Toronto at Home - A Real Estate Blog

Simple steps to home improvement

Affordable ways to up a home's style and value Change lighting, hardware, and use crown moulding

by KIMBERLEY SELDON

Who isn't looking for a bigger return on his or her investment these days? When a decorating or home improvement project is required, all of us appreciate smart solutions that won't break the bank.

Here are a dozen affordable ways to improve your home's style quotient and value while offering more bang for your decorating bucks.

Combine stock elements with custom elements. For a kitchen renovation, you can choose stock cabinetry for lower cabinets as well as the majority of upper cabinets, but opt for custom-designed wall units flanking a feature window. The impression will be anything but routine.

Modify items that are noticeably dated. The '70s wall tile in the bathroom, the balloon shades in the living room or eggplant-coloured toilet can be improved upon. (Unless, of course, you are designing a room that is retro in style.)

Use standard elements with custom flair. For example, 12-inch by 12-inch slate flooring tile can be customized by cutting the tile into numerous sizes, say 6 inch by 12 inch and 2 inch by 2 inch and using the various pieces to create a unique pattern.

Update items at eye level where the immediate impact can be appreciated. The dull stair runner, tired backsplash, bland wall colour or chipped cabinetry offer instant gratification when replaced or enhanced.

Don't be afraid to mix pedigrees. The Ikea sofa and the Hermès throw are perfectly companionable, provided they have a similar design.

Paint offers the most notable changes at minimum cost. Good quality paint doesn't chip, goes on easily, and covers well. The role of paint is to enhance other items in the home.

Spend the most you can comfortably afford on investment pieces like area carpets and sofas, as they are frequently used and enjoyed over many years.

Update lighting for immediate improvement. Replace dated fixtures and improve atmosphere by adding table and floor lamps.

These incandescent light sources provide the most comfortable, flattering lighting.

Improve cabinetry in any room by changing uninteresting hardware.

Today's choices are limitless with finishes ranging from pewter to porcelain, glass to nickel.

Invest in original artworks. Seek out local artisan sources and purchase a painting or photograph that inspires or pleases you.

Phone a local art college such as the Ontario College of Art to gain access to student showings.

Traditional homes benefit from the addition of crown moulding and substantial baseboards.

Although it requires some skill to do the installation, it's a relatively easy project.

In addition to adding depth and history to rooms, architectural enhancements like these will contribute to the home's resale value.

Adopt a five-year plan. For many of us , this is the only practical way to create the home of your dreams.

Make a list of all the required changes and work systematically through the list beginning with "hidden" work such as lighting, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and roofing.

Although these initial tasks are not glamorous, postponing them can actually be dangerous and cost you more money in the long run.

The heart of your home

It's the most important room in your house, so plan your kitchen renovation well

by ELIZABETH RAND-WATKINSON
Toronto Globe and Mail

Renovating your kitchen is among the best investments you can make to maximize your home's resale value, according to sources in the know. (See table at OntarioContractors.com) Resale value, however, isn't the only -- or even the most important -- reason for updating your kitchen. For those who spend a lot of time there and consider the kitchen the heart of the home, it can be vital to have the space functioning, well, like a DeLonghi espresso machine, a Miele dishwasher or an Aga range -- and continually able to support the evolving needs of a family.

In The Kitchen Idea Book, Joanne Kellar Bouknight says, "The average kitchen design lasts 15 years." In part, this is because styles change, appliances go kaput, and cabinetry and finishes wear out or get banged up. More important, people change.

Just as we grow as individuals, family dynamics change over time; activities and personal interactions evolve. The child who used to bang on pots and pans on the kitchen floor now needs space to do homework and use the family computer, which many parents keep in the kitchen so they can monitor what junior's using it for.

As children become more independent, parents may begin to entertain more, creating a need for a kitchen that will make guests comfortable. (Don't we always end up in the kitchen?) And the newbie hockey players that of late have been swarming in like ravenous locusts every Monday would be more manageable in a designated post-game snacking area.

