View La Floria Mountain Biking Route, Flegere in a larger map

The Route

Exit the cable car station and immedtiately U-turn right onto a wide gravely path. You can see a 4×4 track approx 50 below you.

Make your way down to it and follow it downhill, taking care to go around or bunnyhop several drainage ditches.

Pass under a chairlift cable then, 70m later, look out for a junction that hairpins left off the 4×4 track into a single track, signposted Les Praz and Chamonix.

The first section of this track is steep – take care here and on the next part, which becomes rocky and rooty. Follow the three switchbacks – a right, a left and another right.

Cross over a 4×4 track, going straight over and back onto the single track signposted Les Praz & Chamonix. Follow this track, taking care on the staircase sections and make a left turn at the next y junction, following chalet Le Floria signs.

Ignore the left turn soon after and stay on the main drag to the right.

After five mins ride, the track forks again: turn right signposted Chalet La Floria 20mins.

Go through a couple of streams, ignore a left turn and immediately afterwards, when you arrive at the chalet, take care to dismount.

Stop for a drinkie.

Exit the buvette on the other side and pick up the 4×4 track and stick with it for another 5 mins to take you down to Chamonix.

Along with spring comes the annual spring cleaning. So when you’re conquering cluttered closets and attacking ancient attics, remember that they shouldn’t be the only things on the to-do list: your heating and cooling system needs attention too. Since proper up-keep can increase a system’s efficiency and therefore decrease electricity bills, cleaning your system can save money.

Preventative maintenance inspections are the best way to reveal air leaks, rust, corrosion and dust build-up in your air conditioning system. A properly maintained unit will have increased efficiency and can decrease energy bills because it’s not working as hard to keep you comfortable. In this economy every penny counts, so while a properly maintained unit can keep you comfortable, a maintained AC unit also helps reduce costs in utility bills.

When an air conditioner is turned on after sitting around all winter, water may be produced in the form of condensation on cool indoor coils, and drains from these coils can become blocked from dust and algae growth. A blocked drain can cause flooding or water damage in the area surrounding your indoor unit. Often preventable complications can cause major equipment malfunctions.

To keep your air conditioner unit in excellent condition, follow these five tips:

1. Clean or replace air filters regularly to help the AC unit run more efficiently.

2. Open vents in all rooms – closing them could restrict air flow and cause system malfunctions.

3. Remove shrubs, grass and leaves from the condenser coil and within three feet of outside unit.

4. Install a programmable thermostat – it automatically changes the temperature when away or asleep.

5. Inspect and caulk windows and doors annually where needed. This can help your system to maintain a more even temperature.

To avoid equipment malfunctions and other headaches, homeowners should hire a professional technician to perform a tune-up on their air conditioner, which includes examining ductwork, checking the refrigerant level and tightening the wiring connections. This is also a good time to check your home’s safety equipment to ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly.

Avoid the annual headache with spring cleaning and reap the benefits of spring savings instead.

Article provided by Aireserv.com.

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Save some green and help the earth without ever leaving your laundry room

Wash out your family’s green grass stains and wash in even more green savings. The laundry room can be the busiest room in your house, and if your washer and dryer aren’t performing at their best, it could show up on your energy bill. It may be time to give your family’s laundry habits an energy-saving makeover.

“Busy schedules and full households can cause lots of wear and tear on laundry room appliances,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance Corp. “Home owners should take special care when using their washer and dryer to make sure they keep working efficiently. The harder an appliance has to work to do its job, the more energy is wasted in the process.”

Follow these simple tips from Mr. Appliance to help your laundry room conserve energy and money.

Washer:

• When appropriate, wash clothes in cold water. This saves the energy needed to heat the water.
• Wash full loads. Washing machines use about the same amount of energy for all load sizes, so fill up the load to avoid wasting energy.
• Use the high-speed spin cycle, to take moisture out of your clothes resulting in less drying time and more energy saved.
• If you have an older top-loading washing machine, consider converting to a front-loading washer, which uses about 70 percent less water.

Dryer:

• Keep the lint filter clean to maximize air circulation, energy efficiency and to help prevent a potential fire.
• Dry full loads and use the moisture sensor setting. Not only does this save energy, it also protects your clothes from heat damage.
• Keep the dryer’s outside exhaust clean to prevent dryer fires and reduce drying time, which saves energy. Keep the dryer at least four inches away from the wall to prevent kinks or tears from forming in the exhaust vent.

These tips are easy for you to do yourself, and can even help prolong the life of your appliances when combined with regular visits from your local appliance repair expert.

For more tips and recipes, follow us on Twitter at @MrApplianceCorp, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MrApplianceCorp and visit www.mrappliance.com.

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About Mr. Appliance®:

Mr. Appliance is North America’s largest appliance repair franchise system. Established in 1996, its franchises provide full-service residential and light commercial appliance repair. Mr. Appliance has more than 150 locations throughout the United States and Canada and is consistently ranked among the top home service franchises by Entrepreneur magazine and other industry experts. Mr. Appliance is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information, visit www.mrappliance.com.

