luxury kitchen upgrade, etc. Taking your time to design what’s going to work best for your house and budget pays of big time.
• 2. Choose your contractor and sub-trades. Get them while they’re not as busy as thy will be in the Spring. Best to negotiate when their schedules are fairly light (as is their cash flow). The old “supply and demand” adage applies here.
• 3. Budgeting and financing. By getting a jump on your home or small business renovation project, you have an opportunity to adjust your budget and/or apply or additional financing should you find your original estimates were off.
• 4. Treat your partner / family with a huge Christmas present. By arranging next season’s home improvement project now, you can surprise your companion and/or family at Christmas with a truly unique gift that literally keeps giving for years to come.
• 5. An investment for this year. Although you should check with your financial advisor and/or accountant, it’s quite possible you can write off a portion of your renovation (especially if it’s for an office, small business, or your run a home-based business).

As always, you want to work with a design and build contractor who works together with you as your advocate: a company who wants more than to get another project; rather, a satisfied customer. Wo-Built is just such a design & build contracting firm.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
wobuilt.com/blog: How to Turn Your Bungalow into a Dream House Mansion

wobuilt.com/blog: What to Do When You Outgrow Your House? Move or Be Moved?

wobuilt.com/blog: Five Things to Remember when Making Your Old Bungalow New Again

BMO Financial Group News Releases: BMO Home Renovation Survey: Nearly Half of Canadians Planning Home Renovations This Fall
- Most popular Fall renovation projects include bathroom, kitchen and bedroom
- More than half plan to spend less than $1,000; one-third expect to spend up to $5,000
- Canadians relying mostly on savings to fund renovations; taking a DIY approach to save money
Marketwire - Oct. 29, 2012

Five Things to Remember when Making Your Old Bungalow New Again

Photos: Before and After Bungalow Renovation Project: Second Storey Addition
A second storey was added onto a bungalow and over the garage.
The first floor was gutted and rearranged into open plan concept.
2012 @ wobuilt.com

It is not always easy to make the move from an old bungalow to a new house, especially given sky-rocketing prices in the GTA’s real-estate market. The answer: renovate instead of moving.

Here are five tips to make sure your new bungalow renovation is the house of your dreams.

Let’s face it: there’s very little chance you’re going to move out of an old bungalow somewhere in Toronto into a stunning example of new architecture somewhere else in the city. Even with ultra-low interest rates, the economics are just not there given the GTA’s red-hot real estate market.

But why put yourself into all kinds of debt when you can increase the value of your house? Whether you want to update a builder’s bungalow or build a ranch bungalow addition, a major renovation can really raise property values by combining old and new architecture. Here are five tips to keep in mind before embarking on the project.

• 1. Make sure it’s just a "renovation." Even if you’re effectively building a new house where the old bungalow once stood, you want to be sure structurally-sound elements from the old architecture are preserved and incorporated into the new design. This way your project will technically be a renovation and not a “new build.” Your contractor should know this.
• 2. Be prepared for the unexpected. Old houses harbour many secrets. It’s not until walls and floor coverings are opened up that years of sub-standard handyman repairs might be revealed. Removing and/or correcting these can often add extra time and cost to your project. An experienced design and build contractor should be prepared for this and suggest a suitable contingency fund be included in the budget.
• 3. You get what you pay for. Beware low-ball quotes that sound too good to be true, or contractors who claim they can do high-end design and build quality for bargain-basement prices. Once your old bungalow has been ripped apart, you will be in no position to renegotiate terms with your contractor, and what seemed cheap at the outset can balloon "unexpectedly." Remember: you are ultimately trying to increase the value of a house and raise property value…what you don’t want is a barn renovation (unless you live on the outskirts of the GTA, in which case a barn renovation might be just the thing to increase your property value).
• 4. Don’t try this alone. No matter how handy you may think you are, a major renovation is almost certainly beyond anything you’ve ever tackled before. From the permit process with the city to demolition logistics and a myriad other considerations that probably wouldn’t even cross your mind, bungalow additions or rebuilds are not to be trifled with. Call a professional. You will be glad you did.
• 5. Have confidence in your design & build contractor. It’s no use getting involved with someone you don’t "feel right" about. Remember, you will be working with this person for weeks; and, you will be living with the results of your relationship with them for years! Talk to a qualified, experienced design & build contractor who specializes in combining old and new architecture. Ask for references and follow-up with them. A trustworthy professional will always be willing to have their past work and working relationships with former clients scrutinized.

