B.C. is the only province that requires home inspectors to be licensed, but consumers have little recourse if they receive bad advice

MIKE HOLMES
Sun

Just out of curiosity, I went on the Internet to see what a homeowner might find if they were looking there for a home inspector. I found a few. I also found just about as many ads for how to become one. We all know that’s how you become a qualified professional — on the Internet!

That shouldn’t surprise anyone. The truth is, the home inspection industry in Canada is unregulated. Anyone can take a weekend course (or go on the Internet) and start inspecting houses. Got a ladder, a flashlight, a clipboard and a business card? You, too, can be a home inspector.

A house is the biggest investment most people ever make in their lives — and it doesn’t come with a money-back guarantee. Is your dream home purchase going to turn into a nightmare? The best way to prevent that is to have a home inspection. Hire an expert to go through your home to make sure it’s safe, it’s solid, and it’s worth every penny you’re paying for it.

But what if that home inspector doesn’t know what he’s doing? What if he misses some serious and expensive problems that you don’t have the money to fix? The sad truth is, there’s not much you can do. There’s not much recourse if you find the home you purchased has problems that the inspector should have found, no matter how huge or expensive they might be. All you can do is sue for the amount you paid for the inspection — a few hundred dollars.

Currently there’s no national licensing and no federal regulations for home inspectors. The industry is “self-regulated” by various provincial organizations for professional home inspectors. And, since membership in these associations is voluntary, many people — home inspectors included — feel that membership is really just a marketing effort.

Each province has a provincial association, with standards that have to be met by all members. Those standards aren’t the same across the country. And there are several regional and national associations, not all of which have the same qualifications required to call themselves a member. What’s a consumer supposed to do?

On March 31, 2009 the solicitor-general of B.C. announced that all home and property inspectors in that province must be licensed. It’s the first province to offer any kind of consumer protection that helps protect homebuyers.

It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not much. And shouldn’t all homeowners have the same protection? No other province has any requirement. No other government body exists at the federal, provincial or municipal level to protect homeowners from bad home inspectors. Why not? Who’s looking out for you?

To get a license in B.C., inspectors need to be members of a professional association and have a criminal check and liability insurance, which is great. Most good inspectors welcome this registration, because they want their industry cleaned up. They’d like nothing better than getting the bad, unqualified inspectors — the “cowboys” — out of it.

But, it also might give the public a false sense of security. Many home inspectors, both good and bad, already belong to associations, and the inspectors still make mistakes. Homeowners still don’t have any real protection if they buy a house that has major problems the inspector didn’t notice or report.

In a house purchase, every step is regulated in some way by government. Everyone is licensed: the real estate brokers and agents who sell houses, the banks who lend money, the lawyers who oversee the land transfer, the insurers who cover the house, but not home inspectors. That makes no sense to me.

The bank will lend money — sometimes lots of money — for a house purchase, based on the buyer’s ability to pay it back. That house purchase might be based on an inspection by an unlicensed, unregulated individual. And that house might be a disaster waiting to happen. One that’s not worth a fraction of the money it sold for. What sense does that make?

In a seller’s market, when houses are going for more than asking and buyers are out-bidding each other, it’s common for buyers to forgo an inspection, since they don’t want to risk losing the house. How crazy is that? You get to pay more than the asking price for a house you have no idea about. I’ve also heard of sellers refusing to allow for an inspection, which is not a problem legally, since they aren’t mandatory. But if there are known deficiencies in the house, and the seller doesn’t admit to them in the disclosure documents, that’s maybe a different story. One that will lead to lots of work for lawyers.

People tend to use home inspectors when buying older homes — assuming a house 10 years or less in age won’t have any major problems yet. I can’t argue that an old home won’t likely have problems, but don’t assume a new house won’t. Probably every home has deficiencies, likely some serious ones that could mean health and safety issues for your family.

Some buyers still think they can use the experience of their family members in place of professional home inspectors. I don’t know if Dad — even if he’s bought houses and owned houses for years — would have the expertise to identify real problems that might be hiding in the house you want to buy.

