Renovation & Design

Renovation & Design

Start giving your plants a helping hand

One of the few delights of the late winter is that daylight hours are getting longer. Indoor plants that rely on natural light should be responding accordingly.

Even if you haven't noticed a measurable difference in their performance yet, the plants are responding internally. The longer the daylight lasts, the more likely they are to grow new foliage and start to look more "alive" and greener.

This is the time to start giving your plants a helping hand by feeding them.

If you've reduced your feeding schedule during the short days of mid-winter, as you should, get back to a more regular routine now. Houseplants should be fed at least once a month from now on. If they're getting lots of light and showing signs of new growth, feed them every two weeks. You be the judge.

The best fertilizer to use with houseplants is difficult to choose. But there are a few general rules. Fertilizers for indoor green plants should be either a powder or a liquid that's soluble in water. I'm not that fond of pills or pellets designed to be stuck in the soil of the pot, as these cause a concentration of fertilizer rather than an equal spreading.

Since houseplants are mostly green growth, the formula for a suitable fertilizer should be high in nitrogen, which is the first of the three numbers on any fertilizer formula. Mixtures like 7-2-2 or 15-5-10 are best, but even a low strength all-purpose one, like 7-7-7 can be suitable, too. Just make sure that you follow the mixture rates recommended by the manufacturer. Don't ever make them stronger than specified.

If you regularly use a non-organic fertilizer on your houseplants, you might notice a gradual buildup of a granular white substance on the surface of the soil. This is a combination of calcium from the water and mineral salts from the fertilizer. It should be scraped off and disposed of. Don't water it into the soil, as it might release an overly strong dose of fertilizer.

This regime of feeding your plants should also be expanded to include any other things that you're growing indoors. If you've taken cuttings of flowering plants and are over-wintering them or growing plants from seeds, they need feeding now also.

Once your cuttings have rooted and are growing in potting soil, they should be fed every couple of weeks with a half-strength solution of soluble fertilizer. The same applies to seedlings that have grown several sets of leaves and have been transplanted into potting soil. Give them the same half-strength treatment every two weeks.

This sort of regular feeding will ensure that your small plants and cuttings are given a boost of nutrition at a time when they are growing lots of roots and foliage. For flowering plants, it might even help them to produce early blooms.

Remember that, like children, plants need to be fed when they're actively growing. If you delay or avoid feeding plants when all the other factors are encouraging growth, you'll be stunting the potential vigour of the plants at an important time in their development.

Question: When I water my houseplants, I see several small insects buzzing around. Why are they there? How do I get rid of them?

Answer: These are fungus gnats, and are quite harmless to your plants. But they can multiply and become a nuisance. Avoid leaving water standing in any saucers and spray your plants and soil surfaces regularly with an insecticidal soap spray.

If you have a question, send it to stuartrobertsontipsgmail.com

--Canwest News Service

Stuart Robertson
March 23

Renovation & Design

Modular homes versatile, quality-controlled

It's not every home that comes with a crane as essential equipment, but when Dan and Bev Fox watched their 1,700-square-foot home rising south of Calgary, that's exactly what was doing the heavy lifting.

Their custom-designed house from High River, Alta.-based Willow Creek Homes was delivered in four pre-finished parts, on board flatbed trucks. The crane picked up each piece and swung it into place over the basement foundation they'd already prepared.

"It did look a little strange when all the modules arrived," Bev says.

"But I must say that when they fit them together and did all the finishing, they did a great job."

So much so that it's impossible to view their home as being different from homes built traditionally, on site. There are no visible joins, no signs that this house was built in a factory and trucked to its permanent home.

"In the last few years, there's been a lot of attention paid to modular homes among the architectural and design community," says Kathleen Maynard, executive director of the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute.

"We're seeing a lot of interesting designs come out of the factories -- the whole cookie-cutter concept has gone by the wayside."

What hasn't disappeared are the advantages. "They're being built in a controlled environment with a permanent crew," says Chris Andersen, president of the Modular/Manufactured Housing Association of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"It's a very efficient process with very little material waste, the building is out of the rain and snow, and you have the consistency of a trained, stable workforce," he says.

This aids quality control, as do the in-factory inspections by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which replace some of the on-site building inspections.

Although modular homes are more often thought of as rural homes, they're moving into cities and even entire subdivisions -- as long as the trucks and the cranes can get to the site, experts say, they can deliver the home.

