By Guest

While many allergy sufferers will try to avoid the great outdoors this spring when pollen and mold counts begin to increase, the reality is that the great indoors may not provide much relief either. According to the EPA, the air inside a home can be up to five times more polluted than the air outside. The culprit: limited air circulation combined with a buildup of household chemicals, pet dander, dust, and cooking odors among other irritants.

You can avoid both outdoor and indoor allergens this spring with some tips for tackling the worst rooms for indoor allergies by Victor Gonzalez-Maertens, a certified indoor environmentalist with Lennox, who suggests the following room-by-room “allergy-proof” tactics.

The Kitchen: Cook Up But Clear Out. When preparing a meal, the kitchen can become filled with cooking fumes that can irritate the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract. While most conventional venting hoods will filter the air, installing a vented exhaust fan will move the irritating fumes outside the home and help reduce moisture.

The Living Room: Don’t Let Dust Get Too Comfortable. To keep dust to a minimum and sneezes under control, vacuum the living room floor and other carpeted areas, as well as upholstered furniture, every week. Gonzalez-Maertens also recommends installing a whole-home air purification system, which can eliminate small, breathable particles such as dust, dirt, pollen and allergens; as well as airborne mold spores, bacteria and viruses; and odors and chemical vapors.

The Bathroom: Air It Out. Where there’s moisture, there’s the potential for mold growth. Combine the mold growth with the aerosol sprays and other personal care products that most Americans use in the bathroom, and Gonzalez-Maertens says you have a recipe for an allergy attack. To keep the sneezing at bay, install a vented exhaust fan to help remove moisture when taking baths or showers; towel dry the shower or tub after use; and place washable rugs in the bathroom instead of wall-to-wall carpeting.

The Bedroom: Give Your Pooch Its Own Pad. While Fido may like to curl up in bed with you, he may be leaving unwanted animal hair that can trigger allergies. Give the pooch its own pad, and be sure to wash sheets and pillowcases at least once a week in hot water to prevent the build-up of allergy inducing dust mites – microscopic bugs that primarily live on dead skin cells regularly shed from humans and their pets.

The Basement: Minimize the Moisture. Humidity and condensation in the basement also can create the perfect environment for mold growth. Be sure to regularly check for and repair sources of leaks and/or water damage that contribute to mold and mildew and avoid laying carpeting. If the basement serves as the laundry room, be sure to properly vent the clothes dryer to keep moisture outside. Installing a dehumidification system can also help reduce dampness.

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.

by Robert Wright

Why being nice to your contractor could be a sanity saver!

Building a good relationship with your contractor and his team can have some real benefits. You may think that being professional is the way to go, but that may not be helpful in having a smooth project experience.

Remember, contractors are people too and most of us will go out of our way to help you with any project or issue you may be dealing with in your home. They do not want to create a difficult situation anymore than you want to live through it.

When you are interviewing a contractor for your project, keep in mind that you are being interviewed by the contractor also.  I have visited many home owners over the years, who have said “the other contractors won’t return my calls” or “they haven’t come back with their budget”.

When I leave, I usually know why you don’t get return calls…..the spidey senses are tingling!  You have not made a good and/or comfortable impression with the contractor.  In addition, if you do get pricing, it will have a built in aggravation factor because of the contractor’s nervousness about your future relationship.

Also, as you are conducting your interviews, please try to keep the distractions to a minimum. We would like to get as much information from you and provide it in return to you. If trains of thought are being disrupted by family, friends, and work, everyone loses as important things get missed.

After you have selected a contractor and continue to design and build your project; various issues will come up. It’s a given in our industry; when you are designing a project, then building the prototype and finished product in one shot. How you react to these issues will have an impact on your project experience.

As you are designing your project, are you questioning your contractors professional experience in a difficult manner? Can you make decisions quickly and not change your mind after it is made? Do you try to extract the very last penny of value from your contractor? You should ensure that you understand how your project is being completed and getting good value. However, these sorts of actions do not create a good start for the final project outcome. A professional contractor will help you to design your project, but they will not cut corners to reach a budget goal.

Treating the work crew on site well, can be very beneficial to you. My guys are always happy when our clients have a morning coffee or cookies ready for them at break time. They always comment about how nice the client is. As a result, I know the guys will do small things for the client that I will not know about and/or charge for. The site crew will also take more time to make sure things are perfect; instead of trying to get the job done and get out of your home quickly.

These things may seem to be relatively small, but they can have a huge impact on your experience with contractors. Most contractors want to enjoy working for you as much as you would like to have a pleasant renovation experience. The small things can be the difference between a good renovation experience and loosing your mind!

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.

Our sister sites Today’s Parent.com and Canadian Parents.com now have their articles featured on Home Renovation Guide. Great news for those with tots who are looking for help to make their homes even more kid-friendly. Need some serious de-cluttering? Wondering how to make your little princess or budding sports star rooms perfect and on the perfect budget? Find tips to these concerns and much more in our special Parenting Articles Section!

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!