Renovation & Design

Renovation & Design

Decorating for a cure

When Susan Sorbie and her husband Tom moved three months ago from Victoria to Comox, about three hours north, they thought they were starting a new chapter of their lives. After 30 years of marriage, Tom retired early to spend his days with Susan who at 50, had survived two nasty bouts with ovarian cancer.

But things didn't work out the way the B.C. couple had planned. Three weeks after they moved into their new home, Susan was diagnosed for the third time and they just didn't have the heart to set up their new house.

"It was so hard getting things organized," she says. "Getting chemo, there was a lot going on. It wasn't coming together."

Then Sorbie remembered an article she had read about a professional who donated a bedroom redesign to a woman with ovarian cancer.

The article told the story of two redesigners, Sharon Wood and Jan Laurie, who transformed Lelean MacFarlane's bedroom into a sanctuary where the single mother of two young boys could focus on her own health for a while.

Wood and Laurie are Vancouver Island-based members of the Canadian ReDesigners Association which, at Wood's suggestion, decided four years ago to offer free room makeovers to women going through or recovering from treatment for ovarian cancer.

Women in that situation can contact the Redesigners association who will set them up with a professional. In the four years they have been doing it, Wood estimates only a dozen women across the country have taken advantage of it. Since September is ovarian cancer month, the association decided to alert others to their service.

Wood's mother died of ovarian cancer and Wood knows how brutal the treatment can be. She wants to offer her skills to others so they can focus on healing in an environment free from stress or distraction.

MacFarlane's bedroom was her third such donation and MacFarlane, who was at the tail end of her treatment, was thrilled.

"To know that the support is still there and to have people still walking beside me was great," she said in an interview. "It had a huge impact on me in terms of moving forward from ovarian cancer to cancer-clear. It was such a gift."

Sorbie figured Wood would be inundated with requests from others and didn't expect she'd be available.

"But she e-mailed me back in 24 hours and said they would love to do it," Sorbie recalls.

So began an odyssey that saw Susan and Tom's bedroom transformed into a haven for healing.

In the month leading up to the makeover, Wood frequently e-mailed Sorbie with questions about what is important to her and what makes her feel happy or calm. From Nanaimo, Wood tried to plan a room that offered something for each of the senses.

Most of Wood and Laurie's redesigns have made do with what the homeowners already have. This was a great comfort for MacFarlane who never felt like she was in unfamiliar territory. Occasionally, Wood donated small items like a throw or new cushions. And sometimes she would encourage the owner to invest in something new like original art. But this time, Wood decided to involve the nearby community of Courtenay/Comox in the redesign and requested donations from local businesses. They responded with enthusiasm.

In Courtenay, 5th Street Florist donated a spectacular white orchid for the bedside table, Tab Imports provided draperies, Cody & Company in Courtenay gave some wall art and HomeSense in Nanaimo, which, through Winners, is already associated with ovarian cancer, came through with new bedding and lamps.

"I knew it would be touching," says Sorbie. "But I was actually really overcome with emotion. It really choked me up.

The designers had introduced a soft seafoam green into the room, which had been that ubiquitous beige. They removed some old furniture and brought in a chair.

"It really does feel like a sanctuary," says Sorbie. "It didn't feel like that before. It was just a place to sleep. Now I can sit and read. I can't associate ovarian cancer with being in that room."

Since her first diagnosis four years ago, Sorbie has had a complete hysterectomy causing chemical menopause, and lost her hair to chemotherapy. The treatments also caused nerve damage that made walking excruciating.

She felt like she'd lost all her femininity.

"When you get this disease, you know that family and friends will rally for you, but I have been so fortunate to have absolute strangers come forward. It just bolsters you, gives you that extra oomph. I feel like my heart and soul have been nourished," she says as tears well up.

For more information about this program, go to the Canadian ReDesigners Association website at canadianredesignersassociation.org.

-- Canwest News Service

Karen Gram
September 28

Renovation & Design

Curb appeal now key to home sales

A little bit of turf bisected by a sidewalk and surrounded by a laurel or pieris hedge used to be the standard landscaping a homeowner accepted when purchasing a newly constructed home. Now, a home needs to be staged inside for top dollar and the outside must have much more curb appeal.