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There are many great reasons to be green in your life and lifestyle. The benefits of being green are also well known. You can save money over time, use less energy, have a more comfortable lifestyle, and its good for the environment.

Except when agendas are involved.

What is now happening is that many people are seeing the benefits of being green and wonder why things are not happening faster or do not believe that the changes to date and the planned ones are real.

We are seeing these green issues in the building industry now. One of the ways this is happening are the various programs and materials that are being touted as improved building practices; which are mostly coming from other countries. It is a great thing to have new ideas, but some of these proposed programs and materials do not even meet our current building codes!

The Canadian residential building industry met our Kyoto goals and since that time we have continued to improve our green requirements and will continue to do so. We have always held out our R2000 program as the best in the world and we have continued to improve it. Our minimum building code now is what R2000 used to be in years past.

If you want to see a major impact on the environment and greening, you need to look at our existing housing and building stock. With the majority of these building built in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s you can do a lot of simple things to greatly improve the performance of these buildings. Bring back the federal incentives to improve the efficiency of our homes and add the commercial stock to the program; and you will see a major improvement in the greening of our buildings.

We are also seeing in some jurisdictions, green changes being imposed onto all new projects. This is happening because the industry sometimes says – wait, let’s see what the costs are; what are the benefits; and what is the science of this proposed change. This method has built a world class building code over time. But because this takes time – some are saying these changes must be imposed.

What we are seeing coming at us is that some of these changes do not have enough benefit for the cost and/or the building science of the change will have a negative impact on the home and owner. These negative impacts can include mould growth, moisture damage, and excessive cost increases to install. Some of the building scientists have been questioning the data presented to back up various claims for a while. The legal community has also started to look at the claims. Lawsuits have been filed in the state of New York against a green building organization.

The building codes changes are on a five year cycle where proposed changes are presented. They are then reviewed by industry representatives, scientists at NRC, and other interested parties. By 2012, the code will be equal to today’s Energy Star 80 rating. So the code is changing without additional “help” and no unintended consequences of them.

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About the Author

Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.

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Okay kings and queens of clean, it’s that time of year again. It’s time to get out the serious cleaning supplies, stretch your scrubbing muscles and tackle those hard-to-reach places you ignore most of the year. In other words, it’s time to start spring cleaning.

Use our spring cleaning guide below to navigate through the different parts of your home and achieve the highest level of clean. Need a guide for each room of your house? Click to view the Spring Cleaning Checklist or download and print the PDF.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Floors:

Whether it’s carpet, hardwood, linoleum or vinyl, all of your floors need to be thoroughly cleaned to get rid of deep down dirt and germs. You may vacuum your carpets and sweep your floors weekly, but chances are you don’t deep clean them very often. Tackle this project by doing the following:

Carpet

• Start by going over all carpets with your regular vacuum.
• Remove as much furniture from the rooms as possible. Any furniture that can’t be moved needs to have plastic placed beneath it.
• Use a carpet deep cleaner to extract deep down dirt and leave carpets fresh and clean.
• PLEASE NOTE: If any carpets do not have backing, they require professional cleaning.

Floors (sealed hard wood, vinyl, linoleum, etc):

• Sweep or vacuum the floors thoroughly.
• Remove as much furniture as possible.
• Use a steam mop to clean and sanitize the floor. (Steam mops use electricity to heat water and then release steam into cleaning pads that pick up dirt and sanitize the floor when used as directed)

Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Walls and Windows:

Your walls and windows take a beating throughout the year, so it’s a good idea to give them a thorough cleaning each spring. You may not even notice many of the stains they’ve accumulated, but this regimen will get them sparkling in no time:

Walls:

• Dust from the top down, making sure to get the corners and other hard to reach places.
• Use a solvent-free degreaser to get rid of grease stains, food splatters and fingerprints (test the product in a small area to make sure it won’t damage your walls).
• Pay special attention to light switches.
• Take this opportunity to also dust down any light fixtures and ceiling fans, as well as bookshelves, pictures, and other furniture pieces located against your walls. A damp cloth works well to remove dust without spreading it around the room.

Windows:

• Wait until there is not direct sunlight to begin cleaning.
• Remove the screens and dust down both sides with a soft-bristle brush.
• Create a cleaning solution with one part white vinegar and one part hot water.
• Clean the window frames by wiping them down with a cloth that’s dampened with an all-purpose cleaner and water. Then wipe the solution away with a clean water cloth and dry the frame thoroughly.
• Clean window treatments in your washing machine if possible, or dry clean if necessary.
• Wipe down blinds with a damp cloth and fabric shades with a dry cloth.

Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Furniture:

Your furniture is in constant use all year long. Get rid of the dirt that has built up by using this effective cleaning regimen:

Couches and Chairs

• Gently beat cushions outside to remove dust and surface dirt.
• Check for stains and treat appropriately according to the care labels.
• Use a vacuum with a powerful hose to clean under seat cushions and in hard-to-reach crevices.

