HomeStars – News and Updates
It’s too nice outside – we need some rain! I thought I was in Vancouver . We are having a great show this weekend and homeowners are showing up to chat to contractors and home improvement services despite the gorgeous weather outside.
Shannon Wong and I have walked around to visit the various exhibitors to learn about their business. Back this show is Bruce Hunter and his daughter Lara Hunter from Hunter Landscape Design. I met them at the Langley show a few weeks ago. They are a talented father and daughter team that offer landscape design services as well as a full nursery called Selections Nursery & Design Centre located on 176th Street in Surrey.
Lara Hunter from Hunter Landscape Design
Rita Hunter from Selections Nursery & Design Centre
Greg Hazelwood from Energy Miser Solutions also has participated in several shows in the lower mainland. Energy Miser provides top quality windows, doors, vinyl siding, insulation and furnaces – with a focus on saving us money on our energy consumption. He has a cute bulldog as their brand mascot.
Greg Hazelwood with EnergyMiserSolutions.ca
Brent Klemke from Benchmark Painting – a top rated painter by many homeowners in Vancouver - has the most active booth. Brent holds instructional seminars throughout the show with various designers discussing how small changes like paint and decor can really enhance the look and enjoyment of your home. See my photos of their seminar from the Langley show. They are also offering a great special -3 rooms for $299. That’s a great deal!
Brent, Benchmark Painting
True Green Geothermal was our neighbour mentioned geo-thermal installations is on the rise in existing homes that have decided to invest in green energy. More than 50% of their installations are now with homeowners renovating, vs new builds and they tell me they can install these with minimal disruption to your landscaping (my concern as we recently build a deck and stone patio).
Stewart Schmidt at True Green Geothermal
It was great to see Lynn and Jennifer (a super nice mom and daughter team) from Budget Blinds again as well - having met them at the Langley Home Show. Their booth was also crowded throughout the weekend. They offer shutters, wood blinds , and draperies, servicing Surrey, Langley, White Rock and Abbotsford. So far they have two happy reviewers in Vancouver.
Jennifer Morgan: Budget Blinds
Walking by our booth were a couple of Bathroom renovation experts just moving into White Rock. With a name like Calvin Klein I was all ears. Calvin and his wife Kathy Klein have been in the design and renovation business for over 15 years and have decided to move from Victoria to White Rock. Their company is called “Bathrooms by Home Services”. I checked out their web site and they have some really nice work. They are choosy on who they take on – having built a loyal following of happy customers.
Kathy & Calvin Klein from Home-Services.ca
Posted by NancyP
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I arrived to set up for our first Langley Home Show (for those outside BC it’s a suburb of Vancouver) and was really impressed with the beautiful Events Centre both inside and out. There are about 80 home improvement exhibitors and all very diverse from windows to landscapers. I was fortunate to have my Uncle help me assemble the table (okay you can tell I’m not a DIY if IKEA is hard) and the doors swung open to their first night at 5pm. It was crowded !
I’ll give you a run down on the great people I met that either own or represent home improvement companies here. And while you should still do your homework and read reviews, and get more references – the fact that these companies invest time and money to reach out and help homeowners sets them apart and they would be a great resource to initiate research on your project.
Brent Klemke from Benchmark Painting (click to see his reviews) had the most innovative booth: it’s the first time I’ve seen an exhibitor conduct seminars daily. He had two designers give discussions about choosing paint and decorating ideas. His booth was packed every day.
Benchmark Painting: Brent Klemke
Benchmark painting seminar
Dustin and Erwin at the Mr Rooter Fraser Valley had some give-aways at the show like nice re-usable carry bags with pockets. It was nice to see a customer of theirs come by and thank Dustin right at his booth for the great work they did. And then the gentleman came over to our HomeStars booth and wrote his review on Mr Rooter happily as well – read it here!
Dustin at Mr Rooter
Posted by NancyP
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Check out the latest monthly podcasts from FOCALPOINT e-NEWS! for February. As discussed in our January post, FOCALPOINT is an online lifestyle magazine and web site created by Jeffrey Stolberg with a line up of monthly podcasts from 10 of Canada’s top show hosts, authors and lifestyle experts. Have a listen to Debbie Travis, Sharon Grech, Bryan Baeumler and more….