No longer an afterthought, well-designed landscaping is high on the wish list for many home purchasers.

"I have sold homes to clients whose decision to purchase the home has been based more on the garden than on the house itself," says real estate agent Patrick Skillings.

Smart builders are spending close to 10 per cent of the cost of construction on landscaping these days. That figure includes all the hardscaping -- walkways, retaining walls, patios or terraces -- and turf, trees, plants and irrigation systems.

Steve Copp Construction just completed a modern home in the Victoria suburb of Gordon Head, that sits on a 15,000-square-foot waterfront lot with a northeast exposure. The task of landscape designer Rob Bond was to design a deer-proof, low-maintenance, low water-consumption garden that fit the site and the architecture of the house all within a set budget. Bond recommends that the sooner a landscape designer is brought into a project, the better he or she will be able to accomplish all those tasks.

Site, according to Bond, should always dictate what will happen. Although this property is waterfront, it is not a cold site since the prevailing winds come across the land and not the ocean. The site was basically flat with a steep drop to the beach.

The house sits approximately on the first third of the rectangular lot presenting a large, unadorned plane toward the street. Bond has softened this area with 12-year-old Cedrus libani (Cedar of Lebanon), an ornamental maple, phormium and Carex testacea- an evergreen grass. Woolly thyme clumps complete the neutral colour scheme, which in turn pulls out the colours in the rock face details of the house.

The cedars were chosen for their architectural shapes. They will grow taller than wide, casting narrow shadows -- important on a small lot. Conifers are underused, Bond says. As a group, they are more expensive than most deciduous trees used in residential landscaping but they are low-maintenance and are almost drought-tolerant once established.

The are no flowers and the garden has "empty" spaces where ground, aged fir bark mulch shows. Bond believes many new gardens are over-planted and will need plants removed within three years. This garden -- only one month old -- has great bones that can easily accommodate another layer of colour or texture if the homeowner chooses or it can easily mature naturally without anything else being added or subtracted. New owners need at least a year to assess how they want to live in the outdoor space.

The main door to the house is on the side of the building rather than on the street side. An exposed aggregate path leads to the door and then a more organic path of slate pavers continues toward the backyard. Bond purposely made this change to slow people down as they walk toward the views of the ocean.

Once in the backyard, a full 180-degree ocean view dominates. The challenge for a landscaper is to create enough drama to balance the huge backdrop of the ocean and sky.

Using different levels in a space is always more interesting than one flat plane. The house has a large slate terrace which steps down to a grassed yard in massive slate steps. A large round patio made of stamped concrete has been pulled away from the house toward the ocean. This has been purposely placed to receive as much sun as possible. The terrace next to the house is a shady space.

Bond chose to use weeping Blue Atlas cedars as focal points in this space. He cautions that, because weeping trees command so much attention, they should be used in a controlled fashion -- repeat the same plant rather than introduce other varieties. Repetition of a plant, colour or form -- this time Mexican feather grass, planted around the cedars and encircling the round patio -- is one of Bond's signature details to unite different areas of the garden.

The fact that all the trees on the shoreline were topped to reveal a full unobstructed view of the ocean was not Bond's decision. Selectively eliminating trees to frame views would have been his preference, making for a more interesting and intimate space. He also feels that the inclusion of lawn is "old school" and would have done the entire area in slate.

Each person will see this garden differently, of course, and there are lots of spaces to add personal touches of grand containers, fountains or statuary.

--Canwest News Service

Susan Ramsey
September 28

Renovation & Design

Space -- the final, shrinking frontier

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. -- Brave souls taking the plunge into home ownership are increasingly turning to studio apartments and smaller homes, especially in large urban centres.

Their logic is rooted in efficiency. They really want to own a home -- and afford one at the same time -- and are willing to sacrifice space to accomplish that goal.

But there's one problem: Studio apartments aren't always livable upon moving in. Space is exceptionally tight, your bathtub might be in the middle of your living room, your kitchen area is so small that you might as well keep the local Chinese restaurant on speed dial.

A little work can get you cooking again, though.

You will be surprised how even a tight budget can go a long way toward transforming your cramped space into a cosy, enjoyable pad that will make your neighbours and friends with their bigger apartments (and even bigger mortgage payments) envious.