Would he know if the home was ever a drug grow-op? If there was ever a fire in the home? If there are any structural problems? If the plumbing pipes are galvanized or copper? What about knob and tube wiring? Did any earlier renovations compromise the structure of the home? Were there any building permits pulled on the house in the past for renovations that’ll tell you if they were inspected? Does the house you want to buy look good? Really good? Then maybe it’s a flip and maybe those cosmetic renovations have covered up serious problems. Maybe they’ve even created some serious problems that you wouldn’t ever suspect. Would Dad know that?

I want you to use the right home inspector — the one who’s an experienced and qualified professional. So be sure to take the time to find a good one. And when you hire a home inspector, be present for your home inspection. This is your first chance to learn about your home, first hand.

Ask questions and listen to the answers. Especially if it’s bad news.

Many homebuyers don’t really want to hear the truth because they’ve already fallen in love with the house. It’s like dating; you need to listen if your best friend tells you to run. Don’t marry it. READ the report! Make sure you read it thoroughly and understand everything the inspector is telling you about your house and its condition.

 

Questions to ask your home inspector:

• Can I see your license/professional credentials and proof of insurance?

• How many years’ experience as a home inspector do you have? The business card might say 25 years experience, but at what, exactly?

• How many inspections have you personally done?

• What qualifications do you have? What kind of training do you have? Are you a member of a professional organization?

• What’s your background? Construction? Engineering? Plumbing?       

• What kind of report do you provide?

• What kind of tools do you use in your inspection?

• Can you give me an idea of what kind of repairs the house may need? And, they’d better not have “a friend” who can do it for you, cheap.

• When do you do the inspection? Let’s hope they don’t have a day job, and can only do them at night when it’s too dark to see the roof.

• How long do your inspections take?

• Do you take pictures of the house and add them to your report?

• Can I see some references? Make sure you ask for them, and check them.

 

Plan put to council could add to soaring costs for Vancouver homeowners

Lena Sin
Province

Forcing Vancouver homeowners to do green upgrades as a condition of getting a home-renovation permit could backfire, critics caution.

The idea was brought forward to city council Tuesday as a “priority action” by the Greenest City Action Team.

“Requiring efficiency upgrades as a permit condition for renovations” was one of six priority recommendations the team wants council to adopt in a bid to make Vancouver more environmentally friendly.

But critics warn that forced green upgrades could making living in Vancouver more expensive — at a time when housing and property taxes are already soaring.

“Trying to force people to add unaffordable upgrades to their homes could backfire. At a time when property taxes are skyrocketing, the last thing the City of Vancouver should be doing is making home ownership even less affordable,” said Maureen Bader of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The specifics of how the proposal would work — and what the associated costs would be — are still unclear, since city staff is just beginning to look at the issue.

The proposal, which would amend the existing building bylaw, will target single-family homes and duplexes.

David Ramslie, the city’s sustainable-development program manager, said generally the required efficiency upgrades will be tied to the nature of the renovation and will be as affordable as possible.

The city is aiming to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by about 30 per cent by 2020, so energy-efficiency upgrades on heating and hot-water systems will be key areas targeted, Ramslie said.

Water conservation will also be a guiding principle. For example, a condition of issuing a permit for a bathroom renovation may be installation of a low-flow toilet, he said.

“Our key priority is to start with modest requirements that will not only help us combat against climate change, but will be very affordable — and in the long term pay for themselves in a very short order,” Ramslie said.

City staff will now compile a list of renovations and associated green upgrades that will be required as a condition of getting a permit.

Peter Simpson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association, said the proposed bylaw amendment must not make renovations unaffordable, since that could drive homeowners to work with underground contractors in a bid to avoid getting permits.

“If they make it too prescriptive, people will go to the underground industry,” said Simpson.

NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton echoed similar concerns, saying a bylaw amendment must not deter people from doing renovations or, alternatively, drive homeowners to do renovations without permits.

“I wouldn’t just say an outright no, that it’s a bad idea, but I think the city would have to proceed extremely cautiously,” said Anton.

The action team is a volunteer group put together by Mayor Gregor Robertson, whose election platform included making Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020. Its mandate is to recommend measures to improve the city’s environmental performance.

A stakeholder meeting with contractors and renovators will be held Oct. 7, followed by public consultations. A staff report is not expected to be submitted to city council until the end of the year.