Beds

• Turn over your mattress to evenly distribute wear
• Machine-wash your pillows to get rid of and bacteria or odors. Make sure you give them several hours to dry before putting them back on your bed.
• Replace cool-weather bedding with lighter warm-weather items.

Spring Cleaning Tips for Cabinets, Countertops & Sinks

Cabinets, countertops and sinks are in constant use in any home or apartment. Even if you wipe them down on a regular basis, they still need an extensive cleaning a few times a year to get rid of built-up dirt and stains. Follow our steps to get these areas sparkling:

Cabinets

• Use warm water and soap on a sponge to clean off fingerprints, food stains and other unsightly markings
• If grease is present, use a solvent-free degreaser to target those spots
• Don’t forget the areas in and around handles, since those often get the most use

Countertops and Sinks

• Use warm water and soap on a sponge to wipe away dirt and stains.
• Use a glass cleaning formula to shine any metal fixtures
• Target any mildew build-up with a powerful cleaner
• Take this opportunity to de-clutter your countertops. Put away and organize as much as possible and leave only the bare necessities on the counter itself

Miscellaneous Spring Cleaning Tips:

• Remove light fixtures and wash them carefully with soap and water.
• Replace batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Clean out your freezer and refrigerator, throwing away expired food and wiping down all surfaces with soap and water.
• Sweep and mop underneath your refrigerator and dust the coils (AFTER unplugging it).
• Vacuum and machine wash all doormats and area rugs.
• Replace your shower curtain liner.
• Update your first aid kit and throw away expired medicine.
• Clean shower tiles with an mildew fighting agent and purchase an after-shower spray to be used daily.
• Replace toilet scrub brushes and clean all toilets thoroughly.
• Clean out your closet. Give unused items to charity and store cold-weather clothing in the attic or basement.
• Put storage boxes in your basement on concrete blocks to prevent damage in case of flooding.

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This article was provided by BISSELL. For more information visit http://www.bissell.com/spring-cleaning-guide/.

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The U.S. Department of Energy reports that, on average, 45% of a household utility bill can be attributed to heating or cooling the home. In addition to the cost to homeowners, traditional approaches to cooling a house create byproducts that contribute to global warming and other environmental hazards. Particularly in areas of the country that have warmer climates, utilizing some green building techniques can help reduce energy costs and the harmful effects on the environment. So, as temperatures rise as we head toward the summer months, consider these ideas for your next construction project, or think about how some of these strategies could be incorporated into your existing home.

Alternatives to Traditional Wood Frames

Today, residential construction is dominated by the stick-frame method, which uses wood beams to form the side and roof frames of a house. While various strategies can be employed to improve the energy efficiency of this conventional wood frame approach, several alternatives have emerged in recent years. One popular alternative is insulated concrete forms, which uses foam forms that are filled with concrete to create the frame of a house. By today’s construction standards, you likely can’t find a more structurally sound frame, but homes built in this way also have the potential for huge energy savings as well. Rather than having a layer of siding, plywood, wood beams and drywall between you and the outdoors, as with traditional construction methods, insulated concrete form construction creates a thick barrier of concrete and insulated foam. Outdoor heat is much less likely to penetrate a home constructed in this way, thus making interior temperature regulation much easier and less costly.

Windows Selection, Positioning and Shading

Most window manufacturers offer various product models, some of which contain more insulating potential and are therefore more energy efficient. Selecting the more energy efficient options, even though they may be more expensive, can contribute to a long-term savings in your energy bills. In addition, during the design phase of your home, avoiding placing numerous windows in areas of the home that have maximum sun exposure can help avoid solar heat absorption into the house. Installing functional shutters can also enable homeowners to add another layer of protection against the hot summer sun.

Caulking and Painting

Contractors must finish off a home’s thermal envelope with thorough caulking around the house to seal off areas where cool interior air could escape or hot outside air could enter. In addition, selecting lighter exterior colors can result in a more energy efficient home, as lighter colors tend to reflect solar heat while darker hues tend to absorb it.

Fans, Fans and More Fans

Whole house fans, typically installed in a home’s attic space, function like an exhaust system by forcing hot air from the building. Though whole house fans work best when the outdoor temperature is mild, rather than hot, they can rapidly ventilate and regulate a home’s temperature. In addition, generous installation of ceiling fans throughout the home can allow homeowners to take temperature regulation in their own hands. Indeed, running fans uses much less energy than operating an air conditioner.

Radiant Barrier

Because solar heat can penetrate the roof covering of a home, radiant barriers can reflect that heat away from the house so it does not infiltrate the living space. Radiant barriers are typically placed directly underneath the roof sheathing, thereby blocking further transfer of warm air into the house. Some studies suggest that radiant barriers can save 10% to 15% in energy costs.

Landscaping

Strategically using landscaping to make your home more energy efficient is perhaps the greenest of all green building concepts. Positioning lush trees and shrubs so they shade areas of the house prone to intense sunlight can help maintain a comfortable interior temperature.