They may resent you even more when it comes time to sell your apartment; the value you can add to your home by renovating a kitchen can be truly enormous. This is especially true in a studio, simply because the kitchen makes up such a disproportionate amount of the space when compared with larger homes.

I own a studio in New Jersey that measures about 500 square feet -- the penthouse at the Plaza this is not. After putting in a new bathroom last year, I turned to the kitchen this summer in an attempt to truly revitalize the apartment.

First, let me explain what I was up against. The white-covered particle board cabinets were ugly, at least 20 years old, and barely better than a cardboard box. They weren't that good when Michael Jackson's Thriller was flying off the shelves, and they most certainly weren't any good in 2008.

The existing kitchen space was tiny -- 2.2 metres in all, including a 50-centimetre range, a sink, and about two-thirds of a metre of usable countertop. Such limited space makes any cooking endeavour challenging at best.

The cabinets had to go, the counter had to go, and so did the appliances.

I'm not the only one doing more with less. The real estate boom produced a surge in studio buyers in places like the New York City area, according to Jonathan Miller of the Miller Samuel real estate appraisal firm. They were primarily first-time buyers who had rented for many years and wanted to take advantage of the hot market, but couldn't afford one-bedroom apartments.

And with owning comes remodelling. Some might react to my daunting kitchen by calling a contractor and opening up the chequebook. Not me -- I drove to the local home-improvement store.

The situation required a top-to-bottom renovation: new cabinets, new countertop, new dishwasher, new range, new refrigerator, new plumbing, along with adding an entirely new set of cabinets on the other side of the room that would expand the kitchen area into a real kitchen area.

The total cost: about US$3,500. (This includes tools and basic supplies that you may already have on hand, so the price cost could have been considerably less.) But for those of you baffled

at how to pull off such an ambitious project for such a relatively low price, here are some pointers:

"ö Free Labour. My parents came to visit for a long weekend in the New York area, so we teamed up for four days of bonding-while-remodelling. Call it a reno-vacation, if you will. (For the record, the parents were not forced to renovate against their will; this was a fun, family affair, and there was still enough time to see two Broadway shows and take in some fabulous restaurants.)

"ö Keep it simple with your cabinets. Your local home-improvement store will have a great selection of in-stock cabinets that are affordable and attractive. There's really no need to spend thousands of dollars on custom cabinets when such quality products are available at lower costs. I found a great style at the local Home Depot -- Glendale Champagne Oak -- that matched the rest of my apartment, and I paid about US$1,200. The cabinets were fully assembled -- no staining, no varnishing, no stinking up your apartment -- although they do not come with hardware. Still, you can buy attractive handles for less than $3 apiece.

"ö Countertops. There is no need to cough up US$50 or US$100 per square foot for marble or granite countertops when technological advances have so drastically improved the quality of laminates. For about US$75, you can get about 2.5 metres of a high-quality laminate countertop whose looks run the gamut from marble to granite. We opted for a granite style for my renovation, and from a distance, it looks like the real thing.

"ö Delicate flourishes. Sometimes the subtle touches in home-improvement projects really make the difference. Take the issue of backsplash, for example. Sure, you can spend thousands of dollars on ornate ceramic tiles and exotic murals for your backsplash, but again, they make some really alluring alternatives these days.

Many home-improvement stores sell plastic 45-by-60-centimetre backsplash panels that cost less than $20 and provide an authentic, rustic look. The parents and I were able to pull this off for under US$100, covering the wall with copper panels that replicate an elegant, turn-of-the-century Victorian look.

"ö Appliances. The dishwasher is a necessity in my book, but many owners of small apartments consider it an impossible amenity given the lack of space. Under-the-sink dishwashers allow you to enjoy this luxury. The dishwasher tucks nicely below your sink in space that normally would be cluttered with cleaning supplies and rags. One warning: This requires a shallow sink to make the dishwasher fit.

So for all the studio apartment owners out there in the world, do not despair -- you can improve your bleak situation with very little work.

-- The Associated Press

Josh Hoffner
September 28

Renovation & Design

Tips for seniors to avoid falling on stairs

When seniors fall on or from stairs, even a short distance, the consequences for their health can be both severe and long-lasting. Thankfully, many of those falls can be prevented with a little careful planning and a few simple strategies.

