Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Know cottage requirements before building
Question: I have just purchased land in the RM of Gimli and will be looking to clear and build on it, if not this year then next. We are only looking at a 900-square-foot cottage. The problem I'm having is that every foundation person is quoting me about $16,000 to put in a pile foundation. So, maybe I'm asking for the wrong thing. I don't need an insulated crawl space, as I will only use the property in the summer. So, after reading a previous article of yours, it sounds like I should be asking for quotes on a simple concrete spread footing. I had hoped to have the beam supported on piles, thinking that four or five piles shouldn't cost that much. What am I missing and can you suggest anyone I should work with?
Thanks, Brian Goodman
Answer: Building a cottage on previously undeveloped land, from scratch, will afford you several advantages but will also come with a few challenges. The style and cost of the foundation for your new building will depend on several factors, including requirements of the building officials in the municipality.
When embarking on new construction, whether it is a relatively simple cottage project like yours or an energy-efficient home, the first place to start is with the plans. Ensuring you have a good house plan, whether done by an architect, from a stock drawing source, or from an architectural technologist, is important. The plan should not only satisfy your desires for form and function, it should be well suited to the new area and lot you are building on. This may include a site visit by the designer, but should also include an evaluation of the grading and soil conditions. This last item may be critical in determining the type of foundation employed.
In addition to the physical plan, a trip to the local rural municipality office will be in order to enquire about building permits and requirements. Each RM may choose to adopt the National Building Code (NBC) in its entirety, modify certain areas, or increase some requirements. Finding out ahead of time may save you major grief, and money, before finalizing plans that may not comply with the wishes of the building officials in that area. One example of this may be the commonly used styles of foundations.
For many years, and with varying degrees of success, summer homes in the area you are building have been built on simple foundations. These initially may have included post and pad foundations, with many owners upgrading to a spread footing on grade foundation. While this may have been acceptable in the past, that style of foundation may or may not be acceptable anymore. Pouring a spread footing on grade may be a reasonably good support for some portions of the RM of Gimli, due to sandy soil conditions, but may not be suitable for other areas with clay or swampy conditions. In those locations, the footing could easily sink, causing major settlement issues for the new building. That is why the exact location of your proposed summer home is so critical. If the area is found to have poor soil conditions, poured concrete piers (piles) may be the only good option.
The next issue is found within the building codes themselves. Historically, many municipalities have allowed summer homes to be constructed without proper foundations and insulation. That has drastically changed, as many are requiring all new construction to meet the current standards for year-round use. That will include an insulated and heated basement or crawl space, walls, and attic, up to the current levels required in the NBC.
Contrary to your desires, you will likely need to construct your new cottage on a grade beam, to allow for an insulated crawl space, whether you choose piles or not. This is indeed a superior choice to an insulated open floor, which would be cold and would not accommodate water pipes and other mechanical items located below the floor. How deep the grade beam should be, and what it is supported on, will depend on a combination of soil conditions, RM requirements, and your budget.
While the cost of the concrete piers for your foundation seems high, that may be reduced by increasing the strength of the floor support system in your plans to minimize the number required. Increasing the size and style of the main beams and/or floor joists can minimize the number of poured concrete piers you will need. They may also have to increase in size or depth accordingly, but some savings may be realized by this method. The contractors you have contacted may be using minimal building practices for their estimates, rather than engineered floor systems, which may allow larger spans between supports.
While it may seem like a fairly simple process to build an uninsulated cottage only for summer use, that may no longer be possible in many regions. Planning for a modern, energy-efficient summer home built to today's standards will prevent a huge surprise. This process starts at the planning stage with a visit to a designer and the local RM to determine what will be required. Also, hiring a consulting engineer to evaluate the drawings and soil conditions should be the final piece of the puzzle in determining whether a foundation incorporating deep concrete piers is worth the additional cost.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the past president of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors -- Manitoba (cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be emailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at 204-291-5358 or check out his website at trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com
Renovation & Design
Look to great outdoors for colour inspiration
I love it when the new paint colours come out. It's like seeing the new spring fashions on the runway. New ideas, great new colours and colour combinations abound.