And delivery can be fast. Darryl Cockx, regional sales manager for Airdrie, Alta.-based Best Buy Homes notes that its customers can order a home, choose its decor and have it delivered to their site within 90 days.

"If the customer has the power and heat on, we can complete the exterior and interior finishing within about two weeks after that," he adds.

Some outlets sell their own homes; others, like Best Buy, sell homes from one or more manufacturers. Going with a custom builder can take longer, but you can design the home you want.

"Some people come in with a very detailed plan in mind, while others come in with a sketch on the back of a napkin," says Lisa Bauer, Willow Creek Homes general manager. "We do in-house computer-assisted drafting, so we'll sit right there with them and work on a plan."

She notes that cost varies, depending on the home's size, complexity and finishes.

"We thought it would be cheaper going the modular home route, but as it turned out, it was comparable to a site-built house," says Dan Fox.

"It has, however, turned out to be a very good house."

-- Canwest News Service

From building site to stately home:

Step 1: Find a building site that's accessible for delivery (sales outlets can often help customers find or assess suitable locations).

Step 2: Carefully research designs and sales outlets or custom builders.

Step 3: Order your home. Plan to visit the factory to check progress and adherence to your specifications.

Step 4: Stay in touch with your sales outlet to ensure co-ordination of basement or foundation construction and utility servicing.

Step 5: On delivery day, cranes will position the modules on site.

Step 6: The sales outlet's crew will join the modules and complete remaining finishing details, including garage construction and landscaping if desired.

Step 7: Move in and enjoy the view!

Questions to ask before you buy:

Is the builder CSA-certified?

Are the builder and the sales company (if they're two different entities) both licensed as businesses through the provincial government?

Are the business(es) insured and can you see the insurance documents?

Are the business(es) members of modular housing, home builders or consumer associations?

Where will the home be built?

Will it be built inside a factory (not outside, exposed to the weather)?

Can you tour the factory?

What options do you have for customizing floor plans and finishes?

How energy-efficient will the home be?

What's the delivery time?

Is delivery included in the price?

How long will the home take to finish after delivery?

What's the warranty and who underwrites it -- i.e., if the builder goes out of business, does the warranty survive?

What's the homeowner inspection process, and what happens if there's a problem with the finishes or fixtures?

Green construction

Modular homes can incorporate the same energy-efficient technology as site-built homes, including solar panels that provide heating and domestic hot water or electricity.

Vancouver Island-based Jenesys Buildings Corp. uses a flat-pack approach rather than a true modular system. The home's elements are constructed in a factory, shipped and then put together. It designs prefabricated houses that generate more energy than they use.

"Soon we're going to have a new generation of electric cars, and we mean to be ready with a house that can actually generate the energy to power that car in addition to the energy that the house requires," says architect Carsten Jensen.

Resources

Modular/Manufactured Housing Association of Alberta and Saskatchewan: affordablehomes.ca

Best Buy Homes: bestbuyhousing.com

Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute: cmhi.ca

Jenesys Buildings Corp.: jenesysbuildings.ca

Moduline Canada: moduline.ca

Triple M Housing: triplemhousing.com

Willow Creek Homes: willowcreekhomes.ca

Yvonne Jeffery
March 23

Renovation & Design

They don't build houses like they used to

Earlier this winter, I was driving my car in the middle of one of our heavy snowstorms. It was very cold, snowing heavily and the visibility was poor.

I was relieved to be driving a fairly late-model vehicle with a very efficient heating and defrosting system and windshield wipers that didn't clog up with snow and ice, so I could get safely along my way.

But imagine if I had been driving an old car in that same scenario.

I suspect my driving experience would have been a lot more nerve-wracking. Let's face it, there have been a lot of advancements in the automotive field in the last 40 years or so.

The same can be said for housing. If you have not lived in a brand-new home in the last 40, 30 or even 20 years, you would be amazed at the advances.

In a very competitive marketplace, new-home builders are using advanced design, materials and construction techniques to provide home buyers with a wide range of options and great value.

"öDesign: It all begins with design. Good home design begins with an understanding of how people live in their homes. Times have changed. Families have changed, and with it, our lifestyles have evolved.

"öEnergy efficiency: The energy efficiency of Canadian homes has improved greatly over the years. Thanks to major advances in building techniques and product innovation, today's new homeowner can expect to use only half of the energy required for a similar home built in 1950, and at the same time enjoy a far more comfortable living environment. From windows to insulation to state-of-the-art heating and air conditioning systems, today's new homes are superior when it comes to energy efficiency.