The reasons for renovating are as unique as our families, so forget about looking for the elusive "ideal" of the efficient kitchen. There's no such thing. No one kitchen is right for everyone, just as size 8 doesn't fit everyone either (sigh).

Forgotten oil tanks can be costly

Environmental cleanup and upgrades required

by Bob Aaron
a Toronto real estate lawyer

Home ownership is often full of surprises. Consider the case of a local century home, which sold recently, conditional on financing and a home inspection.

When the home inspector showed up two weeks ago, he noticed a small nozzle sticking out of the driveway. He told the buyers that he believed it was the top end of a fill pipe for an underground oil storage tank, buried under the driveway.

It's not difficult to imagine the shock of the sellers at the potential for an environmental nightmare. When they bought the home a couple of years ago, their buyer's agent did not suggest a home inspection. Trusting the agent, they did not have one done.

They listed the property for sale recently with a different agent, and filled out a Seller Property Information Sheet (SPIS) setting out what they knew. Their listing agent emailed me last weekend and told me that she did all of her homework, researching the zoning, taxes, assessment, building permits and other public information on the property. But since nobody knew about the oil tank, there are no records of its existence.

The home inspection revealed easily remedied electrical and plumbing issues but the buried oil tank is another problem altogether.

Old underground tanks can easily corrode. If they still contain oil, leaks can contaminate soil and groundwater. An environmental cleanup potentially can cost more than the value of the property.

Under current Ontario legislation, all underground oil tanks were to have been registered with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority by May 1, 2002. Those still in use have to be upgraded with specific leak and spill prevention equipment, or be removed.

If a tank is 25 years old or older, or of an unknown age, it must be removed by October 1, 2006, unless specially protected from corrosion. If a tank is 20 to 24 years old, the deadline is one year later. Tanks between 10 and 19 years old must be removed or upgraded by October 1, 2008. The deadline for all newer tanks is October 1, 2009.

Unused underground tanks must be removed by a registered fuel oil contractor, and the surrounding soil carefully tested for contamination and cleaned.

About seven years ago, I acted on the sale of a small Toronto apartment building. An inspection revealed an old underground oil tank. The sellers had to have it removed and have numerous soil samples analysed.

Since the property was not far from Lake Ontario, the ministry of the environment required that soil samples be taken from holes drilled to the water table.

Fortunately, the tank was empty, the samples came back clean, and the property sold without incident.

Unfortunately for homeowners suddenly faced with this type of surprise, there is no government assistance available for upgrading or removing underground oil tanks.

The real estate agent who contacted me last week about her deal in progress recommended that homeowners should not ignore an unused oil tank but get it removed as soon as possible.

In the meantime, her client's transaction is on hold while the driveway is torn up to access and remove the tank. She promised to let me know what happens.

Let the spending begin

If you bought a house this year, you helped inject more than $150 million in spinoff purchases alone into the London economy. Signing on the dotted line for a home is just the start of big spending, a survey by Toronto consulting firm Clayton Research shows.

On average, Canadians spend $19,760 on spinoff purchases when they buy a home, the 2003 survey found -- a number not out of line for London, observers say.

That would mean $156.7 million has been spent here from January to October this year on everything from legal fees and moving vans to paint, wallpaper and a new wide-screen TV for the family room.

"Business has doubled in the last three years," says John Say, owner of Artisan Interiors, which builds custom cabinets, shelving, renovations and high-end kitchens.

"There is a ton of work out there. People are starting to think of their homes differently. Ten years ago, the kitchen was another room. Now it is a focal point."

It's not uncommon for Say to get calls from homeowners who have been through an open house or model home, like what they see, and want him to recreate the look.

"Buyers are so much more savvy now. They really want style."

According to the survey, homeowners spend 22 per cent more now on spinoffs when they buy a home than they did a decade ago.

"Furnishing new home buys now accounts for about 25 per cent of our business," says Doug Duin at Leon's on Wharncliffe Road. "It is a lot of younger people and . . . they are not buying entry level but higher ticket items."

The trend is also driven by low interest rates, says Toby Stolee of the London Home Builders Association. "We are doing major renovations because the money is cheap to borrow. Everybody is busy right now. If they are not busy they are not doing something right."

