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April/May 2016 | renocontractor.ca 3Renovation Contractor

CON T E N TSAPRIL/MAY 2016 VOL. 6 ISSUE 2

CONTRACTORRENOCONTRACTOR.CA

T H E M AGA Z I N E FOR CA NA DI A N R E NOVAT ION CON T R ACTOR S

PLUS:Our Columnists

Help You Become

MAY/JUNE 2011

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement # 42177515

Jim Caruk wants a unified voice for renovators and custom

homebuilders in Canada

25 Where Are They Now? To celebrate our fifth anniversary, Renovation Contractor checks in with five past profile subjects to see what’s new BY DIANE PETERS

09 Editor’s NoteFive Themes for Five Years BY JIM CARUK

36 When Nature Attacks It’s not just the mailman who has to deal with rain, sleet, and driving snow. Here’s Renovation Contractor’s guide to building weather-resistant homes BY FRANK CONDRON

36

25

9

A Flashback

to Our Premiere issue !

RC_040516_TOC_redesigned.indd 3 2016-03-30 11:33 AM

4 renocontractor.ca | April/May 2016 Renovation Contractor

10 Sergio Galli Design Build

12 April/May Calendar of Events

12 Toasty Toes

14 Bolivia’s Boffo Buildings

16 China Cracks Down on Crazy Design

18 Business Profile Jeld-Wen

20 Roundtable Recap Vancouver Edition

22 Product Innovation KOHLER CANADA

64 Renovation Association BY CANADIAN HOME BUILDERS’ ASSOCIATION

66 Work Smart, Not Hard Cuts Like A Knife

HOT

CONTENTS

54 Does Email Marketing Really Work? BY EDWARD OKUM

55 The Newsticker Officially unaffordable in Vancouver; don’t get tripped up by the taxman

60 Time-Saving Tax Tips BY CANADA REVENUE AGENCY

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RC_ADS FULL PAGE.indd 1 2016-03-29 10:11 AM

APRIL / MAY 2016 VOLUME 6, NUMBER 2

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJim Caruk

[email protected]

MANAGING EDITORAllan Britnell

[email protected]

ART DIRECTOR/PRODUCTION MANAGERDarrell Leighton

[email protected]

VP SALES AND MARKETINGJeffrey Caruk

[email protected]

RENOVATORS’ ROUNDTABLE [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSAlex Beraskow, Dane Burton, Frank Condron,

Brett Lamb, Rise Levy, Doug Lockston, Pat Lynch, Edward Okum, Pat O’Reilly, Diane Peters, Jessica Ross, Tyler Simpson, Nate Smith, Jay Somerset, John Woods

ADVISORY BOARD

Jeff Andrew and Art Lussier,

Superior Home Improvements, Toronto;

Blair Foisy, Trademark Renovations Ltd., Calgary;

Ian Forsyth, Caneast Shows, Ottawa;

Dan Hall, Caruk Hall Developments, Toronto;

Dan MacKay, Dan MacKay Construction, Debert, N.S.;

Paul Richardson, PTR Carpentry, Toronto;

Nate Smith, Conestoga College, Waterloo, Ont.;

Roger Smith, Olson Construction, Golden, B.C.

Renovation Contractor is published by 2422625

Ontario Corporation six times a year

(February/March, April/May, June/July, August/September,

October/November, December/January 2017).

Copyright © 2016 by Renovation Contractor magazine.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any article or artwork without written

permission is strictly prohibited.

Publication Mail Agreement No. 42177515.

