by Robert Wright

Maybe your kids are starting to think about what they would like to do when finish school.  Have you considered a trade?

You may say no way – “it’s a dirty, unsafe, low pay occupation!”  You maybe surprised by the reality of working in the trades and the opportunities available for the kids. While some trades can be a bit dirtier than others, most today are only dusty. With the current labour laws and best practices today, most trades are very safe. The pay scales are very reasonable if only 35 to 40 hrs a week of work are completed. However, when the overtime opportunities are taken advantage of, the pay can be very worthwhile!

You may think that the trades are an unstable occupation, but some of the trades have been around a long time…1000’s of years. The kids will have a skill that will always be needed and wanted.

You will always need someone to build and repair your home, office, and stores; no matter what the next technology breakthrough is. Having a trade can also be a stepping stone into other occupations. Many tradesmen go on to management positions or to self employment. You may also think that there is no room for new people in the trades, but you would be mistaken  Currently, many of the present tradesmen are retiring or planning to. In many trades, the average age of the tradesman is the early 50’s or more. So there will continue to be a large demand for new tradesmen to replace the current ones, let alone to account for future expansions.

Many trades have branches with special skills. For example carpenters: there are framers, who build the basic structure of your home; finish carpenters, who install the doors, trim, and millwork; cabinet makers, who build and install millwork; and formwork, who build the forms so concrete structures can be placed.  Many of the other major trades also have many branches.

So how do you become a tradesman? You start by registering in an apprenticeship program and with an employer. Sometimes the union hall is also a good place to start. You then work on site and after you have enough hours go to school for a few weeks. You then return to work for more hours before you return to school again. Once you have completed the courses and the time, you then become a journey man. This is done while you earn money, so that you will have a skill after approx. 4 years and be debt free.

So while working with your hands may be a small benefit to being a tradesman, the additional reasons are:  very good pay, no debt when schooling is complete, being part of an occupation in demand, and pride in seeing what you have accomplished everyday. These alone should create a compelling desire for your kids to join the ranks of the trades.

About the Author

Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.

Looking for a local contractor? Visit the Home Renovation Guide’s Complete Directory or Get a Free Quote.

Triconfilms is currently casting couples for the HGTV show Marriage Under Constrution.

Are you a young couple, married or engaged, and looking to buy your first home together? If so, we want to meet you!

Marriage Under Construction is a hit show that chronicles the real lives of a young, newly married couple as they go through the process of finding, buying, renovating and decorating their first home.

If you are:

-    -Between the ages of 21 and 35
-    -Married, engaged, or are committed partners planning to eventually get married
-    -Are ready to purchase your first home together and are approved for a mortgage
-    -Have a budget of some size set aside for renovations
-    -Live in the Greater Toronto Area

The show will provide you with:
Help in the costs for the renovation.

If this sounds like you, we want to hear from you. You could be the stars of the next season of Marriage Under Construction!

Send pictures if you can!

Please contact:  marriageunderconstruction@triconfilms.com

by Guest

If you have a dark room that you are trying to light, you probably already know that it isn’t an easy task to accomplish. It’s important to understand how different light fixtures illuminate a space differently. This way you are sure to get the right lighting combination for your needs.

Some things to consider when choosing your lighting…

Paint and furniture color: If your room has very little natural light, you may want to choose a lighter color for the walls since they will reflect the light from the light fixtures better. To bring warmth into the room, and to help offset the brightness of the wall color, consider using furniture or carpeting with warmer tones.

Ambient Lighting: To be sure you have adequate overall lighting in the room; it’s good to install overhead lighting—for example, flush mount fixtures, track lighting, recessed lighting, etc. These lights can be hooked up to a dimmer switch so that they can be used brightly for tasks and entertaining, as well as dimmed for a more relaxed setting.

Accent Lighting: For when overhead lights aren’t enough, or maybe aren’t needed, we turn to Accent Lighting. Whether you are ready to settle in for the night, or want to highlight a certain part of your room, I suggest strategically placing Accent Lighting in your space. Many types of lighting fixtures can be used for Accent Lighting, depending on your needs. To highlight a picture, or maybe a shelving unit—wall lighting or picture lighting might be what you are looking for. For something more task-oriented like extra light for reading—you may consider table/floor Lamps or wall lighting.

Task Lighting: Sometimes the overhead lights and accent lighting aren’t enough. Instead, you need some lights that directly illuminate a workspace. This is especially useful in a kitchen, over a counter space, or in an office at the desk and computer. Under-Cabinet Lighting could be what you need. These lights are usually small, and can be unseen, and are very useful in illuminating a space directly. You could also use a desk lamp or pendant lighting for this purpose. It depends on the room you are working in and which fixture would make the most sense for the activity.