"öEnvironmentally responsible products: Today's new home buyers have the opportunity to build a much more environmentally friendly home than was built 40 or 50 years ago. Great advances have been made in developing and manufacturing building products that contribute to the "greening" of Canadian homes.

"öSafety: New homes boast many products and features that ensure your family home is a safe environment. Whether it's superior air ventilation and heating systems, stair railings and risers built to code, improved electrical components or products that reduce gas emissions, a new house is built to a stringent code.

There's a saying you often hear people say about new homes: "They don't build them like they used to." I say that is very, very true. Because the reality is we build them better -- much better.

Joe Rauti is the president of the Greater Windsor Home Builders' Association.

-- Canwest News Service

Joe Rauti
March 23

Renovation & Design

Builder is wrong to dismiss uneven floor

11One major problem, however, has been the hardwood floor. It had a number of defects. The floor installation company and the floor manufacturer decided they would need to replace four hundred square feet of the flooring. This was to happen in November, after a period of drying and shrinkage. However, when the installer, who was not the original installer, arrived he did not want to install the new flooring because there were too many waves in the floor. The sub-floor was not level enough. He checked the beam and several of the teleposts were too high in the middle. These were over one half inch higher in the middle than the ends of the beam. He also noticed that some joists were uneven at the top causing the floor to be uneven. Our home has been built on piles.

The builder's representative, who is supposed to look after any complaints, indicated that this should not pose any problem for the replacement floor. After all, he argued, the floor installer is not an engineer. There was obvious resistance to even acknowledging that there was anything structurally wrong. We are very concerned about the seriousness of a beam that is bowed, and joists that are not level. He advised us to work at straightening the floor with telepost adjustment. This does not address the concern about the joists, however.

What is the tolerance level for the sub-floor hills and valleys? In my check of a four foot stretch, there were discrepancies of up to 5/16th of an inch in various areas of the floor. I am in the process of lowering the high points of the beam by adjusting the teleposts, one quarter of a turn every few days, but it has not seemed to improve the floor level. We would appreciate some advice.

-- John Shirley Bestvater, e-mail

Answer -- Uneven or defective floor coverings in new homes is a common complaint, one that seems to be increasing due to the expanding selection of materials available. Hardwood has always been a potentially problematic material for this purpose, due to the normal properties of the natural wood. Hardwood will shrink or swell, somewhat, if the amount of moisture in the wood is increased or decreased quickly due to environmental factors. This may or may not be the true cause of the problem in your home, which may be due to different factors.

Ideally, hardwood flooring should be acclimatized in the area inside the building under construction, for a period of several weeks, prior to installation. The reason for this is due to differing environmental factors between the location that the material has been stored and the new home. Particularly of concern is the relative humidity, which can be extremely high in a new building and may be dramatically different from the dry warehouse that it came from. Strip hardwood flooring is normally kiln dried to a specific moisture content, which may even drop slightly during storage. If this dry material is installed in the humid environment of a new home without acclimatizing, it may swell and buckle shortly after installation. Conversely, if the moisture content of the hardwood is too high, it may shrink after installation, leaving gaps between the individual boards.

According to the performance guidelines of Tarion, which is the former Ontario Home Warranty Program, "strip hardwood flooring or parquet flooring shall be installed to provide a surface where adjacent strips have no more than a two mm difference in elevation". They also go further to state that, "applied finished flooring shall be installed without visible ridges or depressions. Where visible ridges or depressions occur, the variation from the specified plane shall not exceed plus or minus six mm. This is less tolerance than you have observed over a short span, which would suggest that there is indeed a problem that needs remediation. While these performance standards are important, I don't believe that what you are experiencing is a problem with the flooring itself. As the second flooring installer has suggested the subfloor or the floor structure is the likely culprit for your uneven floor.

Variation from one floor joist to the next can be quite common if your floor structure is natural wood, especially with the mixture of spruce/pine/fir framing material commonly used today. Unlike the hardwood flooring, this material may have quite high moisture content depending on how freshly it has been milled. It may be only partially air dried and may also absorb considerable more moisture if it is left in the open elements during construction. Melted snow or rain can easily be soaked up by the fresh lumber and may also be unevenly distributed between different layers in the same pile. The outside boards may be soaking wet, after a heavy rain, while the inside pieces remain relatively dry, and vice versa. After installation, this wood will dry out and can shrink considerably across the grain, which will reduce the width of the dimensional lumber. Also, wet wood may warp or twist as it dries, which may cause further variations from one joist to the next. This uneven shrinkage can cause boards to "crown" or bow upwards or downwards. If adjoining floor joists shrink to different degrees or have opposing crowns, one laid upwards and the next one downwards, that can cause the unevenness you are seeing in your home.