To help protect your health, increase your safety and maintain your independence, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has a number of tips on how seniors and their caregivers can help reduce the risk of falls on or from stairs at home.

Avoid visually distracting patterns on the tread (the horizontal part of a step) that can make it difficult to distinguish one step from another. If the edges of the stairs can't be seen clearly, mark them by painting a permanent stripe on the edge in a contrasting colour.

Improve the lighting on steps and stairs. Use lighting that makes the edges of stairs visible without causing glare or strong shadows, and consider installing low-intensity night lighting, as well as a light switch at both the top and bottom of the stairs. (If you're doing remodelling, ensuring a light switch at the top and bottom of the staircase is a code requirement. The inspector will need to see this before signing off on your building permit.)

For steps with short treads and/or high risers (the vertical parts of the steps), keep any coverings thin and tightly affixed to maximize the usable tread space. Avoid soft treads with a large rounding at the edge.

If you're renovating or building new stairs, allow for ample treads and gentle risers, and make sure all the steps are of a uniform size and height.

Steps that are non-uniform in size are an especially common cause of missteps and falls. Consider partially or completely rebuilding the steps to make them of uniform treads and risers. This is very important.

Use a slip-resistant, rough finish on stairs that are prone to getting wet.

Make sure to fasten all coverings on stairs securely.

Don't place any objects or loose rugs on steps, landings or at the top or bottom of the stairway.

Handrails are strongly recommended regardless of the number of steps on both sides of the stairs. A functional handrail serves several purposes including providing a visual indicator of the stairs, assisting with normal balance and -- most critically -- preventing a misstep and fall.

Installing handrails on both sides of the stairs is particularly important for winding or curved stairs, especially where the stairway includes combinations of rectangular and tapered treads.

Position handrails at about adult elbow height, and extend them on both sides for the full length of the stairway as well as beyond the top and bottom of the stairs.

Repair loose or broken handrails. Ensure that the handrails have a tactile indicator that warns you when a stairway is coming to an end, and that they're easy to see even in low light or at night.

Lastly, when taking the stairs, always be cautious, deliberate and not rushed. Hold on to the handrails, wear shoes or slippers that fit properly and have a non-slip sole, remove reading glasses, switch on stair lights and -- most importantly -- always take your time, especially when using an unfamiliar stairway.

For more information or a free electronic copy of a fact sheet on Preventing Falls on Stairs, visit cmhc.ca or call the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation at 1-800-668-2642.

--Canwest News Service

September 28

Renovation & Design

solutions Of tennis balls, jewelery and peanut butter

Sometimes, the best tips give unexpected uses to everyday household items. Here's a collection:

1. Create a stunning and edible centrepiece for your next dinner party by displaying veggies in a vase of water. Inside the vessel arrange an assortment of herbs, raw broccoli, cauliflower, long carrots and stalks of celery. Tip: Beside the vase set out a bowl of dip for a healthy after school snack.

2. Undercook pasta and drain leaving a small amount of water in the pot. Add sauce and freeze. When reheated the pasta will be cooked to perfection.

3. Before composting coffee grounds, rub them on your hands to soften skin.

4. Soften feet or hair by combining a few drops of 50/50 Jojoba oil and Aloe Vera. Rub on hands or throughout hair, feels great. (Submitted by Sharon Nerbas)

5. To whiten yellowing fingernails, soak fingertips in 1-tbsp. 3% hydrogen peroxide and 1-cup warm water.

6. Deter moles in the yard by mixing half-cup castor oil with 2-gallons water. Pour mixture down the hole, will not hurt moles but keeps them at bay.

7. To open a bottle in a hurry, place a deflated balloon over the bottle opening and twist.

8. Create your own customized cork board for a child's room by spelling out the letters of his/her name with painted cork.

9. Perk up stale potato chips or crackers by spreading them in a single layer onto a microwave safe pan. Heat on high for a few seconds. Tip: Stale potato chips and crackers also work well when crushed and sprinkled into casseroles.

10. Instead of icing the sides of a cake, break up Kit Kat chocolate bars lengthwise and stand them up along the outside of the cake. Tip: To give your cakes a professionally frosted appearance, use a hair dryer set on low to blow the surface dry.

