Paint Colour Trends 2008... Are you making the most of your investment?

Paint Colour Trends
Images No: 0510560, 0746540, 0313295 from Canstockphoto
Copyright reserved

In our recent past minimalist trends in decorating dictated only a whisper of colour for the walls. Pale and neutral prevailed, but that has changed and colour has regained importance. Changing paint colours is the most effective way to inject newness into our environment. After all, as far as interior paint colour goes, investing in an sunflower yellow wall is not as major a commitment as buying a sofa in that hue!

New trends in paint colour for interiors indicate greens are still vital. The colour of nature and growth, the newest greens echo the colour of chlorophyll, like the first sprouts of spring, or green bamboo, or that slice of lime in our gin and tonic!

Orange and red have joined forces to create new looking tones of persimmon, copper & coral. Interior paint colours are becoming less & less shy as colour theory and colour psychology have been introduced to the mainstream.

Yellow alert! As a trend yellow is more important than ever. Try a sun yellow room, or a marigold wall, or at least some yellow accessories. The newest yellows have a lot of punch, and work best when grounded with a neutral...such as grey. Take a look at Glidden’s “Ginger Ale”. Glidden cited ”Ginger Ale” as their #1 trend colour for 2008 (think buttercup).

Blues have been strong since the turn of this century, but in 2008 all types of aquatic blue tones are strong. The best ones have some warmth in them and look like blue tones pulled from nature....blueberries, the Atlantic Ocean, the Prairie sky, the periwinkle flower.

Graphite, Flannel, Silver... all rich sounding names for the latest rich neutrals, look best in anything from icy pales to dark midtones. Pair the deep grey tones with soft coral or pale yellowy greens for the newest combination. Pair icy silver grey with warm golden yellow. Look to black as an accent colour for smaller pieces and accessories for interior layering.

Next time I’ll talk about exterior paint colour. In the meantime have some fun with paint colours inside your home .... it’s a reflection of you!

_______________________________________________________
This article was contributed by Sylvia O’Brien, colour consultant and creative director of Colour Theory, a Toronto based firm that helps clients pick the perfect colour for paint, flooring, cabinetry, countertops etc. for their living and working spaces. Colour Theory helps clients pick colour for interior and exterior paint, flooring, cabinetry, tiles, countertop, roofing, siding, aluminum, vinyl and hard landscaping.
To learn more call 416-766-6789 or go to www.colourtheory.net

links:
Wobuilt Inc.: How many paint colours?!
by Sylvia O’Brien

technorati tags:
5,043 posts taggedcolour
1 post taggedcolour consultant
30 posts taggedcolour theory
63 posts taggedpaint colour
No posts tagged paint colour trends
17 posts tagged paint color trends
15 posts tagged Glidden
No posts tagged Sylvia O’Brien

Posts that contain paint color trends per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!

Posts that contain paint colour per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!

The Sponsors - Part 2: Diversity Job Fair & Skilled Trades Forum for Women and Youth.

Presented by

Zack Steel in Partnership with the City of Toronto’s Access and Diversity Unit / Parks Forestry and Recreation

You are cordially invited to attend the Diversity Job Fair & Skilled Trades Forum for Women and Youth.Wednesday, January 16, 2008, from 5-9:30pm, at Nathan Phillips Square / Toronto City Hall, in the Rotunda 100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2, @ Bay Street

The Career Foundation, TorontoJobs.ca, Centennial College and Adecco have joined the other sponsors.

City of Toronto - Parks, Forestry & Recreation
Wo-Built Inc
CAWIC
Canadian Youth Business Foundation
DiversityCareers.ca
Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute
On-Track for Women

For RSVP please contact Zack at 647-208-4423 or e-mail zackisit@yahoo.ca
For more information please visit http://www.wobuilt.com/pressreleases.htm

The Sponsors: Diversity Job Fair & Skilled Trades Forum for Women and Youth.