© Copyright (c) The Province

The better the insulation in your basement, the more problems an uninsulated cold room will cause unless you separate it properly

MIKE HOLMES
Sun

Most older homes have a cold room or root cellar in the basement — usually you’ll find it under the front porch. These basement rooms were designed for storing food and preserves, so they’re not insulated. Often they have a vent to the outside to allow cool air in and ventilate the space.

Cold rooms provide an energy efficient way to preserve food. It’s a lot cheaper than running a fridge, right?

Since it’s part of your basement, the cold room will have a concrete floor, and the walls will be unfinished. Concrete is porous, and allows moisture and air to move through it easily. That makes the cold room humid. These conditions — humid and cool — are great for potatoes, but not for humans who want to live in the space.

Generally speaking, basements weren’t designed to be living spaces. They were designed to house utilities like your furnace, hot water heater, washer and dryer, and maybe some storage.

But, more recently, homeowners want to maximize their living space, so they are finishing the basement, maybe adding a media room or play space for the kids. But what about that cold room? What are you supposed to do about it? Do you want to still use it — either to store food or maybe as a wine cellar?

In my experience, when people try to finish the basement they almost always do it wrong — especially when it comes to the cold room. And that leads to condensation and mould problems and poor indoor air quality within a few short months.

In order to properly finish your basement, you need to make sure you insulate it and stop all air movement between the “conditioned” (heated and insulated) zone and the “unconditioned” zone. If 90 per cent of your basement is finished, but you’ve left one small cold room undone, you’ve basically wasted your time.

Air will move between the rest of the basement and the cold room; condensation will form; you’ll probably have a door to the cold room that will be closed cutting off any chance for the condensation to dry; and in my world, condensation leads to mould.

With new construction techniques and materials, finished basements are highly insulated. And, the better the insulation, the bigger the problems a cold room will cause. It’s just not worth it in my book.

If you absolutely have to have a cold room for storing food or wine, then you must make sure you have an insulated door between the cold room and the rest of the basement.

You need to have weatherstripping under that door. You need to make sure the dividing walls of the cold room are well insulated, and there is vapour barrier-tuck-taped at every seam — on the warm side of the insulation. Treat the cold room as an exterior space — as if it is actually outside your house.

You also need to insulate the ceiling of the cold room, with vapour barrier, to help avoid heat transfer and keep the temperature in the room above consistent. You shouldn’t insulate the exterior walls of the cold room — you want the air in there to be cool and moist. But you’ll still need to have air circulation in a cold room/wine cellar, so make sure it’s vented to the outside. And in extreme temperatures you’ll want to be able to adjust the airflow.

For my money, the best way to deal with a cold room if you are finishing your basement is to get rid of it. Make it part of the ‘conditioned’ part of the house.

That means properly closing off the venting to the cold room, insulating the foundation walls, minimizing air movement and eliminating the condensation problem.

‘Too personal’ changes can affect sales price

Pedro Arrais
Sun

Planning a renovation? You’re in good company. According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., two out of five homeowner households renovated their homes last year.

Homeowners spent almost $21.3 billion on home renovations in 2008. More than a quarter of the renovations were the remodelling of rooms.

The majority of home renovations are to update, add value or prepare for future sale. While painting or wallpapering a room would be the simplest and cheapest improvement to a house, Canadian homeowners spent, on average, $12,600 on renovations last year.

Not surprisingly, people living in older homes tend to spend more.

A typical renovation usually centres around making the home more comfortable for its occupants.

Kitchens and bathrooms are the two principal areas that benefit from a makeover.

“Renovations that are too personal make a house hard to sell,” says Neil Rawnsley, a real estate agent with Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty in B.C.

“Substantial renovations, such as removing load-bearing walls, are difficult and expensive to undo.”

He says homeowners should always keep in mind the overall renovation value in relation to the value of the house in the neighbourhood. But not everybody thinks of resale values when they renovate.

“It’s not only cost to consider, but lifestyle,” says Rawnsley.

He frequently encounters homeowners who decide to renovate instead of selling because they love the area they live in and don’t want to move even as their circumstances change.

So they embark on improvements that allow them to stay in the house as they get older.

Some renovations are done to address mobility issues for older homeowners.

But the layout of some older homes makes the cost of retrofitting for wheelchairs or other mobility aids prohibitive.

When homeowners finally decide to sell, Rawnsley recommends sellers only clean up their houses and perhaps repaint.

