Seems it’s home show time across the country and we are now getting ready for the Calgary show next week. If you are a home improvement company that decided not exhibit this month, please come out anyway and join us for our opening night Exhibitor Party this Thursday September 16 at 7pm.
HomeStars is sponsoring the evening to support the Calgary Home & Interior Design Show team at the main stage from 7pm – 9pm. You can also be the first to see the exhibits and meet some celebrity experts (and us of course).
We have a limited amount of free entrance passes to the show for non exhibiting companies if you register here! We will leave your tickets at the show office with your names on it. Please we can only offer 2 tickets per company.
Toronto’s The Ex started on Friday August 20 and goes for the next 18 days until Sept 6. I went down to visit the Direct Energy Centre where they have hundreds of exhibitors selling a wide range of goods: from clothing to the latest kitchen gadgets. It’s a fun destination you don’t think about for home improvement but there are deals to be had there over the 18 day show.
If your shopping for windows, spa’s, HVAC, restoration, or want to find some interesting contractors there are some great people to meet. Shawn Monteith, Canada’s Handyman is on the main stage every day for a one hour show at 1p, 4pm and 7pm to help you on various projects. I met him after his show and he’s really personable and genuinely wants to help you with any challenges you may have. Worth a trip down as he’s on site all day to offer help.
If you’ve recently done a large project on your home, one of HomeStars team would like to interview you about your experience.
Your story could be funny, heartbreaking or fabulous.
With your permission we’ll take some photos if you’re in a city close to us (or you can email some snaps) and we’ll write up your learning. Things like what you love best about the new features added to your home or what you wish you had known before you started.
Reno Road Story
By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. [Confucius]
We are hoping your wisdom will make it easier for fellow homeowners.
We receive a lot of reviews about decks and patios this time of year. Some reviewers describe great jobs and send in photos to match. Photos so good we wish weren’t sitting in an office looking at them.
So instead of stewing in our chairs about the perils of being indoors this time of year, we thought we’d take the opportunity to share some of the great outdoor spaces created by contractors and homeowners on our site.
This beautiful space was built off of Lillian in T.O.’s home by Master Deck and Contracting. Lillian says she had to wait awhile for Master Deck to have availability, but that it was totally worth the wait considering the fantastic results given her permit restrictions. They even built a privacy wall to make this a real sanctuary… and so she doesn’t have to look at her neighbors (heh heh). This looks like great spot for relaxing Lillian, hope you’ve had some time to really enjoy it.
Kevin in Toronto wrote in to sing the praises of his deck contractor Falco Landscape Design. We love a before and after shot and this one is no exception. They’ve really created a lot of privacy where there wasn’t much before and Kevin says the backyard now gets use everyday.
I love this space. I have a pear tree (whose fruit is inedible) and a picnic table in my backyard, Halo in Laurelwood has a backyard that looks better than most provincial parks! This space was created by Roger at Pond’s & Patio’s. Roger installed a waterfall feature and also has been a great source of information for Halo’s koi ponds.
Dimo in Pickering had this inviting space added to the back of his house with a little help from The Franmac Group. Frank from Franmac went above and beyond, building a bench and gate for this project which Dimo was very pleased with. Loving this nighttime shot; hope you’ve enjoyed some great summer evenings with friends this summer Dimo!
There’s still time to update your deck or patio this season so be sure to check out our Patios & Decks category for your area. Lots of people build their own decks, or may try to, but professional jobs can really make a big difference to your outdoor living space. Check out more tips for finding the best decking company for your backyard here in Allen Britnell’s article in the Subury Star.
If you’ve hired someone already and have not yet written a review for them please do! And please add photos, it keeps us inspired (and a little jealous)!
In a recent issue of Pools, Spas, & Patios, John Petrocelli of Backyard Getaways Inc. wrote a great article titled What to Look for in a Pool Builder. John has over twenty years experience in the pool industry and offers a lot of insight to anyone who is looking to have a pool installed. Check out the list below for an overview of his points. I’m summarizing of course, so if any other pool contractors have something to add to the list please leave a comment!