As you can see, lighting a room is not as easy as buying a lamp and plugging it in—especially if your space is dark. To lighten the room, you can start by picking well-illuminating paint and furniture, but it doesn’t stop there. You need to use different lighting for different activities. If paired together properly, you will have taken a dark space and will have made it a very functional, well-lit space instead.

Bellacor is a one-stop showroom that promises a new way to shop the entire lighting and home furnishings industry from the comfort of your home by providing superior personal service and access to the largest collection of lighting and home furnishings on the web. Bellacor offers access to over 500,000 products from 700 manufacturers. http://www.bellacor.com.

HRG has had a great time at the 2010 National. It was the first year that we had a booth and it was great to get feedback from the attendants as well as other exhibitors about how our site HomeRenovationGuide.com is a great resource for people looking to renovate their homes. HRG is the official online sponsor of MarketPlace Events, which holds this annual trade show and HRG provides a little welcome gift for all of the exhibitors. The spring flowers by local florist Cool, Green, and Shady were lovely and really brightened up the show room with a breath of spring.

As well, it was the first time I had the opportunity to live blog from the National for spotlight.rogers.com, a Rogers Communications Inc. lifestyle site where you can catch up on the latest pop culture news.

Here are my articles, with a look at the show and lots of green tips:

http://www.spotlight.rogers.com/life/green/8289/live-national-home-show

http://www.spotlight.rogers.com/life/green/8411/dream-green

http://www.spotlight.rogers.com/life/green/8436/green-house

Now I leave with some pics of the cool Challenger Cube house as well as this year’s fab Dream Home - enjoy!

by Robert Wright

There are many, many products, services and gadgets that can make the running and maintaining of your home easier. However, many of these are expensive, complicated, and may not live up to the billing.

The best “stuff” is usually comparatively inexpensive and easy to install when your home is being built or renovated.

Some of this stuff could also be the thought process that goes into your home’s design and/or selection of materials. It can also be the care taken during the installation.

If you install wood exterior trim, it is inexpensive to install and paint, but it can become an annual painting chore.  When this maintenance is neglected, then you have to replace it at a cost.

If a pre-painted metal and/or a “plastic” material is selected, it may be more expensive to supply and install, but you no longer have to paint it on a regular basis.  In addition, it will outlast the wood. This is why most homes today have metal soffits and fascia, PVC windows and door brick moulds.

Another example is your roof.  If you select a basic 25yr 3 tab asphalt shingle for your home it will work. However metal, stone, or composite roofing will last 2, 3 or more times longer than the asphalt roofing. In addition, these types will resist weather, vegetation, and wildlife damage to a greater degree. The metal and composite roofing will also be recyclable when replaced instead of being buried in a landfill site.

The heating and air conditioning equipment installed in your home can also make your life easier and less expensive. Many of the HVAC and HRV installations today are of the least expensive products and materials, and use the easiest installation method or route for the installer. This results in a home that has heat and a/c but is still uncomfortable due to drafts, cold and hot spots, and inaccessible maintenance points. With a little more thought, you can have equipment and an installation that will last longer, run cheaper, and make you more comfortable.

Today, many trades rely on caulking to keep your home warm and dry. The problem with caulking is that it will fail — there’s no if. The vast majority of leaks and drafts are a result of failed caulking. These failures are usually the result of an incorrect installation method or the incorrect caulking was used in the location. If the various parts of your home are assembled correctly, caulking isn’t actually necessary in most places that it is still being used in today. Besides, who wants to climb a ladder to caulk a gap at the window and brick joint on the second floor?

So where do these problems come from? Some of them come from the desire to keep the construction budget low when building. There are smarter places to save money than others; this should be discussed fully with your contractor.  Another one is the designer of the building.  Many, but not all designers are more concerned with the “look” of the project instead of what would perform better and suit the owner. The designer may also be unaware of some of the potential maintenance problems some selections can create. The contractor would know these issues, as he has had to deal with the warranty or repair issue in the past.

Only a couple of examples are discussed here, but most parts of your home will have similar trade offs and choices. You should understand the cause and affects of any decisions you make when building, renovating, or repairing your home. An added benefit of this process is that you are contributing to a greener environment, a greener wallet, and a smaller carbon footprint.

About the Author

Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.

Looking for a local contractor? Visit the Home Renovation Guide’s Complete Directory or Get a Free Quote.

