New Year's Message from the CEO

Screenshot: Wo-Built's Home Page: Happy New Year 2009!

When Elida and I founded Wo-Built Inc. two years ago, we could not envision the incredible path we would travel up till now. So, as we say good bye to the year 2008 and welcome 2009, we would like to take some time to reflect on our past year’s successes.

2008 was a banner year for us - a year of tremendous growth, but also of defining our social missions in more detail. We celebrated our second anniversary at the finish of 2008 with an incredible sense of achievement.

Here are a few of the highlights:

1. We finalized numerous projects with resounding success.
2. With a growing number of jobs in our roster around the GTA this past year, we expanded into new offices and a new neighborhood.
3. Our staff was expanded to include a designer and webmaster.
4. We are now in the process of collaborating with George Brown College to establish a training program to provide women with more opportunities in the trades.
5. Wo-Built Inc. and its activities were featured in the Toronto Star as a cover story for the Condo Section.
6. We have partnered with Trees Ontario to assist them in their efforts of the re-greening of Ontario.
7. We have hired more women to work on our building sites in our efforts to fulfill our social mission.

2009 is going to prove to be a challenging year with the economy in turmoil. Hence for the New Year we have introduced new initiatives which will make our service offering more complete:

1. We’ve launched an innovative idea with our "Home Maintenance Service". For a yearly fee, this particular service features regular home maintenance (like a "tune-up" for your house) for seniors who find it too difficult to do the work themselves, or clients who just don’t have the time or talent in home maintenance.
2. All our projects will now include environmental design solutions to reduce the carbon footprint.
   

This past year has shown how much our clients value design, especially innovative design ideas, but always with the practicalities of building and purpose in mind. This has become one of our core philosophies. Good design is one of the cornerstones of this company and we will always endeavor to help our clients make their visions for their homes and/or office to become a reality.

We wish everyone a great and prosperous New Year.

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.

link:
Wobuilt Inc: 2008 New Year Message from the CEO

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Home Maintenance Service Geared to Senior Citizens

Wo-Built's Letter: Home Maintenance Service for Senior Citizens (reposted soon)

Wo-Built: The Vision Builder
"renovations with a woman's touch"

Dec. 16th, 2008


To Whom It May Concern:

Re: Home Maintenance Service

We would like to call your attention to a new service we are initiating in your area. It is a home maintenance service package geared to senior citizens who would like to stay in their own homes but need some assistance with the maintenance and repairs of their homes. We at Wo-built Inc. understand that many seniors would still like to live independently in their own homes but age-related disabilities or other circumstances make it a hardship for them to keep up with repairs and maintenance on their own. This is where our home maintenance service comes in.

We have created a unique service that consists of a one-stop maintenance service for the home. It will minimize the stress and hassle of having to deal with, and to schedule several different companies and trades people for repair and service. We will send our trustworthy, insured, highly qualified and professional handy-people on a regularly scheduled visit to cover a wide range of repairs and maintenance work. We can also help with senior independent-living requirement installations (i.e. handrails, lever handles on doors, walk-in showers with grab bars and/or bathtub grab bars).

We at Wo-Built Inc. can help with assessing the needs of the senior clients; doing the necessary repairs and helping them maintain their homes to make their golden years more comfortable in their own homes.

You may know of seniors in your community who may benefit tremendously from this service. We would appreciate your help in passing on information of this vital service to those who would benefit the most from it.
Regards,


Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.


2917-B Lake Shore Blvd W.
Etobicoke, Ontario
M8V 1J3
416-402-2679
http://wobuilt.com/
http://wobuilt.blogspot.com/

links:
Wo-Built: Home Maintenance Costs: A Breakdown of the Facts
Wo-Built: New Maintenance Service: home care maintenance programs for every budget!
Wo-Built: Home Maintenance and Repair Projects
Wo-Built: Help For Independent Living For Seniors

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Wo-Built Inc. and George Brown College Are Joining Forces for Training Women in the Building Trades

Wo-Built Inc. and George Brown College are joining forces!!

Together we are looking into creating courses that educate women in various aspects of the building trades.

Please visit respective websites for updates.

Wo-Built Inc.
web-site: http://wobuilt.com/
e-mail: info@wobuilt.com
Continuing Education, George Brown College
web-site: http://coned.georgebrown.ca/

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Training Programs
Wo-Built Inc.: Wo-Built Is Talking to George Brown about Training Courses for Women in the Finishing Trades
George Brown College, Continuing Education: Technology & Trades Information Session in December
Day: Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Casa Loma campus, 160 Kendal Ave., Toronto, Building C
Room: Lobby

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Fun Questionnaire to Finding out If the Finishing Trades Are for You

Wo-Built's Fun Questionnaire
See if the Finishing Trades (tiling, painting, finishing carpentry, woodworking etc) are for you.

Trying to decide on a vocation? Thinking of changing career paths? Or just interested in learning something new? Not sure if the finishing trades are for you?

Take this fun questionnaire below and see what the scores say about you.