Air Conditioners

If these alternative methods to cool your house are insufficient to help you maintain a comfortable temperature within, using the air conditioner is not necessarily completely off limits. Unfortunately, most Americans rely solely on the air conditioner and use it when other, less expensive methods that pose less risk to the environment are readily available. When used wisely, the air conditioner can be part of a responsible approach to cooling a home. For example, regularly change filters, and turn down (or off) units in areas of the house that aren’t being used can reduce costs and unnecessary harm to the environment. In addition, installing programmable thermostats, which are designed to automatically adjust temperatures according to specified settings, can help avoid overuse and waste.

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About the Author

George Rollins is a home enthusiast at FurnaceCompare.com, a site that has extensive information on brands and models of furnaces, boilers, air conditioners and heat pumps. FurnaceCompare also publishes consumer reviews and tips on choosing HVAC contractors. George has a passion for educating consumers on home improvements, as he feels that the right information can help consumers choose more wisely.

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There are always things that need to be worked on or required on your home. This is the time of year when you really see what happens to your home when you have not taken care of certain things.

It’s all about home maintenance.

After the winter has had its way with your home, it always looks dirty and you always find damaged things.

This is also the time of year when most people take an inventory of what needs to be done and also start to plan larger projects and renovations. This is when you see damaged roof shingles, or split fence boards, or the deck boards are broken, and now you see why the cold wind was blowing around the windows and doors.

All of these little items need to be addressed and looked after, because if you don’t repair them, they can become much larger problems. If you don’t repair and/or paint the window, you will need to replace it when it rots. Or the small opening in the siding will let rain into the wall and you will get water damage and mold problems. Does the eaves- trough still flow in one direction? Is the down spout clogged with last years leaves?

One area that most people miss is the HVAC equipment. Does the air filter need cleaning and/or replacement? When was the last time the HRV was serviced? Does the furnace and fan motor still run smoothly? Is the a/c unit ready to go for another summer? It can be very expensive to replace these pieces of equipment; and also you can greatly extend their service life with regular check ups and cleanings.

One thing to consider is to ask your renovation contractor to do a condition survey of your home. That way you can have a professional look at things to ensure you have not missed something. You can also discuss your immediate needs, future wishes and then plan for the completion of the various repair and renovation items in a systematic fashion.

Some of the rules of thumb I have heard are that you should invest between 2% and 5% of your homes value a year in your home for maintenance. That way you know your home will be in good condition and you will protect your investment in your home. If you don’t spend some time and/or money in your home, you could be in for a nasty surprise one day. As it was said in the commercial “you can pay me now, or you can pay me later”.

About the Author

Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.

Looking for a local contractor? Visit the Home Renovation Guide’s Complete Directory or Get a Free Quote.

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Looking for a way to reduce your energy costs? If you consult your local energy company, you will likely receive a brochure explaining how to wrap your pipes, put a blanket around your hot water heater, plugging cracks and holes through which drafts can flow, and adding reflective coatings to your windows. No harm in any of that, and it’s a good start. But for homeowners, there is a better place to start – start at the top, with your roof.

Why start with the roof? For the same reason that your mother tells you to wear a hat outside in snowy weather – just as most of your body heat is lost through your head, most of your home’s heat is lost through the roof. Heat rises.

Likewise, your roof is the part of your home that is most exposed to the sun, so the question of whether your home will absorb the sun’s heat or reflect it back into the atmosphere is decided right there – on the roof.

Homeowners don’t like to mess with their roofs, and for good reason – roof work can be expensive. But there are a range of options, and if you are considering an ecofriendly option such as installing solar panels, you may qualify for state or federal tax subsidies that will help to defray the cost. (To find out what subsidies exist in your area, check the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, DSIRE, or try this calculator).

If you are considering making your roof a part of your home’s energy efficiency plan, you will need to begin by answering the following questions:

1. What material do you want to use for your roof?
2. What color should your roof be?
3. Do you want to add solar panels or solar shingles to your roof in order to capture solar energy for electricity or to provide heat for water?

Materials

These days, homeowners have many roofing materials to choose from. Most Americans (about 75 percent) go for cheap asphalt shingles – but cheap is the best that can be said of asphalt as a roofing material. It doesn’t insulate well, it is generally not recyclable at the end of its life, and its life is not long.

On the other end of the economic spectrum, affluent homeowners will often choose wood shingles, such as cedar shakes, or slate. These options are all natural, insulate well, and are expensive. But cedar often comes from old-growth forests and slate is a non-renewable resource. Moreover, wood shingles will swell and shrink over time, producing cracks and resulting in moisture damage. Clay tiles are more durable and are made from a renewable, sustainable material, but they are so expensive that most homeowners can only manage to use them as accent materials along the edges of roofs.

Somewhere in the middle, you have metal roofs. Metal roofs insulate well, they have high solar reflectance (meaning they stay cooler in the summer), they last a long time, and they are frequently made from recycled metals (and can be recycled themselves at the end of their lives). But they can be somewhat expensive.

Nowadays, there is another option: recycled roofing materials. Believe it or not, you can now make your roof from recycled plastic, carpet, or tires. You can also opt for reclaimed or sustainably grown wood.