Leopard Films USA is currently casting a brand new series for HGTV.  The new series titled Home Rules is the network’s premiere hour long show, featuring home renovation with a twist. …

In the channels first hour-long show, a lucky family receives a complete home and life makeover.
We are looking for families with big personalities and unique stories, whose homes are negatively affecting their relationships with their family or whose family is negatively effecting the home!

Our team of experts will then set about making changes to reconstruct a home that suits your families needs, while our life coach will guide your family in the right direction.

To be considered for the show, please email: homerulescasting@gmail.com, telling us why you think your family is in need of a home and  lifestyle makeover.

As the renovations are extensive, we can only consider homeowners with detached properties living within 50 miles of New York City.

The show will focus on families who have a unique living situation that is in some way affecting their homes and applicants must be have some type of conflict within the family they would like to change along with the house.

If you feel that you and your family fits the bill and live within 50 miles of New York City, email homerulescasting@gmail.com with your story and why you would be perfect for the show!

by Guest

A sunny personality. A dark comedy. A bright smile. Simple phrases, yet they show the huge influence light has, defining the world around us even through the words we choose.

It seems simple, but most people never realize that how much light they get affects their mood, emotions and productivity. Understanding the ways in which light affects people has major implications for designers and the lighting choices they make.

The end of the year brings shorter days to the northern hemisphere, which means less natural light from the sun. With less light, people experience changes to their moods, their emotions and even physical reactions like fatigue and lowered immunity to colds and diseases.

Depression, insomnia and fatigue may result from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) - also called the “winter blues” - and is commonly treated with light therapy to increase exposure to bright and full-spectrum light, thereby curing the symptoms.

While most people may not experience extreme depression with reduced lighting levels, they may still feel some effects. In earlier studies on light, results showed positive and negative moods were affected by the color of light, illuminance and color rendering index (CRI) levels. These results also varied depending on gender and age.

While natural sunlight is the best source of lighting, it is not always available in an interior space. Take into account how much natural light is in a room when selecting the color and intensity of lighting fixtures.

Adding bright lights or changing the color of bulb in a fixture could be an option to consider for a room’s lighting scheme. Building in the flexibility to change light levels with a dimmer switch is also a good idea for a space where natural sunlight amounts vary with the season.

While most lighting research has focused on how much light is visually seen, recent studies suggest that light may also impact non-visual processes such as physical performance and mental tasks.

For residential lighting, this could mean adding bright lights in rooms requiring alertness and mental sharpness, such as a kitchen or home office. For non-residential lighting, the effects of light levels must be considered for irregular work hours (such as second- and third-shift workers) as well as the effects bright lights have on long- and short-term memory.

Here are just a few findings from the latest lighting research:

• Men performed poorest on long-term memory tasks in the artificial ‘daylight’ white lighting; women performed better than men in the artificial ‘daylight’ white lighting.

• Use ‘warm’ white lighting in areas where individuals will be performing short-term recall and problem solving tasks.

• Be aware that people whose sleep/wake cycle has been interrupted (such as people working a swing-shift schedule) report being more alert for a longer time when exposed to high (3,190 lux) or mid (230 lux) light levels than people exposed to low (23 lux) light levels.

• Consider the potential effects of light levels on alertness and performance for people that work at irregular times (night shift, etc.).

Humans live on a natural rhythm of light and dark. Our bodies are attuned to the light, responding to sunlight as well as bright indoor lighting. Whether you see yourself as a morning person or a night owl, you and everyone around you will have a natural reaction to how much light is in the environment
SAD Light Therapy

Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder consists of a lamp that is specifically designed to simulate bright outdoor light. Sitting a few feet away from this light source for 15 to 20 minutes a day is said to change the chemicals in your brain to help treat some SAD symptoms. Be sure to check with your doctor prior to any treatment of SAD.

For more information on seasonal affective disorder and SAD therapy lamps please visit the Mayo Clinic website.

This article was provided by Bellacor, leaders in lighting and quality home décor. Bellacor offers SAD lights such as Rise and Shine SAD Deluxe Natural Alarm Clock Bedside Lamp and the HappyLight Deluxe Sunshine Supplement Light System as well as access to over 500,000 products from 700 manufacturers.

by Julia Ritzenthaler

The shopping public is a very fickle monster that retailers work hard to carefully understand and serve. What is popular one month will be out of vogue the next month. Popular styles will differ even in different parts of the country. Environmentally sustainable furniture is a fairly new concept to the buying public. Many people believe that it sounds like a good idea but they do not really know what sustainable furniture is. The key is to not take more from the environment then can be replenished naturally. This includes the materials that the furniture is made from to the toxic chemicals that are emitted from the manufacturing plant where the furniture is created.

