Doors Open Toronto 2012: Our Picks from #DOT12 Buildings List

Timeline: 1812 - 2012: 13th annual Doors Open Toronto 2012
200 Years of Building Our City
In commemoration of the War of 1812 Bicentennial
Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27, 2012
More than 135 architecturally, historically, culturally
and socially significant buildings will open their doors for
the weekend and highlight the people who built our city. All for free!
Explore city building and city builders!
Credit: City of Toronto: 2012 Doors Open Toronto

"May the Doors always be open."
- Christopher Hume, Toronto Star, 2011

Doors Open Toronto is back, this time celebrating 200 years of Toronto City History. There are some amazing buildings to be visited, from historical to modern.

Last year we visited the Humber Arboretum Centre for Urban Ecology, an example and showcase how green building systems can work together to form a great space and at the same time show how we can reduce our ecological foot print. We loved our visit there and we highly recommend visiting the Centre.

One of my favourite past-times is looking at buildings and as usual Door Open Toronto is a bit of a Busman’s holiday. With Peapod Life, our integrated indoor garden living space, gathering steam, we are concentrating our visits to the buildings with green designs.

This year’s candidates:

Artscape Wychwood Barns
Architect and year: Unknown, 1913
Subsequent architect(s)/ consultant(s): Joe Lobko at du Toit Architects Ltd./Artscape 2007

This building is close to the office and we have attended a few community events there before. We can highly recommend visiting it.

Corus Quay
Architect and year: Diamond and Schmitt Architects, 2007
Subsequent architect(s)/ consultant(s): The interior of Corus Quay was outfitted by Quadrangle Architects Ltd.

Loved my visit there last year at a networking event. Amazing building with great green design.

Hugh Garner Housing Co-operative and Mountain Equipment Co-op

These buildings have a green roof initiatives which we would like to check out.

Karma Co-operative, Inc. - NEW!

The architectural interest is the 100 year old building the co-operative is being housed in, but as Peapod Life is also a food initiative, we would love to talk to the Karma Food Co-operative about their views and philosophies.

Toronto Botanical Garden

Plants, of course we love plants, but this building is interesting as it renovations in 2005 won it its silver LEED awards.

We will report back on our findings after the Doors Open weekend.

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

Off-Grid Living doesn't have to be a Shock

Image Collage: Solar over-powers Grid
2012 @ wobuilt.com
Image Credits: Microsoft Office Clipart:
smiling sun and smokestacks; powers

“We are now comfortable with it and we’ve had to make some adjustments to our lifestyle, but after last winter we all said ‘yes, this is do-able.’”

-- Derek Zoldy, in the February 9th edition of
the Toronto Star, Shocking: Living without hydro

Embrace solar power: achieve off-grid freedom and save money.

In the above quoted Toronto Star article, the Zoldy’s tell their story about embracing off-grid living. Building in Haliburton, they chose a combination of modern technology (like solar power, LED lighting and efficient appliances) and contemporary sustainable updates to old-world technologies (like sustainable timber construction, tankless water heater, efficient wood burning stoves, and propane).

Thanks to their efforts, they have a beautiful chalet in ski country, and have embraced the freedom and personal satisfaction that comes with living off-grid.

We can learn a few things from the Zoldy’s experience.

First, they spent years researching the possibilities before making a commitment to build.

Too often, people rush construction projects, believing that builders are all the same and that the lowest price is the best option. The Zoldy’s scrutinized their green builder carefully, making sure they would work with them to deliver a finished product suited to their needs. They did the smart thing.

Second, they made a concerted effort as a household to adapt their lifestyle to fit with the off-grid approach, but this didn’t mean compromising on amenities. It simply meant making sensible choices and being more mindful about how they use (and misuse) energy.

Many people are afraid of going solar or severing their connection to the grid, likely because we’ve been conditioned to feel reliance and fear independence. Change can be scary, especially if you believe you must sacrifice comfort on one hand to embrace a better way of living on the other.