Posted by NancyP
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I’ve seen a lot of ingenious uses of materials curing my research into green building materials. Leftover wheat straw is turned into kitchen cupboards, recycled tires into roofing shingles, bamboo into flooring and towels, but now soy, a crop that’s grown in our own backyard, is being turned into, well, just about everything. From countertops to urinals, soy is not only the food of the future, now it’s the building material of the future too.
Over two million tonnes of soy are grown and processed in Ontario every year. Because soy is grown, processed and used locally it cuts down on travel miles and CO2 production. Further, because soy is a nitrogen fixing annual crop it restores nitrogen to the soil meaning that no fertilizer is necessary. Soy employs farmers, manufacturers, craftsmen and scientists right here in Ontario — it’s the new miracle cure for the economy and the environment! Hmm, I might be getting a wee bit carried away…
My point is that soy is a very flexible crop and while 80% of the soy bean is turned to protein rich pellets for animal and human consumption, the remaining 20% is oil which can be used instead of petroleum products to make countertops, foam for mattresses and cushions and insulation and soap. Don’t believe me? The soy house at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair showcases all these different products.
The soy house in and of itself is a low-impact house as it is. A prefab house built in a factory by Quality Homes means that waste is minimal, weather is not an issue and there are no time delays in construction. Whereas houses built on-site usually produce two or more giant bins of waste, a prefab home can continue to use leftover materials on the next house built in the factory. After the Royal Winter Fair ends, the house will be uprooted and replanted in Acton, Ontario as a Habitat for Humanity Halton home.
Living Room of The Soy House
A few of the highlights of this home:
Insulation: PolarFoam is manufactured by Polyurethane Foam Systems Inc., and was installed by CallRich Eco Services. The insulation is a mixture of soy and recycled plastic. It is mould and mildew resistant, provides its own vapour barrier and has the highest “R value” on the market (the R value is the measurement of thermal resistance per inch– i.e., how much heat a material can keep in or out of a room). The insulation is also shrinkage resistant so it doesn’t lose its initial R value over time. The product is formaldehyde free and doesn’t off gas harmful chemicals.
Kitchen: All the kitchen cabinets doors were made from soy as well as the kitchen countertop. The soy oil is turned into an eco-resin which is durable and can be mixed with other products to form hard/rigid objects. Cabinet facing and boxes as well as countertops were made by Bamco Custom Woodworking.
Livingroom: The upholstered furniture is made by a local Ontario company, Brentwood Classics. The foam in all the furniture is “Bioplush” foam, made from — you guessed it — soy beans.
The Soy House Bathroom
Bathroom: Not only is the shower curtain made from soy, but the waterless urinal is made from 30% Envirez, a soy-based resin. (Provided by Watermatrix)
Bedroom: Foamite provided the natural foam mattress made from soybean oil.
Other green features of the home: In addition to the above products being made from soy, all paints were provided by Sherwin Williams from the Harmony line of zero-VOC paints.
The roof shingles were provided by EuroShield, and are made from recycled rubber tires (with a 50 year life span).
You can visit the house at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair on now until November 15th, 2009. If you go don’t forget to check out the giant pumpkins located outside the horse arena!
Posted by CathyR
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As we become more aware of how we in North America have squandered water over the years because it was abundantly available, water conservation is only now becoming more important. There are new products entering the market all the time that help with water conservation in ways that, once installed, you’ll never even notice you have them.
The Dual Flush Toilet: It wasn’t too long ago, say two years ago when we moved into this house, that 6 litre toilets were being touted as the water-miser of toilets. A standard toilet uses 13 litres of water per flush and can be the biggest water user in your home. Six litre toilets were seen as the saving grace because they use just less than half that amount of water. But move over 6 litre toilets, the dual flush toilet is now all the rage. In a dual flush you have the choice of using 3 litres or 6 litres of water, potentially saving even more litres of water with every flush. (You know which flush level you need to use and when.)
Dualmax push button flusher
Aquia II Dual Flush Toilet by Toto
There is a handy reference report on the effectiveness of toilets’ flushability commissioned by the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association and its partners. The report, developed and produced by Veritech Consulting Goup and Koeller and Company tests more than 1000 for flushing and rates them. Dual flush toilets are included in this report. Because there are so many toilets listed, the best way to use the report is to find the toilets you like then look them up on this chart to see how well they performed.