Stolee, who owns Renew Building and Design Ltd., says people now ask for reno estimates before they even buy the house.

"We have done jobs ranging from $20,000 to $250,000," he says. "A lot of people considering moving can't find anything they like better, so they bring their home up to the level they want."

Nationally, spinoffs are valued at about $7.5 billion across Canada, generating more than 101,000 jobs.

There are also indirect spinoffs including everything from wood and raw materials to computers used by banks and real estate brokers, the report says.

Neutral colours are on the rise

COLOUR DEFINES who we are, how we feel, what we wear and how we accessorize our lives. It is a major component in our personal environments where we can demonstrate, to the fullest extent, our true personality, and thus welcome friends and family into our homes with the hope that they are immediately comfortable and relaxed.

As you embrace the pursuit of colours and fixtures for your new home, you may be interested to know that Sico Paints’ own research has identified a selection of emerging colours for 2005. These colours reflect what the company is calling the SPA phenomenon. In our ongoing quest for relaxation and a more profound sense of well-being, it seems we’re keen to come home to a colour palette that readily allows us to unwind from everyday frustrations such as traffic jams, techno stress, time delays and noise pollution.

Continued ...

Asbestos and your home

Asbestos is a natural mineral with unusual qualities. It is strong enough to resist high temperatures, chemical attack and wear. A poor conductor, it insulates well against heat and electricity.

Asbestos crystals become long, flexible, silky fibres, so it can be made into a wide variety of forms. It can be spun into yarn, woven into cloth or braided into rope. Asbestos can also be added to materials as diverse as cotton and cement.

This combination of properties gives asbestos performance capabilities that are difficult to match.

What has asbestos been used for?

Asbestos has been used in hundreds of applications and products over the past 4,500 years. The ancient Greeks wove it into oil lamp wicks, funeral shrouds and ceremonial tablecloths. During the 1800s, it insulated the hot engines, boilers and piping that powered the Industrial Revolution.

For half a century, until the 1980s, asbestos was used in office buildings, public buildings and schools. It insulated hot water heating systems, and was put into walls and ceilings as insulation against fire and sound.

Asbestos has also been widely used in transportation and electrical appliances, frequently mixed with, and encased in, other materials.

Asbestos has also been found in many products around the house. It has been used in clapboard; shingles and felt for roofing; exterior siding; pipe and boiler covering; compounds and cement, such as caulk, putty, roof patching, furnace cement and driveway coating; wallboard; textured and latex paints; acoustical ceiling tiles and plaster; vinyl floor tiles; appliance wiring; hair dryers; irons and ironing board pads; flame-resistant aprons and electric blankets; and clay pottery. Asbestos can also be present in some loose-fill vermiculite insulation.

How has the use of asbestos changed?

When it became evident that regular exposure to asbestos on the job involved health risks, the public became more concerned about exposure to asbestos in offices and schools, and, eventually, about all asbestos products.

This concern has led to a dramatic decline in asbestos use since the early 1980s. The use of asbestos insulation in buildings and heating systems has virtually disappeared. Residential use, for roofing, flooring and appliances, continues to decrease.

While alternative products are being developed to replace asbestos, products sold today containing asbestos are regulated under the Hazardous Products Act. Asbestos can be used safely, and public concern has led to improved product design and manufacture. Asbestos is now better encapsulated and sealed to reduce the escape of fibres.

Asbestos is valuable in many applications because it has been difficult to find comparable substitute materials. For example, it is still an important component of brake lining and clutch facings.

What health problems are associated with exposure to asbestos?

Health Canada states that the asbestos content of a product does not indicate its health risk.

Asbestos poses health risks only when fibres are in the air that people breathe. Asbestos fibres lodge in the lungs, causing scarring that can ultimately lead to severely impaired lung function (asbestosis) and cancers of the lungs or lung cavity.

Concern for the health of asbestos workers was expressed as long ago as the late 1800s. The risks became more evident in the late 1960s, when workers who had been heavily exposed 20 to 30 years earlier showed increased incidence of lung disease. Occupational exposure is now strictly regulated by provincial governments.