11. Spread peanut butter onto hardwood floor scratches. Let sit for 1 hour and wipe off all excess.

12. Give windows extra shine by putting cornstarch into enough water to soak a cloth. Wipe windows and dry with a separate clean cloth. (Submitted by Tina from Corner Brook)

13. Dirt on glass attracts more dirt. Exterior window surfaces should be cleaned often because dirt left over time becomes harder to remove, and some types can etch the glass, causing permanent damage.

14. Keep jewelery safe by hiding it in a tennis ball with a slit cut into it.

15. Polish teak furniture by applying coconut oil onto a cloth and wiping wood along the grain. Remove all excess.

Solutions, is compiled from various sources. Thanks to all who contributed! Similar information may be found elsewhere.

Solutions sleuth Reena Nerbas is a home economist and speaks professionally on the topic of household challenges; she is also the author of two national bestsellers, Household Solutions 1 with Substitutions and Household Solutions 2 with Kitchen Secrets. She can be heard on radio and television programs across Canada.

www.householdsolutions.org

Reena Nerbas
September 21

Renovation & Design

Higher office

Having a home office is a must these days. Even if you don't work from home you still need a place to keep your computer and paperwork in order to pay bills, do your banking online and so on. Finding space for a home office can be difficult if you're in a small space. If you don't have a spare bedroom or den to use, you have to be creative in order to seek out an area that will address your home office needs. That's not always an easy task but it can be done.

A simple plan

Keeping the office design simple and streamlined will be helpful if you're tight on space. Plain and simple furniture is a good start. In our sample office pictured here a minimalist desk is functional but keeps the office area visually clean. The rolling file cabinet is painted the same colour as the wall so that it blends into the background. The modern desk lamp is sleek yet practical. In a small space, less is more both literally and visually. No ornate decorative elements or elaborate items; just plain and simple.

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Nooks and crannies

You don't need an entire room devoted to a home office. A small home office can be tucked into a nook under a stairwell or set up along a wide hallway for example. The home office pictured here, for instance, could be set up in the corner of a bedroom, along a wide hallway or even on one wall in the living room. If you choose a more open space like in the living room, then adorn the office area with a punch of colour but keep the mechanical stuff uncluttered and low key. By mechanical stuff I don't just mean printers and fax machines but also the paperwork, discs, supplies and such. Keep these items in closed storage if possible so that they are not in plain view all of the time. Purchasing a laptop versus a personal computer would be a good option in an open setting.

If you can find a space in a less open area, like under a stairwell or in a large closet, you have the option to hide or close off your office area. In this case you don't have to worry as much about the aesthetics because you can either close the door or disguise the area with a decorative screen when not in use. The space will be tighter in a more hidden area like this but if you have good lighting and can comfortably fit a proper chair and desk in the space then you're well on your way. If, say, you use a space in the basement, under a stairwell or in a closet, use bright colours to keep the space from feeling gloomy. A punch of bright yellow or orange will stimulate your creative juices and keep you energized for the task at hand. Be sure that the space is properly ventilated and heated. Spaces that are tucked away, especially in older homes, tend not to be the warmest areas in the home. A piece of thick carpeting for your tootsies and a small space heater will keep you toasty while you work.

Call a professional

Out of the way areas like an attic, for instance, can be a great space for a home office but might not have the necessary electrical supply needed to suit the modern home office. If this is the case for you, don't pass on the area just because it doesn't have a sufficient power supply. Hire a professional electrician to review the situation to see if proper outlets can be installed in the space. If so, have the professionals do the work to ensure that everything is done correctly and safely. It might cost you up front but it outweighs what it would cost you to rent a space for an office outside of the home. It might be worth it to pay a little up front to get a space that suits your needs in your very own home. Having a useable home office is always a good selling feature as well so the investment will pay off down the road.

