How energy-efficient is your Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or Edmonton area home?  Chances are that no matter how well your home is doing, there’s still room for improvement, and that’s true even if you’ve taken advantage of government programs and grants to upgrade such things as the insulation, windows, heating system and the like in your home.

“Make your home an energy fortress”, published January 28, 2012 in the Edmonton Journal asks:  “where exactly should you invest when it comes to ramping up your home’s energy efficiency?”

The article quotes Christopher Straka from Ottawa’s Vert Design, a firm that deals with residential and commercial planning, design and development:   “Every home has its own energy strengths and weaknesses … based on age, construction and other factors. Only an energy audit, which you’ll need to tap into federal grant programs for upgrades, can pinpoint your individual energy issues.  … your best bet is still tightening up the building’s envelope: caulking and weather stripping to reduce leakage, more insulation, and better windows and doors.”

Many of the other things we can do, the article’s author, Patrick Langston, tells us, have an initial cost, but this may be offset somewhat by government grants, and will pay off the longer we remain in our homes.  Don’t forget also that each of these improvements will increase the resale value and saleability of your home.  While it will cost about $1 per square foot of attic to upgrade insulation and plug air leaks, doing so can save $400+ per year.  Spend $3000 to $6000 on a new high-efficiency furnace, and expect to save $500+ annually in heating costs.  Switch to a tankless hot water heater at a cost of about $3000, and save $150 per year.  Read the whole article for other upgrades that will save energy and money.

Planning to retrofit your home or buy a resale home?  Check out fact sheets available at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation website that recommend upgrades for 11 housing types in 5 regions of Canada.

Also included in the article are notes on exciting new technologies that promise to do even more for the energy misers among us.  The article concludes with a reminder about the many gadgets most of us can’t live without that gobble up energy, and suggests ways we can reduce our dependence on these energy thieves.  Check out the full article. 

Looking for a new more energy-efficient home?  Give me a call at 780-910-9669, email me at barrytwynam@gmail.com, or contact me here.

If you’re thinking of renovating your home in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County, the Edmonton region or elsewhere, there is something you need to read before you even think of visiting the local Home Depot or hiring a contractor.

An article by Mike Holmes in the January 14, 2012 edition of the Edmonton Journal entitled “No building permit? You’re asking for trouble” (posted online as “Before renovating, get the proper permits — or you’ll regret it”) gives the details about why this document is so critical.

In fact, having a building permit is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself and the time and money you invest in a renovation.  That little piece of paper comes with inspections by municipal building inspectors who check the work to see that it’s safe and built to code.

Why is this important?  For starters, you may not know that municipal officials can force you to shut down a project without a permit or even tear down completed work that hasn’t been inspected.  Work that hasn’t been inspected may be fine – but we hear far too many stories about unlicensed contractors doing shoddy work that not only brings down the value of your property but may end up damaging and destroying other properties in your neighborhood.  A permit may cost you a few dollars and a bit of time, but having things done right is worth it.

Read Mike Holmes’ article for the full story.

Looking for property to fix up and rent out or flip?  I can help you find just the right place.  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here.

No matter how short or long a time you spend in your Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or Edmonton area home, there will come a time when you leave it.  If you live in it long enough, it will need to be refreshed, updated, and renovated.  The question is:   Do you renovate it just for yourself, or do you renovate with a sales target in mind?

 The best answer to this question is to think about both goals.  Renovate it for your own taste, pleasure and functional use, but don’t forget that your home will eventually go back on the market and may need to appeal to tastes broader than your own. If you’re looking to maximize the value in your home, both for your own use now and for future resale, what sorts of renovations are the best ones to undertake?

 Ergil & Jackson Appraisals Ltd. in their excellent Home Renovation Guide, 2010 edition, give this advice:

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RENOVATIONS

According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada  and various professionals we’ve consulted, the following are a few things to keep in mind before you get started:

Invest in your kitchen!

About 10‐15% of the overall value of the home should be spent on the kitchen. If you don’t plan on selling for another 5 years, spending 15‐25% more on it today will give you about a 44% higher recapture depending on the quality of the renovations. For example, buyers need afunctionally designed, spacious, low maintenance kitchen. Scratch‐resistant, durable materials such as granite countertops and high‐quality appliances add tremendous value and have timeless appeal.