He advises them not to take on any renovations in the hope of increasing the value of the property.

“Typically buyers will want to do some renovations to customize their new home,” he says.

“It’s always good for sellers to leave something for the imagination.”

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Clean lines add interest to otherwise straightforward rectangular rooms

DEBBIE TRAVIS
Sun

DEAR DEBBIE: We have a coffered ceiling in our bedroom. The coffer and the main ceiling are painted white. I’d like to add moulding, but I don’t know where it would look best or what colour it should be in relation to the ceiling. I’d also like to paint the coffer a different shade than the ceiling. Please advise. Thank you.

Barbara

A: Coffered ceilings have a rich architectural and decorative history with examples of breathtaking artistry and complexity seen throughout Roman and Renaissance times. The clean lines and simplicity of today’s coffered ceilings, such as the one in your bedroom, add to the feeling of height in the room as did their ornamented predecessors. The stepped detail also introduces a layer of architectural interest. How you choose to decorate the ceiling is a matter of taste; the possibilities are endless. In a room with no other trim or ornamentation, it is effective to simply paint the coffered ceiling white, or a very pale tint of blue. Or paint the upper tray and sides a slightly darker shade to set up a subtle contrast and diminish the feeling that there is a great white hole above you when you are in bed.

If you choose to add mouldings at the top of the wall, select a cornice with enough thickness to visually hold up the weight of the ceiling, as the ceiling will appear to be resting on the cornice. For a big impact, there are wonderful architectural wallpapers or murals available that you can apply inside the tray. In a bedroom, you don’t want the ceiling to feel top heavy, so look for a design that draws the eye to the centre of the ceiling. DEAR DEBBIE: The master bedroom in our 1930s home is 14-by-18 feet with a 5-by-8-foot alcove. The ceiling curves down to about four feet from the floor on one side of the room and curves down on two sides to meet the alcove. How do I paint this room? I would like to use shades of purple but don’t know where to start and stop on the curves. I enjoy reading your columns.

Joyce

A: These rooms have lots of character but can be tricky to decorate as there doesn’t appear to be a natural stop and start point for painting. Why not paint the ceiling and walls in the bedroom lilac, and then apply a darker version of the same colour (purple) to the walls in the alcove. Wallpaper is another option for the alcove and would highlight the area beautifully. Look for today’s oversized, simplistic florals, and because the space is small it will be affordable.

DEAR DEBBIE: We just moved into a condo that has stucco ceilings everywhere but the kitchen and bathroom. We want to redecorate and are not sure how to paint the stucco. Can I paint the bedroom ceiling a colour (I’m thinking about mustard yellow) or should the stucco all be white? Thanks.

Tomas

A: Painting stucco can be a bit problematic because of the uneven texture and the fragile nature of the plaster. You will find that even wiping across it or brushing it will cause bits to fall off. Always wear protective eye glasses, move the furniture out and cover up the floor. Stucco is also very porous, so begin by applying a paint primer with a soft brush or roller, using gentle strokes, and let the primer dry overnight. You can paint stucco any colour you choose. Rich, dark yellow will give the room old world charm if the walls are also covered in a dark hue. Otherwise it is best not to draw the eye to the stucco, so keep it white.

 

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

vancouver specials: Once reviled, these homes are great makeover material

Lena Sin
Province

Like many of us, Suzy Hupfau grew up loathing the “Vancouver Special” — that architectural eyesore of brick and stucco and lions on guard. So it was with great disbelief that Hupfau, 35, not only found herself living in one, but the owner of one in the winter of 2005.

“We had huge reservations. Huge, huge reservations. I grew up like everyone else with huge disdain for the Vancouver Special,” says Hupfau.

But like so many young couples struggling to step onto the property ladder, Hupfau and her husband, Ian Cumming, gave up the dream of a pricey Craftsman home and resigned themselves to an eastside Vancouver Special that no one else had even bothered viewing.

And then they hoped to reinvent it — even on a small budget. Cumming, an art director for a video game company, started re-imagining the home with computer sketches and got more ideas from architect and family friend Margot Innes.

A few months later, the couple, working with Tasa Construction, pulled off the transformation by simply painting the exterior, installing graphic new window frames, a matching black door and a new aluminum railing on the second-floor balcony.

They also added a skirt roof over the front door to protect it from the elements. The reno was completed for just $33,000.

