With the current Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) and the ecoEnergy grants available, home renovation appears to be alive and well. It certainly is in our house. Have you ever wondered what the pay back might be for the money you invest in those renovations? The Appraisal Institute of Canada has a handy calculator on their website to [...]
I got a notice the other day from the Environment Network in Collingwood that I think will be of interest to all rural property owners. They are promoting the Well Aware Program which is a project of Green Communities Canada that receives funding support from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Well Aware home visits, [...]
Time for another update on our chemical free-lawn progress. If you recall, I first wrote about this in May of last year. Our lawn had already been free of chemicals for almost two years but the poor thing was suffering. Then, about 15 months ago, we hired Garden [...]
Can you imagine having an oil spill on your own property and the subsequent costs involved in cleaning it up? Depending on the size, location and nature of the spill, the costs could easily reach the 5 and 6 figures or, in one case we know of, the millions! This is not an odd occurrence [...]
Do you ever wonder how your own behaviours and expenditures as a home owner stack up to the norm? According to a report released by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), approximately 1.7 million households across 10 major city centres spent almost $21.3 billion on renovations to their primary residence in 2008. About 35 [...]
We often talk about our desire to “go green” but outside of replacing fluorescent light bulbs and using organic garbage bins, I’m not sure some people really have been able to translate their desires into concrete action. I’ve been thinking about this a great deal lately as we try to develop our own green plan [...]
A few weeks ago, I read a blog post written by one of my favourite home inspectors about radon gas. For years we’ve heard rumours that this may become the “next big thing” and suddenly, it seems to be here. Radon gas is an invisible and radioactive gas that may be present in cellars, basements [...]
The house that my hubby and I live in is just over 20 years old. It was well built and you wouldn’t think there would be much value to having an energy audit done. Think again. Since talking to people a lot about things like ecoEnergy rebates, the pending Home Energy Rating Act and about [...]
By now you’ve likely heard about yesterday’s proposed Federal budget. As expected, it includes some initiatives to stimulate the housing industry which is a darn good idea if you ask me. Did you know that according to research conducted by the Altus Group for the Canadian Real Estate Association, each residential real estate transaction in [...]
If you were selling or renting out your property, would you agree to provide the potential buyer or tenant with a report describing the energy efficiency of your property? What would the results of such a report show? In October 2008, the Ontario legislature passed the second reading of Bill 101 known as the Home [...]
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