Toronto Real Estate Report

Do It Yourself

Are you dreaming of building a new deck in your backyard this summer? Does the thought of going to Home Depot and loading up your car with building supplies get your heart racing?

Projects around the house are exciting to plan, fun to shop for, BUT do you know what you're doing?  After spending several weeks last year learning building techniques for Habitat for Humanity I realized that construction is a precise art that requires a great deal of knowledge and expertise.  From a real estate perspective I've seen too many "do it yourself" renovations that leave much to be desired. 

If you're planning a renovation or improvement you should check out Build-It-Yourself Learning Centres. This company offers a huge variety of classes to learn hands-on skills from accredited, professional instructors in workshops and seminars. From building a deck, finishing your basement to installing your ktichen from a box, they will teach you all the skills and techniques.

They operate out of 2 locations, one on Dufferin in the west and the other is at the north end of the city near Highway 400.  Here is the website: Build-It-Yourself Learning Centres

Have fun! 

The Kitchen is renovated!

Looking back to previous entries, it was mid November when we started down the renovation road.  During the last weekend in November we started the demolition, with the goal to have the kitchen done by Christmas.  They did it!  This is the largest renovation we've taken on, and I realize first hand how important a good contractor is to keep the process running smoothly and on time.

We were fortunate to have Michael Tafts of "G Pederson & Associates" by our side. He's the one that made sure someone was at our house every morning by 8 am, even on Saturday morning, so that the kitchen would be completed on time.  There are many trades involved that have to be co-ordinated, the electrician, the plumber, drywall, carpentry and tiler.

We ran into a little snag when the granite supplier declared they were unable to fabricate our granite until mid January.  We loved the piece we chose, and didn't want to start over, as we had picked the flooring and the backspash to compliment the granite.  Michael was able to co-ordinate having the huge granite slab picked up and then fabricated by another supplier.  The piece on the peninsula is so large it took 6 men to carry it into the house.

The kitchen was supplied by Olympic Kitchens and Louie Katsis was able to guide us through the many decisions and helped us bring it all together. He took us to pick out the granite and then shopping for floor tiles and backsplash.  He drew up the plans and suggested a rounded finished edge to the breakfast bar.  Since we weren't actually changing the design of the kitchen, but rather just making style choices, we were comfortable with his expertise and suggestions.  Olympic Kitchens

Here is a link to the renovation slide show: Kitchen Slide Show

Behind the Drywall

They always say that a renovation will cost more and take longer than you expect.  As we embark on the kitchen renovation, the goal is for it to be completed by Christmas.  This I say on November 9th, knowing full well that Christmas is only 46 days away.  Can it be done?

Last week they determined that we can add about 10" to the size of the kitchen, that's a good thing.  They put a hole in the drop ceiling to see if we could raise the ceiling height, and found that a wall had been removed in the last renovation of the kitchen and no support beam had been installed to compensate for the missing support wall. That's a bad thing.  Imagine what Mike Holmes would say?

And as it turns out there is all sorts of crazy electrical issues as well.  No wonder the lights in the kitchen are always burning out!

So now it will cost more, we have to add a support beam and fix the wiring.  But we won't have to worry about the second floor collapsing into the kitchen, or an electrical fire.

So when you buy a house find out who did the renovations?  Was it a "do it yourself" job, or performed by a skilled trade?  Was it done according to current building code?  Was a work permit issued by the City?

A home inspector doesn't poke holes in the walls or into the ceiling.  There can be a lot of shady work covered up with drywall.  Buyer Beware!

The Granite Counter

This week we went to the granite supplier to choose our counter-top.  We went around in circles as to the colour and style, from a dark black, to brown tones to one with white/black/brown/grey tones.  Our kitchen consultant is incredibly helpful and drew our attention to the perfect mixture of colours and pattern that both my husband and I could agree on.  That's a challenge in itself.

Once we chose a few styles we were comfortable with, we entered the warehouse which is full of giant slabs of granite.  The actually pull our the piece that your are considering, so that you can see the full effect of the design rather than just the little sample in the showroom.