“That’s less than a kitchen and we were so pleased with the results,” says Hupfau, who’s now happily committed to the house.

Vancouver architect Stephanie Robb was among the first to champion the Vancouver Special style.

With its clean, boxy shape, Robb says the style can easily be converted into a modern dwelling.

In 1999, she bought an eastside Vancouver Special with the intention of renovating it. But, interestingly enough, the city refused to issue a building permit.

“At the time, the city wasn’t encouraging retention of Vancouver Specials for renovation. They were just hoping they would go away,” says Robb. “They wanted us to tear it down and I flat out said no.”

After 13 months of negotiation, Robb finally got her way and immediately started to transform her Special into an understated, modern home.

The exterior of the house was inspired by mashrabiyas, which are intricately carved, wooden balconies common in Islamic architecture. As such, the dominant feature of the front exterior is a wood-clad bay window that protrudes from the second floor. The ground floor was also opened up by installing large, accordion doors that open onto the patio.

And the front and rear of the house was re-stuccoed and painted a warm grey.

Inside the house, Robb was inspired by cabin living and pared down the interior into an open-plan space with exposed wood framing. The entire renovation cost $125,000 in 2000, although Robb estimates it would cost closer to $400,000 in today’s prices. (To see more photos of Stephanie Robb’s Vancouver Special makeover, visit www.pechetandrobb.com and click on “Lakeview Home” found under the “Buildings” tab.}

For those on a budget, Robb suggests painting the house and investing in a landscape designer to create a very good garden. For more extensive renovations, she suggests hiring a qualified building designer or an architect through the Architectural Institute of B.C.

Elana Zysblat, programming director at the Vancouver Heritage Foundation, is holding a tour of renovated Specials this fall to convince non-believers of their potential.

“We’re strong believers of their contribution to our architectural story. There’s definitely so many of them and they’ve survived the test of time,” says Zysblat.

These working-class homes were initially built to maximize space within the existing building code and were mostly aimed at new immigrants.

But they’re functionality is still clearly relevant today with the focus on green living.

In fact, the Special could be seen as the original “sustainable” home with its large, ground-floor suites capable of housing extended family, laundry lines drawn across the upper deck, or yard used for growing fruits and vegetables.

“It has a lot of elements that can be used in our quest for sustainability,” says Zysblat.

Plus, what could be more green than a makeover in favour of a tear-down? “They have a terrible reputation, but that’s what’s making them turn into a trend. The people who’ve bought Vancouver Specials intentionally are very keen and very inspired and very passionate,” she says.

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s tour of Vancouver Specials is on Sept. 26. Look for our preview of the houses on the tour in Sunday Homes on Sept. 20.

© Copyright (c) The Province

MIKE HOLMES
Province

The big debate in kitchen renovations these days seems to be granite countertops vs. quartz. I’ve used both and like both.

I like natural products — like hardwood and granite. But there are some huge advantages to using man-made products — like engineered hardwood floors or engineered stone countertops. They are sometimes more durable, easier to maintain or to work with, and are just as beautiful.

Quartz countertops are manmade. They are engineered from a mixture of minerals — mostly but not 100 per cent quartz. The mineral crystals are ground and mixed with resins, bonding agents and colour. Then they’re compressed and heated until solid and impervious to moisture and bacteria.

Basically, what the manufacturers are doing is mimicking nature. Natural granite is a mixture of stone and minerals bound together by the intense pressure and heat deep in the earth.

Quartz is one of the hardest minerals on earth. Natural granite has a percentage of quartz in it, but it’s never as high as the percentage in engineered quartz countertops — which can be as high as 93 per cent. That’s what makes quartz countertops so durable and scratch resistant.

The appearance of your countertop depends on the size of the quartz crystals used — fine crystals will look more uniform than larger ones. And the colour of your counter, since it’s manufactured, will be consistent through the whole countertop. The colour you see on the sample chip is the same as you’ll get in your kitchen.

Every piece of granite, since it’s natural, is unique. Which means the little sample pieces you get to choose from might not represent what your whole counter might look like.

When it comes to choosing between granite and quartz, you need to think about your kitchen design, and your taste. If your countertop is a complex shape and will need lots of pieces and cuts, odds are those seams will be more noticeable in granite than in quartz. Since a granite countertop is a cut slab of rock, it’s not going to be uniform. Quartz will be consistent throughout in pattern and colour, so seams are easier to hide and match.