The bathroom is next!

You can expect up to a 60‐80% (and in some cases up to 100%) contribution to value on a well designed bathroom even if that requires a complete relocation of fixtures or walls. From floorto ceiling, new tiles, light fixtures and cabinetry to create one’s own personal spa is especiallyappealing. Luxury fixtures to enhance pampering may include water jets, soaker tubs and double sinks in the ensuite bathroom.

Don’t forget the floors and walls!

The buyer wants a home that’s ready to move into.  Smooth walls with quality, neutral paints will make spaces seem larger and will give you an 80‐110% recapture. Carpeting should be limited to bedrooms, if at all. Hardwood and tiles not only benefit in allergen reduction but add elegance as well.  Good flooring that flows from room to room and ties in with baseboards, cabinetry, walls and so on, can provide a 50‐75% better contribution to value than low‐cost, mediocre flooring.

Spend the money!

As the saying goes “You get what you pay for”.  Over the past year the cost of materials may not have increased dramatically but the cost of labour is certainly rising. Quality craftsmanship and insuring a job well done is key.  Nothing is more costly than having to do it twice or replace it early.  The importance of using the highest quality materials cannot be stressed enough.

Remember: High‐quality, easy maintenance, environmentally conscious products and timeless designs are all essential to ensuring value‐added appreciation with the best contribution to value possible.

Thanks to Ergil & Jackson for allowing me to quote portions of their document.  Please check out their full Home Renovation Guide for plenty of good information and advice.

Wondering what your home is worth in today’s market?  I’d be happy to do a free Home Evaluation for you.  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here.

Is it a good idea to tackle major renovations just before you put your home on the market to make your Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or Edmonton area home more attractive to buyers? 

Some time ago, I posted a blog entry on this topic (Should You Renovate Before You Sell?  Learn Which Home Renovations Give You the Best Return), giving some details about the costs of various renovations and how much, if anything, those renovations might add to the value of your home when it came time to sell.  This information came from Henderson & Butt’s excellent 2009 Home Renovation Guide.  Well, Henderson & Butt are now Ergil & Jackson Appraisals Ltd., and the 2010 edition of the Home Renovation Guide offers even more great information to help you keep or increase the value of your home.  Many thanks to Ergil and Jackson for allowing me to use information from their guide in my blog posts.

I’ve revised my original blog post to include more current information courtesy of Ergil and Jackson.  To view my revised article, please visit my new blog on Active Rain.   

Are there topics you’d like me to discuss in these blog posts?  I’d love to hear from you.  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here.

Most of us don’t give much thought to the furnaces in our Spruce Grove, Stony Plain or Parkland County homes, as long as they keep us warm through the long Alberta winters.  An article in the October 29, 2011 edition of the Edmonton Journal, entitled “A new furnace can save money, and lives”, might just give you reasons to replace the old workhorse in your basement. 

The article points out that, while the initial cost of the newer high-efficiency furnaces is a little steep [expect to pay around $5000 for the purchase and installation of a new, high quality furnace], you’ll save plenty of money over time.  A quote from the article:

“Natural gas prices have more than tripled in the past 10 years and many analysts are forecasting further price increases. Fortunately, the efficiency ratings of new furnaces have also been increasing. Most furnaces installed in the 1970s, ’80s and early ’90s, were only 60-to 70-per-cent efficient, and very old furnaces can be less than 50-per-cent efficient. A continuously burning pilot light can decrease these efficiencies by another five per cent. New furnaces are 90-to 95-per-cent efficient. They do not have pilot lights and can reduce your heating costs by up to 40 per cent.”

But it’s not just money you’ll be saving.  Older furnaces are not very good at filtering dust and allergens from the air in your home.  What’s more, older furnaces can emit dangerous levels of carbon monoxide within your home.