Wo-Built believes the better way of living — with greater independence and confidence — is worth making some minor lifestyle adjustments for. The key is to work with a green design and build contractor who will work with you to envision a better life and be your advocate as you make the shift.

This way, you can embrace the new dawn without feeling the shock.

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

links:
thestar.com: Shocking! Living without hydro
by Tracy Hanes

treehugger.com: The future of off grid homes in Toronto
by Collin Dunn

wikipedia.org: Off-the-grid

off-grid.net: Living Off the Grid: Free Yourself

cmhc.ca: CMHC Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation: Energy Use Patterns in Off-Grid Houses: Research Highlights

From Worms to Green Building

Photo-Collage: From Worms to Green Building
From Worm Composting to Sustainable Living
2011 @ wobuilt.com

"Every family needs a pound of worms,"
declares Cathy Nesbitt ...
from Learning to love the magic of worms
by Ellen Moorhouse Special to the Star
Published on Sat Sep 19 2009

I normally don’t write about my private life, but I got new pets, 800 to 1000 to be precise. And I had them for a week and a half and they are still alive!!! They are red wiggler worms (scientific name: Eisenia foetida), they live in a composting bin in my kitchen and they eat my organic kitchen waste.

When I got the little wigglers, I didn’t know anything about vermiculture or vermicomposting. I met Cathy of Cathy’s Crawly Composters a few times over the years and always said I wanted to try. So last week I finally picked up my worms and to my surprise I got two cartons of worms, one bottle of distilled water, one carton of soil/lime mix, bedding of paper shreds and of course the composting bin (size of a blue bin). Not quite assembled as I hoped, but I guess bonding with your pets is a good thing. So when I got home I had to set up their new environment and luckily Cathy provides a manual with the kit. Bedding your worms is quite a science. So is feeding them. I now have a freezer full of worm food, freezing helps to break down the structure, easier to digest.

Anyway I must have done something wrong and for a few days some of the little critters tried to escape. Making me a concerned worm owner. But I finally fluffed their bedding (more oxygen) and all is well in wormland. Pheeew!!!

I got the worms, because I wanted to do my tiny bit for the environment and live more healthy. I started juicing vegetable and fruits to eat the recommended daily 7 portions according to my chart from the My Food Guide at Health Canada, something that is almost impossible otherwise. But I didn’t want to throw away the pulp or the food scraps, so perfect timing for the worms. My own personal commitment to green which of course extends to my professional commitment to green building.

Living healthy, living green or living sustainable is a way of life and it does not have to large scale. The same applies to green buildings. Of course we would like to install all the large scale measures such a solar panels, geothermal and windmills or green roofs, but smaller measures can be as satisfying. A heat recovery unit is affordable at approx $4000, a light pipe to bring daylight into enclosed spaces can be as little as $1000 installed. If you really want, you can even consider composting toilets. If you add an extension to your house it may be possible to design in the environment to achieve an energy effective house. Measures such as orientation, glazing, heat sinks, daylight, natural shading, natural ventilation all play a vital role. For a second storey addition, skylights, light pipes and extra attic insulation are great ways to reduce energy usage. We discussed some of the ideas in our post about the Aboretum.

I am a great believer that we do not have to do without the comforts of modern life to be green or live an sustainable life, I like to live in a well designed, bright, warm or cool comfortable home, but I will encourage all our clients to think about ways how they can be green. The worms are my start, what would be yours?