What I look for in a kitchen counter is that it’s easy to keep clean. You want to make sure it’s non-porous, so bacteria can’t get into it. Some counters I’ve seen are so porous it’s scary: preparing food on them is as unhealthy as wiping your counter with raw chicken.

Quartz countertops are nonporous and impervious to bacteria. That doesn’t mean germs won’t live on the surface — it means they won’t penetrate it.

Granite also needs very little maintenance. Many quartz countertop manufacturers make a big deal about how “porous” and “soft” granite is, in comparison to quartz. It’s a marketing strategy for manufacturers of a competitive product, making it sound like it’s a huge hassle to reseal your granite so consumers might choose something else.

Yes, granite does need to be sealed every year, but it’s not a big deal — it’ll only take an hour or so. It’s not“high-maintenance.”

But for some people any maintenance is too much maintenance. Yes, it’s true, unsealed granite is more porous than quartz, so don’t forget to seal your granite!

Engineered stone countertops are a great product: durable, beautiful and long-lasting. They are heavier than granite and they take highly trained and certified professionals to install them — definitely not a DIY project. And they are expensive — they’re at the upper end of your countertop options. But you get what you pay for.

For more information on home renovations go to makeitright.ca.

HAZARD: Gases from chemicals are a potential health disaster

MIKE HOLMES
Province

Do you love the “new” smell? That interior of a new car, a freshly painted room or a newly installed carpet? Experts are discovering that that new-smell chemicals you are breathing can be harmful to your health.

We’ve been hearing about off gassing for a while now — that’s the chemicals you smell and those you don’t. The flooring industry is continuously making advancements and improvements in how they manufacture and install products to reduce, or better yet, eliminate some of the hazardous toxins and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) that carpets, in particular, can emit.

Most carpets are made from petroleum or oil-based materials like nylon, polypropylene and polyester. These synthetic fibres are woven onto a synthetic backing. The result is a product that is chemical based and made up of materials like styrene, which is a suspected carcinogen. Add fire retardants, which contain chemicals known to cause thyroid damage and developmental delays, and you’ve got a potential health disaster on your hands — or at your feet.

That new carpet smell may fade, but off-gassing occurs in both new and old carpets. There really isn’t a window of time where it stops being a health hazard. Older carpets can be more harmful than newer ones because many contain chemicals now banned in the manufacturing process.

Combine that with years of dust mites, dirt, pesticides and other toxins carried inside by shoes, bare feet and your pet’s paws, newer carpets might rate better for air quality.

Ask any flooring installer about how to get rid of that new carpet smell and they’ll probably tell you to keep the windows open for a few days. Often people complain of headaches, dizziness or nausea so keeping windows open is a good idea. The amount of off-gassing and the results of inhaling these unpleasant chemicals isn’t known over the long term so be sure to act quickly if you experience any unpleasant symptoms.

If you have a new baby or young children, keep a close eye on them, too, because their systems are much more susceptible to the effects of off-gassing. And think about it — babies crawl and kids play on carpet. They are right next to it, for a lot more time every day than adults are.

Most carpet companies now carry flooring products made from more natural materials like hemp and wool. And while the price might be slightly more, it could be worth it in the long run.

In 2004, the Carpet and Rug Institute started the Green Label Plus Certification program because of the concern about synthetic materials and off gassing associated with so many carpet products. Basically, a Green Label Plus Certified carpet is free from over 13 toxic chemical used in the traditional manufacturing of rugs so if you’re in the market for some new wall-to-wall, look for products with this certification. Also ask about what materials make up the carpet underpad and look for natural products that won’t mould and aren’t glued down with toxic adhesives.

Recycling is the right environmental choice, especially if you are using post-consumer waster, since that keeps the waste out of landfills. Recently I saw a new carpet made from recycled plastic pop bottles. It can be dyed and treated the same as standard synthetic fibre carpeting.

But you need to be aware of anything labelled “green,” and make sure it’s not a green wash. Think about how much energy and what kind of processing went into the manufacture of the carpet. There’s a lot of embodied energy in the recycling process. How much offgassing is going to result from the carpet?