My assistant recently replaced the furnace in her 30-year-old Spruce Grove home and had this to say about the experience:  “We knew it was time.  We’d been reading and hearing a lot about how much better the new furnaces were.  Our old one was still pumping out the heat, with no trouble, really, but we knew it couldn’t go on forever.  What surprised us was how much better the air circulated through the house with the new furnace – far fewer cold spots.  We used to have to wrap up in blankets for TV watching in our basement family room, or turn on the gas fireplace, but no more!  The basement is as cozy as the rest of the house.  But what really sold us on the new furnace was something we weren’t expecting at all.  Our son always gets stuffed up and sneezy when he comes to visit because he’s allergic to cats, but the new furnace has taken all of that away.  Now, that’s impressive, and definitely made us happy about our purchase!”

It’s not too late to replace your old furnace before the really nasty winter weather hits.  Learn more about the benefits of the new high-efficiency furnaces by checking out “A new furnace can save money, and lives”.

Comments or questions about this article?  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net or contact me here.

I think we all get a little jaded sometimes with big corporations that only seem to want to dig more of our hard-earned money out of our pockets.  But every now and then, a big corporation surprises us with a genuinely good idea.  Such is Canadian Tire’s House of Innovation . 

The folks at Canadian Tire bought a real house in a real neighborhood, much like homes I see every day in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County and the Edmonton area, and they are fixing it up, making it more up-to-date, more energy-efficient, and more attractive.  Yes, there is a marketing angle to this in that all the materials used are items sold in Canadian Tire stores, but there is also a huge educational component in that everything being done to the house is documented and explained in detail, with plenty of visuals, for consumers to apply to their own homes.  Some of the articles to date include “Save energy at home with a smart power bar”, “The ultimate light bulb saves you money for years”,” Grow fresh herbs and vegetables indoors all winter”, “How to save water with a low-flow faucet aerator”, and many more.  The best part is that, at the end of the project, when all renovations are complete, the house will be sold and proceeds donated to Canadian Tire’s Jump Start program  whose goal is to help financially disadvantaged children participate in organized sport and recreation.

If you’re looking for information or inspiration for renovations in your own home, the House of Innovation website is not a bad place to start!

Your comments and questions are always welcome!  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here. 

You’ve moved into your great new home in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County or the Edmonton area.  The furniture is in place and you’re ready to add those personal decorative touches that will make this house reflect you in a unique way.

Most of us enjoy having artwork and family photos on the walls, but how many of us know the right way to place those items to show them off to their best advantage and to complement the other decorative elements in a space?  Some of the things we’re often guilty of is hanging artwork too high, or choosing artwork that is too big or too small in relation to the space it will be placed in, or the furniture it will be near.  There is an art to hanging art, and it’s more than banging a nail into a wall and then slapping a picture on the nail!

I’m sure you’ve visited homes where the artwork on the walls just feels right.  The colors and dimensions of the pieces work well with the room and its furnishings, and your eye is drawn again and again to the pieces.  That’s the design part of the project, and you can learn how to do it!  Here are two websites that will help you to develop your artist’s eye:

Hanging art in your home – Design Lesson – Decorating & Design – Style at Home

28 Tips for Hanging Art

After you’ve decided what you want to hang, the science part of hanging stuff on walls enters the picture, so to speak!  Here are a few tips to give your artwork and photos gallery-like exposure:

Where?  Placement on the Wall:

• The vertical center of a piece of artwork (or a group of pieces) should be at eye level, or between 56” and 60” from the floor.  This is the measurement that art galleries use to showcase artwork, and it works well in homes too.  A good discussion of what this means in practice can be found at the website How to Hang Pictures at Home: Tips for Hanging Pictures Properly.  See also the easy instructions on this website:  Step-by-Step Guide to Hanging Art. 

How?  Attaching it to the Wall:

• Most artwork will have hanging wire attached to the back with screw eyes that go about 1/3 of the way down from the top edge of the painting.  The wire should be at least 2” from the top edge of the painting when pulled tight, and it should be coiled tightly and neatly so it’s secure.  See How to Hang a Painting for very clear instructions along with photographs on how to use the wire and the vertical center of artwork to position it perfectly on your wall. 
• But there are some picture hangers who prefer to use brackets instead of wire as they are less likely to slip out of level.  See How to Hang a Picture Frame: Skill Set.
• Need more help?  See these step by step instructions with photos:  Project Guide: Hanging and Arranging Pictures.
• See also How to Hang a Picture for even more detailed and specific directions.
• Two other good articles are How to Hang Your Artwork and Not Screw It Up and Learn 2 Hang a Picture.