The bottom line is simple: there’s no reason you can’t update your existing bungalow (or backsplit, sidesplit, etc.) by combing old architecture with new designs to create the home of your dreams and a renovation that raises the value of your property.


Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Collage: Wo-Built's Renovation Projects: the Ranch and the Tower
Interesting Bungalow Additions with Architectural Merit.
Credit: MS Office ClipArt: Silhouettes

links:
wobuilt.com/blog: How to Turn Your Bungalow into a Dream House Mansion

wobuilt.com/blog: What to Do When You Outgrow Your House? Move or Be Moved?

Living with Plants inside an enclosed Ecosystem: Doctor Tested and Approved

Screenshot: Professor Iain Stewart lived for two days in a glass box
Source: london24.com/news/health: Doctor proves plants
hold the secret to life - by locking a man in a box
by Kate Ferguson, Reporter Saturday, February 18, 2012
Image Source: london24.com/news/health

A professor in the U.K., Dr. Ian Stewart, has gone to the extreme to prove just how vital plants are to our survival. For two days, he lived in a glass box with nothing but plants.

The experiment was the brainchild of Dr. Daniel Martin, a Consultant with Royal Free, who decided to replicate an experiment first conducted by 18th Century chemist Joseph Priestly—an experiment which would prove the existence of photosynthesis.

"Although, he did kill the first mouse,” Dr. Martin said of Priestly’s experiment which consisted of a mouse in a bottle.

Obviously, the 21st Century human redo at the Eden Project in Cornwall had a few safety measures in place, with Dr. Martin observing levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Still, most of the oxygen was sucked out of the box before the experiment began.

The public could watch as Professor Stewart exercised to increase CO2 for the plants, who in turn produced O2 for the good Professor. All in all, the simple indoor ecosystem went for two days.

Why stop at only two days? Living in a small oxygen-deprived box surrounded by plants makes for an interesting scientific experiment — and a pretty cool stunt — but at the end of the day, is pretty extreme for the average individual / family.

The real purpose of the exercise must have been to illustrate the value of plants on the vitality of humans. In other words, their effect on the vitality of our interior environments: livability and quality of interior space.

No matter what you live in today, Peapod Life has options to bring indoor ecosystems into your space to create extreme comfort, beauty, health and wellness, even food security ... without having to go to extremes.


Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Extreme Comfort without going to Extremes:
Peapod Life is Comfortable and Livable 365 days a year!
2012 @ wobuilt + peapodlife

links:
bbc.co.uk: Scientist starts plant-only oxygen test at Eden Project
A scientist is spending 48 hours sealed inside an airtight chamber breathing in oxygen produced solely by plants.14 September 2011
dailymail.co.uk: Living in a box: Scientist to spend 48 hours in an airtight container with 160 plants to keep him alive
By Ted Thornhill, Updated: 8 September 2011
edenproject.com: Scientist to be sealed plant-filled “bell jar” at the Eden Project for BBC photosynthesis experiment
14 September 2011
facebook.com: How Plants Made The World - Taken at Eden Project, Cornwall, UK
By BBC Scotland - Updated about 10 months ago
hamhigh.co.uk: Doctor proves plants hold the secret to life - by locking a man in a box
by Kate Ferguson, Reporter Saturday, February 18, 2012

How to Turn Your Bungalow into a Dream House Mansion

Collage: Wo-Built's Renovation Projects: the Ranch and the Tower
Interesting Bungalow Additions with Architectural Merit.
Credit: MS Office ClipArt: Silhouettes

Initial steps to take to turn your bungalow into a dream house mansion

You bought the tiny 600 sq ft bungalow a few years back, your family was small, room was enough. You bought the house, because you liked the neighbourhood, the right schools, the back yard was a real bonus for you.

Now, your family has grown, you need more space, the kitchen is not working anymore and everyone is getting fed up. But you don't want to move, your kids friends are here, you actually like your neighbours and you have grown attached to the back yard. Any other houses you have looked at always need work to make it your own.

So, how about adding to the beloved bungalow? Many of your neighbours have done it, so why not you?

Step 1: Family Powwow
It is important to get everyone's wish list first and to see what you want to implement. It may be that there are many conflicting needs and wishes within your family. Resolve them as much as you can prior to embarking on the design.