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIESc/o CircLink

6045 Creditview Road, Suite 309Mississauga, ON, L5V 0B1 Canada

Telephone: 289-997-5408 Fax 289-997-8260

THE VOICE OF THE CANADIAN CONTRACTOR

CircLinkBuilding the link to your audience

CELEBRATING 31 YEARS ESTABLISHED 1985

PUBLISHER

Michael Rosset

EDITORS

Gale Beeby, Rise Levy, Silvana Longo, Katherine Moore

PRODUCTION

Vice President Production Lisa Kelly

Technical Production Manager David Kucharski

Production Associate Yvonne Poon

ADMINISTRATION

Vice President of Operations Stacey Allen

Administrative Director Cynthia Leo

Credit Manager Frances Mangos

Vice President Business Development Josh Rosset

Director of Distribution Nancy Frankel

Web Manager Regina Gadacz

Digital Manager Dave Gray

Receptionist Mary Armitage

SALES AND MARKETING

Senior Vice President, Sales Hope McLarnon

Vice President Sales, Builder Division Leslie Rubin-Orlinski

Director of Sales, Builder Division Heidi Lobel

Retail Sales Manager Fay Splett

National Sales Manager Trish Sutton

Business Development Manager Ani Bogovic

Senior Account Manager Tony Loria

Account Managers Kim Barton, Jessica MacInnis

Vice President Marketing/Media/Promotion Leanne Speers

Client Services Manager Sonia Presotto

Site Services Managers Paul Mogavero,

Amanda Rogers, Renee Solowoniuk

HEAD OFFICE

37 Sandiford Drive, Suite 404, Stouffville, Ontario L4A 7X5

Telephone: 905.479.HOME • 1.800.363.HOME

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HOMES Magazine, Condo Life, Reno & Decor,

Active Life, Ontario Design, BILD Contact Directory,

National, Fall & GTA Home Show Guides,

DRHBA Member Directory, Renovation Contractor

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Renovation Contractor April/May 2016 | renocontractor.ca 9

It really is amazing how time flies. It seems like only yesterday we were sitting down to look at the first

layouts for the launch of Renovation Contractor. But that was more than five years ago now. Our first issue came out in May/June 2011. We’ve since switched up our production cycle, making this April/May 2016 issue our fifth anniver-sary. With that in mind, here are five key themes we’ve tried to get across to our readers through this magazine.

WE’RE COLLEAGUES, NOT COMPETITORS I’ve been saying this since the beginning: as contractors and homebuilders, we need to work together, rather than against each other. Of course you want to try to land the job, but it does nobody any good if we’re all undercutting each other.

EDUCATE YOURSELF Don’t believe the old cliché: you can teach an old dog new tricks. You can also teach him about new tools, materials, and building techniques that will help him get the job done faster, better, and with more money in his pocket. Your subscription to this magazine is one small part of that. But do yourself a favour and get out to some of the trade or home shows to see what’s new. Or – blatant plug – come out to our annual Renovators’ Roundtable.

ACT LIKE A PRO In this business, first impressions with clients go a long way. If you show up to quote a job in a grubby old T-shirt with

paint stains on your tattered jeans the client will immediately start worrying about what state you’ll leave their home in. I’ve heard from many readers who get crewmembers to wearing company shirts, and prohibit them from smoking on the jobsite. Keeping little things like this in mind can help you land your next job.

DON’T DO CASH DEALS I know it’s hard to resist the temptation – and constant requests from would-be clients – but working under the table is a lose-lose proposition. If you’re doing a cash deal and someone gets hurt or you damage the client’s property, what do you think your insurance broker is going to say? And as much as we hate the tax-grab, it does pay for important things from highways to hospitals.

STAY SAFEEvery year, countless contractors are injured on the job, some of them fatally. In fact, homebuilding is one of the most dangerous jobs out there. All too often I see guys working on roofs without restraints, disabling the “annoying” safety guards on power tools, or otherwise putting themselves at risk. You’ll wipe out any time savings if you end up in the hospital or missing some digits.

Even more importantly, you need to be aware of the long-term health risks of working around things like mould and asbestos, and use the equipment and techniques that will help protect you from harm.

Coming up in June/July It’s our annual Kitchens & Baths issue: The Backyard Edition• We look the hottest new

products and trends for outdoor kitchens, peruse the latest in pool-house design, cozy up to patio heaters, and more.

• Home Security V2.0: The tech-savvy way to protect your client’s property.

Plus, our regular collection of industry news in Hot Off the Tool Press, and expert business

development advice from the contributors to our Build Your Business section.

Five Themes For Five YearsBY JIM CARUK EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Our Premiere issue !

RC_040516_Ed note.indd 11 2016-03-30 11:13 AM

Edited by Allan Britnell

RENOVATOR PROFILE

“You never really know what you’re dealing with until you get started, and that’s what makes it so interesting.”

Sergio Galli is describing the challenges of residen-tial facelifts, in which older houses are given exter-nal makeovers. The man behind Sergio Galli Design Build, a Toronto-area company that specializes in new builds and renova-tions for the luxury-home market, says that historical properties can sometimes have surprises in store for today’s contractors.

“We did one house recently that was a hun-dred years old,” Galli says,

TOOL PRESSOFF THEHOT


“and we realized the exist-ing structure didn’t have a foundation. It was just sitting on the ground. I had never seen that before. We ended up underpinning the whole thing.”