Make Your Electric Meter Spin Backward

If you want to generate electric power on your roof, or at least collect enough heat to warm up water, you may want to start with a basic metal roof. A standing-seam metal roof can work well as a base for thin-film photovoltaic panels. You’ll be following in reputable footsteps – President Barack Obama is adding solar panels to the White House roof this year, as is Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Solar panels can be expensive – most solar panel systems cost at least $2,000 to $3,000 to install, and many cost more, depending on the system and the particular circumstances at your home. Solar panel systems pay for themselves within a few years, but that doesn’t help when you are trying to scrape together the money for the installation.

There is also another solar roofing option – solar shingles. Solar shingles may be an ideal solution if by chance you have a roof that is already shingled, but is losing shingles in (preferably) a south-facing location where you can free up 300 to 400 feet of roof space. If you need to replace shingles anyway, you may as well replace the old shingles with matching solar shingles (they are designed to blend in with the asphalt shingles that most American homes use). Like solar panels, solar shingles can be connected to your local energy grid, so that if you produce excess electricity, it can go back into the system and your electric company can reimburse you for it. By absorbing heat from the sun, solar shingles can also reduce the amount of heat that your home absorbs, so you may find that you do not need to run an air conditioner as much in the summer. Don’t expect to go entirely off-grid with solar shingles – shingles do not store solar energy (unless you have also added batteries to hold stored energy, but adding batteries can add as much as $10,000 to your shingle installation costs), so you will need your regular electric grid at night. Homeowners who choose this option find that the solar shingles pay for themselves in about 8 to 10 years, while they last for 20-40 years (depending on climate and maintenance).

Solar panels and shingles not only pay for themselves over time by allowing you to sell power back to your electric company, but they add to the value of your home. According to a recent study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 72,000 California homeowners who added solar panels to their roofs saw their home values rise by an average of $17,000 when they put their homes on the market. Consequently, you may be able to roll the cost of installation over into your mortgage.

Caution

Unless you are a roofing contractor yourself or have equivalent experience, don’t try to install your own roof. Find a contractor who is experienced in the kind of roof that you plan to put in place. If you are adding solar panels or solar shingles, you will also need an electrician. Be aware, as well, that if you are replacing a roof that was originally installed between 1940 and 1975, you may need to hire someone to do asbestos remediation. Finally, don’t forget to check your local building codes (or better yet, work with a contractor who is intimately familiar with them). Be sure, as well, to check with your homeowner’s insurance company to find out if the change in roofing materials will affect your insurance premiums.

Do your homework and use common sense. If you can find a contractor and a roofing system that you are happy with, chances are that you will be very pleased with the results.

About the Author

Herbert Norton is a roofing contractor that started a website on roofing in the winter months to help educate his clients. Roofery.com has extensive information on many different types of roofing shingles, such as slate, tile, solar and metal shingles, to help consumers make an educated decision. Recently Herbert has been researching the “greening” of asphalt shingles, which are not normally eco-friendly.

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image from http://fireflyblog.org

Sustain Your Life, Sustain Your Appliances

In a world filled with sustainable living ideas, it is difficult to think past recycle bins of bottles and cans. Why not live a green lifestyle and actually seeing some green growing in your pocket, too? This month, make an effort to break old habits and take a step away from energy-waste to energy-smart.

“By maintaining your appliances regularly, you can extend the life of your investment and save energy,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance Corp.® “The harder an appliance has to work to do its job, the more energy it consumes in the process, which puts a strain on the appliance, the environment and on your energy bills.”

Follow these simple tips from Mr. Appliance Corp. to make your appliances not only benefit planet earth, but also your pocketbook.

Open the Door to More Savings

• Give your refrigerator some breathing room by keeping the appliance at least two or three inches away from the wall. Also, place your refrigerator away from direct sunlight and appliances that produce heat to make your refrigerator run more efficiently.

• Do you crave a midnight snack, but can’t decide what to eat? Keep your fridge full, not only to satisfy all of your midnight munchies, but also to help the fridge save energy after recovery from the door being open.

• Check and care for the rubber seals surrounding the inside of your fridge by using mild soap twice a year to help prevent cracked and torn seals. Use your money to test the seals by placing a dollar bill halfway inside the refrigerator door. If the dollar pulls out easily, then your losing money in more than one way and it may be time to replace the rubber seals.

• Enjoy a night of leftovers and defrost your fridge regularly. The frost build-up wastes energy by making the compressor run longer.

Keep the Heat Inside of Your Oven and Out of Your Pocket

• If you notice your food cooking unevenly or it is taking longer than before, it may be time to replace cracked or torn door seals that can allow up to 20% of heat to escape.

• When cooking up your favorite meal, turn off electric burners two to three minutes before you finish cooking and let the residual heat sauté the rest to perfection.

• Save yourself a step by planning out your cooking schedule to only bake in the oven instead of preheating. Sometimes there is no need to preheat if the food requires more than an hour in the oven.