While some telepost adjustment may be required after construction, even on a home with poured concrete pier or pile foundations, these should initially be minimal and may not yield a solution to your uneven floor. Consultation with a professional structural engineer to evaluate the floor structure should be your next step before proceeding with any more telepost adjustment or flooring replacement to prevent improper or unnecessary repairs.

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 new website at www.trainedeye.ca .

trainedeye@iname.com

Ari Marantz - Ask the Inspector
March 23

Renovation & Design

Architect's home a family affair

EDMONTON -- Roger Schilf has designed signature buildings in his career -- the distinctive, award-winning Telus Centre for Professional Development at the University of Alberta, for example. But when it came to designing his own home, Schilf followed the first rule of architecture and listened to the client -- his family.

The Glenora home the Schilfs built in 2000 is not a bold, modernist statement. Rather, it is almost an understatement -- a lovely, craftsman-style house made entirely of local materials that fits perfectly with the historic charm of the neighbourhood. Reclaimed clinker brick, Manitoba Tyndall stone and stone-dashed stucco made from Villeneuve pea gravel give the house its old-world character.

Schilf's painstaking attention to detail is evident in both the exterior and the interior. Every angle, nook and cranny was carefully planned to create visual interest. Schilf cleverly maximized the space, tucking a deceptively huge, 1,100-square-foot master bedroom loft into the often-wasted area under the roof. He also designed the home with the family's future needs in mind, separating his daughters' main-floor bedrooms from the noisier main rooms of the house and roughing in plumbing in one bedroom closet where he will one day create a bar and TV room. Upstairs, too, plumbing for a second bathroom has been roughed-in, in case any future owner wants to divide the space to create another bedroom.

Schilf, principal with Hodgson Schilf Architects in Edmonton, recently showed us around his family's unique home, with wife Melissa and daughters Riley and Avery.

Q. Why did you choose this house?

A. "When we bought the property it was a flipper. We were going to hang on to it for a couple of years and then look to build somewhere else, but then we fell in love with the neighbours and the neighbourhood."

Q. When you decided to build a new house on the site, what did you take into consideration?

A. "Designing a house and building a home is a family affair and you have to listen to your family. And everything I heard was that it had to be warm and cosy, it had to be traditional in a lot of ways and it had to fit into the neighbourhood."

Q. Do colleagues ever wonder why you went the traditional route?

A. "Architects, especially if you're a designer, are judged by what they live in.

"I've done modern work. In some instances, you could call it cutting-edge. But I've always had the attitude that you design for what your client's needs are. If you're doing your job as an architect, you're really facilitating their vision or their dreams."

Q. What look were you trying to create in the house?

A. "It's craftsman with a bit of an English-manor flavour or a bit of a Tudor flavour. That's the look we were going for. And that's Glenora."

"My wife is from Pembroke (Ontario) and there are a lot of historical homes there. It would have gone more gingerbread-y if she'd had her way. To temper that slightly, I think I came up with something that was a good balance for the two of us. My craftsmanship in the craftsman-style home is really the detail. All the little things."

Q. Why did you put your master bedroom in what is usually the attic?

A. "I spent a year working as an architect in Germany and I had an apartment in the roof. We don't take advantage of that in this county. The roofs are all trussed over and they're all lost space. In Europe, everybody lives in the roof and it happens to be the coolest space. Look at all the corner details you can create by using this space."

Q. How hard was it to create this loft area?

A. "I finished it all myself. I did all the framing, the boarding the wiring, everything."

Q. Why?

A. "I love it. That's what I do. I built the garage in the back. I just enjoy doing that kind of thing."

Q. Why did you choose to create a separate living room, dining room and kitchen instead of the more popular "great room"?

A. "Having rooms that are defined can be a nice thing, instead of everything being open. You can define space differently, with objects or with enclosure. We chose to go more of that traditional kind of defining of space."

Q. What is your favourite room?

A. "I think the family's favourite room is the living room, and we use it. We go through cords of wood here. It is a little indulgent to use a wood-burning fireplace, but I think it's the coziness. It just feels like home and that's really what we were after."