With other words know what you want, the design process will go so much faster.

Step 2: Beg Your Financial Institution for Money
Before talking to any designer or contractor know your money situation. Fix your budget. Don't get estimates before you know how much you can afford. Be upfront with your designers, so that they don't a palace you cannot afford or hire a design and build company that will ensure that you can afford the design and guide you through the process.

Remember you will most likely need funds to live somewhere else during the construction time.

Step 3: Planning, Planning and Glorious Planning
This is the fun part. You will sit down with a designer or a Design and Build company to create your dream house. Planning does not just involve any permit drawings, but also your finishes, where you will stay and many other things. All these issues will have to be resolved before you start construction. The advantage of having a design and build company on board at the start is that tight control is maintained on the budget.

Never design to the maximum budget, always have a 10%-20% contingency fund available.

Step 4: We Are off to the City
If you add to your existing building the chances are that you will have apply for variances for existing by-laws before applying for building permit. This will increase the design time, however it gives more time for planning. Other issues to look out for are trees on your property. The City will require tree deposits for city owned trees.

Another deposit which may be required is a road side curb deposit.

The next step is to choose your contractor and you can find a good description here.

If you have any questions about any of the above please contact us. We would be happy to help you.

Martina Ernst
President/CEO
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

eieihome.com features Wo-Built and Peapod Life

Screenshot: eiei home features Wo-Built Inc.
and Peapod Life at 2012 Toronto National Home Show
March 16-25, 2012 at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place;

Image Credit: eiei home

"It is at once beautiful and eco-friendly."

- eiei home

It seems there’s still more to share about the National Home Show, 2012! One month ago, eiei home featured Wo-Built and Peapod Life on the first page of their show coverage, complete with photos.

They called Peapod Life "at once beautiful and eco-friendly," and highlighted the fact that Wo-Built’s system "uses a minimal amount of space to produce fantastic edible results."

Read the whole article, National Home Show & Canada Blooms Part 1, here.

And that wasn’t all. They also published a feature article on Wo-Built and its founding partners, Martina Ernst and Elida Huignard, simply entitled: Wo-Built Inc: The Vision Builder.

Wo-Built was pleased to have eiei home feature it and Peapod Life on their site, the place to find qualified reliable renovators, read unbiased reviews, articles and blogs, receive expert advice, share your home improvement experiences, cash in on promotions, deals, money-saving offers, and even online contests.

With all the fantastic response we are getting to Peapod Life, we are looking forward to building our first examples for residential, commercial and non-profit and/or community applications! Look for updates on these and other areas on www.peapodlife.com soon.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Green Additions with Indoor Gardens a Big Hit at Home and Green Living Shows

Photo-Collage: Wo-Built's Green Commitment at the Green Living Show
Peapod Life™ - an affordable sustainable home addition
April 13-15, 2012 at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place;
2012 @ wobuilt.com

Here’s our spring consumer show wrap-up. It wasn’t easy doing the National Home Show and Green Living Show back-to-back within the span of a month, but it was totally worth it. The response to Peapod Life™ was so positive, it was almost overwhelming. And we have the numbers to prove it.

Consumer Survey Results at National Home Show 2012

We spent a total of ten days at the National Home Show, and conducted a survey in our booth. After individuals learned about Peapod Life™ and what makes it unique among green home systems, they were given an opportunity to complete a market survey which asked them their opinion on the product.

Wo-Built's Peapod Life™ Survey Data at the National Home Show
Reaction to Peapod Life & Sample Make-up by Age Group Charts
2012 @ wobuilt.com

On the question, “Overall, what is your reaction to indoor garden living space and green technologies?,” out of 106 respondents, none chose “Poor” or “Fair.” A mere 3% responded with “Good,” while 31% said “Very Good,” and an incredible 66% said “Excellent.”

The Sample Make-up by Age Group chart shows that a broad sample of the general public had a favorable reaction to the foundations of Peapod Life™.

Response at Green Living Show

We didn’t bother with surveys at the Green Living Show. We felt the sample over three days would be too small and skewed in favor of our eco-friendly additions. As expected, the response was even more enthusiastic than among attendees of the National Home Show.

At the Green Living Show, Wo-Built really was in its element with Peapod Life™. The response was amazing. Both exhibitors and attendees alike saw their imaginations sparked at the prospect of a building that goes beyond “net-zero” construction into “net-positive” territory: generating solar power and growing organic food while providing fully useable, naturally lit and high-energy living space.

