Renovation & Design
Renovation & Design
Home Expressions is the place to be this weekend
Based on the interest and enthusiasm yesterday for the opening day of the Home Expressions Home and Garden Show, the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg is going to be the main attraction in the city today and tomorrow.
Manitoba's premier home show runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., featuring more than 200 exhibitors on the second and third floors of the facility.
These experts are on hand to show you the latest trends for improving your home. The exhibitors offer everything from fencing to flooring, from appliances to alarm systems, baths to beds, windows to walkways and closets to cabinets, with tools, pools and gardens galore.
At no other time and no other place can you do this much comparison shopping. All of the best suppliers and manufacturers in Manitoba are under one roof, presenting a variety of options for your home needs.
Others may say that they are presenting 'show class specials', but there is only one true place where real show specials exist -- the Winnipeg Convention Centre, this weekend. In addition, there are some fabulous draws for prizes throughout the show floor.
One special feature that has been attracting big crowds is the MTS Salute to Hockey on the second floor, featuring the Hockey Fan Cave by Jackie Morra Interiors. It's proving to be even more popular here than in Toronto. Hockey fans are flocking to see everything they need to create the perfect setting to watch hockey. Games, memorabilia, TV, hot tub, comfortable chairs, bar, lockers, autographed jerseys -- it's all there. There's even an artificial surface skating rink attached to the Fan Cave.
Why drive all over town looking for items for your home and garden when it's all under one roof? Save yourself valuable time and money, plus learn more than you could in any number of locations by talking to the experts all gathered at the RBC Convention Centre this weekend. It's definitely the place to be to prepare yourself for spring.
Whether you're home renovating, home decorating, home designing or home dreaming, everything that you might need is at the Home Expressions Show. The possibilities are endless. Drop by Saturday to see the best and newest trends for your home and garden. Tickets are available on site.
Mike Moore is the president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.
Renovation & Design
SOLUTIONS: Getting your popovers to pop out of the pan
QUESTION: I read your column regularly and have used many of your user-friendly, no-fuss, no-cost home-based tips. Now I need your help: How does one get popovers out of muffin tins? I heat the tin, rub it with vegetable oil and make sure I cook the popovers properly. Then I have to pry them out and can't scrape the bottoms out. Help on this one would be good for lots of people who have the same problem. Thanks in advance. Mary, Winnipeg
ANSWER: Remove the popovers from the pan immediately after taking them out of the oven. If you make popovers often, it might be worthwhile to buy a popover or silicone pan rather than using metal muffin tins. Grease the pan with butter instead of oil and heat the pan in the oven, and consider going one step farther and flouring the pan as well.
QUESTION: Do you have any ideas for dyeing and decorating colourful Easter eggs without purchasing a dye kit? Victoria (Dufresne, MB)
ANSWER: Make your own egg dye with water, vinegar, food colouring or water and onion skins. Remember, the more colour you add and the longer they soak, the more brilliant the hue. For an interesting design, wrap elastic bands around eggs and soak them in dye solution. Another option is to glue colourful leaves to eggs using white glue, or glue the leaves to the egg and dye the egg. Remove the egg from the dye and peel off the leaves to create a leaf imprint. Extra tip: If you don't plan to eat dyed eggs, make glow in the dark eggs by microwaving them for 10 seconds. One in three eggs will glow!
QUESTION: Can you please provide a recipe for garlic spread I can smear on Italian bread and bake? Fiona (Binscarth, MB)
ANSWER: This recipe is so good and tastes like restaurant garlic bread! In a bowl, combine: a half-cup of softened butter (yummier than margarine), a quarter-cup of grated Parmesan cheese, two cloves of minced garlic, half a teaspoon of dried basil, half a teaspoon of dried oregano, half a teaspoon of dried parsley and a light sprinkle of black pepper. Slice the bread in half lengthwise and spread both sides with the butter mixture. Bake at 350 F until golden brown (about 12 minutes). Slice and serve.
QUESTION: I recently purchased my first car, and my dad and I are having a debate about whether or not to store the car registration in the glove compartment. He says it's dangerous and not to do it. I say it's convenient and less likely to get lost. What do you think? Danielle, Winnipeg
ANSWER: I don't think there is only one right answer to this query. Anyone who has ever had their vehicle stolen would most likely side with your dad. On the other hand, police often request licence and registration when they ticket you or after a collision. With identity theft so prevalent, more people are choosing not to store their registration inside vehicles, and if they do it is kept hidden (especially if your car is fitted with a garage door opener; now thieves have access to your car and your home).
