Affordable Housing is in Crisis - We desperately need more of it

Does a House like this look like that it could help alleviate our Affordable Housing Crisis? It could, you know. How? Just read on.

Photo Credit: Wo-Built Inc

Affordable housing is in crisis and not only for the people on the waiting lists. I did some cursory calculations and research into salaries and rent etc for the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and this was a bit of an eye opener for me.

Let’s say you are a single mother with one or two kids and employed as a office assistant or law clerk or maybe in retail sales or as a factory worker and bring in as base salary approx $40,000/per year. That is $3,400/month before any taxes and deductions. After deductions this leaves approx $2,700. Let’s say you need a 2 bedroom apartment in Toronto. Most apartments are now around $1400 -1500. Basement apartments are slightly less expensive, but they may not be legal; hence maybe not healthy and safe.

That leaves about $1,200 for food, clothes, phones, car payments, maybe dental and medications if required, transportation, school supply etc. I know these are just rough calculations not taken into account any tax credits, child support etc, but making ends meet for a family of 2 or 3 on this kind of money is near impossible. It’s even difficult if you earn $60,000/year. (Take home after deductions is $3,700/month) and would leave about $2,200 for all other expenses. More comfortable, but a more affordable housing solution would still be appreciated. 

The simple explanation (yes, very simple and yes, it is more complex) is that we are suffering from an under supply of good units. In other words, there are not enough units for the demand. Ergo, we need more units – and fast.

Large rental developments are entering the GTA market, but take forever (estimated average of 5 years) to build due to the planning and building process and are often geared towards the high end rental market. This is not the best option to alleviate the housing shortage. What is: Legal Second Suites!

As most municipalities in Ontario are now allowing Second Suites provided they follow all the building and fire codes and bylaws, the creation or renovation of a second suite could be done within 3 months. Design and planning: 4-6 weeks. Construction: 4-6 weeks, maybe slightly longer, if more complex.

There is a real need for more units to stabilize the housing market, and there are big benefits to the home owner, by having a second suite. Wouldn’t it be great to earn an income and do something for the community? Since the demand for affordable housing will increase over the next few years as more elderly retiring on inadequate pensions, more admittance of refugees due to world upheaval to name a few, home owners will be able to charge a decent rent for their units for the foreseeable future.

For more info and to contact us if you would like an opinion if your house could have a second suite, please go to http://makesecondsuitespossiblebywobuilt.strikingly.com or call us on 416 402 2679.

Martina Ernst

Why You Need to Be Part of the 2015 Green Living Show

Green Living Show: A healthier you, a healthier planet

The Green Living Show is moving to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and will be held from March 27 – 29, 2015.

Image credit: http://www.greenlivingonline.com: newsletter

Discover a Healthier You and a Healthier Planet at the Green Living Show
Three Days of Delicious Food, & Great Shopping and Exciting Speakers!


What: The Green Living Show is North America’s largest consumer show dedicated to simple solutions for leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. This three-day event offers inspiration for all ages and features more than 400 carefully selected companies, influential speakers, innovative products, demonstrations and fun activities for the entire family. Come and enjoy delicious local and sustainable food and drink and visit hundreds of exhibitors featuring natural health and wellness products within the Health and Wellness Pavilion.

NEW THIS YEAR: The 9th annual Green Living Show will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, which means a new look and feel to the show!

Why: Consumers want to shop, taste and discover speakers, authors, products and services across all lifestyle categories that positively impact our health and the earth.

2015 Green Living Show

Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building Halls A & B
Address: 255 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5W 2W6
Closest Major Intersection: King Street West & University Avenue
TTC: From Union Station proceed west on Front Street to the North Building entrance.

When: Friday, March 27, 12:00pm-8:00pm
Saturday, March 28, 10:00am-8:00pm
Sunday, March 29, 10:00am-5:00pm

Admission: Adult Admission: $15.00
Seniors/Students: $10.00
Children under 12 FREE (must be accompanied by an adult)
Group Rate $8.00pp (15+persons)
School Group Rate: $8.00pp (10+persons)

Box office special: Friday evening: $10 after 4pm (save $5 on regular Adult admission)
New for 2015: Free re-admission! Buy 1 adult, student or senior ticket and return to the show for free all weekend!