Just as each fashion designer has their own idea on what's trending, so too do paint manufacturers have their own take on what will be 'in' during any given season. For spring and summer 2015, paint manufacturer Sico forecasts rich floral colours will be in full bloom -- not only in the garden, but in all elements of home decor.
"This season's paint palette is filled with saturated colours, in both warm and cool tones," said Mylène Gévry, marketing manager for Sico, a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings. "It's all about bringing colours of the garden inside and using them in creative ways."
Gardens give us a wealth of colour, textural and pattern inspiration. Topping Sico's list of hot colours for spring and summer 2015 are Impetuous Blue, Ningxia Pink, Dynastic Orange, Blueberry Flower, Dark Lemon, Cotton Flower, Stainless Steel, Cayman Blue, Sargasso Sea and Aperitif, all of which can be viewed on their website at www.sico.com.
A palette including deep pastel tones such as blue hydrangeas, dusty pink roses, saturated orange and turquoise peonies, sunflowers, clay-grey stones and reddish-brown vines are all in the mix.
Our feature photograph boasts Blueberry Flower, Cayman Blue and Stainless Steel. The room has an exciting look and feel. The colour combinations are different and youthful and complement the rustic elements of the exposed brick and worn wood. I love the fact the colour on the wall above the fireplace can be swapped out to co-ordinate with the dark blue walls on a whim. Just imagine a rich orange, hot pink or even brick red as the fireplace accent colour. You could have a totally new look in a few hours. This is an easy update because of the small amount of wall space that needs to be painted. Keeping the trim, brick wall and upholstery white makes each colour pop and helps keep the room from looking too dark.
"The back-to-basics, return-to-nature trend firmly planted in home decor the last couple of years is now moving away from neutral tones toward more colourful elements of nature," Gévry said, crediting the fashion world for the infusion of rich tones into interior design.
"The fashion runways are filled with deep pastels, both on their own and in bold, oversized floral patterns that are trending right now," she said. "This rich, floral influence is spilling over into all facets of home decor, from fabric and furniture to drapery and accessories."
To help make changes to your décor easier than ever, Sico muse paint is a paint and primer in one. Removing the step of priming saves time and money, which makes painting an easy update.
To incorporate this season's blossoming colours into your decor, Gévry recommends looking outdoors for inspiration.
Think about what colours in nature make you feel good. What outdoor settings make you feel most relaxed or energized: your garden, the woods, the countryside or the sea? Narrowing the feeling you'd like to achieve, and the element of nature you'd like to replicate, makes it easier to choose colours.
Pick a main colour for your room, and then add other hues in unequal amounts. A good rule of thumb is to use the dominant tone in about two-thirds of the room. For example, if you select a turquoise blue as the dominant colour, you may want to paint an accent wall a darker blue, and your trim, doors and ceilings in white, cream or a lighter shade of one of the blue colours.
When developing a colour scheme, consider the "temperature" you want to create indoors. Yellows, oranges and pinks are warm colours, whereas blues and greens are cool tones, something to bear in mind if you're looking to warm up a room on the shady side of the house or cool off an area with southern exposure.
Connieoliver2015@gmail.com
Renovation & Design
Scoop works great for multiple cupcakes
QUESTION - I need to bake 800 cupcakes for a big gathering coming up in the next few months. What is the fastest way to fill cupcake liners? Lynda (St. Francis Xavier, MB)
ANSWER -- Here are some options: Purchase a retractable quarter cup ice cream scoop "disher" to quickly fill liners. Or use a turkey baster to squeeze the batter neatly into the cupcake liners. Make batches ahead of time; plain cupcakes freeze well.
QUESTION-- I am having different thoughts about cleaning two doors that lead into my office. These doors have dirty plastic windows that I would like to clean up. I have used window cleaner; however that seems to be the wrong product. I've spread some window cleaner on a cloth and attempted to clean the plastic panels, I was not successful. Bud, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- The answer depends on whether or not you mean Plexiglas or plastic. If the windows are plastic; use vinegar (or 50/50 water and ammonia) and a great quality microfiber window cloth and microfiber drying cloth. If the windows are Plexiglas; head to a marine or paint store and purchase plastic cleaner. Or clean the windows with full strength Woolite and a damp sponge. Dry with a soft microfiber cloth.