So, before making the big investment to install new carpets, take the time to research what’s best for your family and budget and ask questions when you go shopping. If you do decide on wall-to-wall carpet, you may want to pick up a few air filters while you’re at it. Your home should be a safe-zone and informing yourself and protecting your family against some of the possible effects of off gassing from carpets is a good first step.

For more information on home renovations go to makeitright.ca.

Anu Sood
Sun

Many top kitchen retailers want to help bring your dreams to reality by providing inspiration and practical planning resources.

HERE ARE THREE SITES THAT OFFER FREE MONEY-SAVING TIPS:

GrowAGreenKitchen.com

Designed by high-end appliance-maker Sub-Zero, this website is very much like a glossy kitchen magazine with pages and pages of professionally designed kitchens.

This site offers helpful articles about kitchen trends, interviews with top chefs and tips on how to create a green kitchen. The Interactive Kitchen Vignettes section enables you to select the kitchen picture that most accurately reflects your style and play with appliance and cabinet finishes, countertops, wall and trim colours, and flooring.

www.ikea.com

The Swedish giant understands that you don’t need to live in a palace to have a luxurious kitchen. The new 2009 IKEA Home Planner allows you to enter the dimensions of your existing kitchen, add doors and windows and lay out IKEA cabinetry in the finishes of your choice. The software allows you to play with different layouts, mix or match door styles and finishes, and select different flooring and countertop options.

www.us.kohler.com

If you’re just thinking about updating your kitchen sink or faucet, check out kitchen and bath giant Kohler’s site. The Kitchen Sink Planner tool allows you to combine sink, faucet and countertop to create a perfect washing centre. The sink and faucet selections aren’t restricted to standard box-store selections. See how an oval sink with a pull-down faucet and a pale green countertop would look together. Ideal for the homeowner looking to do a quick makeover. For more kitchen and bath planning resources, visit:

– www.rona.ca

– www.thermador.com

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Paula McCooey
Sun

Talk to any real estate agent, builder or designer, and they’ll tell you one of the best rooms to upgrade if you are going to inject new life — and more value — into your home, is the kitchen. The hub of most homes, it is also one of the most expensive rooms to renovate.

Since most people have to work within a budget, it’s important to know where to scrimp and where to splurge before you take the renovation plunge.

Canadian design expert William MacDonald, who has appeared as a featured designer on HGTV’s This Small Space and House & Home TV and is a regular contributor to Canadian House & Home magazine, has beautified many houses and condos over the past decade. He offers this sage advice for pulling together an affordable kitchen.

Accents

Use dishes as art by mounting them to the wall or placing bowls on exposed display shelves to add a punch of colour. Also, spend less on smaller appliances. You can always buy a high-end coffee maker down the road.

Wall colour

Paint gives the cheapest bang for your buck. But if you’re trying to cut costs to stay on budget, buy a lower-end paint. It can easily be changed later.

Backsplash

If a glass or marble backsplash is going to leave you cash- strapped, go for a more affordable, temporary solution such as vinyl. It may not last 20 years, but it’ll do until you can afford what you really want.

Details

Spend less on things you can change yourself. This includes undercounter lighting, dimmers on light switches and hanging lights. Home Depot, Rona and Canadian Tire are a gold mine for penny-pinching renovators.

DIY

On a new $40,000 kitchen, MacDonald says “a good third” of that cost is labour. Costs add up quickly when you have to hire a plumber, electrician, contractor, plasterer or painter. For handy do-it-yourselfers, picking up a hammer or paintbrush can significantly slash the bill.

Taps

As far as MacDonald is concerned, faucets aren’t something to scrimp on. Quality is key to standing up to daily wear and tear.

Cabinets

Buy good quality cabinetry. It will last longer and can be easily updated or given a fresh look by changing the hardware or painting/staining the doors and drawer fronts.

Countertops

MacDonald says sometimes people lean toward less expensive surfaces such as laminate to save a few bucks. But for longer wear and tear and a better quality investment that’s also kinder to the environment, he urges clients to go for natural stone such as granite, marble, slate or quartz.

Appliances

You get what you pay for. Good appliances are going to last 10 to 20 years. “It’s key — I mean that’s what your kitchen is there for, [it’s] to make your life easier to store your food, cook your food, wash your dishes,” says MacDonald.

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