"My favourite room is the nook. This room in the morning is the nicest room in the whole house. The sun, if I get up at 5:30 or 6:00, that sun is coming in through the window. We have such good neighbours, we don't even have a fence. This is almost like you're in the woods."

Q. Why was it so important to you to build a house that fit into the neighbourhood?

A. "I think people build way more than what they need. It's kind of a symptom of our society as a young country relative to the rest of the world. If you temper that a bit and say, 'What do I need and what would feel good and what do I think is right?' Neighbours, one to another, can start to build things that promote more of a neighbourhood feel, a sense of scale in the neighbourhood."

-- Canwest News Service

Marta Gold
March 23

Renovation & Design

Solutions

The benefits of eggs and egg shells have been known for generations. The larger type eggs such as Ostrich were historically used as water carriers by the hunter gatherer tribes in ancient times.

1. In a pinch substitute egg white for glue. Stick light paper together with a little egg white when glue runs out.

2. After boiling eggs, don't pour the water down the drain. Instead, let it cool; then water plants with the nutrient-filled water.

3. Sometimes a recipe will call for only an egg white or only an egg yolk. Don't throw out that good leftover! Just freeze it and add it to your next omelet or scrambled eggs. If you make sure they don't get freezer burn, they will last quite a while, but I like to use them as soon as possible.

4. When hard boiling eggs, put a drop of food colouring into the water. When cooked, the eggs can be stored and the colour will tell you which eggs are hard boiled.

5. When poaching eggs, always add a few drops of white vinegar to the water so that the eggs stay together while boiling.

6. Bake your eggs in the oven! Remove the crusts of several pieces of bread. Butter both sides and fit them into muffin tins. Drop one egg in each muffin cup onto bread, cover with foil. Bake for about 5 mins. 325 degrees, top with cheese or salsa. Bake for another 3 mins. Enjoy!

7. After purchasing a carton of eggs, turn the carton over and return them to the refrigerator. This little trick helps eggs last longer.

8. Never again watch an egg roll off of the counter and onto the floor. Cut egg cartons into 3, 4 holed sections, the next time you are baking or cooking you need only take out one section and you don't have to play the balancing act with the eggs. Tip: Reuse cartons so that you only cut them once.

9. Did you know that egg shells are excellent at cleaning drains? Crush the shells as fine as you can and let them sit in the sink drain basket. Each time the water runs, the egg shells will make their way through to your drain pipes. Egg shells act as a safe abrasive and will help to get rid of any grease or hair buildup.

10. Use paper egg cartons to make little fire starters. Keep one in the laundry room for when you clean out the lint tray. Stuff lint into each section. When full, use old candle stubs, and drip wax onto the lint. Store until needed.

11. Store decorative plastic Easter eggs inside of empty egg cartons. Doing this is much more organized then storing them in a plastic bag. They don't get dirty or cracked and can be stacked, boxed identified easily.

12. Salt not only makes eggs taste better, but it makes egg dishes clean easier. Sprinkle salt on dishes right after breakfast; it makes them a whiz to clean when you have time.

13. When the kids get too old or "cool" to hunt for eggs, give the kids a chance to hide the eggs so that the parents or grandparents can have a turn searching.

14. Chef's secret! When making homemade stock, clarify the final product by beating egg whites to soft peaks, one for each quart/liter of stock. Crumple eggs-shells and mix them through the egg whites. Stir the mixture into the stock and bring it to a simmer, do not let it boil. The egg-whites will coagulate, rise, and take any particles and cloudiness out of the stock. Keep a close eye on the simmer (push the coagulated egg-whites to the side a bit to see) and let it simmer for about ten minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for another ten minutes. Finally, sieve the stock again through a tea towel.

15. Unbelievably Easy Egg Drop Soup Recipe (with ingredients that most of us have on hand!). In a soup pot, bring to a boil 3 cups chicken broth. Combine 2 tbsp. cold water with 1 tbsp. corn starch, stir into boiling broth. Stir 1 tbsp. soup broth into 1 slightly beaten egg. Slowly pour egg mixture into hot broth. Stir constantly until slightly thick. Tip: To this yummy delight you can add cooked meatballs, or a little Soya sauce, or chow mein noodles or rice.

Happy Easter!