QUESTION -- I am cleaning my china cabinet and I have a wine decanter that is purple and gold. I notice there is dried wine at the bottom, from the last time I used it which would be many years ago. The decanter was a gift to me in 1968 so I guess it is vintage glass. I have soaked the inside with vinegar to no avail, and my bottle brush can only get in so far. I worry that if I pour boiling water inside, the decanter will break. Do you have a solution to this problem? Val, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- Pour one quarter cup household ammonia into the bottom of the decanter. Leave the substance for 30 minutes. Using an elastic band; secure a scrubby pad to a wooden spoon to reach the bottom of the decanter. Shake and discard contents. Rinse with water until clean.
QUESTION -- While I was away on a recent holiday, my freezer accidentally turned off. The smell was indescribable, I have thrown everything out and washed the inside of the freezer with hot water and Lysol soap, rinsed and then washed with lemon juice and vinegar. Then I wiped the freezer with baking soda and rinsed again. It still smells. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. Carol, Winnipeg
ANSWER -- Stuff the freezer with LOTS of crumpled up newspaper. The ink in newspaper will absorb the stubborn odor. Leave newspaper for at least a few days. After removing the newspaper, leave a bowl of tomato juice in the freezer for a few days.
I enjoy your questions and tips. Keep them coming. Need a presenter on the topic: Effective Speaking or The Power of Words? Check out: Reena.ca
Renovation & Design
Kitchen colours
CIL paint is unveiling its digital Culinary Collection of paint colours, featuring what it calls a mouth-watering palette of 20 hues, with names such as Adorable Peach, Bright Cherry, Cranberry Zing, Curry Spice, Lime Twist and Olive Oil.
"White kitchens have been trending for a number of years, but now we're seeing a resurgence of colour in the kitchen, from cabinetry to counters to walls," said Alison Goldman, brand manager for CIL paint, a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings, crediting the revival to current rich-in-colour bohemian, retro and return-to-nature trends in home decor.
"The kitchen is the most used room in the house and the area where family and friends tend to gather, so it's the perfect place to add colour and personality to a home," Goldman said. Still, it's important to choose kitchen colours wisely, she cautioned, as some are better suited for this multi-purpose environment than others.
"Warm, uplifting colours, such as yellow, red and orange, and soft shades of grey, violet, blue and green, are known to be more conducive to appetite-building, entertaining and conversation," she said, explaining CIL paint took these findings into account when developing its new palette.
This Culinary Collection brings together top kitchen-colour recommendations from CIL's existing paint lineup. "No matter what the look or size of your space, the collection has a colour recipe for everyone," Goldman said. For starters, she offered these suggestions as good choices for:
Modern kitchens: Grey is all the rage in home decor these days, and muted grey walls work especially well in a modern kitchen. Try Oyster Bay (90YY 63/044 SE48) or Barley Beige (30YY 68/024 DL50) grey from CIL paint as a base, accented -- on one wall or through accessories -- by a favourite pop colour, such as turquoise, tangerine or raspberry. Other striking wall-colour options, particularly in kitchens with stainless steel appliances, are lemon yellow or apple green. If a full wall of these bright colours is too much for you, paint them above your cabinets only or even inside cabinets with glass doors to liven up the room.
Country kitchens: Complement wood cabinetry by painting the walls cosy shades of terra cotta red, such as Burnt Pumpkin (24YR 12/447 DL08) by CIL paint, warm orange such as Persimmon Berry (60YR 26/605 DL10), or light sage green such as Cabbage Patch (90YY 62/264 MC21), creating a welcoming space reminiscent of open fires and roasted foods. Don't know which colour to use? Simply identify the predominant undertone of your cabinetry or flooring -- yellow, orange or red, for example -- and choose a paint colour with the same base.