Frugal Tips of the Week
*I use air travel several times throughout the year. Whenever I exit the plane, I take the empty airsick bag and use it for packing lunches because they are lined and have wonderful tabs for closing. Submitted by: Alison
*I save stamps that come in the mail and cut them to fit my fingernails. I have created nail art that looks great and sticks because of the glue on the back of the stamp! Submitted by: Tessa
*I want to share my best recipe for making huge bubbles! Stir together six cups of water and one cup of light corn syrup. Slowly stir in dish soap. Submitted by: Alex
I enjoy your questions and tips, keep them coming. Missed a column? Can't remember a solution? Need a motivational speaker for an upcoming event? Check out my website: Reena.ca.
Renovation & Design
ASK THE INSPECTOR: Attic moisture plaguing Manitoba homes
QUESTION: We had water dripping from our second-floor bedroom ceiling the evening of the first mild day a few weeks ago. Today, when I had time to get up into the attic, I found quite a bit of snow, about an eight-foot-square area, laying on top of the fibreglass batt insulation at the north end of the attic under the gable vent. There was some under the south gable vent, but not as much.
It was impossible to just remove the snow, as it had refrozen and was partially embedded into the batts. I have removed the top layer of batts to the garage to await thawing and drying out. The remaining insulation, another layer of R12 batts and wood chips, will also have to be dried out.
In 14 years in our home, we've never had such water leaks before. I don't check up in the attic regularly, and so assume there may have been some snow in previous years, but never enough to cause liquid water leaks. This year, I assume that one of the many snowfalls we had was accompanied by the necessary direction and strength wind to blow this amount of snow through the gable vent into the attic.
I know I should not block the attic vents, especially in winter, to maintain attic ventilation. Do I just need to get a better vent? The current one is a newer, plastic vent installed about seven years ago when we re-sided our home.
I've read suggestions online about installing a furnace filter on the inside of the vent, which is claimed to block wind-blown snow but not prevent adequate air flow. Is this a good idea, or are there other options? Thanks, Ray Vander Zaag
ANSWER: Having dealt with the issue of attic moisture in a recent article, I was reluctant to revisit the issue so soon, but the current situation in our area warrants further attention. You are only one of hundreds of homeowners who are having issues with unusual leakage from wet attics, and I'll to explain why this is happening.
There is a chance that the frozen moisture you have seen inside your attic is partially due to snow blowing through the gable vent, but it's even more likely that it's from frost that has formed from moisture within the attic itself.
With the high winds and blowing snow during this unusually bitter winter, some snow getting through the louvers on a typical gable vent is not abnormal. In fact, with these conditions some snow can often be seen below normal roof vents as well. These amounts, while looking troublesome, rarely cause much concern, other than temporarily wet insulation. Isolated wet spots like this should easily dry over the long, hot summer, as long as attic ventilation is adequate.
However, I think it's more likely that attic moisture has condensed inside the vent and frozen, creating a thick layer that may be partially blocking the vent. Wet, blown snow may also have stuck to the screen on the inside of the vent, further complicating matters.
With the recent warmer weather, this heavy layer of frost has partially melted and fallen on top of the insulation. What you may not have seen is additional frost that formed on the underside of the roof sheathing and fell on top of the batts, contributing to the leakage.
This additional melted ice may have exceeded the normal absorptive capacity of the fibreglass batts, allowing water to seep through to the ceiling. This larger-than-normal amount of moisture is likely why you haven't experienced this is previous years.
This issue is happening in lots of homes in our area. While excessive attic moisture and condensation is usually linked to high relative humidity in the living space and poor air sealing of the building envelope, this year there is another important variable: exceedingly long periods of -20 to -30C, which have prevented normal thawing and melting of attic frost.
A normal winter freeze/thaw cycle situation prevents the large, single-event thawing we're seeing late this winter, which is wreaking havoc in our homes. Unfortunately, some of the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Mother Nature, not the building or its occupants.
You have taken the right step by removing some of the wet insulation, preventing the excessive attic moisture from causing further damage. But care should be taken not to remove all the insulation until the weather is consistently above freezing, as that may cause further problems.
Unfortunately for many homeowners, particularly those with blown-in, loose-fill fibreglass, dampness may be present in different layers of the thermal protective material. This makes partial removal much more difficult. I've also recently seen several homes where actual water was sitting on the polyethylene air/vapour barrier below the insulation.
While it may appear that a poorly designed attic gable vent is allowing snow to blow into your attic, causing leakage when the weather warms, that may not be the whole story. A combination of environmental moisture, trapped in the attic over the excessively cold winter, and air leakage through the building envelope, are more to blame in this case. Blocking any attic vent with any type of material or filter will only cause bigger issues and will delay quick drying of the wet insulation once really warm weather arrives.
Ari Marantz is the owner of Trained Eye Home Inspection Ltd. and the President of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors - Manitoba (www.cahpi.mb.ca). Questions can be e-mailed to the address below. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.
trainedeye@iname.com