Keep it simple. Small spaces are not conducive to oversized, ornate antique desks. Small modular pieces, like the ones in our photo, can be rearranged easily and meet the general home office needs. A comfy chair is paramount if you spend a lot of time at the computer so splurge on this item if you can. The ergonomic design in office chairs has come a long way so you can get a pretty comfy chair for a reasonable price these days. If you do purchase a good chair you're going to need a smooth, durable surface on which to place it so it can roll easily. Our display photo shows durable flooring from Tarkett Residential Flooring that is both attractive and functional. If you are considering new flooring for your office area, make sure it can withstand the wear and tear of your chair.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to decorate your home office successfully. A punch of colour is sometimes all you need to define the area. Our home office here has a large canvas frame hanging above the desk which is covered in a deep red fabric. Simple but effective; inexpensive but rich looking. With a similar result, you could also simply paint the entire wall (or a large area of it) in a vibrant colour to add a little drama. No doubt the canvas in the photograph could also be used as a note board, giving it a dual purpose. Items that serve a dual purpose like that will make your small home office more functional. If this were my home office, for example, I'd probably paint the facing side of the bookshelf with blackboard paint so I could make quick notes on the side of it as I worked. This would give the bookcase two valuable purposes without it taking up any more space (like a chalkboard would).

connieoliver@shaw.ca

Connie Oliver
September 21

Renovation & Design

Sewer nightmare in newly bought home

11They told me that the problem was less than three metres from the cleanout and marked a spot on the inside of the foundation wall where they said the damage was. They also told me that it is quite common to have the drainpipe become damaged in this area and it was an easy repair that they could do from inside my unfinished basement. I received a quote of around $2,000 for the complete repair and agreed to let them start right away.

After a few hours of breaking the concrete floor in my basement, near the front of the home, the supervisor arrived and told me that my floor was the thickest one they had ever seen and they would have to come back the next day to finish. He said the job would be a little more costly, due to the thick concrete, but should still be possible from the inside of the basement.

After several hours of breaking and digging the next day, the workers uncovered the sewer pipe, but could not find the damaged area. The supervisor once again arrived to inform me that the damage was not where they suspected and was outside the foundation wall. He said that they would now have to dig up part of my front yard with a backhoe and the cost would now be around $5,000. I have since discovered that this company has several complaints and lawsuits pending against it.

I am extremely upset at this situation and do not want these guys back in my home, but I have a gaping hole in my basement floor full of smelly water. The sewer is open, my basement stinks, I can't use any of the plumbing and I am afraid to stay in the house. What can I do?

-- Mary Paton

ANSWER -- This question came to me via a concerned phone call from Mary's realtor, who asked me to come and look at the situation and offer any advice I could. Knowing this dedicated realtor well, I paid a quick courtesy call to inspect the problem area, as I had just completed a pre-purchase inspection a few blocks away when he called.

The problem of older cast iron drains and sewers becoming damaged and blocked is increasing, as the housing stock ages, trees get larger and the underground pipes exceed their typical life expectancy. While I will answer your question and offer some advice about your problem, there are a couple of other issues that also need further discussion. The first issue is that of proper disclosure by the seller and the second is the lack of a pre-purchase inspection and the conditions surrounding that omission.

It is difficult for me to believe that the seller of your newly acquired home did not have any knowledge of the drain issue. This is based on the fact that you experienced the problem almost immediately after taking possession and the fact that the homeowner had been living in the home for many years. While a partial blockage of the drain from tree roots may not have been noticed or determined during a pre-purchase inspection, a major blockage like yours would have been problematic for the former homeowner. It is therefore the legal responsibility of the seller to tell you, as the prospective purchaser, of a known defect like the blocked sewer. Unfortunately, proving this in court after the fact may be difficult and I recommend you consult a lawyer for advice on pursuing this avenue for damages.

The more important concern I have is that you felt that inclusion of a home inspection in the offer to purchase would jeopardize your chances of buying the home. While I know full well that recent activity in the housing market has led to multiple offers on many homes, I fail to see that as cause to eliminate inclusion of a home inspection as part of the buying process. Many times a home inspection is the only protection buyers have from buying a home with major defects. Even with the help of an experienced realtor, like you had, there is no way that many common problems can be found without a thorough inspection by a CAHPI home inspector. While there may be a small chance that the sewer issue may not have been detected during a pre-purchase inspection, I estimate that it would have been found 90 per cent of the time. The small degree of uncertainty is because the damage to the sewer may be a fair distance from the home, drainage only partially blocked, and not enough water run through the drains to detect a backup during the inspection.