Gone are the days of dead structures providing shelter for people. Peapod Life™ represents a new era of living structures that support life — inside and outside. That’s how Wo-Built defines green additions, healthy buildings, and eco-friendly living.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Health and Wellness through Indoor Garden Living Spaces

Collage: Peapod Life™ offers in-home organic food production
with a green home addition that has its own ecosystem
2012 @ wobuilt.com
Image Credit: Microsoft Office Clipart: households, houseplants, nature.

“Plants are the young of the world, vessels of health and vigor…”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays and Lectures

Want a healthier body? Why not start with a healthier home?

Following a healthy diet and lifestyle begins with preparing fresh meals from whole organic food ingredients. Growing delicious fruits, vegetables and herbs in your home is a great step toward establishing a healthful dietary regimen, even given the hectic pace of modern life.

Diet and lifestyle are important, of course, but research is showing the quality of our interior spaces has a big impact on our overall feelings of health and wellness. Here again, plants play a key role.

NASA has done a significant amount of research looking into the effects of plants on air quality. As part of the shuttle, space station and deep space flight programs, NASA tested plants’ ability to remove harmful chemical compounds from the air.

The two-year NASA study concluded that numerous plants were effective at removing a wide variety of toxic compounds, from formaldehyde to benzene and carbon monoxide.

Recent studies have shown that the installation of interior garden spaces can reduce stress and increase performance in college and office workers by up to 12%. Plants have been used in hospitals to improve patient’s feelings of wellness and to help speed recovery.

These findings should come as no surprise. Spend some quality time in a botanical garden and you can really start to feel the positive energy of the space. Be it in the home or at the workplace, Peapod Life™ strives to deliver a useable living space that supports people coping with the toxicity of modern day life.

From providing a beautiful indoor garden living space that fills your lungs with fresh clean air and melts away stress, to feeding your body with fresh organic produce that melts away pounds, Peapod Life™ strives to be, in Emerson’s words, “a vessel of youth and vigor” for your home.

Find out more: visit us at the 2012 Green Living Show at the Direct Energy Centre, April 13th to 15th.


Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Earth Hour 2012: Wo-Built Inc. and Peapod Life Tune in and Turn off

Icon: Green Earth map in light bulb
Image Credit: Microsoft Office Clipart: alternative energies, Earth, environmental conservation.

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”

- William Blake Poet, painter. 1757-1827
Source: greenlivingonline.com

This Saturday, 31st of March, 8:30 pm is Earth Hour. The goal of this event is to turn off the lights for one hour in tribute to the planet. It is an opportunity to send a message to decision makers that global warming and energy conservation are in fact important concerns for Torontonians.

Speaking of Toronto, according to Toronto Hydro, the city “dropped 115 megawatts (MW) of electricity use during Earth Hour. Together, Torontonians removed the equivalent of approximately 12 skyscrapers or 35,000 homes from the City's grid.”

This Earth Hour, instead of lighting candles at home, why not join the crowd at Trinity Square in the Distillery District for an environmentally friendly concert, featuring an Earth Hour anthem by local new media composer Andrew Huang, performed with the help of Choir! Choir! Choir! The evening will also feature Australian artist Jerrem Lynch, who will be projecting art onto a wall at a nearby building.

Begun in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a WWF (World Wildlife Fund) initiative, Earth Hour spread to some 400 cities, including Toronto, in 35 countries by 2008.

Last year, more than 5,000 cities and towns in 135 countries turn off their lights. The result was Earth Hour 2011 became the biggest climate campaign in history.

Wo-Built and Peapod Life believe every day can be Earth Hour by common-sense building solutions like using more natural light.

Peapod Life, for instance, is a glass extension to your home for growing food indoors all year around, and has integrated solar panels for generating green energy.

This Saturday, 31st of March, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm turn off your lights for #EarthHour and join #PeapodLife in celebrating this worldwide event which sends a message of action on climate change.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

World Water Day 2012: Wo-Built Pays Tribute to H2O with Peapod Life

youtube.com: World Water Day 2012 official video,
focusing on the theme of the campaign "Water and Food Security".
Uploaded by UNWaterWorldWaterDay on Mar 9, 2012
Produced by kf@kantfish.com and featuring a soundtrack by DDG Project.
Download your animation on: http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday
ONEDROP How much water is on your plate

"Water is H2O, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one, but there is also a third thing, that makes water and nobody knows what that is."
- D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930), Pansies, 1929; Source: Quotes and Facts about Water

"In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it. "
- Lao Tzu, philosopher of ancient China; Source: Brainy Quote

On this 22nd of March, 2012, Wo-Built Inc. contemplates the above two quotes on water.