When can asbestos be a problem in the home?

Today, far fewer products in the home contain asbestos. Current products that do contain the material are better made to withstand wear and use.

However, frequent or prolonged exposure to asbestos fibres may still bring health risks. This can happen with the release of fibres into the air when asbestos-containing products break down, either through deterioration as they age or when they are cut. People can put themselves at risk — often without realizing it — if they do not take proper precautions when repairs or renovations disturb asbestoscontaining materials. This can occur in a number of situations:

• Disturbing loose-fill vermiculite insulation which may contain asbestos
• Removing deteriorating roofing shingles and siding containing asbestos, or tampering with roofing felt that contains asbestos
• Ripping away old asbestos insulation from around a hot water tank
• Sanding or scraping vinyl asbestos floor tiles
• Breaking apart acoustical ceilings tiles containing asbestos
• Sanding plaster containing asbestos, or sanding or disturbing acoustical plaster that gives ceilings and walls a soft, textured look
• Sanding or scraping older water-based asbestos coatings such as roofing compounds, spackling, sealants, paint, putty, caulking or drywall
• Sawing, drilling or smoothing rough edges of new or old asbestos materials

How to minimize the asbestos risks in the home?

If you do not know if products in your home contain asbestos, have an experienced contractor inspect them. If there is asbestos, the best interim measure (unless the product is peeling or deteriorating) is to seal the surface temporarily so that fibres will not be released into indoor air. If the product is already protected or isolated, simply leave it alone.

It is a complex and expensive matter to remove asbestos, and should be done by an experienced contractor. When disturbing an asbestos product, maximum precautions must be taken to safeguard the workers and anybody else who may be nearby. Asbestos dust must remain within the work area so that it cannot be breathed in by unprotected persons.

It is essential to take adequate precautions. Everybody who works with asbestos should always wear an approved face mask and gloves, along with protective clothing. Be sure to tape sleeve and trouser cuffs, and wash clothes separately after use. Keep the work area moist to keep dust and fibre particles from floating into the air. Isolate the work space.

Reduce the air pressure to prevent asbestos fibres from escaping from the work area, and filter the exhaust air. Dispose of all waste appropriately, according to the guidelines of your provincial department of the environment. Other removal methods may be warranted for special conditions — consult an expert

Renovations That Make Sense

Canadians pour an astonishing amount into home renovations -- $23 billion last year alone. Yet almost half of that money vanishes when it comes time to resell. Before you sink your money into costly upgrades, take a look at what improvements will put the most change in your pocket.

• The undoubted champion for payback value is a new paint job, preferably in a neutral colour. A buyer doesn't want to have to put on three coats of paint to cover what was there before. A coat of paint is cheap and quick, and it boosts your home's resale value by almost every penny of what it costs.

• Close behind are kitchen and bathroom renovations. Shiny faucets and ceramic tiles can yield a healthy return. Good cabinets and plenty of counter space also pack lots of resale appeal.

• If you're thinking of adding space, a new family room will recoup much of your expense; so will putting in an extra bedroom or adding a main-floor washroom. Beware of major additions. Home buyers seldom compensate owners for anything near the cost.

• If you don't have a garage, you may want to add one. And if you already have a garage but it's dilapidated, some vinyl siding and a new garage door will pay off handsomely at selling time.

The biggest money loser of all? In-ground pools. "They're a bit of a white elephant and difficult to maintain, " says Peter Norman of Clayton Research. "Most people with dogs and kids don't want them."

Are there holes in your home?

It's the unthinkable, leaving the door wide open in the chilling winter season. Yet surprisingly many homeowners are doing something very similar to that when they overlook the largest holes in their homes.

The clothes dryer, attic stairway and fireplace may not typically come to mind as escape routes for air, but they can be exactly that, as well as a costly expense to your heating bill.