Watch Highlights from the 2014 Green Living Show:

YouTube Video: Green Living Show 2014

Highlights from the 2014 Green Living Show, April 25 - 27, including Youth Day, Canadian Green Car Award, Cycle Toronto, The Urban Forest, Olivia Chow, David Miller, Ontario Culinary Explorers Pavilion, Gluten Free Garage, Yoga and Fitness, Frankie Flowers, Urban Agriculture Pavilion.

Published by GreenLivingOnline

Find more information about the Show:
web: Green Living Show: A healthier you, a healthier planet
facebook: GreenLivingPage
twitter: GreenLivingPage

Wo-Built at the Green Living Show with Peapod Life:

Photo-Collage: Wo-Built's Green Commitment at the Green Living Show
Peapod Life - an affordable sustainable home addition
April 13-15, 2012 at Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place

Read more:
wobuilt/blog: Green Additions with Indoor Gardens a Big Hit at Home and Green Living Shows
wobuilt/blog: Wo-Built to redefine Green Building with Peapod Life at Green Living Show
wobuilt/blog: Living Wall Ecosystem gives new life to Green Living Show

Planning for Your New Organic Gardening Project

Image Montage by Wo-Built: Indoor Landscapes
Image Credits: Travels with Zen-Aida +
Plantscape - Interior Plant Service, Indoor Office Landscaping

What is organic landscaping?

... working with nature to help it achieve its highest expression, so that it can freely give back all it has to give.

~ PeapodLife: Organic Landscaping: Better than “Man-made;” more than “Nature’s Way”

I know it is really difficult to imagine that it is going to be warm and sunny again, especially if you just were visited by Jack Frost with Arctic cold and a dump load of snow. But now, in the middle of winter, is the time to plan for a gardening project, because spring is only a few months away and time flies. Also you may be surprised on what is required during the planning process.

The best time to do the new garden is in spring, so you can enjoy it during the summer months and if the changes are significant it has time to grow to weather the next cold season.

In our opinion organic landscaping using natural stone and materials is the best way to go. It creates harmony, flow and a positive energy. These are spaces that you want to spend time in and relax. Your own oasis in the City!

We have already written about our project in Toronto's Bloor West Village last year (peapodlife blog - Organic Landscaping: Better than “Man-made;” more than “Nature’s Way”) and our definition of organic landscaping, but here we would like to talk about the necessary steps required to make a project like this successful.

Image Collage by PeapodLife, Division of Wo-Built Inc: Organic Landscaping in Bloor West Village, Toronto

Image by PeapodLife, Division of Wo-Built Inc: Front Yard Garden in Toronto featuring Rhododendrons and Real Stone

Image by PeapodLife, Division of Wo-Built Inc: Image: Backyard Garden in Toronto with integrated sprinkler system

What is required during the planning process for a gardening project?

First, like any project you need to figure out what activities and how you would like to use the space. From there you can plan the layout.

Organic landscaping does not mean you cannot have your separate distinct areas. They just flow into each other seamlessly, creating a harmonious flow. This is more difficult to achieve than a structured geometrical layout which many landscapers prefer. The aim is to achieve balance between the spaces and this is partly an intuitive process.

Nevertheless, the first step is to produce concept drawings and then detailed drawings, outlining size, level changes, type of material, type and number of plants etc. This is important as it is very easy to get carried away in landscaping. Much more so than in a building renovation!

The detailed drawings will fix the budget, form a baseline for the contract and will give an indication on the length of project. The project above took several weeks for the front and several weeks for the back.  

And yes, you do need to sign a contract for the work with the company you hire. The scope of work, timing, payment schedule and obligation of the parties have to be defined like in any other renovation contract. You have to have ways of resolving issues and conflict.

Also, prior to starting extensive landscaping work which will include level changes you need to see if you require permits for the level changes, change of use etc. You should also check out the location and state of your underground services (water, gas) to see if they would be effected by the landscaping or if they need repair. Access to the services afterwards may be more difficult.