In many ways, the second quote by Lao Tzu answers the question posed by D.H. Lawrence. Water is a magical substance that appears weak, meek. Were it a living creature we would say “it has no backbone.”

And yet, as Lao Tzu points out, water has by far been the most instrumental force in the shaping of our planet’s geography: that patient power that wears mountains down to dust and builds continents from magma flows.

Water is the humble hero: the strong silent type… until it roars. Calm and still it reflects perfectly the awe of the heavens. Stirred by motion and whipped by winds it thunders the sound and fury of nature’s wrath. It gives life, shapes it, takes it, and renews the remains.

Water is very much alive. It deserves our respect, care… yes, even love. Without its gifts, humanity is nothing… a ghostly apparition reflected in a desert mirage; a dusty legend of faerie folk songs.

No wonder, then, when Wo-Built set-out to revolutionize green building with its affordable green addition — Peapod Life — it included a rainwater recovery system.

But what good is harnessing rainwater if it just stagnates in a rain barrel? That’s why your Peapod Life will also auto-water your plants.

Of course, too much water (in the air — humidity) can be a problem, so automatic climate control comes standard, powered by built-in solar cells.

More than a sunroom; better than any old greenhouse, Peapod Life recognizes the value of water and respects the crucial role it must play in any truly green addition and any so-called eco-living space. In this case: the world’s first indoor garden living space.

Truly green space. Living. Peapod Life.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Screenshot: Peapod Life - The World's First
Integrated Indoor Garden Living Space
The future of sustainable living is here,
green living and living green all in one space.
Do you want a new way of living?
Do you want to thrive instead of survive?
Meet Peapod Life
Learn more about Peapod Life™ on Facebook!
2012 @ wobuilt.com

Peapod Life a big hit at the National Home Show

Photo-Collage: Wo-Built's Green Commitment at the National Home Show
Peapod Life™ - an affordable sustainable home addition
March 16-25, 2012 at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place;
Photos: Olga Goubar @ wobuilt.com

Attendees of the National Home Show in Toronto are being wowed by Peapod Life, Wo-Built Inc.’s vision of a fully integrated indoor garden living space.

People are simply loving the idea of integrating organic food, solar power and smart water recovery into their lives, in an affordable glass addition that creates a beautiful and practical space perfect for both plants and people.

“Deciding to unveil Peapod Life at the National Home Show has proven to be a great success,” Martina Ernst, President and CEO of Wo-Built, Inc., said. “The response is overwhelmingly positive.”

Peapod Life is the world’s first living space that incorporates green technologies with active Biodesign and Biocare. The result is a living structure which is so much more than the sum of its parts: a self-contained, self-sustaining space truly alive and life-giving.

Located in booth 154 in the East Annex, Wo-Built Inc. will be featuring Peapod Life at the National Home Show through the week and weekend.

Attendees of the National Home Show can speak directly with Wo-Built experts and enjoy the living wall. Fill out a survey and enter the contest to win a living wall for your home or condo.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get to know Peapod Life and get in on the ground floor of the future of sustainable food, water and energy security.

Come see the future of green building and discover how affordable a Peapod Life glass addition can be!

The National Home Show closes at Sunday March 25th at 5pm.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Wo-Built Offers Livegreen Toronto Members Home Show Special on Peapod Life™

Photo Montage: Peapod Life™ helps Livegreen Toronto
Members save more than just money.
2012 @ wobuilt.com
Image Credits: Young plants + Plants
+ Potted plants sitting on a windowsill getting sun light
+ Live Green Toronto Membership Card

“Living green is all about making smart choices about how you live, travel, shop, eat and play.”
– Livegreen Toronto

At this year’s National Home Show Wo-Built Inc. will be offering Livegreen Toronto members substantial savings on its new line of affordable green home additions – Peapod Life™.

Much more than any greenhouse, Wo-Built's new Peapod Life™ combines the convenience of an in-home edible botanical garden; the comforts of real, useable living space; and the benefits of green solar power and rainwater recovery solutions; all integrated into one affordable sustainable home addition.