Small kitchens: Make a small space appear larger by minimizing the contrast between the walls and cupboards. Choose a palette of colours with similar tonal value -- such as Peach Punch (56YR 48/398 CP10) orange, Ripe Banana (39YY 66/628 DL18) yellow and Citrus Fruit (70YY 52/532 DL21) green from CIL paint. Another option is to paint a focal wall a bolder colour and the other walls a lighter version of that colour. Use the kitchen's vertical space to stack rows of shelving or add upper cupboards extending to the ceiling to maximize storage and the visual height of the room.
Windowless kitchens: If you can't see the outside from your kitchen, consider bringing the outdoors in through the use of colour, such as optimistic shades of light green and yellow. A soft yellow -- such as Citron Ice (53YY 83/348 CP19) by CIL paint, for example -- can simulate the look and feel of sunshine. Crisp, white paint on trim, ceilings, mouldings and doors will help brighten the walls even more. For maximum brightness, install the right combination of artificial lighting in the room -- including task, overhead and ambient lighting -- and use high-gloss paint on doors and trim to reflect the existing light.
"When choosing paint colours, take into account the colour and design of your cabinetry, countertops, tiles, moulding, appliances, lighting and flooring," Goldman said. "And remember that paint isn't just for walls -- freshly painted cabinets, tables, chairs and other decorative objects go a long way in helping to create a spectacular kitchen decor."
Have an appetite for painting your kitchen? View the new Culinary Collection by CIL paint at cil.ca, where you can also ask CIL paint experts all of your colour, decor and paint questions.
connieoliver2015@gmail.com
Renovation & Design
POND paradise
Water, when used in a decorative form such as a pond or water feature, can play a dominant role in today's modern oasis, evoking the sense of a more natural setting even in the urban jungle.
Generally we associate ponds, formal or informal, as one of the components of the so-called bells and whistles of the well-appointed landscape. The prospect of installing a pond, however, does not make a big splash with homeowners who would prefer an alternative to both the price tag and ongoing maintenance of a large pond project.
While the love affair with the elegance and visual interest of a water feature is as strong as ever, the trend today is toward a new expression. Now, whether you garden on a condominium terrace or in a small urban backyard, the glistening reflective surface and trickling sound of a water feature can be yours with relative ease and affordability.
Container water gardens or patio ponds are the new aquascapes where simplicity rules.
How simple? The basic ingredients for a patio water garden consist of a container, water and plants. While it is possible for do-it-yourselfers to use any type of container, ensuring first any drainage holes are sealed with a bit of caulking, many garden centres this spring will offer a range of specialized water bowls in lightweight fibreglass or plastic.
What about choosing the right plants? Even that has been made easy with the availability of ready-to-go aquatic mixes of diverse and unusual plants.
Submerging a plant's roots in a patio pond is a fascinating concept. Generally, gardeners are reminded to avoid waterlogging their plants or risk drowning a plant's root system, and here we have an entire range of plants to choose from that love to have their feet wet.
Why don't aquatic plants drown? The International Water Garden Society (IWGS) divides aquatic plants into four groups: floating, submerged, floating-leaved and marginal. Plants in each of these groups have specially adapted leaves and roots that allow them to survive prolonged wet conditions.
Floating plants such as water lettuce with light-green velvety leaves or water hyacinth with striking light blue to violet iris-like flowers provide shade but also filter the water. Marginal plants that generally grow along the edges of a pond or bog, or can survive partially submerged conditions, feed on nutrients in the water, providing valuable filtration that in turn reduces algae growth.
These can include variegated spider-lily with its lovely, fragrant white blooms or dramatic upright tropicals with broad leaves such as elephant ear (Colocasia), canna, and calla lily. Narrow-leaved upright marginals include cattail, sweet flag and dwarf papyrus.
All play an essential role in balancing the pond ecosystem.
Hans de Jongh, Paridon Horticultural Ltd., in Delta, B.C., supplies plants including aqua plants to retail garden centers across the Prairies.
Initially, de Jongh anticipated local demand would mainly be for hardy varieties, however, the demand has been greater in Manitoba for tropical water plants than anywhere else. He credits this to our usually bountiful heat and sun in the summertime, ideal conditions for tropical plants to thrive.