Martina Ernst
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

PS: Father’s Day is just around the corner. Kids, instead of buying things or making some craft items for Dad, why not persuade him to get a children’s worm kit from Cathy’s Crawly Composting. Caring for the worms can be great fun for the whole family.

links:
ehow.com: How to Build an Attractive Worm Bin
by Mindy McIntosh-Shetter, eHow Contributor
updated February 08, 2011

Wormilicious — diary of a worm composting revolution
by Cassandra: the worm coach

Construction Statistics and Economic Indicators: Signs for Future Projects

Collage: The Ranch and the Tower Projects:
Interesting Additions with Architectural Merit.
Credit: MS Office ClipArt: Silhouettes

On Tuesday, June 7th the Toronto Star published an article "GTA developers seeing slowdown" by Tony Wong about the slowdown of new residential and non residential construction seen by developers in the GTA. A follow article "Home building frenzy slows down" about the subject was published on the Toronto Star website on Wednesday. In his articles Mr. Wong mentioned that "in the key Toronto market, permits fell by more than half at 55% to 945 million in April", due to a decline in the condominium driven market and institutional buildings. However, high volumes of sales in the condo market are predicted to eventually translate into housing starts. He also mentions a record sale in existing homes in April. But with the Bank of Canada’s likely raise of interest rates and the home prices’ significant outpacing of job growth and income, affordability of new homes will be weakened, according to Francis Fong, an economist at the TD Bank.

In our opinion what is the likely outcome for the large scale home renovations such as additions? Due to the record home sales in the first half of the year it is likely that less renovations were scheduled as people moved rather than added to their home. Even at spring time, usually the start of the building season we observed fewer building signs from our competitors; larger renovations seems to be done by the owners or developers.

However, higher interest rates, a soft economical environment and a larger sale of condos will likely impact the prices in the house market negatively. It is conceivable that more large scale renovations will be undertaken by home owners once this happens.

But will it? The Toronto housing market has not performed over the last few years during the recession as one would expect; lesser housing prices, fewer sales, more large scale renovations in the medium price range ($150,000 to $500,000). On the one hand owners seem to hold back, on the other they bought new houses driving the market price up. The home sales were helped by extremely low interest rates. Recently, some of the major banks lowered their mortgage rates, even though the Bank of Canada rate stayed the same. Does that mean a decline in housing sales in May?

As a construction company specializing in the medium range construction it seems that even when the normal economic indicators forecast a likely increase in potential home extension projects, there are no sure outcomes. Our approach is two-pronged, being global, but staying local:

• a) In the World: as a strategy - it is key to raise our brand profile to become a household name among the global community. In our experience social media is a great vehicle for sharing and connecting with our clients and partners and allowing us to show the public what we are about.
• b) At Home: as a strategy and a core believe - it is important to promote and further local social concerns and we are working with community papers to make our name more known in specific areas of Toronto, such as East York / Beaches and Etobicoke; both areas have emotional connections to us. At home also includes the community around our office, Corso Italia and The Junction / High Park / Swansea (location of one of our previous offices).

As there is no crystal ball as to the future of the Toronto housing market and home owners’ behaviour, the two-pronged approach is likely to yield a steady, sustainable growth regardless of circumstances. The key is to increase market share by being a household name, not to rely on a larger number of construction projects.

But of course if the economic reality becomes such that for homes to appreciate in value the owners rather stay put; maybe a future article by Mr. Wong will indicate this; we would like to reiterate words from Ari Berman’s posting: "In short – if you bought it, keep it. If you need more of it, expand it. And, if you plan to sell it at some time in the future, maintain it in good condition while staying as free of debt as possible. "

Martina Ernst
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
moneyville.ca: Home building frenzy slows down
by Tony Wong | Wed Jun 08 2011

HomeView: Ontario Home Starts Decline in May
by: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Published on Jun 08, 2011

wobuilt.com: House Prices: Part of the Problem or Part of the Cure?
by Ari Berman | Mon October 06 2008

Firm Promotes Women Entering Construction

Collage: Metronews.ca Article Sisters Doing It for Themselves
2011 @ wobuilt.com

We just came accross this article about us:

Sisters doing it for themselves

Published: September 04, 2007 12:37 a.m.
Last modified: March 07, 2008 10:46 a.m.
Credit: metronews.ca

Firm promotes women entering construction

Wanted: A few good women. After more than a quarter century on Greater Toronto Area construction sites, Elida Huignard realized what was missing was a woman’s touch. So, along with fellow architect Martina Ernst, they’ve launched Wo-Built Inc., a firm dedicated to increasing the number of females in the building trades.