Livegreen Toronto Members will be able to save 30% off the cost of plants built into their Peapod Life™ indoor organic garden living space (including vegetables, fruits and herbs; minimum savings of $1500).

This show special can be combined with Wo-Built’s existing offer for Livegreen Toronto Members: 5% savings off the retail cost of green roofs, solar, geothermal or heat recovery measures with any Wo-Built renovation.

Wo-Built invites everyone to come visit us at the National Home Show and Canada Blooms, Livegreen Toronto Pavilion, Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place between March 16th to the 25th.

Be among the first in the City to embrace Wo-Built’s vision for local food and energy security—Peapod Life™.

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

Wo-Built's Green Commitment at the National Home Show
Peapod Life™ - an affordable sustainable home addition
Visit us at Booth # E154

Affordable Home Additions that Rejuvenate Your Quality of Life: Herbs!

Photo Montage: Rejuvenate Your Life: Herbs!
Images Credit: Microsoft Office Clipart: Plants + Bread eggs and herbs + Herb gardens
2012 @ wobuilt.com

"Oh, better, no doubt, is a dinner of herbs, When seasoned by love, which no rancor disturbs, And sweetened by all that is sweetest in life, Than turbot, bisque, ortolans, eaten with strife"
- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton, British politician, poet, critic and prolific novelist, 1803-1873. Source: thinkexist.com

People’s use of wild herbs for food and medicine predates written history. Since then, philosophers, theologians, healers, magi, cooks, beauticians, authors and poets have written about the virtues of these precious plants.

With curative powers and cosmetic uses to rejuvenating aromas and delightful flavours, herbs offer a natural way to rejuvenate our quality of life. But how simple, easy, or affordable is it to make such an addition?

It’s not too much of a challenge to add a little herb box to your home on a windowsill in your kitchen. If you know your herbs and are a bit of a green thumb, that is. If you are a complete novice when it comes to edible plants, you’ll be facing a bit of a learning curve. A small herb box is affordable and a pretty easy upgrade for your kitchen.

But what happens if you are a real gourmand living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)? With the growing season so short, backyard gardens only get you so far. You can infuse oils and preserve herbs, of course, but there is no substitute for fresh. But how big an indoor herb garden can you conceivably have, even in a high-end kitchen?

You can build a greenhouse in your garden (if you get the permits for it), and trudge through the snow (or freezing rain, if this year is indicative of Toronto winters to come). Is there a better way to make the herbal addition?

Wo-Built is about to introduce the most exciting development in quality home renovations to hit affordable home additions for years: Space. Living. We call it Peapod. Affordable home additions and back extensions which combine real living space with green technologies and organic food, built into a self-sustaining custom design.

Come and visit Wo-Built at the National Home Show and Canada Blooms, from March 16th to the 25th in the Green Living Toronto pavilion. Bite into a fresh, green, affordable addition to your home and rejuvenate your quality of life with all the herbs you could ever hope for (and so much more).

Peapod: affordable new home additions blooming with fresh ideas like herbs. Rejuvenate your quality of life.


Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

You can also find helpful information at the following links:

wobuilt.com/blog: East York Mirror: Wo-Built Home Builder with New Affordable Initiative
wobuilt.com/blog: A Second Storey Addition - New Construction Approach
wobuilt.com/blog: Construction Statistics and Economic Indicators: Signs for Future Projects
wobuilt.com/blog: Adding Value to Your House – How About Adding Value to Your Life?!
wobuilt.com/blog: An Addition = A Home that’s more than just the Sum of its Parts

What to Do When You Outgrow Your House? Move or Be Moved?

Collage: Relax during a renovation? This could be you!
Image Credit: MS Office ClipArt: home, living room, couple, relaxing
2011 @ wobuilt.com

What to do when your family, tastes, and or other needs outgrow your current home: buy a new home, build a new home, or remodel your home. Explore different options to create your family dream home.

Many people believe there is only one way to "trade up" in the world of real-estate: to move. Fair enough: there’s an entire industry — and a very vocal one at that — focused on gearing us to think in terms of selling our home, finding a new home, getting a new mortgage, moving, etc. The fact that there are middle-men (i.e. from real estate agents to mortgage brokers) at every stage of this process all "taking their cut" is a little factoid of information rarely mentioned. Still, it’s an understandable approach to the dilemma of what to do when your family, tastes, and or other needs outgrow your current home. And certainly, one need only look around the Greater Toronto Area to see the real estate sales cycle in full swing.