Perhaps one of the most interesting plant selections for the water garden is Sarracenia purpurea, known more commonly as the purple pitcher plant, a carnivorous plant that requires moist conditions and hungrily traps insects. Relatively short at only 30 cm, the purple pitcher plant will surely attract interest with its exotic, trumpet-shaped leaves with red to deep purple colouration.
Gayda Rempel, retail manager at the Green Spot in Brandon, says some of her customers have been successful in overwintering the purple pitcher plant, the most cold-hardy sarracenia species native to North America.
The trick, she says, for caring for pitcher plants indoors is to keep them really moist. It can be tricky, though. Easier to overwinter water lilies, says Rempel, who lets the tops get hit by early frost, then allows them to sit and drain for a few days before popping them into a black plastic garbage bag, which she seals and stores in a cool dark spot indoors.
In the spring, Rempel retrieves the water lily, cleans it up, repots or divides, invigorates with a little aquatic fertilizer, then returns it to her water container for another growing season.
Most pond plants are annuals, however, some are hardy to our growing zone and can be transplanted into the garden in the fall. Hardy selections include marsh marigold, ligularia, corkscrew rush, creeping Jenny, arrowhead and some of the cattail varieties.
Unlike annuals, which are usually purchased at the garden centre in their ubiquitous black plastic containers, water plants are sold in special aquatic containers made from a flexible mesh filled with a lightweight aquatic potting medium with good mineral content. When placed directly into your decorative container, the soil stays in place while allowing water to flow through.
While some plants are sold separately, there are also aqua packs with ready-made combinations for a naturalistic, marsh-like container design.
Jordan Hiebert, co-owner of Lacoste Garden Centre in Winnipeg, says the mesh bags make it easy to transplant perennial water plants because the roots stay intact without being ripped.
The art of water gardening can be as simple as you like. Of course, even a container water garden comes with its own set of bells and whistles. Hiebert has a line of low-profile patio ponds made from double-walled fibreglass. "The benefit of an aquabowl," says Hiebert, "is that it has a built-in shelf."
This allows for more creativity in displaying plants. The bowls are also designed to hold a water lily in the centre, which helps to provide shade as it grows. Hiebert has a range of options to customize your bowl. Pumps and spitters add the beauty and sounds of water. Hiebert says the most popular type of spitter is a contemporary style made of bamboo. There is even one variety with a deer-scare option as well as more elaborate versions made from materials such as brass. An opening in the shelf accommodates cords for a clean look.
The addition of LED lights helps to extend the enjoyment of your patio pond well into the evening.
Polished rock can be placed in the bottom of the bowl to act as a filter, breaking down sediments or suspended particles in the water, and this helps to clarify the water.
Hiebert says natural bacteria or a product such as barley extract also helps to clarify water and further reduce maintenance. Goldfish can be added, too, and will do their part in eating mosquito larvae. Ensuring at least half the surface water is shaded with the leaves of the aquatic plants promotes a healthy ecosystem. Avoid crowding plants, though.
Ideally, your water container should receive up to six hours of sunlight. While water lilies are tolerant of some shade, they are more likely to bloom in full sun. Avoid excessive evaporation by choosing a location that is not subject to high winds.
Prefer to use your half whiskey barrel as a patio pond? Although it won't have a ledge, Rempel simply inverts a black plastic pot and sets it in the bottom of the barrel. Plants can be placed on it directly, or add a flat slab to serve as a surface, such as a piece of flagstone. Depending on the width of the base of your container, a series of inverted pots can be used to vary the height of plants.
If you want to protect the interior of a wooden whiskey or wine barrel, plastic preformed liners are available. There are also plastic versions of whiskey-barrel containers.
At season's end, Hiebert recommends storing fibreglass aqua planters in a garage or shed for the winter, preferably resting it on a piece of plastic or plywood rather than in direct contact with a concrete floor. Fibreglass weathers the elements without breakage or expansion, as it does not absorb moisture, so it can also spend the winter outdoors. However, Hiebert cautions against turning it upside down on your patio. The rim of the container can freeze to the surface and become damaged.
The empty container can also sit in the garden over the winter months, but storing it indoors together with the pump and spitter and any other accessories will ensure the longevity of your investment.
colleenizacharias@gmail.com