Check Reviews and References – wink wink HomeStars.com! This is what the site was made for, so do your homework. Most companies will also have references from prior jobs as well, so there is no harm in speaking to someone who knows them. John mentions that it’s a good idea to check out their relationships with their suppliers and any organizations or associations they may be involved in. All off this information will give you a good idea of who you are dealing with.
Check out their showroom – It’s another good indication of who you are dealing with. If they take pride in their showroom they’ll likely take pride in their work as well.
Find out how long they have been in business – John says 10 years or more is a good sign.
Don’t expect low costs or fast turn around times - In his experience you should expect about four to six weeks for a vinyl lined pool and up to six or more for a concrete pool. Expect to pay a 20% down payment and preferably to an incorporated company.
Get your documents in order – check licenses, permits, have any subcontractors listed in your final contract; an agreement that includes the documentation of any changes in expectations or materials as they come up is also recommended. John also reminds homeowners to get a lien waiver when the job is complete.
Other Agreements – Make it crystal clear about the specific location, access routes to the site, material unloading and storage areas. these type of agreements help outline your expectations and can help to avoid disagreements as the job progresses.
After Installation Care – Get an idea of what kind of after installation care is offered in terms of service and maintenance so you know what to expect.
Keep in mind these helpful list for anyone looking to have a pool installed. Big thanks to John for the great tips!
As Content Manager here at HomeStars I read well over a thousand reviews a week. I can get a real sense of satisfaction from some reviewers, others have an interesting story to tell or a funny way of telling it and these are the types of reviews that will really make my day. I’ve decided to share some of the reviews which have managed to catch my eye throughout the week and I will continue to do so every Friday.
“I have two dogs, and two cats, both hardwood and carpet in the house. I was getting fed up with vacuuming and then moments later finding hair on the hardwood….”
Cute title, great description of the benefits. Pet hair on hardwood? Nightmare? Yeah, it would be, I feel you JJ. Glad to hear that your Dyson has it all under control now.
Helen in Willowdale also caught my eye with her review of Rent-A-Son. I’m guessing it caught my attention because it sounds like my own mother wrote it:
“After moving into our new house, my husband & sons wondered WHY I had to hire Rent-A -Son,when they could have done all the work….yes they could have..but over several months. In several hours the two “rented” sons moved boxes,rearranged furniture, moved a huge carpet from one room to another, cleaned our garage, unpacked boxes of books and generally made me feel that the huge weight of moving was at least. partially lifted. They were efficient, hardworking and very pleasant. I will hire them again”
Sure she has sons, but why not rent one who will do the job in a fraction of the time? Do these guys do dishes too?
“Within an hour of calling, a plumber showed up and clearly explained my problem (a toothbrush lodged in the trap of my toilet!). George worked quickly, efficiently, and respectfully. He sorted us out and I will call them again without hesitation – but hopefully not for the same reason! Thanks!”
“The Raccoons in our neighbourhood are like ninjas. No matter how securely you lock up your bins, they will come and bring chaos to your order. Enter Bin Solutions. Their solid sheds are both stylish and secure. They came by, assembled, and were gone in less than 45 minutes. Absolutely fantastic. It looks great in my yard and fits very well in the space that we have. Thanks folks!”
You know where to find the right company for the job. And don’t keep the experience pent up inside! Share it with your neighbors! Write a review! You just might end up being featured on my Reviews of the Week!
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.
We had a great time at the Oakville Home Show Friday April 9 through Sunday April 11th. It’s run by a husband and wife team David and Sharon Jenkins. Sharon was there the entire three days talking to homeowners and companies alike – I’ve been to dozens of shows and have never seen such great commitment from the show owners being close to their constituents. A nice touch was offering exhibitors Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts each morning – recognizing the hard work we go through of standing and talking all day long to hundreds of people.
Oresta Orlick standing on the right in this photo just joined our team. She’s lived in Oakville and currently resides in Burlington and will be a real asset to the many companies we support in south western Ontario. My cousin Jessica Devine offered to help me out as well – she’s a third year student at York University taking Marketing Communications. It was a different experience for her watching us meet hundreds of passing homeowners at the show. In my previous Marketing career I spent time building campaigns with ad agencies and then everything was executed on TV or a print campaign. Home Shows are one of the best ways for getting close to your target audience and really understanding their needs. While there were about 120 companies at the show – relatively small compared to the big shows we’ve been to in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, - the nice thing is that it’s not so daunting for homeowners to navigate through a smaller venue and have an unhurried opportunity to talk to professions. Here are twelve companies I met at the show that are worth considering if you live in the area.