• When tidying up your kitchen don’t forget about your electric and gas burners. Clean burners allow for a more efficient use of energy.

Wash, Dry and Ring out the Best Savings For Your Wallet

• Use the high-speed cycle to toss out more moisture from your clothes, which allows for less time in the dryer and more time for you to spend your money saved.

• It’s okay to air our your laundry, just make sure it is clean. Line-dry your clothes as much as possible, and you can see up to 5% saving on your energy costs.

• Clean your dryer lint screen after every use. Dryer efficiency decreases as lint collects over time. More importantly, lint build-up can be a fire hazard, so make sure to have it cleaned periodically by a professional.

• Refresh your clothes by washing a load in cold water. This saves on energy costs and helps lengthen the life of your clothes by preserving the color and the fabric.

Clean Plate, Clean Mind

• Save up to 20 gallons of water by hand -scraping your dishes, instead of running water for your pre-rinse.

• Give your dishes a breath of fresh air by turning your dishwasher setting to air-dry or open the dishwasher after the rinse cycle.

• Hold off on washing you dishes until you have a full load. Your dishwasher uses the same amount of water per cycle, so fill it up with all of your hand-scraped plates.

• Give your dishwasher a wash of its own by running an empty cycle with a citric acid-based cleaner. The cleaner will remove soap and calcium build-up that makes your dishwasher worker harder than it has to.

Follow these do-it-yourself energy efficient tips periodically by adding them to your family calendar. To help prolong the life of your appliances, combine these tips with regular visits from your local appliance repair professional.

Through the use of simple maintenance tasks you can extend the life of your appliances, your bank account and most importantly, our planet.

For more appliance and energy tips, visit www.mrappliance.com and follow us on Twitter @MrApplianceCorp and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MrApplianceCorp.

About Mr. Appliance®:

Mr. Appliance® is North America’s largest appliance repair franchise system. Established in 1996, its franchises feature full service residential and commercial appliance maintenance and repair. Recognized by Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500, Top 101 Home-Based Franchises and ranked Top Home Repair Franchise System, Mr. Appliance® has 130 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Mr. Appliance® is a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group, Inc. For more information, visit www.mrappliance.com.

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TO Design Basement Reno

Are you planning a kitchen or bathroom reno? Guest speaker Lucy Campos-Gentile, principle designer at TO Design and contributor to HomeRenovationGuide.com and HomeInteriorGuide.com‘s Makeover and Reno of the Month series is guesting at Urban Mode‘s “Design Talks” event. It’s happening tomorrow April 14, 7pm at 145 Tecumseh St., Toronto.

See recent TO Design project galleries: Gorgeous Basement Reno, Classic Living Room, and Chic Bathroom.

More info from the event website http://www.designtalks.ca:

“Design Talks: Planning for Your Home – Kitchen and Bathroom Design

A beautiful kitchen and bathrooms can make or break the sale of your home; in fact, real estate experts estimate that approximately 80-90 percent of the money spent making improvements to the kitchen and bathrooms can be earned back in resale value. …

Our April Design Talk is all about making the most of your kitchen and bathrooms. Lucy Campos-Gentile, Principal Interior Designer of TO DESIGN CO, will lead our discussion, helping us to learn what changes make the most impact, how to plan for an effective remodel/redesign (no matter what your budget), and giving us plenty of ideas and examples from her own beautiful kitchen and bathroom transformations! Join us on April 14, 2011 at Urban Mode at 7:00pm for this next event in our series of Design Talks. Tickets are going fast, so purchase yours today at http://kitchenbathroomdesign.eventbrite.com/!

About the Speaker:

Lucy Campos-Gentile started working in Interior Design over fifteen years ago. In the first two years of her career, she worked in largely corporate, retail, and hospitality design. When she was hired by a builder to work in the residential field of the market, her career shifted, and she later started her own design firm, TO DESIGN CO. Today, eight in ten of Lucy’s design projects include bathroom and/or kitchen remodelling.

TO DESIGN CO is a full-service interior design firm specializing in home renovations, additions, new construction, and remodeling. Lucy provides design services around the GTA including project planning, drawings, project management, and trade supervision. Lucy plans with her clients using a full range of samples and detailed specifications, floor plans, architectural drawings and 3D models, then manages projects, overseeing the selection and purchasing of furniture, products, and materials. TO DESIGN CO clients need only to express their design wants and needs, approve the resulting plans, then enjoy the wonders of a well-designed space that offers function, style and balance!”

homerenovationguide

Many times I get asked about permits for a renovation project. Many people don’t want to spend the money or are private. They also don’t understand why they are needed and when.

It’s about your safety (and peace of mind).

I have again visited a renovation gone bad. As we discuss the various issues, I asked if they have had any permits pulled….the answer was “I don’t know”. This is the wrong answer. It also confirmed some of my thoughts about the project. Not a good situation all way round.

So how hard is it to get a permit? An electrical permit is done with a phone call to ESA. Homeowners can pull one as well as an electrician. ESA has been getting very tough on non permit installations. This is because too many people are getting hurt and houses are burning down. With current regulations, a building permit has to be issued in 2 weeks if there are no problems with the application and other documents. It usually takes the design professional at least 2 weeks to produce drawings suitable for the application process.

