New Year Message from the CEO

Happy New Year

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We, at Wo-Built Inc, would like to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

We had a tremendous first year, both in terms of our projects as well as developing our mentoring and training of women in the skilled trades.

But we are not resting on our laurels. Absolutely not!!! We are charging full throttle ahead and we have set ourselves three major goals this year:

• To build amazing home extensions, additions and complete fabulous renovations.


• To have at least one pre-apprentice course in the finishing trades and design further courses to help women enter into the finishing trades.


• To add to our “green” approach, a new initiative.

We also thank all the contributors and readers of the Wo-Built Forum for making it such a success last year and we will bring many more interesting stories and articles this year.

So we are looking forward to another exciting year for us and we hope that you will follow our progress.

Kind regards,

Martina Ernst, CEO Wo-Built Inc

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

Paint Colour Trends
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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

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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

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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

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A Reflection: Home Sweet Home

We start early with our dreams!

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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.


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We Have a Date for Our First Pre-apprenticeship Course

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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

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