With women now making up just an estimated 2 per cent of workers in the field, they know there’s much work to be done. But since they established the company late last year, they’ve been able to sub-contract some of their home renovation work to females to do painting, tiling, plastering and cabinetry.

By early next year, they hope to have established a training and mentorship scheme that would see women working on job sites get exposure to different trades, hopefully through other women with experience. They’re also looking to establish pre-apprenticeship programs with college and trade groups. “There’s a big opportunity in construction trades for women that is not being used right now,” said Huignard. Among the barriers, she said, is the belief that it’s male-only work and too physical for females.

That’s why finishing work has such great potential, Ernst said. “It’s the work you see, where a woman’s attention to detail and patience are really an asset,” she said.

Rolf Priesnitz, chair of apprenticeship programs at George Brown College, said training for groups under-represented in the skilled trades — such as women, aboriginals, and those who are the first generation in their family to attend post-secondary school — will be increasingly important if Ontario is to combat its looming shortage.

torstar news service

What Is Special About Our Design And Built Construction Company?

Poster: Wo-Built Design @ Build Construction
2010 @ wobuilt.com

We would like to share our thoughts and expertise about what makes us special as a construction company in prior to opening the 14th Annual Residential Construction and Renovation Trade Show (December 1-3, 2010).

Wo-Built Inc, is a one-stop shop design and build construction company.

We specialize in home additions and extensions, and we have extensive expertise in residential renovations. One of our most popular renovation services is kitchen design and remodeling. As a company we provide our clients with innovative designs and excellent construction practices. Each project starts with our unique "dream home assessment", and is a wonderful starting point for evaluating the pros and cons of any project that our client has in mind.

As a female-led construction company we believe that women have a special talent for providing care & attention to detail and we use the distinctive talents of women whenever possible. We call this our unique "Women's touch". We are also looking to bring Wo-Built's expertise to include commercial projects as well.

When we started the company we did so with a social mission in mind. We wanted to provide women an avenue to explore the trades as a viable career option. We are presently in collaboration with George Brown College to establish a course outline for a training program for women in the trades.

We also play a mentoring role for women as well as providing them an opportunity to work on our various projects and hone their skills in the trades to fulfill their dreams. In addition we have created a cartoon character called WoBinna in the hopes of encouraging more young women to consider a career in the trades as one of their choices.

As a company, we embrace "green" building whenever and wherever we can, and in each project that we undertake, we strive to minimize our ecological footprint as much as possible.


For more information, please contact us

Elida Huignard, President
Martina Ernst, CEO

Wo-Built Inc
Suite #3, 1287 St. Clair Ave West
Toronto, ON M6E 1B8, Canada
In the heart of Corso Italia

phone: 416-402-2679
ph/fax: 416-354-2555
e-mail: info@wobuilt.com
website: wobuilt.com

Follow us on social media sites

blogger: wobuilt
twitter: @wobuilt
facebook: Wo-Built
linkedin: Wo-Built Inc

Links to Media Publications about Wo-Built:

Toronto Star: Women at Work - Driving home the message
"Wo-Build and the Canadian Association of Women in Construction are working with the Pink Nail Project . The proceeds go towards bursaries to aid women entering the trades."
by Shauna Rempel
Published Jun 29, 2007

Toronto Star: Women and Education - Trades program offers lesson on repairing lives
by Daniel Girard, education reporter
Published Aug 27, 2007