One of the first rules of eco friendly furniture is to lessen your impact on the environment as much as possible. Reduce, reuse, and recycle is one of the best things to keep in mind. Do what ever you can to keep your pieces of furniture out of your local landfill. For instance, when you finally manage to replace your husband’s beat up arm chair, consider giving it to someone who will continue to love that monstrosity of a chair.

The definition of sustainable furniture includes using materials that have been recycled or re-purposed or are made from a renewable resource. These furnishings will also use materials and manufacturing processes that are safer for the environment. Transportation of goods also adds to the economic impact that furniture will have on the environment. Online retailers are also an interesting environmentally friendly shopping option. You don’t have to drive to get to and from the store and because there is no brick and mortar store, the retailer has a smaller environmental footprint. Plus they have the ability to bring you an amazing selection and ease of comparison shopping.

Eco furniture can also be made from reclaimed materials. These materials may include wood, iron and glass. Buildings that are no longer being used can be stripped of these materials and then re-purposed to make a chair for your living room. Wood that has been reclaimed has become extremely popular because of the unique markings that it will usually have.

No matter what direction you choose to go with your sustainable furniture choices, be sure to consider an environmentally friendly disposal option for your old items. Pass down to a family member or friend who is just starting out on their own, or consider donating to a women’s shelter or somewhere like Goodwill.

This article has been provided by Julia Ritzenthaler, owner and founder of several online boutique home furnishing stores including http://www.UniqueEcoFurniture.com/ visit or call 1-866-526-1843 for more information.

by Guest

Lennox Industries, a leading provider of customized home heating, cooling and indoor air quality products,  introduced the patent pending SunSource™ Home Energy System – a new solar-powered central heating and cooling system that reduces overall household electricity consumption without the costs associated with traditional solar installations – at the International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas this week.

The new SunSource Home Energy System not only harnesses solar energy from the sun to reduce the electricity consumed by a residential heat pump or air conditioner, but also is able to use that solar power to operate other devices in the home that consume electricity, such as lighting and appliances, when the heating and cooling system is not running. In addition, if the SunSource system generates more power than is used by the home, that power will be sent back to the utility company, which may entitle the homeowner to a credit on their utility bill.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the typical U.S. household pays $2,200 a year on utility bills, and the bulk of those energy costs – between 50 and 60 percent – comes from heating and cooling the home.

The SunSource Home Energy System is composed of:

• A solar-ready, high efficiency Lennox air conditioner or heat pump that has been specially enhanced to serve as the platform for this new home energy system.

• A Lennox solar subpanel that provides the connection between utility- interactive solar power system and the HVAC unit.

• One to 15 roof-mounted solar modules that harness clean, sustainable energy from the sun and use it to run the home’s central heating and cooling system as well as other appliances – the more modules, the more homeowners can reduce their utility costs.

• A communications system that allows homeowners to monitor each solar module’s operation and energy production online, as well as other environmental benefits such as the amount of carbon offset.

Energy Savings and Tax Credits Equal Real Cost Savings for Homeowners

As an example, a consumer who lives in a typical 2,000-square-foot home in Corpus Christi, Texas, can reduce the electricity usage associated with heating and cooling his or her home by approximately 12 percent annually by installing a Lennox high-efficiency air conditioner(1) with two solar modules and by 86 percent by installing the air conditioner with 15 modules. In Tulsa, Okla., the homeowner would see around a 25 percent reduction in air conditioner electricity usage with two solar modules, and about a 180 percent reduction (meaning more energy production than air conditioner consumption) with 15 modules. The savings increase even more in sunnier areas of the country.

In addition to the costs savings and incentives offered by many local utility companies for using high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and/or renewable energy sources, the new SunSource system makes homeowners eligible for federal and some state solar tax credits. In fact, these benefits, when combined, can cover up to 94 percent of the cost of the solar modules, including installation(2).

The new Lennox SunSource Home Energy System will be available with several products from the Dave Lennox Signature® Collection, which is the company’s line of premium heating and cooling products, offering the quietest, most efficient operation and a premier level of performance. The Lennox SunSource Home Energy System may be paired with Dave Lennox Signature Collection air conditioners and heat pumps beginning in May 2010.