"The clothes dryer exhaust duct goes right outside through a four-inch diameter exhaust pipe," say Mark Tyrol, Battic Door Attic, Stair Covers in Mansfield Massachusetts. Tyrol says the small metal trap door that opens and closes can get stuck open or blown open, "It's just like having an open window. You've got a four-inch diameter hole that's just letting all your heat out through the dryer and letting all the cold air in." That's why sometimes the coldest room in the house can be the laundry room.

Tyrol discovered a product that his company now sells that prevents air leakage. The Clothes Dryer Vent Seal costs under $20 and helps keep out more than just cold air.

"It will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape," Tyrol says.

A second common culprit for heat loss is the attic stairway.

"When attic stairs are installed, a large hole approximately 10-square feet is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood," explains Tyrol.

Because attics are often ventilated directly to the outdoors, in the summer they are extremely hot and in the winter they can be freezing and if only a thin sheet of plywood separates the attic from the house, there's little protection from heat loss.

Tyrol said that gaps around the door are often visible.

"Try this yourself: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door -- do you see any light coming through? These are gaps that add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day. This is like leaving a window open all year round," warns Tyrol.

An easy, do-it-yourself installation product that costs $29.50 provides a seal and keeps the cold air out. Insulation can be added over the Attic Stair Cover to restore the insulation that was removed from the ceiling.

The third significant area of heat loss is through the fireplace. A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

"A lot of fireplaces have dampers that you open and close and they're not designed to be airtight, so the chimney acts like a giant straw and it pulls the heat right out of the house," says Tyrol.

But the use of an inflatable, non-flammable pillow that can be placed up inside the chimney can block air from escaping.

"What it does is seal the fireplace airtight so that none of your heat can go out of the chimney and none of the cold air or toxins, such as the things that are inside the chimney, insects, sounds, any of that can come back in the house," says Tyrol.

The fireplace draftstopper sells for $45 and is completely safe -- even if you were to accidentally light your fireplace with the pillow still in place.

"First of all there's a bright reflective orange, I'll call it a warning label, it's really a reminder to deflate it and remove it. But if somehow that's overlooked, as soon as the fire heats it will just fall down on top of the fire and it's non-flammable so it will just smother the fire," explains Tyrol.

Painting key to curb appeal

If people stop dead in their tracks to admire your residence, your house has curb appeal.

Curb appeal probably sells more than half of all houses that go on the market. At the very least, it makes buyers take notice, gets them across the sidewalk or yard and inside the front door.

When you couple curb appeal with pricing the house appropriately you have the best situation as a seller. Generally, the tidier, fresher and cleaner it looks, the more curb appeal it has. And painting is key. Sure, choices and tints can vary from region to region, but a spanking-new paint job that's crisp and fresh can really bring in the buyers no matter where you live.

Painting can be very expensive, but it is the least expensive way to get the biggest return on your investment.

In the new-home market, exterior coloration is both art and science.

For years, builders felt comfortable choosing exterior colors. However, in the last 10 years, the architect, designer and, in some cases, the land planner are being brought in early on in the process to choose exterior coloration.

Sometimes, the type of construction can limit the choice of paints and the surfaces to be painted. For example, townhouse communities don't give buyers much flexibility in exterior coloration. Generally, the builder determines the color of the siding and the trim, in consultation with the designer and architect.

How other houses in a neighborhood are painted has a real impact on how your house is perceived by a buyer. If the house next door is loud and unpleasant-looking, it will affect both saleability and price.

Even when no one is telling you what to paint your house, the colors you choose for your house will elicit an emotional response in the buyer.

But what will turn a buyer on? If you're a procrastinator, you can try not painting your house and pray that prospective buyers will see past it. That’s not a good idea. Most buyers can only see what is in front of their faces. They can't see one color and change it in their mind's eye to something they might want.

If you're choosing a color for resale-go conservative.

Whatever your personal preference, you should always keep resale in mind. If you go off the deep end of the color spectrum, you could affect not only the value of your house but that of the entire neighborhood.

If you're choosing a color for resale-go conservative.

Whatever your personal preference, you should always keep resale in mind.
If you go off the deep end of the color spectrum, you could affect
not only the value of your house but that of the entire neighborhood.