What about a building permit? Every municipality is a bit different about which permits are required when. When you are only changing finishes, usually no permits are required. You will need a building permit for most renovation work and usually also a plumbing permit. In addition, you may need a HVAC and gas permit.

The biggest expense for a building permit is not the fee. It is preparing the drawings and documents for the permit application. The architect, interior designer, and/or the engineer make sure what will work well for you and ensure it will stand up. The design fee can range from about $1k to many k’s. The permit fees can be less than $100.00.

So what does a permit give you? The biggest thing it gives you is peace of mind and safety. When you apply for permits the city confirms that nothing being planned has a code issue. When you have the new work inspected at the various stages, they confirm that the work is competed to code.

So how does this give you peace of mind? God forbid you have a major problem and you have to make an insurance claim. One of the first questions you will be asked is “Who did the work and was permit “pulled”?” The worse case scenario is the insurance company denies the claim or they pay out the claim and you can not get insurance in the future. As Clint once said, “do you feel lucky?”

About the Author

Rob Wright has grown up around construction and in the mid 1990’s, Rob joined and took over Citadel Renovations in Ottawa. Rob has presented seminars at the local home shows on various renovations subjects and is a contributor to the Home Renovation Guide. Rob has been active in the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association for many years and previously served as the Renovation Council Chair. For more information, visit CitadelRenovations.com.

Looking for a local contractor? Visit the Home Renovation Guide’s Complete Directory or Get a Free Quote.

homerenovationguide

Rona lead free faucet

If one word sums up the design and décor zeitgeist, it’s balance. That’s because homeowners are increasingly tempering an appetite for possessions with practicality, weighing beauty against a budget and considering how over-consumption affects the planet.

Does that mean our homes will become colourless caves, mere machines for living? On the contrary, a simpler approach can actually open up options for individuality and creativity.

How to start? Try sourcing product from thrift shops, garages sales and online buy and sell sites like Kijiji www.kijiji.ca This an easy and fun way to shop locally for everything from art to furniture to collectibles, much of which you can customize to create a high-end signature look — with a bare-bones budget.

If you need to declutter, Kijiji is also a quick and convenient way to get rid of items you no longer want. Use it, as well, to educate yourself about collectibles, as I did after recently scoring two highly unusual glass Rembrandt lamps. If you’re selling collectibles, it’s also provides a reliable pricing guide for similar items.

Recycled décor can be a short-cut to one-of-kind style, but there are times when new is preferable. Newer-generation appliances are more energy and water-efficient, while it’s also often easier to get replacement parts for fixtures, a fact that will help extend product life.

Rona's lead free faucet

The best of the new renovation and building products strike a balance between style and sustainability. Rona’s Uberhaus line of bath and kitchen faucets, for example, is both green and gorgeous.  These good looking faucets, which come in a variety of finishes, definitely qualify as eco-elegant. It’s worth noting that Rona (www.rona.ca) has several eco-categories now, including Eco-Responsible, a program under which items are subjected to a program devised by the International Chair in Life Cycle Assessment at the École Polytechnique de Montréal, which looks at the impact a product has throughout its life, from manufacturing to disposal.

Pittsburgh Hacienda Palette

One of the simplest and most affordable to get a great new look is with paint. It’s also a wonderful way to express individual taste and style, and I was reminded of this when I recently spoke to colour expert Janice Lindsay www.janicelindsay.com who has a collection with Pittsburgh Paints www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com. I told Janice that I was considering backing off the wonderfully rich colours I’d picked for a project from that company’s sunny Hacienda Collection. She offered sage advice.

Pittsburgh Hacienda Palette

“If the colour really seems too much, don’t make the mistake of moving a few shades lighter on the colour chart. It’s not the same colour. Instead, introduce the colour you love it in small amounts — as a headboard or even a broad swath on a wall, “says Lindsay. How right she was. I stuck with my original colour choices; but used them as accents and focal points on a backdrop of PP’s Jute, which is my fave new “neutral”. And how does it look? Simple, stylish and sustainable, if I do so say so myself!

About the Author

Vicky Sanderson writes a widely-read weekly column on home improvement products and housewares, Hot Home Products, that appears every Saturday in The Toronto Star, while her blog, On the House, http://thestar.blogs.com/onthehouse is a personal take on up-to-the-minute news about all things home and decor related. You can also follow her on Twitter. http://twitter.com/#!/ She’ll be appearing at the International Home Show www.internationalhomeshow.ca from March 31 to April 3.

homerenovationguide

Bathroom after

I’ve worked at Latitude for over 6 years and finally, my family and I decided to replace our laminate countertops with granite countertops.  For a long time, we weren’t able to afford or take the time to upgrade our kitchen and bathrooms. But after almost 20 years of living in the same house, it was time.  As with most home renovation projects, it started with one thing that we wanted to replace – the toilets (they were gross and the ceramic was yellow) – but became a large, all encompassing project.  Our thought that was since we’re replacing the toilets, we should replace the bathtub and the sinks so they’d all be white. The bathtub and tiles also needed to go; they had mildew and were gross. Well, if we were changing the sinks, might as well change the countertops. If we were changing the bathroom countertops, we should change the kitchen countertops. Now we can’t have beautiful countertops and ugly cabinets, so we’ll paint them (when I say we, I meant me)! Plus, we wanted to do everything on a budget.