The next step is the tender. Ideally you already have a design and build landscaping outfit that specializes in organic landscaping. However, if you are tendering, visit prior projects of the different firms. This should be possible as the landscaping is outside the house and most likely can be seen from the road. Try to compare ‘apples with apples’, so to speak.

The steps above should make your landscaping project a success and provide you with the best garden in the neighbourhood. We had many positive comments from the neighbours while we were doing the above project, from ‘love it’ to ‘wow’. It was certainly noticed.

We can make this happen for you and make your own amazing oasis in the City!


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

A New Year; A Better Approach to FLIPPING HOUSES

Infographic: A New Year; A Better Approach to FLIPPING HOUSES

Everyone at The Wo-Built's Team wishes you and yours a Very Happy New Year.

And if you are in the business of flipping houses (or have been thinking about investing in Real Estate), then contact us and start your New Year off with more Bang for your Investment Buck! 

Special New Years Offer to Make your Renovation Planning a Breeze

Special 2015 New Years Offer 

Wo-Built's Roadmap for Your Renovation

Credit: MS Office Clipart: Two story house with a chimney; Ribbon tied like a bow

The New Year is here and true to our New Year’s resolution we would like to start the year off by giving back and offer something truly unique.

Spring, the busy renovation season, is only 4 months away. If you are planning a renovation, now is the time to start putting all the pieces in play. Four months is not a long time and contractors get busy very soon in Spring as everyone wants to start then. It does not matter where you are in the process, you will have many questions. Who do you ask? Your friends and family who may only have anecdotal information or an independent professional who has your best interest at heart?

Over the last weeks we have introduced our ‘Roadmap to your Renovation’ process which is a great planning tool for your renovation. As you know, the wrong decision in a renovation can cost you $1,000's of dollars. Good and thorough planning and getting the necessary know-how of the process, pitfalls and risk management will save you a lot of your hard earned money.

The Wo-Built ‘Roadmap for your Renovation’ Assessment helps you formulate your ideal home and your ideal home renovation and enables you to communicate your visions to your contractor. In addition it outlines the process for you, teaches you what steps to do when, plan the project in great detail and gives you the confidence to embark on your project to achieve your ‘Dream House’.

We developed the ‘Roadmap for your Renovation’ Assessment to provide you with an invaluable tool which will enable optimum understanding of your dream house and your own abilities to deal with the renovation. By exploring your individuality and your unique problems and situations you can really determine what you want and what will suit you ultimately. Communication will be so much more effective between all parties and the results so much more satisfying.

The Assessment will enable you to voice your vision so much better than just showing the contractor magazines articles, pictures or design references from home improvement shows. This is seldom effective as the shows and magazines represent someone else's taste and situation. So the concept is the same, but different and the difference is left to the interpretation of the contractor. Hence, often the results will fall short of expectations and disappointment is possible as everyone envisages similar things differently according to his or her own experience.

The findings of the assessment are captured in the Wo-Built ‘Roadmap for your Renovation’ Report. If design options are required concept designs are explored in Wo-Built ‘Roadmap for your Renovation’ Design Options.

The Wo-Built ‘Roadmap to your Renovation’ Assessment is the basis for the detailed design by an Interior Designer or Architect, a rough estimate of the costs and construction process, methods and timing. Having gone through the Assessment you are ready to proceed with confidence with your own designer/contractor or if you wish continue with Wo-Built into the Design and Build phase.

We like to celebrate the New Year and we always have something special* for a limited time for our clients.

From now to Chinese New Year 2015 we offer a great deal on our ‘Roadmap to your Renovation’ Assessment and the ‘Roadmap to your Renovation’ Report. You not only save on $1,000's of dollars during the renovation with the know-how you are getting, you also get a great bargain on the education.

* For $350 you will get the ‘Roadmap to your Renovation’ Assessment and the ‘Roadmap to your Renovation’ Report in a bundle. You save $125.

Invest in your peace of mind. Get a truly unique education and let us help you beat the system.

Call us now to learn more on 416-402-2679 for more information. We would be happy to help.

** Offer valid for the Greater Toronto Area, Mississauga, Brampton only. Applicable taxes apply.

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

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays

Image: Season's Greetings and Holiday Wishes from Wo-Built Inc.
Credit: MS Office ClipArt MH900440289

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Another year comes to an end and we at Wo-Built are contemplating the many good things that happened this year. We did some fantastic projects and met and worked with amazing people.