Another popular route is to build a new home from scratch. In the contemporary scenario, this usually means a move to the suburbs (or "suburban hell" as I like to call it), where "reasonably-priced" lots are still available. Of course, from a GTA perspective, this means going to areas west of the city like Mississauga, Oakville, and Milton. Or, perhaps north to Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, or Newmarket. Possibly east to Scarborough, Oshawa, Peterborough. If you’ve ever wondered why all the houses in any particular subdivision in any of these cities all look the same (including older areas in Toronto, from downtown to Etobicoke to North York), it’s likely because all the designs came from one builder’s binder of cookie-cutter plans. If you ask me, cookies belong in lunch boxes, not neighborhoods. Besides, visit any decent bakery (i.e. in the city) and you’ll see how appealing a spread can be when there’s a good mix of decorative cookies on offer — a selection that’s a bit more creative than "chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin or peanut butter."

So what about the least well-known yet possibly most economical route? That is, of course, to build a dream home on the lot that’s available already underneath your existing home. The advantages are numerous. For starters, you don’t have to move to a different location. If you like your neighborhood, neighbors, location, etc. why pick up and transplant your family to a completely new one? Many people living in Toronto near the lake — East York and the Beaches, for example — want to stay in the area, what with the proximity of the Danforth, subway, etc. — and only need to upgrade their older house. Secondly, you already own the lot beneath your home (at least partially, if you still have some mortgage left to pay on it). At the very least, you will be able to leverage its current market value without having to go through the hassle of selling and the expense of paying an agent.

Presumably, you picked the property you live in for a number of good reasons. If some of your needs have changed over time, a simple addition might be just the thing. Of course, if your home choice was limited by your economic status at the time, perhaps you could consider something a little more involved than a simple addition: a complete re-design. It is a little-known fact that you can tear-down the vast majority of an existing home and build something almost completely from scratch in its place (maintain a few basic elements) and have it qualify as a renovation. This has significant benefits over building a house entirely from scratch. Plus, as already mentioned, your new dream home is built in the neighborhood you know and love. This option is especially attractive to anyone living in an older bungalow in East York, The Beaches, along the Danforth, Etobicoke, even Oakville. Lakeside properties that have houses which were designed to be "cottage-like" are now prime candidates to be transformed into lakeside dream homes — close enough to downtown Toronto, preserving the cottage feel, but with all the benefits of a brand new home.

The point is this: in today’s real estate market, you may be able to sell high, but that means you also have to buy high. Alternatively, you have to go where you can buy cheaper and be stuck in suburban hell in a home that looks like everyone else’s, while adding some extra time into your morning commute. Or, you can take advantage of low interest rates and rising property values to make an investment into your lifestyle and the property value of your existing home. We’re not talking about a "lipstick and rouge" job, either. With some professional design consultation and creative use of space, you might be amazed at the value a "complete renovation" can add to your quality of life — house and home.

In other words, why just move when you can be moved?

Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
moneysense.ca: MoneySense Magazine: Homes: Renovate or relocate
If you’ve run out of space at home, you have a big decision to make. Should you move? Build an addition? Raze and rebuild from scratch? MoneySense costs out the options.
By Bryan Borzykowski

moneycentral.msn.com: Is it time to remodel -- or buy a new house?
Keeping up a home for 30 years may cost you up to four times its purchase price. Is it smarter just to buy another home every 10 years? Here's how to decide.
By Liz Pulliam Weston

realestate.msn.com: Why build? Move an older house instead
Moving and fixing up a reclaimed home sounds like a real bargain. But it's not a simple job. Here's how two friends did it and came out ahead.
By Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate

cmhc-schl.gc.ca: Renovation and Home Purchase Report - Major Market Highlights
"Forty-two per cent of households in ten Canadian markets renovated their home in 2010."
This publication highlights the key trends, analyses and statistics from CMHC's Renovation and Home Purchase Survey, conducted in ten major Canadian centres. The survey provides information on prior year's renovations in all ten centres. Intentions to buy or renovate a home are highlighted in five of the centres, so you can learn more about Tomorrow's Customers Today.

headstartforbaby.com: Can I Afford to Buy a Bigger House for My Growing Family?