Lots of articles to read through, but also lots of great information to make you an expert picture hanger!

Still looking for that picture-perfect property?  Let me help!  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here. 

Where do you go to get information for renovation projects?  The television set in your home in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County and the Edmonton area is probably not your first choice, but flipping through the channels these days reveals something surprising:  Among the many sports, movie and mainstream networks, there are a large number of worthwhile programs and even whole networks offering valuable information to homeowners.  Check out some of these offered in the Spruce Grove/Stony Plain/Edmonton area by Shaw Cable and TELUS Optik TV.  A little disclosure:  After you’ve checked them out, let me know what you think because I admit I haven’t seen most of them myself!

A & E

(Shaw 25, HD 233; Telus 170, HD 670)

$100 Makeover, Disaster Guy, Drill Team, Fix This Kitchen, Fix This Yard, Flipping Vegas, Flip This House, Hoarders, Sell This House

CBC  (Click on Find a Program)

(Shaw 4, HD 209; Telus 4, HD 618)

All for One With Debbie Travis, Steven and Chris

Discovery Channel  

(Shaw 32; Telus 200)

Canada’s Worst Handyman

DIY Network  (Click on Shows A-Z)

(Shaw 136; Telus 144)

A whole network of house-related programming, such as:  Decked Out, The Dirt on Gardening, Disaster DIY, DIY Hot List Kitchens & Baths, Dream House, Garage Mahal, Holmes on Homes, House Crashers, I Hate My Kitchen, Man Caves, Rehab Addict, Turf War, Wasted Spaces, Weekend Handyman, Yard Crashers, and many, many more.

HGTV 

(Shaw 19, HD 231; Telus 142, HD 680)

Too many shows to list them all here!  A few of the more popular:  Colin & Justin’s Home Heist, Debbie Travis’ Painted House, Gardening by the Yard, Holmes on Homes, Holmes Inspection, House Hunters, Property Virgins, Real Renos, Sarah’s House.  Many more.

OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)

(Shaw 92; Telus 202, HD 651)

Divine Design, Home Takeover with Simon & Tomas

PBS

(PBS Spokane on Shaw 22, HD 204; Telus 23, HD 607 Seattle

PBS Detroit on Shaw 81

PBS Boston on Telus 54, HD 629)

HandyMa’am with Beverly DeJulio, The Perennial Gardener with Karen Strohbeen, The Router Workshop, This Old House, The Woodwright’s Shop

Slice  (Click on Shows)

(Shaw 33; Telus 141)

Family Renovation, House Poor, Shotgun Reno, Till Debt Do Us Part

TLC The Learning Channel

(Shaw 35, HD 236; Telus 140, HD 671)

Hoarding: Buried Alive, Home Made Simple, Kitchen Boss, Spouse vs. House

W Network

(Shaw 34; Telus 146)

The Agents, All for Nothing, Anna & Kristina’s Grocery Bag, Building Bryks, Candice Tells All, Colour Confidential, Divine Design, Grin and Build It, Help My House is Falling Down, Home Wreckers, Inside the Box, Love It Or List It, Making House, Million Dollar Decorators, My House Your Money, Property Brothers, Take This House and Sell It

Not strictly related to houses and real estate but still very much related to home, so we have to give an Honorable Mention to:

The Food Network 

(Shaw 29; Telus 143)

Ace of Cakes, Barefoot Contessa, Chef at Home, Eat Shrink and Be Merry, Family Restaurant, French Food at Home, Iron Chef America, Jamie’s Meals in Minutes, Restaurant Makeover, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Tough Cookies, and much more!

This list isn’t intended to be comprehensive, but if I’ve missed anything that really should be on it, please let me know!

I’d love to help you find a house to turn into a home.  Call me at 780-910-9669, email me at btwynam@telusplanet.net, or contact me here.