Other ways to cut down your water consumption involve adding aerators to your faucets, switching to low-flow shower heads, using a timer for the “long shower takers” in your house, and buying a high efficiency washer when it’s time to replace your washer. (See our appliance category for reviews on retailers.)
Note: Toronto still offers a rebate program to replace your old water sucking toilet and washer with new high efficiency ones.
Kenmore HE3t Steam Washer, EnergyStar approved
PlumbShop Fixed Shower Head from Canadian Tire ($29.99)
Faucet aerators
Envirosax Shower Timer
The wave of the future will be using water twice before is goes down the drain (capturing and reusing graywater), and fixtures and appliances that use little to no water. If you’re a cottager you may already be familiar with composting toilets. Recent models leave little if any telltale odour. They’re great in areas where a septic system isn’t easy to install, or you just want to use less water. Some models use .2 litres per flush, while others use no water. See Envirolet for more information.
Envirolet composting toilet
- Envirolet vacuflush toilet uses 0.2l of water per flush
Washer of the future that use little or no water: Treehugger.com wrote two stories about low-water use washers: one is a washing machine that uses a cup of water, detergent and plastic pellets to clean clothes. The company, Xeros, hopes to have these machines for sale in Britain within the next few years. Meanwhile Electrolux is working on a water free system that uses negative ions to clean clothes. The Airwash waterless washing machine group is aiming for a 2020 launch date.
Posted by CathyR
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Recession or not, I’m not one to easily part with my money, so two years ago, when we had to update our bathroom so that it looked at the very least like it lived in the 1990s, I did as much as I could with as little money as possible.
The problem: While the bathroom is not large (7′ x 8′), it was one of the few places left in the house that revealed the home’s true age of 60 years. Worse, the previous owners had done a “facelift” of sorts in the 1970s, but hadn’t done any more work since. So we had brown shag carpet (bathroom carpet was a “what were they thinking???” trend in the ’70s), an antique washing stand for the sink, and remnants of those non-slip rubberized flowers on the bottom of the tub. Worst of all, the ugly gray tile that surrounded the entire bathroom to a height of 5′ was, well, ugly, not to mention had random small holes drilled into it at various places (presumably for towel holders that no longer existed).
The plan: Since I couldn’t get away with spending nothing I tried to at least stretch each dollar as far as possible. Paint, salvage and as much personal labour as possible went into the project as was possible given my skill set.
The reality: We tore up the bathroom rug (imagine 6 and 8 year old boys and wall to wall bathroom carpet. Nope, it didn’t work for me either) and replaced it with inexpensive linoleum. The cost in total was about $300 for materials and labour.
We replaced the antique washstand with a pedestal sink that had been sitting in our contractor’s basement taking up space — he was happy to get rid of it. I bought a Moen tap and faucet for $60.
We reglazed the bathtub ($325) which made it look like new and a heck of a lot cheaper and cleaner than replacing the solid iron tub.
The biggest stumbling block was the gray tile. We weren’t about to replace the tile, and from the looks of it, it had already been tiled over in the bathtub section once before. In the end we filled all the small holes and used white epoxy paint to cover the tile. It took two more coats than the product recommended, (four coats in total) and is very smelly so best used in a well ventilated bathroom, but it made our bathroom look like new. Two boxes of epoxy paint called “Klenk’s Epoxy Paint for about $25 each.
I also bought a new mirror for over the sink and a glass shelf for $80 and $25 respectively, and made a roman blind for the window with one yard of $50/yd fabric.
Note: While we decided not to change the toilet at that time, for an inexpensive alternative to buying a new low flow toilet, you can ask at your local Habitat for Humanty Restore or other salvage and second hand building shops. They do occasionally come in and will be much, much cheaper than a new one.
Total spent in materials: $900.
The end result was a fresh updated bathroom that looked as good as new without spending a fortune. The keys were doing as much as I could myself, using salvaged materials or keeping what worked and renewing it, and using paint wherever possible.