Facelifts are a relatively new area of focus for Galli, who has spent most of the past two decades design-ing and building new homes rather than working out the quirks of older ones. “It’s a lot of fun,” he enthuses. “For the facelifts, I have my own team of guys, who are fan-tastic.” Having a dedicated crew he trusts and likes to work with – Galli make par-ticular mention of foreman Ricardo Costa, stands out

Sergio Galli Design Buildas something he particularly appreciates. “As a builder I always worked with sub-contractors, which is great,” he says, “but for this stu! it’s been me and a regular group, and it’s been really nice to work that way.”

The challenges and rewards of working cre-atively with others is some-thing Galli knows well: The designer began his building career in 1989 after sev-eral years at the top of the music charts as a member of Platinum Blonde, one of Canada’s most suc-cessful bands during the 1980s. When the group took a break from playing together at the end of that

decade, the guitarist and songwriter says he realized he needed a backup plan. “I thought, ‘What am I going to do now?’” he recalls.

As it turned out, the band’s hiatus allowed Galli to go back to his first love, which was architecture and design. “It had always been my dream, way before the band happened, to become an architect and to build beautiful buildings,” he

Sitting in the Dark: Before building luxury homes, Sergio Galli was the guitarist for CanCon rockers, Platinum Blonde.

A rock-solid reputation

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Renovation Contractor

says, “so I was actually able to go back and do that.”

After a challenging start – Galli’s entry into the building business coincided with a bursting bubble in Toronto’s real estate market in 1990 – he began to establish himself as a designer. His drawings for new houses, buildings and even a couple of nightclubs introduced him to a grow-ing network. Eventually, he made the leap from the drafting table to the work-site, thanks to a client who suggested the designer become his builder, as well. “That was a real turning point,” Galli says. “I was really grateful that he had the confidence to hand me the whole project, especially since he already had a good builder in place.”

Nowadays, Sergio Galli Design Build – which only recently took on the name of its founder – does a wide variety of projects, from new houses to renovations. Along with a number of private home-building projects, Galli – who describes his personal style as “classical luxury” – is currently involved in the Platinum Series Estates in Brooklin,

FA

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FAC

TS

Company name: Sergio Galli Design Build Location: Vaughn, Ont.Specializing in: Renovations and custom homes Website: SergioGalli.ca

April/May 2016 | renocontractor.ca 11

“We also just won the Canadian distribution rights for a new product, a high-definition wood-resin beam that we’re going to intro-duce soon,” he says. “So there’s a lot going on.”

To top it off, more than 20 years since Platinum Blonde’s “break” first prompted Galli to con-template a second career, he and his bandmates are together again, playing music, performing shows and recording new songs.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky,” he continues. “We had a great run with the band, better than any of us could have imagined. And then to be able to do something com-pletely different that I love for so long, it’s a real blessing.

For more information on Sergio Galli Design Build, visit sergiogalli.ca. For news, tour dates and new music from Platinum Blonde, visit platinum-blondeworld.ca.– Michael Lawson

Ont., designing custom houses alongside two prominent Toronto-area golf courses, and will be opening a permanent showroom at the Improve home renovation centre – Canada’s largest – in Vaughan, Ont.

BEFORE AFTER

Sergio Galli’s company does everything from renovation work to building custom homes, plus has distribution rights to a wood-resin beam.

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RECALL ROUNDUP

Bogus Boots, Lethal Lamps, and moreMore dangerous products you and your customers should be on the lookout for

Walk Away OxGear Safety Work Boots Model affected: Model 6000, eight-inch high, tan leather boots. Sold: Approximately 1,130 pairs were sold TSC stores between November 25, 2015 to January 8, 2016. Potential problem: The boots have a CSA safety tag, but they were never tested by the CSA Group. Contact: 519-453-5270; TSCStores.com

Slippery When Wet AquaRug Shower Rugs Models affected: Beige or clear mats, 291/2" by 171/4" or 213/4" by 193/4".Sold: 70,000 of the mats were sold in Canada between July 2012 and September 2015. Potential problem: The suction cups holding the safety mat can come loose. There have been 60 slip and fall incidents, leading to injuries ranging from bruising to broken bones. Contact: 888-770-7125; TristarProductsInc.com