Presented by
Zack Steel in Partnership with the City of Toronto’s Access and Diversity Unit / Parks Forestry and Recreation

You are cordially invited to attend the Diversity Job Fair & Skilled Trades Forum for Women and Youth.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008, from 5-9:30pm, at
Nathan Phillips Square / Toronto City Hall, in the Rotunda 100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N2, @ Bay Street

The Sponsors:

City of Toronto - Parks, Forestry & Recreation

Wo-Built Inc

CAWIC

Canadian Youth Business Foundation

DiversityCareers.ca

Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute

On-Track for Women

For RSVP please contact Zack at 647-208-4423 or e-mail zackisit@yahoo.ca

For more information please visit http://www.wobuilt.com/pressreleases.htm

The Magic of Renovation Shows

The Magic of Renovation Shows

Image No: 0061632 from Canstockphoto
Copyright reserved

As I settle on the couch with my coffee cup in hand to watch yet another renovation show and another miracle take place I can’t help but wonder how realistic these renovation shows really are?

The formula is always the same. At the start we see a room in considerable disarray which is dismantled within 30 seconds. Next comes the plan with or without everyone’s approval and then it’s full steam ahead. Any problems seem to be solved over the commercial break. While everyone’s antics have us laughing the work is somehow magically progressing. It all seems so simple as I watch the show’s development and the costs seem so reasonable. Another commercial break and we see everyone jumping for joy at the final outcome. While everyone is still in rapture over the transformation I let my mind wander to the possibilities of what might be in my own home and start planning my campaign. Then I pull my head out of the clouds and get a reality check. We don’t get to see the renovations-gone-wrong or a horrified client. We don’t get to see the considerable planning that’s involved in a project. Nor do we see the significant amount of work and time involved. We only see the renovation fairy wave her magic wand that has everyone crying tears of joy with the end result.

Renovation shows are useful in showing us the possibilities and giving us ideas, but we have to remember that realistically, a good renovation takes excellent planning, the right know-how and a certain amount of patience and the only renovation that comes out perfectly and takes a half hour is the one on T.V.

________________________
Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Generation Renovation: Shows: Home & Garden Television Special Online Features
HGTV.com

technorati tags:
3,427 posts tagged renovation
90 results for renovation show
4 posts tagged renovation shows
35 posts tagged renovation project
781 posts tagged reality check
15,262 posts tagged tv show
Lonya

Posts that contain renovation per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!

A Reflection: Home Sweet Home

We start early with our dreams!

Image No: 0239891 from Canstockphoto
Copyright reserved

What constitutes a dream home and how do these dream homes form? For many of us we start to put together a dream home at a young age when our dreams have no limits. It may start at a young age playing with a dollhouse and letting imagination run wild. Or it might be helping Dad doing repairs and reno projects around the family home.

Many of my friends started off with dreams of large homes with swimming pools and huge backyards and I shared in those dreams without any particular dream of my own. My dream home started to form along the way as my interests, habits, and lifestyle preferences took root. Shortly after I was married we rented an apartment of our own. It was only a 2-bedroom with a bijou kitchen but it boasted a walk-in closet, had a balcony overlooking a park and was in close proximity to shopping and transportation. I loved that apartment.

When we started a family I thought a house would be more ideal, but the reality turned out to be a little different. The maintenance, upkeep and expenses of a home proved to be more than I bargained for. I thought I had attained my dream home only to find that the actuality was quite different, and the dream was altered yet again. As I longed to go back to the simplicity of my old apartment it became apparent to me that a condo is definitely my dream home.

The answer to the question of what constitutes a dream home is a very personal thing and that for myself life and reality had a way of shaping and changing those dreams into what they are at this moment in time.

_________________________________
Lonya is a staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.


technorati tags:
1,977 posts tagged home sweet home
658 posts tagged dream home
19,190 posts tagged family home
329,112 posts tagged home
110,096 posts tagged house
7,983 posts tagged condo
12,851 posts tagged apartment

We Have a Date for Our First Pre-apprenticeship Course

Image No: 0358508 from Canstockphoto.com
All rights reserved

Attention, Announcement, Attention!!!

Bring on the Fanfares and Fireworks!!!

Wo-Built Inc first Pre-Apprenticeship Course for Women in the Finishing Trades will start

March 17th, 2008

and will be held at the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute in Toronto.

The curriculum will include basic skill developments in:

• Wood Framing
• Painting
• Taping/Dry walling
• Finish Carpentry
• Blue Print Reading
• T-bar installation
• Tiling ceramics
• Basic plumbing (installation of sinks etc)
• Basic electrical concepts
• Home Preventative Maintenance
• Building Code Requirements
• Health/safety training

For more information please contact training@wobuilt.com

links:
Wo-Built Inc.: Change of Date for Wo-Built Inc's Pre-Apprenticeship Training Course

technorati tags:
3,935 posts tagged curriculum
4 posts tagged pre-apprenticeship
No posts tagged finishing trades
2 posts tagged wo-built
pre-apprenticeship training institute
No results for women in "finishing trades"
1 result for pre-apprenticeship course for women in the finishing trades

Posts that contain curriculum per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!