Jessica Devine and Oresta Orlick
Next door to us was a lovely lady, Julie Lemieux, who recently started Terrassa Outdoor Living, where she designs both a beautiful garden and an outdoor living room. It’s a great way to take your outdoor space and make it more enjoyable to entertain your friends and family – or just relax and enjoy a book. The long range weather is predicting a long hot summer so I’m sure Julie will be busy.
Julie Lemieux at Terrassa Outdoor Living
Across from our booth, Sandi Hall was one of a smiling faces at Granite Transformations with a booth that drew an ongoing stream of people. They have great products that can take your existing hum drum kitchen and do an amzing make-over to your cabinets, floor and countertops at a fraction of the cost of a new kitchen. Kitchen cabinet refacing is much less costly than cabinet replacement, which can cost from $15,000 to $40,000, as it typically involved ripping out and re-building the entire kitchen. Just click and read the many glowing reviews Granite Transformations has on HomeStars from homeowners they’ve served in the Oakville and Mississauga area.
Sandi Hall at Granite Transformations
Nearby I met Ken and Joan, a lovely husband and wife team at Active Overhead Doors who have been at many home shows over the years. Ken really enjoys his work and is passionate about providing the best product and service for his clients. I could hear it in the many stories he told me of people he’s helped over the years. While he has no reviews yet on HomeStars - I can see this company will have lots by next year as he’s the kind of person that a homeowner would rave about.
Joan at Active Overhead Doors
Ken at Active Overhead Doors
My good friend John Noseworthy at Beverley Hills Home Improvement was there - he manages all their shows across Ontario and it really shows the kind of quality company they are when they have someone like John passionately talking to hundreds of homeowners every weekend. He always has a smile on his face – BH has over 75 reviews from happy homeonwers becuase of their great people! In fact two of their clients came over to my booth to rave and write a review. John mentioned they have a big sale on right now – offering 25% off and no tax this month. They also offer energy audits at no extra charge. Beverley Hills has showrooms all over Ontario serving Niagara, London, Kitchener Waterloo, Guelph. Halton and of course Toronto so if you are looking for windows they are the place to start.
John Noseworthy at Beverley HillsHome Improvement
Oresta introduced me to brothers Oleg and Yevgeniy at Art Metal Workshop who have just added their listing with us here. My photography isn’t that great but you can see they do very detailed and elaborate metal work.
Oleg Gorlov & Yevgeniy Gorlov at Art Metal Workshop
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!
The Ideal Home & Garden show had a fantastic first day the aisles were buzzing with homeowners across the Hamilton area – they came from Oakville, Stoney Creek, Dundas, Flamborough, Ancaster, Brantford, Burlington and even people some from London and Stratford and Grimsby.
It’s now Saturday morning and the aisles are already full at the huge Careport Centre. I went around the aisles last night and met some really friendly exhibitors that have some great ideas to help us homeowners with various projects we have this year.
Mag Ruffman will be up on stage interviewing 4 top rated contractors (and exhibitors) today to share their tips and ideas:
About HomeStars
Seems it’s home show time across the country and we are now getting ready for the Calgary show next week. If you are a home improvement company that decided not exhibit this month, please come out anyway and join us for our opening night Exhibitor Party this Thursday September 16 at 7pm.
“After moving into our new house, my husband & sons wondered WHY I had to hire Rent-A -Son,when they could have done all the work….yes they could have..but over several months. In several hours the two “rented” sons moved boxes,rearranged furniture, moved a huge carpet from one room to another, cleaned our garage, unpacked boxes of books and generally made me feel that the huge weight of moving was at least. partially lifted. They were efficient, hardworking and very pleasant. I will hire them again”
“Within an hour of calling, a plumber showed up and clearly explained my problem (a toothbrush lodged in the trap of my toilet!). George worked quickly, efficiently, and respectfully. He sorted us out and I will call them again without hesitation – but hopefully not for the same reason! Thanks!”