Toronto Star: Breaking Down Barriers - Building on women's skills
photo by Jim Ross: Martina Ernst and Elida Huignard at the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute, founded Wo-Built.
"Women, if you're good with your hands, detail-oriented, like watching renovation shows and don't mind getting a bit dirty, then maybe a career in the finishing trades is for you. Painting, drywalling, carpentry and cabinetmaking are part of the vast array of skilled trades that don't often register on women's radar."
by Donna Laporte, real estate reporter
Published Apr 19, 2008

SNAP Bloor-West Village: Craft Market Hosts Home Design Series
Photo: Martina and Deborah from Wo-Built Inc. with Mary (middle) of Wise Daughters Craft Market
"The ladies from Wo-Built Inc., a local design and build company, brought their expertise and knowledge to Wise Daughters Craft Market at the beginning of April for the first of six interactive talks centering around making changes in the home, a major focal point at this time of the year."
Published May 2009

Proud FM Radio: Wo-Built's Interview on 103.9 FM
Published July 8, 2009

Our Busman's Holiday: Doors Open Toronto

YouTube: A Doors Open Toronto day in 42 seconds.
Doors Open 2009 presentation with Mayor David Miller.
Be sure to check out Doors Open 2010 on May 29 & 30.
http://toronto.ca/doorsopen
Credit: thecityoftoronto — April 13, 2010

11th annual Doors Open Toronto

Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30, 2010
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., unless otherwise noted

Get into architecture | 150 buildings | FREE
Including: Ask an Architect | Launch of Architecture Walks | Green and Sustainable Projects | Toronto’s Transportation Heritage | University of Toronto | and more...
For "Buildings to visit" - a complete list of participating sites and local maps, contact Doors Open Toronto.
Get your Doors Open Toronto program guide in the Thursday, May 27 issue of the Toronto Star.

Telephone: 3-1-1
E-mail: doorsopen@toronto.ca
Website: www.toronto.ca/doorsopen

We are looking forward to Doors Open Toronto this year.

After our move this week we will need some downtime and what better to do than a busman’s holiday. We are going to visit some of the building on the list of Open Doors Toronto. There are so many to choose from, but the following ones are on the top of our list, either for design or environmental reasons or just personal interest.

[ V ] Artscape Wychwood Barns
[Sunday: Not open]

[ V ] Citytv and OMNI Television, Rogers Studios - NEW!
[Saturday: Not open]

[ V ] Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre

[ V ] Evergreen Brick Works

[ V ] Gardiner Museum
[Saturday: Not open]

[ V ] Humber Arboretum Centre for Urban Ecology - NEW!

[ V ] John St. Roundhouse - Steam Whistle Brewing

[ V ] Regent Park Phase One Walking Tour
[Saturday: Not open]

I can recommend Allan Gardens Conservatory already.

We love design and Open Doors Toronto is a great occasion to see some of the great architecture and buildings Toronto has to offer.

Design is a passion for us and many of Toronto’s Architects are designing innovative and novel buildings. Ultimately, we would like to build these new buildings and as a first step we are now offering to architects and designers a new service. We provide realistic estimates for the projects during the design phase. The aim is to help architects and designers provide complete information to their clients. If you are an architect or a designer we would like to hear from you to see how we can be of service.

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.

Interesting Reading: Renovation Is Like 'Whitewater Rafting' ... and Not Just for the Home Owner

Screenshot: Yourhome.ca: Renovation is like 'whitewater rafting'
"Even well-run renovation projects don't always look that way"
Article and Photo by Steve Maxwell
Credit: thestar.com: yourhome.ca

yourhome.ca: EXPERT ADVICE
Renovation is like 'whitewater rafting'

Building and renovation takes longer than you imagine, costs more than you expect, and (if you care a great deal about the outcome) involves more mental anguish than seems reasonable. But if you've chosen your contractor well, braced yourself for a sometimes wild ride, and are willing to keep things flexible, then it's all going to work out just fine.

by Steve Maxwell
October 24, 2009
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

This article came to my attention via clients of ours who saw it and remembered what we said before we embarked on ripping their home apart. We used words such as thrilling, heart break, apprehension, fun, excitement, rollercoaster of emotions and hopefully satisfaction and this is not just for the home owner.

