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

Summer, Nature, and the Homestead

Image: Wo-Built’s vision for Peapod Life:
Bringing the best of summer and nature to homesteads everywhere!
Image Credit: MS Office ClipArt: agriculture, farms, fields, houses, nature

Peapod Life brings the best of rural Canada to your Condo

This past Sunday, I had the good fortune of attending a spiritual retreat held on a horse farm in Arva, Ontario.

The experience served to reinforce Wo-Built’s vision for Peapod Life: to bring the best of summer and nature to homesteads everywhere! From condos to suburbs; restaurants to spas; hospitals to clinics; offices to schools; everyone should be able to enjoy the pleasures I experienced on Sunday.

Among the many activities on the beautiful property was a nature walk. To be surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature is always uplifting yet calming; invigorating yet soothing. Green was the backdrop for a symphony of colours.

It wouldn’t have been much of a gathering without a feast. Fresh garden herbs and vegetables, local fair of every kind, all served with warmth and hospitality that I believe is 100% supported by the environment of the homestead.

Cities are a necessary fact of life which come with a whole series of advantages, from employment to socializing to entertainment. Toronto recognizes the importance of greening urban landscapes, evidenced by the emergence of initiatives like Live Green Toronto, Evergreen and Food Forward (to name but a few).

When it finally came to leave Arva and return to Toronto, I did so with renewed determination. Peapod Life will do its best to bring the best of rural life to our urban spaces, with products and services both large and small for residential and commercial markets.

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

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?

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

We Put a Lot of Steel in This Reno Project

Photo-Collage: Residential Home Renovation Project
Second and Third Floor Addition
2010 © wobuilt.com

We are just about to finish another 2nd (and this time 3rd) floor addition for a residential home. We started with a small bungalow, whose structure could not support the new floors. But the client wanted to preserve their first floor interior, so our engineering consultants designed a substantial steel structure on which the other floors were built. We love steel for what it can do.

Stay tuned for more narrative about this difficult and exiting project: The Little Bungalow That Grew Up into an Elegant Palace.

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