As far as a solution to your immediate dilemma, I would avoid spending any significant amount of time in the house due to the likelihood of dangerous sewer gases in the living space. I would contact a reputable rooter company or licensed plumber to attempt to open the blocked drainpipe, followed by a proper camera inspection. This should determine the exact location and severity of the damage, before digging up your front yard in a fishing expedition. If the damage is on city property, there is a program that may assist you in paying for the repairs. If the damage is indeed on your property, you are responsible for the total cost to excavate and repair the damaged drains. Because excavation of your basement does not appear to have been warranted, I would not pay the previous contractor for any work done. I would put that money toward a proper repair of the drains by a reputable sewer repair contractor and repairs to your basement floor slab after completion. The City of Winnipeg has an extensive list of sewer contractors approved to do repairs on city sewers, which should be available to you for reference.

While I empathize with all the frustrated homebuyers like you who did not feel that including a pre-purchase home inspection was possible in the current real estate climate, I don't understand the reluctance. In other hot real estate markets, like Toronto or Vancouver, inclusion of home inspection conditions are still part of the norm, even when multiple offers are involved. Hopefully, the current downturn in the market and increase in available homes for sale with allow buyers to stop the insanity and include a pre-purchase inspection by a CAHPI inspector in their offer to purchase.

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 or sent to: Ask The Inspector, P. O. Box 69021, #110-2025 Corydon Ave., Winnipeg, MB. R3P 2G9. Ari can be reached at (204) 291-5358 or check out his website at www.trainedeye.ca.

trainedeye@iname.com

Air Marantz Ask the inspector
September 21

Renovation & Design

Lampe Berger takes a bite out of nasty room odours

The bad news is we'll soon be closing up the house for winter. The good news is we'll be making even better use of our exquisite Lampe Berger bottles, which freshen the air as beautifully as they enhance the decor.

Never heard of them? You can be forgiven for not recognizing the name, although Lampe Berger has been a European staple since 1898.

That's when Maurice Berger, a pharmaceutical chemist in Paris, set himself a mighty task: He would create a lamp to eliminate odours, fill a room with fragrance, kill mould and bacteria and be beautiful and functional at the same time.

You can understand his reasoning, since it could get rather "close" in Paris in the summer, and indoor plumbing was a relatively new invention, reserved for royalty.

So the introduction of the Lampe Berger was greeted with joy and appreciation, and it wasn't long before the diffusers were being sold around the world.

It wasn't just the function that earned such praise. Each lamp is as carefully crafted as a perfume bottle or a crystal decanter. There's every colour and style you can think of, from traditional and contemporary to art deco, Oriental and mid-century.

The company uses every medium that fits that style, from crystal and stonewear to fine Limoges porcelain.

There are also more than 40 different scents in the Maison de Parfums collection.

You choose what mood you want to evoke and what scent you'll use to achieve it. Wildflowers growing in the garden? A day at the beach? The aroma of cookies baking in grandma's kitchen.

Using it is amazingly easy. All you have to do is fill the lamp with fragrance, insert the wick and let it soak for 20 minutes. Light the catalytic burner for just two minutes and then extinguish it. You're now good to go.

It takes about 45 minutes to freshen up to 300 square feet of living space. When it reaches the scent level you want, just replace the cap for another day.

While we love the look of these lamps, we are just as pleased by their safety. The burner is lit for mere minutes, so unlike candles and plug-ins, there's no fear of fire. And the scent is pure perfume; there are no chemicals.

The claim is that the lamps kill up to 68 per cent of airborne bacteria, and help eliminate germs and moulds as they purify the air. All that happens before the units begin dispensing fragrance.

While we can't confirm that, we do know several allergy sufferers who say they believe the air quality in their homes has improved because of them. Given all that, adding a Lampe Berger to your to-do list sounds like a great way to get ready for winter.

--Canwest News Service

Karen Hall
September 21

Renovation & Design

It'll floor ya

We're not about to rip out the hardwood in our house (my husband would kill me), but if we were starting from scratch we'd certainly reconsider our choices.

The versatility and durability of laminate flooring has come such a long way it's hard not to want it.

And we're not just talking floors that give you the look of hardwood without all the maintenance. We're talking floors that look like concrete, stainless steel, seagrass and whitewashed wood.

Tarkett, which has plants all over the world and more than 7,000 employees, must have them all working overtime, because the company seems to be leading the pack when it comes to laminate flooring options.