About Lennox Industries

Lennox Industries is a leading provider of customized home heating, cooling and indoor air quality products that are designed to deliver customized comfort, efficiency and functionality, with the most innovative and reliable features available. Lennox is also the first heating and air conditioning manufacturer to harness solar energy for central heating and cooling – and beyond. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy have selected Lennox as an ENERGY STAR Manufacturer of the Year four out of six years for its outstanding contribution to developing and promoting energy-efficient products. For more information about Lennox home comfort products, visit www.Lennox.com or call 1-800-9-LENNOX.

# # #

(1) Energy savings calculations are based on a Lennox XC21-036 air conditioner, which has a 20 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating).

(2) Depends on local and state incentives in homeowner’s area. Typical incentives range between 30 percent and 94 percent of the cost of the solar modules, including installation.

Start with hiring the right contractor for the job. Make sure your contractor is licensed, insured, and bonded. The contractor should obtain all necessary permits but it doesn’t hurt to be aware of such details (like which permits you’ll need).

Many times as renovations begin, it’s revealed that the electrical system needs to be updated. Before any unpleasant surprises arise when the walls come down, hire a licensed electrician to walk through your home and check that everything is up to code. It can be costly to bring a home up to code so it’s better to know and be prepared. Speaking of being prepared for added costs, it’s very important to have realistic budget.

Often, the unexpected does happens so prepare an extra 10-15% on top of your estimated budget (some contractors recommend as much as 25%-30% more). A realistic assessment helps the homeowner from taking on too much – sometimes once the ball gets rolling it’s easy to want more and more, then suddenly that the money’s run out. Stick to the plan and avoid biting off more than you can chew.

Plan it out before you Gut

Choose a long lasting design because trends change quickly from season to season. Having a renovation done in a neutral and classic style will help you enjoy the room for a longer time, as well as help sell it when the time comes. If your home was built in a specific architectural style, the new design should follow suit. Also remember to check out your neighborhood and make sure that your renovation is in the same price range and style of the other homes in the area.

Buy Quality and Think Green

Saving money is typically one of the most important desires of a home renovation. But choosing the lowest bid isn’t necessarily the choice that will be the best for your budget. When you buy cheap materials they may end up costing much more in the end. If you don’t have the money to invest in quality work and materials, it may not be the best time to renovate. Another way to go which may seem more costly at first but can actually be a smart investment is to choose green. Energy efficient components will save on heating and cooling bills. And it’s not just about spending less on new materials by using recycled ones but about being ahead of the market as green construction continues to grow. It may be tempting to buy cheaper windows as high quality ones are quite expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Looks are everything

Getting professional guidance from a designer for your project will help you get the look you want. Details like fixtures and lighting are key to achieving the look you’re after. Make sure that the fixtures you choose are appropriate to scale; narrow sinks and low-profile toilets are more suitable for tiny powder rooms. And lighting will affect how everything looks as well as the ambiance of each room. Remember the triumvirate of lights: general, task and accent. For example, in your new kitchen, a main ceiling fixture and pot lights create general lighting, meanwhile under cabinet lights provide illumination to work with, and the pendent lights over the kitchen island definitely adds the drama. You can never have too many lights.

Lighting can also affect how the paint looks in a room. However, it’s important to pick the right paint in the first place be it colour or shine. Matte types or semi-gloss eggshell finishes work well in bedrooms and living rooms while semi or high gloss types suit high traffic kitchen and bathroom areas (or trim). Very flat paint works best for ceilings. Remember that how a colour looks in the store or on a sample chip might not be exactly how it will appear in the home. And that even will differ depending on the lighting (ex. incandescent, natural, or fluorescent). Before you commit, paint one test wall and view it at different times of the day.

Be better than a scout

DIYer’s ready to get going? Don’t forget to measure everything. Even a half-inch off can make for an unhappy difference. Aim for symmetry. Make sure you have the right tools for measurement and for all other jobs. If you’re not sure, ask your local hardware and home improvement store for advice. Make sure you also have all of the safety equipment such as goggles, gloves, ear protection and work boots. And once you’re all suited up, do all of the prep work. Move or cover up furniture and doorways; protect areas/surfaces with plastic sheets. Finishing floors? Clean up all debris and sink nails of subfloors as you go. Before you paint, mask all edges and wash walls before priming. And remember to store materials safely in a cool, dry place.

Steady, Ready … Go

Feel ready to renovate with a very detailed plan? Great, but remember that It may end up to be even more of  a long haul then initially expected. However, but with the plans and details in place, these help you to be prepared for whatever comes your way. Even when the unexpected arises, good homework and planning will allow you to take everything in stride. Before you know it, you’ll have achieved a gorgeous and successful renovation.

(image from http://www.decorbyjennifer.com)