Solutions, is compiled from various sources: infinitygoods.wrodpress.com, essortment.com, ehow.com, foodgeeks.com, helium.com, thriftyfun.com, rd.com, saltinstitute.com, en.wikibooks.org. Thanks to all who sent in tips and tricks! 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 programs across Canada and seen on the CBC TV show Living Winnipeg.

www.householdsolutions.org

Reena Nerbas
March 23

Renovation & Design

Oprah busy in her own backyard

You might think global media magnate Oprah Winfrey is too busy to sweat the details. But you'd be wrong.

According to the spring issue of O at Home, Oprah personally chose the grout color for the stone floor of the teahouse at her California home.

She also picked out different gravels for the rose beds and the garden pathways and helped plant the rosebushes.

Among her favorite roses: "Brass Band," which is pink with a hint of orange; "French Lace," creamy pale pink; "Sunset Celebration," apricot; "Marilyn Monroe," pale orange tinged with pink; and "Francois Rabelais," Chinese red. If you feel inspired to go out and plant roses, remember they thrive in full sun.

Elsewhere in the magazine:

Here's a fun idea for displaying a big collection of kids' sports trophies: Spray them all with a can of Benjamin Moore's high-gloss Big Country Blue paint. It's a great way to bring some cohesion to the collection of trophies, which tend to be all different sizes and a little junky looking. The thoughtful parent will ask his/her child before doing this.

One way to make a wall pop is to layer it with a patchwork of wallpaper samples in wildly varying colors and patterns. The magazine shows this treatment on a section of wall behind a fireplace; it might be overpowering if used on a wall from corner to corner.

Vinegar, along with baking soda and lemon juice, is a hero of the green-cleaning movement. If you don't like its smell, the magazine suggests substituting cheap vodka or leftover white wine.

Use canvas pull-down maps, the kind that used to be standard issue in schoolrooms, as educational window shades.

What could be more appropriate in our town than an outdoor bovine sculpture? Homeowners in upstate New York magnified an 18th-century woodblock print of a cow and transferred it to a piece of sturdy plastic, the kind that's used for outdoor signs. The two-dimensional cow grazes in a field; it would look good in a suburban yard, too.

Wristwatches are in danger of becoming extinct as people give them up in favor of cell phones. One homeowner unbuckles vintage men's watches, stretches them out and uses them as drawer pulls in her walk-in closet.

--McClatchy Newspapers

Gail Borelli
March 23

Renovation & Design

No barriers to good living

VICTORIA -- Wayne Clarke doesn't ride in a wheelchair and there's nothing wrong with his legs.

But that didn't stop Clarke, owner of Victoria's Seaview Construction, from building a 6,400-square-foot house that he describes as "one you can whistle around in a wheelchair." The concept, which netted Clarke two awards at last week's inaugural Bear Mountain awards, came about by happenstance.

"There are two people in wheelchairs in my extended family," Clarke explains. One is Clarke's 40-year-old cousin who has been a wheelchair-user for the last dozen years. Clarke noticed she was attending fewer family gatherings as the years went past.

He asked her why.

"She was embarrassed at having to be carried in, or up staircases," Clarke says. "She's an independent person and that was hard for her. She doesn't like to think she's inconveniencing anyone."

Clarke, who has been in construction for 22 years, put his hammer where his heart is. He built the sprawling three-storey home in the Victoria-area development of Bear Mountain complete with elevator, wide doorways, lipless roll-in shower and flat indoor-to-outdoor entry.

The most obvious feature the home holds is the one you can't see.

"When I talked to people in the residential care-home industry, they said one of the biggest challenges they face is finding a building that doesn't look like it's got a big handicap sticker pasted on it," Clarke says.

"People don't need to be reminded that they're in a wheelchair every time they look around their house."

Toward that end, the first impression of the home is one of spacious comfort, amid Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, burnt saffron-stained maple cabinetry, granite countertops and high-end metal detailing in the railings and pendant light fixtures. One hardly notices the halls have extra-wide hubs for easy wheelchair manoeuvreing and extra-wide doors.

Even the elevator is elegantly panelled in wood.

Clarke's cousin might have been a guest in the home, but she didn't live there, so many of the modifications are structural.

Clarke and his designer, Will Pereboom of Victoria Design, planned the house to streamline possible future modifications, such as installing hidden plumbing in the master ensuite vanity so that some day it can be converted easily into a plumbed sink with roll-under counter.

What makes the house more unusual is that it might be the only million-dollar-plus home built on spec with the mobility-impaired in mind.