Here's what residential creative director Lise LeBreton says are the hot new trends in laminates:

Industrial: Concrete, brushed aluminum and metallic floors are perfect choices for kitchens and laundry rooms. It gives them a cool, clean, urban industrial look.

Art Deco: The "mid-century" look is all the rage again, and that means vintage teak-like laminates circa the 1950s. Colours go from a yellow tan to dark brown tones, and the beauty is they work with both sleek teak and modern furnishings.

Inside-Outside: We know everybody wants an outdoor living room these days, but now the outdoors is moving inside with flooring that looks like natural fibre and seagrass. Think rattan and wicker, and you've got an earthy ambience that works especially well in your home office.

High Gloss: Remember the '80s? High-gloss cheeks, high-gloss lips? Well, high-gloss flooring is back, bringing with it the luxury and elegance of the era, says LeBreton, and the sheen makes a laminate floor look even more like real hardwood.

Wide Plank: Six-inch planks are a big trend right now, replicating the look and feel of old, rich hardwood flooring. You'll have to do a double take to pick the imitator.

Nautical: This is our favourite. How much easier can it get to create a seaside, coastal feel than by installing floors that already have the look of whitewashed wood or weathered paint?

-- Canwest News Service

Karen Hall
September 14

Renovation & Design

Devices promise to make projects more accurate

Sometimes when tools get sophisticated, they make it easier to succeed. That's the case with a growing group of electronic devices that promise to make your building projects measurably more accurate.

Self-levelling lasers are a good place to start.

These portable tools shine a revolving laser beam in a flat plane, marking a level reference point for building deck floors, pathways, outbuildings and fences. Laser levels have been around for a while, but self-level models are the innovation. They're still too expensive to buy for casual DIY use (more than $1,000), but they're definitely worth renting. Just set the laser up on its tripod more-or-less level by eye, turn it on, then watch as the device self-adjusts the laser beam perfectly level and readjusts if bumped.

Move further down the price scale and you'll find the DeWALT DW087 laser chalk line. It's probably the simplest self-levelling laser you'd want to trust, and it costs less than $200. The reason it's cheaper than other self-levellers is the way it works. Instead of fancy motors and circuitry, the DW087 uses sensitive mechanicals (you can see them through the clear faceplate) to get the laser beams level and plumb by gravity.

There are two beams -- one horizontal and another vertical -- and you can have one or both shining at the same time. You couldn't lay out a foundation with this thing, but it'll save time and boost accuracy when installing trim, wainscotting, drop ceilings and anything else that needs to be plumb or level. Built-in rare-earth magnets make it breeze to use against steel surfaces.

Electronic distance measuring tools are a category of digital equipment that's improved a lot over the last five years. Hold the tool against some surface, push a button, then watch the screen. It automatically shows how far away that wall, ceiling or building is. One unit I tested is accurate to less than one-16th-inch over a 100-foot span.

The Bosch DWM40L is a unique tool that hit the market last year, and I'm convinced it will change the way people measure angles -- especially those associated with concrete form work, stair construction, built-ins, and interior trim installation. Officially called a "digital mitre finder," this name doesn't do the tool justice.

Imagine a 17-inch-long, aluminum-bodied protractor with a digital readout, a memory and the ability to complete crown moulding calculations for mitre and bevel settings on your chopsaw. Four AA batteries power the unit, including the LCD screen with a read out accurate to one-10th of a degree.

Got some wide crown moulding to install? The DWM40L works with any sliding compound mitre saw to make this job happen faster and more accurately, especially when dealing with real-world walls that aren't perfectly square. Even if the corner you're working with is something like 87.8 degrees or 91.3 degrees, the tool compensates for this in the mitre and bevel figures it generates. You get crisp joints faster, with a tool that has a learning curve about three minutes long.

While some old-school do-it-yourselfers are quick to mention that home improvements happened just fine before all this electronic nonsense, that's not really the point. The issue isn't just about quality. It's about doing good work in less time with less skill -- a trick that today's best electronic tools are getting pretty helpful with.

Steve Maxwell is Canada's award-winning home-improvement expert, and technical editor of Canadian Home Workshop magazine. Sign up for his free homeowner newsletter at stevemaxwell.ca.

--Canwest News Service

Steve Maxwell
September 14