1	Do you like to use your hands to make objects?	[Yes]	[No]
2	Do you like Art and Crafts?	[Yes]	[No]
3	Have you helped fix things around the home?	[Yes]	[No]
4	Have you painted a room in your home or at friends?	[Yes]	[No]
5	Have you done woodworking before?	[Yes]	[No]
6	Have you ever built a toy, bird’s house, doll’s house?	[Yes]	[No]
7	Are you alright with getting your hands dirty?	[Yes]	[No]
8	Do you like doing physical activities?	[Yes]	[No]
9	Are you patient?	[Yes]	[No]
10	Are you detail oriented and neat?	[Yes]	[No]
11	Are you interested in how buildings are put together?	[Yes]	[No]
12	Do you think you would like to design and build cabinets?	[Yes]	[No]
13	Do you think you would like to tile kitchens, paint rooms?	[Yes]	[No]
14	Do you like watching renovation shows?	[Yes]	[No]
15	Do you think tiling, painting and woodworking can be fun?	[Yes]	[No]

10-15 answers YES:
You will do really well in the finishing trades.

6-9 answers YES:
Not all aspects of the trades appeal to you but there might be specific areas of interest that are worth pursuing.

0-5 answers YES:
This score does not mean that the trades are not for you, however it does indicate that you are still unsure if you would like them. You should think more about the finishing trades but also evaluate other options.

Many thanks for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.

Screenshot: WoBuilt's Pre-apprenticeship Training for Women

About Wo-Built's Pre-apprenticeship Training for Women

We are presently establishing our own pre-apprenticeship training programs in the Greater Toronto Area for the finishing trades, which deal with all the detail orientated issues, i.e. the door surrounds, the baseboards, the plastering, the flooring, tiling, cabinetry etc. - all the trades where a Woman's Touch for detailing and design is appreciated.
The course start date has yet be determined as we are in the process of revamping it to accommodate more applicants. It will be held at the Pre-apprenticeship Training Institute in Toronto. We are looking for women who are interested in making the finishing trades their career. Click here for the course outline and summary.
Not sure if the finishing trades are for you? Click here to fill out our "fun" questionnaire.

In the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about the program and would like to be kept informed, please contact us on training@wobuilt.com.

The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 3

Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project

"My favorite feature, was however, the heat recovery unit for the waste water."
Photo © 2008 Wo-Built Inc.

A good building does not just have WOW design and impressive features, even though this is what makes a space look amazing, but it is also depends on the smaller elements. Our client was a driving force in asking us to provide energy efficient measures. Higher R-Values (refers to the amount of heat transfer through a structure – the higher the R-value the better the insulation) were a given. My favorite feature, was however, the heat recovery unit for the waste water. Warm water from the waste drain heats up the water supply to flow through the water heater, hence requires less energy to heat the water to the desired temperature.

Love it!

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built's Projects
Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project
Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of an Addition Project: Part 1
Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 2
Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 3

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The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 2

Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project
"...allowing plenty of daylight to penetrate to the lower level as the staircase has a very open design."
Photo © 2008 Wo-Built Inc.

The open concept brought with it another challenge: how does one keep it from feeling dark during the day. The windows on the walls are large, but as everyone knows daylight diminishes in intensity quickly leaving the center of the space dark. Daylight can also have a rather gloomy quality.

With the addition of a second story it was not feasible to introduce skylights in the ceiling in the center of the room (this would have really diminished the quality of the rooms upstairs), but we could brighten the staircase with two large and spectacular side by side skylights. We achieved two effects: making the staircase a feature in the room and allowing plenty of daylight to penetrate to the lower level as the staircase has a very open design.

As a designer/contractor we have a need to balance design with practicalities, such as making sure that the heat loss through the windows is kept low and acceptable. Would one skylight have been enough to light the staircase? No doubt it would have brought some daylight down, but it would not have had the WOW effect that was achieved with the installation of 2 skylights. Comfort is not just providing energy efficient solutions, but also providing light, lightness and visual stimulation.

Hip-hip hurrah for a great solution!
Stay tuned for part 3 of our addition project.

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.

Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project
"...we could brighten the staircase with two large and spectacular side by side skylights."

Photo © 2008 Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built's ProjectsWo-Built's Second Floor Addition ProjectWo-Built Inc.: The Development of an Addition Project: Part 1Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 2Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 3

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The Development of an Addition Project: Part 1

Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project
Photo © 2008 Wo-Built Inc.

This year we were fortunate in being a part of an addition project and its many challenges. In this project we gutted the main floor to create a totally open concept space. In a space like this there are two main challenges: integrating a large visual element such as a kitchen and lighting the space that accentuates positively in a comfortable way.

The kitchen has to be an integral part that stands out and makes a statement, but does not dominate to the detriment of the remaining space. The kitchen needs to be designed in such a way that it looks included in the space - not just to stand out in one area with no relationship to the rest.

We (the client and our wo-built team) managed to integrate the kitchen by continuing the cabinets on the opposite side of the kitchen, hence tying the space together. The client’s furniture also added a correct scale to the place.

The lighting in a large room is always a challenge. It is absolutely vital to have an up-lighting component in one or more areas to ensure that the ceiling does not feel too low. A bright ceiling makes a room feel higher. Lighting of the perimeter is necessary to brighten the boundaries of the space for reference. Light walls make a room feel larger.

Our client wanted to match the kitchen cabinets with their existing furniture and opted for a rich dark finish which presented a challenge for the lighting. The pot lights were continued around the perimeter for definition, but because of the dark finish the area would have looked too dark due to the very little reflection coming off the cabinets. The area was brightened with pendent light fixtures that brought a diffused lighting quality to the space. Under counter lighting was also introduced to brighten the area.

All of the elements described above made the project a great success!

Stay tuned for a further progress report on our addition project.

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built's Projects
Wo-Built's Second Floor Addition Project
Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of an Addition Project: Part 1
Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 2
Wo-Built Inc.: The Development of Our Addition Project: Part 3

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