We try to prepare people on what is going to happen, reduce the stress and manage expectations, but unless the home owner has been involved with something similar before, some aspects of the project will still come as a shock, disappointment or mental anguish.

In addition to the advice at the end of the article, we would add the following, stay focused on the end result – it is always worth it in the end.

Martina Ernst
CEO
Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Wo-Built: Turning Your Dream Home Into a Reality (Again !!!!)
Wo-Built: Renovations and Recession
Wo-Built: Getting Your Home Ready for Resale

Interesting Reading: Women Who Build Homes

Screenshot: thestar.com: Homebuilding Industry: A few good women
by Barbara Silverstein, Special to the Star, Jul 18, 2009
Illustration by Raffi Anderian / Toronto Star
Credit: TheStar.com

thestar.com: News & Features: Homebuilding Industry: A few good women
There aren't many women who build homes, but those who do say they are perfectly suited to the task
Jul 18, 2009 04:30 AM
Barbara Silverstein
Special to the Star

For everyone who does not read the Toronto Star. We loved this article. It is great to see women succeed in the building industry.

As a young, women run construction company ourselves we have to agree that the home building industry is a great place for women. What we love about the industry that there are always exciting challenges in both small and large projects. We are design focused and welcome the opportunities to make spaces unique, customized and ecologically friendly for our clients.

We are committed to helping women succeed in the industry and it is great to have examples like Julie Di Lorenzo, Co-President of Diamante Development Corp., Mary Lawson, Vice-President and General Manager of Dalerose Country Homes, and Laurie Gordon, President of Berkshire Homes mentioned in the article.

Martina Ernst

links:
wobuilt.blogspot.com: We Were Mentioned in the Star
thestar.com: Building on women's skills: Etobicoke contracting firm encourages more to consider give their careers a finishing touch
by Donna Laporte, REAL ESTATE Reporter, The Toronto Star

technorati tags:
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We Were Mentioned in the Star

Martina Ernst and Elida Huignard at the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute, founded Wo-Built.
Photo by Jim Ross, The Toronto Star

We were mentioned in the Toronto Star on April 19th, 2008 Building on women's skills.
Article by Donna Laporte, REAL ESTATE Reporter, The Toronto Star, Condo section.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
Building on women's skills
Etobicoke contracting firm
encourages more to consider give
their careers a finishing touch

Women, if you're good with your hands, detail-oriented, like watching renovation shows and don't mind getting a bit dirty, then maybe a career in the finishing trades is for you.

Painting, drywalling, carpentry and cabinetmaking are part of the vast array of skilled trades that don't often register on women's radar.

Two female architects are out to change that.

More than a year ago, Martina Ernst and Elida Huignard co-founded Wo-Built, a general contracting firm based in Etobicoke, to encourage women to enter the building trades by hiring and mentoring them in their renovation business.

There is no shortage of work for women who are already trained. But there's room for many more.

If you want to read the whole article, please click on the link below.
http://www.thestar.com/article/414967

link:
TheStar.com - News & Features - Building on women's skills

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Wo-Built Was Mentioned in the Toronto Star

Attention! Attention! Attention!

Our Pre-apprenticeship training course for women in the finishing trades is almost designed and we are looking for women in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding areas who want to start a career in the building trades. A curriculum will be published in November. Our training mandate was mentioned in the Toronto Star recently and what a great way to kick off information for the training.

Here is the link:
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/250115

links:
On Topic - Toronto Training Board eNewsletter
VOLUME 8, August 2007
WOMEN AND EDUCATION
TheStar.com | News | Trades program offers lesson on repairing lives
George Brown pilot project turns at-risk women into in-demand skilled tradeswomen
Daniel Girard, Education Reporter
Toronto Star, Aug 27, 2007 04:30 AM

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