During this season, we want to say 'Thank You' to our wonderful clients – we would not be here without you.

For me personally, the Christmas season is full of joy and good will. I spend time with my friends and family and think of the great people I encountered during the year. At this special time of year, I am very grateful for all the help and advice I received on the way, both to advance personally and, of course, in business.

Very often it felt like that the spirit of giving which is so prevalent during the Christmas season was extended to me during the year. I hope I will be able to give some back in 2015.

Merry Christmas, Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays to all!

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

To view our Season’s Greetings e-card, please click on the following link: http://tinyurl.com/happynewyear-wobuilt

What to Do When You Outgrow Your Home?

Collage: An Addition Creates a Home That Is More Than The Sum of Its Parts
Image Credit: MS Office ClipArt: Additions, Extensions, Homes
 @ wobuilt.com

When you outgrow a house or it doesn’t work for you anymore. - What do you do?

Well, you could go two routes – one is to throw the towel and look for another house or you can renovate/ extent the old one. Just like on Love It or List It which I quite like watching. I am usually not a great fan of renovation shows, but this one is at least shows some of the realities of renovation. But this is still TV.

In real life we can offer something that is BETTER than shown on TV. Part of the issue with renovations is that most times there is not enough planning and investigation done beforehand. Decisions are made with incomplete or assumed facts and this leads inevitably to disaster. When doing renovations and when with buying houses.What is the key – planning and risk minimization.

Feasibility Study of Your House - to Make an Informed Decision

So the decision “to love it or list it” starts with a feasibility study of the old house. What is possible, what will it will cost, what are the risks, even doing investigative explorations for possible problems down the line, what is the process. There are a lot of memories in your old house, your friends, neighbours and social networks are usually close by and your kids’ school is nearby. Doesn’t that house deserve a fair shot to see what is possible?

With our Roadmap to Your Renovation we look at your lifestyle, the house, your wish list, your tolerance level, your renovation knowledge and comfort level, the design possibility, costs, financing, contractor concerns and many more planning issues.

If You Do still Want to Buy a  a New House

If after this you still want to leave and look for a new house we will start planning for that – from arranging your mortgage to realtor services to renovations. And we do this through our Casavant Corporation partners (a one stop shop for home buying). More about this option in a later article.

If your home deserves a makeover

The feasibility study is a factual and unemotional tool for you to make an informed decision. And unlike in Love it or List It you do not have to do the renovations to make the decision. A feasibility study is a lot less expensive than a major renovation and, if a renovation is a go, it can mitigate a lot of risks during the construction phase.

Let’s say you would like to do a second storey addition. 

Here is the planning process you need to do:

1)    Determine what your needs versus wants are.
They are usually different from each other. Your needs are determined from your life style or a change in life style. Let’s say you would like to have another bedroom, but your kids are flying the nest soon. Do you really need the bedroom or could you use the extra space for something else? Maybe you don’t need to extend, only to rearrange. 

2)    Determine the possibilities and options.
a.    Know the implications on
i.    Costs
ii.    Finances
iii.    Timelines
iv.    Disruptions
v.    Obligations
vi.    Risks/Risk Mitigation

b.    Decide on a preferred option.

3)    Investigate the construction feasibility for your preferred design. Only then start the detailed design.
4)    Design the option
5)    Investigate and decide on the contractors.

We can help through all of this through our Roadmap for your Renovation packages.

If you want to talk to us about doing a feasibility study, please call us on 416-402-2679 for more information or, if ready, book your 'Roadmap for your Renovation Assessment' Now!

 Click here to book

We would be happy to help.

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

An Interesting Read:
@wobuilt: How do you budget for a home #renovation? @TDNews_Canada has #RenoTips for you! http://td.mediaroom.com/2015-05-07-to-renovate-or-not-to-renovate … #infographics

How do you budget for a home #renovation? @TDNews_Canada has #RenoTips for you! http://t.co/pBEqQdfkHX #infographics pic.twitter.com/w3eooCZK2V

— Wo-Built Inc (@wobuilt) May 7, 2015