New Homes
New Homes
Summer is a great time to renovate your home
I'm glad that I waited until now to promote the spring and summer renovation season. Usually, we try to get things going full speed during the May long weekend. You remember, that was the weekend that featured hail and snow.
If you haven't done so already, July and August are the perfect months to do a thorough inspection of your house and to determine what needs fixing or building. I've got three projects happening right now. One involves replacing a window while another involves some digging in the backyard. Both could be done at different times of the year, but doing them when the weather is nice and the impact on living conditions will be minimal, is a definite bonus.
If you don't have a deck, I'd recommend building one. If you already have one, add to it. We've been lucky the past few years with a fairly low mosquito count. Not so this year, so a little separation from the ground can be a good thing. Whether you want to create different activity areas on different levels or utilize one large single space, you'll be glad you created this extension of your home to take advantage of beautiful summer weather.
Let your imagination run wild when planning the various amenities that would go with your new deck and backyard. Furniture, loungers, barbeque, pizza oven, umbrellas, hot tub, fire pits, lighting, sound systems, heaters and a portable bar are just a few suggestions to make your backyard a paradise.
Does the fence need repairing, re-setting or repainting? Are the eavestroughs and downspouts distributing water or overflowing with water?
Weeding the lawn and garden is a lot easier when the soil is soft and moist than when it has hardened.
I mentioned windows earlier. If the window is clean and you still can't see through it, the time might be right to replace it. If the inside of your window featured a festive Christmas glaze last winter, it might be time to replace the window. Similarly, if the wind howling through your doorway could blow out a candle, you might look at replacement now -- not in the dead of winter.
If you've got a big kitchen job to do, why not do it now and barbeque your meals for the next few weeks. Take advantage of the summer weather to get your renovation projects done!
Mike Moore is president of the
Manitoba Home Builders' Association
New Homes
Winnipeg must balance supply and demand
In Winnipeg, we tend to take choice of housing for granted. We have a good mix of multi-family choices. We can also choose among various types of single family detached homes. We also have the choice of new neighbourhoods being developed in the city.
Not so in Toronto and Vancouver.
In the Greater Toronto Area, the cost of building a new single family detached home is closing in on $1 million unless one is willing to commute from Kitchener, Hamilton or Barrie. Condos are the majority of starts within the GTA and townhomes are the closest one can hope to find that resembles a single family home.
Land costs and land use policies have reduced single family starts in the GTA to around three times what we expect in Winnipeg; this, from a metropolitan area 10 times our size in population. The resultant lack of choice leads to a significant increase in prices. It's simple supply and demand.
Vancouver seems to have a different scapegoat for rising house prices: foreign investors.
A recent project, Vancouver House, was marketed around the world and, to date, 35 per cent of the units have been purchased by foreign investors.
Some Vancouverites blame foreign speculation for the 35 per cent increase in property value since 2009.
Burnaby NDP MP Kennedy Stewart has tabled a motion calling for a government investigation into the impact of investor speculation.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has suggested implementing a speculation tax on housing speculators to stem the rise in prices.
If we implement detrimental land cost and land use policies such as has happened in the GTA, development changes to less-desirable options or stops completely. When this happens, demand goes up for what currently exists. When supply goes down and demand goes up, prices soar.
Winnipeg needs to continue to grow while maintaining affordability and choice for all current and future residents.
Mike Moore is president of the
Manitoba Home Builders' Association