Kitchen Before

We saved a lot of money by painting the cabinets, removing the countertops ourselves and we purchased granite countertops from Latitude’s remnant material. The prices are marked down so much that essentially, you are only paying for the labour and even that had been discounted. Since I work at Latitude, I’ve been scoping out the remnants as jobs get cut. For the kitchen, I found a beautiful piece of Crema Bourdeaux and for the vanities I got Black Galaxy. I’m lucky because our kitchen is small and there are no seams. When looking for remnant granite and quartz for your kitchen countertops and there are seams, you must find pieces that are from the same lot or be able to get it from the same piece. Any time two pieces are seamed together they must come from the same block, piece or lot, so that when the pieces meet, the colours are matched as closely as possible.

I had a templator come in and template all the bathrooms and the kitchen. They come in with a digital plotter that is accurate within the millimetre. Of course I knew all this before they came to my house, but it was still impressive to see how the granite fits like a glove around the odd corners in the kitchen and in my mom’s bathroom.

The night before the installation.

The night before the installation I removed all our countertops, disconnected the plumbing and installed shut-off valves. Removing the countertops was easy; disconnecting the plumbing and installing the shut off valves was a little trickier – considering that before this I didn’t even know where the main shut off for the water was in the house (I found it close to the water heater). Once you shut the water off, don’t disconnect the faucet right away. It’s a good idea to turn all the faucets on to drain any water that is caught in the pipes; even then, keep a bucket with you. I had a few unexpected “fountains”.

You will need 2 wrenches to detach the plumbing. I used compression shut-off valves and purchased them from the Home Depot. Not knowing what size I needed, I armed myself with a nut that I removed from the pipes and headed out to the Home Depot. There, I matched the nut that I removed to the nut that was on the bottom of the shut-off valve (the handle of the valve points down in the open position and a quarter turn up will stop the water).

To install the shut-off valves: I unscrewed the nut and removed the bearing from the bottom, placed the nut, then the bearing, then finally the actual shut-off valve on the pipe and screwed the nut on to the shut-off valve. It says to “not over-tighten” on the package but that doesn’t mean “finger” tighten; I learned that after another set of fountains when I tried to turn the main water back on. You will need to tighten with a wrench!

Detaching the sink for the piping was easy. So was detaching the laminate countertops from the wall and the cabinets. First thing you do to remove the countertops is to take a knife and score between the wall and the laminate backsplash. Next, unscrew everything that holds the countertop to the cabinets. The vanities and the countertops without the kitchen sink I was able to remove myself, but the kitchen countertop with the sink is easier to remove with help so that the top can be lifted straight up. Lifting it at an angle makes it harder for the Sink to disengage from the pipes. The same issue can occur when removing the bathroom countertops but because of the smaller size, you can lift it out straight up yourself.

I removed all the cabinet doors before the installation so that I could paint the cabinet frames before the installation but it is recommended that you keep the cabinet doors on so that the installers can ensure that the doors and drawers can open with the countertop on.

The Installation

The installers were great!! First thing they did when they came into the house was lay down drop cloths! They have to keep their steel toe boots on for safety reasons, which is completely understandable. I don’t even want to think about how much it would hurt to drop a piece of granite on my toes. They inspected all the cabinets to make sure they were level (which they were). This is very important since an unlevel countertop can cause cracks and the seam to break in the future. The installers can shim it up a little bit but how much they can shim it will depend on the edge you choose (can’t shim ¾” and 1 ¼” edges since the shims will show). They check to make sure the sinks will fit in the cabinets.

Getting the powder room ready

The Powder Room

If they don’t fit, they (the installers) will cut away at some of the cabinet supports (don’t worry, they wouldn’t cut any gables that would compromise the integrity of the cabinets). Then they brought in all the pieces and placed them on the cabinets for a dry fit and made any adjustments to the tops. The tops were then siliconed into place along with the sinks. Before the sinks were installed, I attached the faucets to the top (a great idea from Bob Gilson, the CFO of Latitude) since it would be really difficult to install them after the sink is in. I would have had to wedge myself in the cabinet and try to tighten and screw things in and knowing me, I’d probably get stuck and create a third fountain if I waited till the sinks were in.

The installers took a lot of care when they siliconed the wall and the countertops to prevent gaps where water could seep in. All in all, they did a beautiful job. I was very impressed! AND they cleaned and vacuumed after themselves, which I really appreciated.

I had a plumber come in to reconnect the plumbing. The last thing I need is Niagara Falls in my house. Definitely a great experience that gave me a lot of confidence on the company I work for!

Before and After

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