In addition to owning Seaview Construction, Clarke recently took on the role of construction manager at Bear Mountain. He and his family lived in the house for a year before he sold it to Heather and Ben Scheffer and moved his family up the mountain to build another house.

He has moved on, but the eye-opener his mobility-impaired relatives have given him has changed the way he looks at residential construction.

"If you look at the baby boomer demographic, this is the kind of design they need, if not today, then maybe tomorrow," Clarke says. "You don't have to be in a wheelchair for this. If you've got a bad knee, even a single flight of stairs will become a barrier to you inside your own home."

Indeed, Clarke has noted a number of homes at Bear Mountain built with "chaseways" -- shafts where elevators can be installed at a later date.

Elevators are costly. Clarke paid $40,000 for the award-winning home's elevator.

"For a million-dollar house, that's not a huge chunk of the budget," Clarke says, "but if you look at our demographics, for even the average home, it will look more like a wise investment as the years go on."

"Even think of all the people who are taking care of aging parents. Inevitably, your home becomes their space, too. We have to start thinking about building homes for everyone."

--Canwest News Service

Joanne Hatherly
March 23

Renovation & Design

Realtors expect spring to be hot

It's official. Spring has sprung and our long, cold winter is finally over -- hopefully!

Cold complainers like me aren't the only ones celebrating the arrival of spring. The real estate market is entering its busiest time of year and the market is picking up.

"We're seeing a lot of action in the market," says Darlene Clare, president of WinnipegREALTORS. "It is really amazing -- and it's been a very cold winter."

Now that it's finally warming up, buyers are anxious to get out and start looking for the perfect house. The combination of the milder temperatures and the extra hour or so of daylight at the end of the day has had a positive influence on home buying activity.

"It's just made a huge difference," says Clare. "When its - 46 in February, it's hard to get out there and look -- you have to be really motivated."

Yet, despite the cold weather, sales activity in the real estate market was strong in the winter months. In February, for example, there were lots of multiple offers on houses and properties on average sold for seven per cent above the list price.

As people get into the market now with the hopes of buying this spring in order to move in by summer, Clare says the challenge is getting more houses on the market. She says it is still a strong seller's market, with limited supply and many properties still receiving multiple offers. And that's disheartening for many potential homebuyers.

"There are buyers who have written eight or nine offers on different houses and are very discouraged," notes Clare. "For realtors, it's difficult to keep those buyers motivated."

Clare says she hopes more homes will come on the market this spring, which will balance out the tight demand-and-supply phenomenon and even out the market.

Realtor Greg Michie, of Sutton Group, says there is a definite need for more houses to come onto the market because there is not nearly enough supply to fill demand. He says he thinks the supply situation is even tighter than it was last year and there are even fewer listings for buyers to choose from.

While that's not good news for buyers, it has been a boon to sellers.

"My personal experience is that so many houses are selling for more than they were last year," says Michie, adding the infamous bidding wars are a continuing trend in this market.

Perhaps the newer trend is that bidding wars are becoming more common now in the higher-priced homes, where they were predominantly in the more affordable segments of the market.

"People are stepping up the ladder," Michie notes. " Bidding wars are more severe and are starting to appear at higher levels for those 'special' houses."

Michie is referring to the so-called "turn-key" houses, where buyers can essentially move right in and don't have to do much of anything. Despite the fact they may have to get into one of those bidding wars, homebuyers are often willing to shell out more money for the right house.

"When purchasers spend that extra money, they don't want question marks on what improvement costs will be," says Michie. "Houses that are turn-key are the ones that really go."

That demand for houses that are essentially done, combined with rising property values and continued low interest rates, has led many people to invest in their homes over the last several years.

"A lot of people have refinanced and upgraded their homes because the value is there," says Michael Dubienski, a realtor with RE/MAX professionals.

And that's been a positive for both buyers and sellers. While sellers are able to capture increased value for their homes as a result of the improvements they have made, buyers are getting a better deal, too.

"People are actually getting better houses," says Dubienski.

The strong values are also encouraging people to think about moving. The Baby Boomers are on the move, Dubienski says. He says many are looking at the market, finding out what their house is worth and then deciding now is the time to move into a condo. In most cases, he says they are simply trading houses -- selling their house and turning around and buying a condo for a similar amount.

"I've noticed a huge increase in the condo market," says Dubienski. "I think people are overwhelmed by the prices and are deciding it's time to sell."