What Is Better? Own Work Crews or Sub-contractors?

The big question: own work crews or subcontractors?
Image No: 0696754 from Canstockphoto.com
All rights reserved

When doing a renovation or a construction project, what is the difference between using a general contractor with their own crew and one that uses sub-trades? There are a few differences and when making a choice between general contractors, you should be aware of these and of the benefits of choosing one over the other.

First... let's clarify what we are actually discussing. Your general contractor is engaged by you to do the work on your project. The question is does the general contractor use staff that work for him directly or does he subcontract to other tradespersons to do the work and how does that effect your project? Given the quality of apprenticeship programs in Ontario, there should be no difference in workmanship between the staff versus sub-trades. However, frequently customers notice that companies operating with their own crews tend to be unexpectedly slow to complete jobs. One reason suggested for this is that the more jobs that are started, the more efficient the general contractor's labour cost. So, by starting lots of projects, the general contractor is assured of having his crew fully occupied and, that is important to them because the staff crews get paid if there are jobs on the go or not. So, it is not uncommon for a crew to be pulled from one job to be put on a new job many times through the construction season.In contrast, general contractors who operate with sub-trades have options when they wish to start projects. Once the project is secured, they find the sub-contractors to start the project and should they find more work, they find additional resources for those projects. On the matter of time conflicts and delays from lack of contractor availability (and that is possible because a sub-trade may also try to secure multiple concurrent projects), if the project is not moving ahead as required by its contract schedule, another sub-trade can be assigned the work. General contractors with their own crews don't do this because it becomes an additional expense to their operation.

On the matter of cost, there are some direct impacts of using a company which employs its own staff versus using sub-trades. Employee trades need to have contributions by the employer for taxes that apply to all employers. They contribute to the employee's Canada Pension Plan, Unemployment Insurance and Workmans' Compensation. Sub-trades are self employed contractors to the general contractor. They are responsible for their own Workman's Compensation contribution, CPP and don't pay UI. This means that the price paid for a given trade will cost more for employee staff than for sub-trades and this is reflected in the prices quoted for your project. And, in almost every instance, the cost of labour is the largest component in a renovation or construction project.This description of the differences do favour sub-trades over staff crews, but, there are some advantages to hiring a company with its own staff crew. for the most part, there is a feeling that the general contractor has more control over the project. And, this is for the most part a reasonable expectation. However, if the general contractor is re-assigning his resources, the owner of the project is no better off for having made the decision to put their faith in a self-crewed project. But, is there a certain cohesiveness in a crew that is working all 'under one roof' so to speak? All projects are scheduled, so there is typically little un-needed overlapping of the trades. As an example, framers, dry-wallers and painters are almost never sent to the same site at the same time because their work is scheduled to be a sequential group of tasks. So, working as team though a good concept is not required. In fact, they could be non-related workman and if they are scheduled and co-ordinated well by the general contractor, they really need not be involved with each other.

In recommending to someone which choice is better for them it generally becomes a question of cost and risk management. Most often, the general contractor who uses sub-trades will be able to bid costs below the company who keeps resources on the ready and on staff. And, if there is a lot of work taking place in the local construction market, it is more likely that a general contractor using sub-trades will able to keep the project moving forward because they are not tied to one set of staff members. Given the ability to choose, it makes more sense to have a general contractor on your project who has the flexibility to get the resources needed versus the resources he has.

------------------------------
This article was contributed by Ari Berman, a Management Consultant from Toronto, Canada, with a specialization in operations and process change. He has helped companies spanning aircraft builders to soda drink manufacturers to increase their value - finding and improving important details that never got attended to in past. His work in the construction industry includes overseeing commercial construction projects in retail shopping malls across Canada. He can be reached at 647-235-8181 or via e-mail on ari.berman@cmc-advisor.com.

technorati tags:
44 posts tagged renovation project
239 posts tagged construction project
109 posts tagged general contractor
1 post tagged apprenticeship program
No posts tagged sub-trades
22 posts tagged staff crew
3,056 posts tagged risk management
Ari Berman Ari Berman

Posts that contain construction project per day for the last 30 days.

Get your own chart!