Posted by CathyR
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If you’re searching for a new countertop and are leaning towards something that’s a little kinder on the earth than laminate or stone, there are now plenty of options available that have many “green” elements to them.
Stainless steel counter tops consist of, on average,75% recycled steel and can contain up to 100% recycled content. They emit no VOCs, are non-porous and antibacterial. However, they do show fingerprints and scratch easily.
Stainless steel countertops are available in Toronto at: Perfect Stainless, Serious Stainless and other retail stores.
Alkemi Textured and Classic Finish
Alkemi Countertops: Alkemi countertops are made from 35% “fine flake aluminum milling scrap” a post-industrial waste products. It is available in 12 colours and three different surface treatments (Textured, Classic and Honed).
Available in Toronto through Green Design Studio.
Recycled glass: There are plenty of recycled glass countertops on the market these days. Each of them has their own unique charm.
Icestone
IceStone: is an American product, made in Brooklyn consisting of 100% glass which is otherwise bound for landfill, mixed with concrete to create a surface that is twice as durable as marble. Like a stone product, it does need to be sealed on a regular basis. It is available in a variety of colours.
Bio Glass in Oriental Jade
Bio Glass: is 100% recycled and recyclable glass. It is available in six natural colours and can be used for backsplashes or countertops.
Paperstone is a material made from either 100% post-consumer cardboard or 100% post-consumer office paper mixed with a non-oetroleum based resin. It can be used for as kitchen and bathroom countertops and comes in a variety of colours.
IceStone, Bio Glass and Paperstone are available through The Surface Group Inc., Uniform Custom Countertops Inc., The Zero Point, Green Design Studio, and other retailers.
To see reviews of countertop retailers, go to HomeStars’ Countertop retailers category.
Posted by CathyR
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Recently HomeStars partnered with Habitat for Humanity’s Toronto chapter. If you don’t know who this organization is, you should. They build housing for low income families, recruiting volunteers to assist. They recently finished a project called WomenBuild where a crew of all women builders worked to build a number of new homes.
One of the other projects they run is the Habitat University Class. In exchange for volunteering at one of their sites they will give you a one day course which includes
- A high level overview of how to build a house
- Tool identification and use
- Familiarization with lumber, drywall and other basic building materials
- Safe tool operation
- Plenty of hands on experience using the various tools and equipment
Additionally they offer further advanced courses with more detailed specifics. That’s just great knowledge for any homeowner, let alone a Habitat for Humanity Volunteer!
So we thought it was a great fit for HomeStars.
Habitat Toronto is funded in large part by 3 Habitat for Humanity Restores: one in Etobicoke, one in the east end, and one in what I call reno-town on Caledonia Road. If you’re looking for unique used home renovation supplies they are really worth looking into. I’ve found some great doors and windows there, including beautiful antiques and they even have entire kitchen cabinet sets. The inventory is always changing, so stop by often and take a peek at what they have.
If you’re doing your own renovation and you have things that are ‘gently used’, rather than use one of our many disposal services you can take them to the Restore for a full tax receipt on their value.
We’ve enhanced their listings on the site to make them more visible, and encourage everyone who has been there to write a review on the service you received while you were there!
We’re excited to be working with them. Keep an eye out for more collaborations with the organization, both in Toronto as well as their other chapters. We’ve got plans and ideas we’re working on and will let you know as they develop.
Posted by BrianS
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Earlier tonight I went up to the launch of Adanac Glass‘s new showroom at the invitation of the generous Donna Heslin. The event was fabulous with lots of interesting people including the famous Sarah Richardson, as well as some good food and wine. I met a number of customers, partners as well as some of their installers and their estimator/salesman Mike.
Jim Bottrell took over Adanac Glass about 3 years ago from the Wenn family who had run the company for over 75 years. It is a small showroom but a great improvement from a year ago. There are lots of great examples of cool style ideas. I was shown some neat designs which we could use on our third floor bathroom which still needs a better enclosure for the tub.
I had my shower stall done by them as well as my kitchen cabinet glass (you’ll see I’m the top review here,) so I have a love for the work this company has done. Only 3 reviews so far, but I’m sure more will be coming considering the good work they do in Toronto.
Thanks Jim and Donna for the invitation! 
Posted by BrianS
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