Dubienski also offers a ray of hope for discouraged buyers. In recent weeks, three listings in the very popular River Heights area have sold for or even under the list price with only one offer. While many houses are inciting bidding wars and commanding top dollar, he says there are also many good homes selling at more reasonable values.

That's not to say the market is going anywhere near down.

Just like his counterparts, Dubienski is projecting a very positive spring real estate market.

"With interest rates the way they are and supply and demand, I think we're going into a great spring," he says.

Tracy Bryksa - Around the Market
March 23

Renovation & Design

Good for young and old

IN the new homes market, it's all too easy for two demographic groups to get lost in the shuffle: young families with one or two kids, and new retirees.

The reason for that is simple: both are looking for a new home that is affordable, offers a good amount of living space along with a fair modicum of style. All of which makes sense; when you're starting out, you're not looking for all the bells and whistles. If you've just called it a career, you're looking to downsize to a home that has ample storage space -- and that is easy to maintain.

Enter the Windsor, a 1,510-square-foot bungalow designed by Kensington Homes. Although not considered overly large by today's oversized new-home standards, this cleverly designed home -- with attached rear garage -- is plenty roomy, especially considering that there's another 1200 sq. ft. plus of living space ready for development on the lower level.

"It's been very popular among retirees, career people and even young families looking to upgrade," says Quest Realty's Gerry Mah, who along with Anne Hiebert markets the show home for Kensington Homes. "People, especially those from the River Heights or Fort Garry areas, love the design -- it's a bit of a throwback with the garage in rear. They also love the openness of the design. You can see the whole house, and how well it flows."

That said, the Windsor is no out-and-out open-concept design. The reason? An optional wall erected between the great room and dining room. With hallways on either side to provide a pair of access points, the wall neatly divides the great room from the dining room. Privacy is attained, yet movement between the two areas is unobstructed.

"If you like, you can have the home designed without the wall there, but we've found that people like it being there to provide a bit of division between rooms," Hiebert says. "In this design, you also get a fireplace set in cultured stone on the opposite side of the wall, as well as a niche above the (maple-trimmed) mantle for a big-screen TV or art -- it provides a focal point for the great room."

With a spacious great room and the optional wall in place, it would be easy to assume that space has been sacrificed in the dining room/kitchen area. Thankfully, that's not the case at all; the dining room is wide open with a recessed nook for a buffet -- and a recessed area on the wall (with pot light above) to display art. There's more than enough room for a table that seats six, and with the kitchen only steps away, serving dinner figures to be a largely effortless task.

Although the dining room/kitchen area is a by-and-large open concept, two design features provide division and flair at the same time: an eating nook for three that faces in toward the dining room from the kitchen's main countertop, and an arch cut-out that frames the kitchen, simultaneously opening up and dividing the shared space.

"This home has so much personality, and that feature is a big part of it," Mah says. "The kitchen is like an old country kitchen in that it's very spacious. Its L-shaped design makes for lots of room -- so much so that you can put a table and chairs in it. There are lots of windows to make it bright, tons of counter space, and even a large wall pantry. The medium brown maple cabinets and textured black Arborite countertops really finish it off nicely, while the engineered oak hardwoods in the dining room and great room (there's textured beige linoleum in the kitchen) add warmth."

Two distinct bedroom wings also allow for a high degree of privacy, something that's welcome whether you have young kids, are housing travel-weary guests, or are using one of the two extra bedrooms as an exercise or R R room.

Off by its lonesome -- just as it should be -- the master bedroom is impressively large with a cavernous walk-in closet. There's ample room in the bedroom for two end tables, a king-size bed, plant and a low-sling dresser; a big double window also makes for a bright, relaxing space. The ensuite, with its maple vanity, copper-coloured Arborite countertop and faux ceramic tile (linoleum floor) -- and large corner shower stall with frosted glass sliding doors -- offers straightforward access to the necessary creature comforts. With a deep bathtub just around the corner, a relaxing soak is just steps away.

One other design feature has been drawing raves, adds Hiebert: the staircase leading to the large lower level.

"Everyone loves it -- it's extra-wide, which will make moving furniture downstairs extremely easy when the time comes to furnish it," she says. "And there's so much room to develop, over 1,200 sq. ft. All in all, this home has real warmth and character, is easy to maintain and offers great versatility at a very affordable price. That's why it's a great home for young families, retirees, even career-oriented folks."

lewys@mts.net

Todd Lewys
March 9