Solar Flares100W Monocrystalline Bendable Solar Panel Models affected: RNG-100DB with serials numbers

starting 15029201504030xxx or 15037201504140xxx on the back of the panel. Sold: Thirty-seven were sold in Canada and 1,500 in the U.S. between May and October 2015. Potential problem: The panels can overheat and catch fire. There have been 11 incidents reported, with three leading to property damage. Contact: 909-517-3598; Renogy-Store.com

Lethal LightsIkea HYBY and LOCK Ceiling Lamps Models affected: HYBY (102.042.66) and LOCK (200.557.51) ceiling lamps. Sold: More than 400,000 of the a!ected lights were sold in Canadian IKEA stores between November 2002 and January 2016.Potential problem: They can detach and fall from the

ceiling. Two incidents have been reported in Canada. Contact: 800-661-9807; Ikea.com

Wobbly Legs West Elm Saddle Counter Stools Models affected: Counter stools with SKUs 652164, 1425487, 1591601, 1699289, 1795566, 4737318, 8447229, 9087271. Sold: Less than 100 were sold in Canada, and 3,745 in U.S. West Elm stores between July 20013 and November 2015.Potential problem: The legs of the stools are weak and can break. Contact: 844-824-9811; WestElm.com


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CALENDAR COUNTDOWN

APRIL/MAY

STUFF WE LIKE

Toasty ToesSchluter’s new electric floor warming system saves time and energyWhen installing a new bathroom it’s become stan-dard practice to ask the client, “Do you want heated floors?” When given the choice between stepping onto cold tiles or ones that are warmer than the room, who wouldn’t?

But adding heated floors usually adds to the complex-ity of the installation. And, in the case of basement bath-rooms, the cold concrete slab can negatively impact the system’s e!ciency.

Schluter Systems has just introduced a new product, Ditra-Heat-TB, that speeds up installation and minimizes heat loss. The 5/16”-thick, three-in-one

system incorporates a ther-mal break, heating cables, and coupling membrane. The fastener-free cable installation allows for a fully customizable set-up, and til-ing can begin as soon as the last cable is locked in place.

The manufacturer claims it will warm tiles up to 70 percent faster than those installed without a thermal break.

It works with any Schluter thermostat, includ-ing their new full-colour touchscreen model.

Ditra-Heat-TB is avail-able in rolls or sheets and retails for about $3.65/sq.ft. For more information, visit Schluter.ca.

May 2Tax Time! Most people’s tax returns are due by midnight today. If you’re self-employed, your return is not due until June 15, but any taxes owning must be paid by May 2 to avoid interest and penalties.

May 29Monaco Grand PrixNot into baseball or hockey? Then watch Formula One’s finest race through the narrow streets of the a"uent French principality.

April 1April Fool’s Day If anyone tries to prank you today, you’re allowed to shoot them with a nail gun.

April 3Play Ball! The Jays try to pick up where they left o# last fall with their season opener in Tampa. They host the Red Sox in the home opener on Friday, April 8.

April 8–10The Cottage and Backyard Show, Ottawa.

April 10NHL Season Ends Anaheim and Washington close out the season with a 7:30 start. Next up: playo#s!

April 22–24The Cottage Life & Cabin Show, Edmonton.



The Aymara are an indig-enous group of about two-million people living in the Andes region of South America, primarily in Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. The wealthiest members of the community are in the midst of a psychedelic building boom. Specifically, building vibrantly coloured man-sions for hosting each other in elaborate parties.

ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL

Bolivia’s Boffo Buildings Wealthy Aymarans are colouring their world


RC_040516_HOTP.indd 16 2016-03-30 11:21 AM


Meanwhile, in China… Government o!cials in China are trying to cut down on the number of outlandish buildings dot-ting the country’s urban landscapes. A recent government edict says, “Bizarre architecture that is not economical, functional, aesthetically pleasing or environmentally friendly will be forbidden.”


RC_040516_HOTP.indd 17 2016-03-30 11:22 AM

NEVERTOORADIANTBASK IN THE MAJESTY OF THE ARTIST EDITIONS DERRING™ SINK COLLECTION.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

Jeld-Wen CanadaA global leader in the window and door manufacturing industry

With a corporate history stemming back nearly 60 years to a small, family-run millworking plant in Oregon, and some 20,000 employees work-ing in 20 di!erent coun-tries today, Jeld-Wen is truly a global leader in the window and door manu-facturing industry.

The company was founded in 1960 by Richard “Dick” Wendt and four other partners, who took over an existing millwork plant in Flamath Falls, Oregon. (Jeld-Wen is an acronym of Wendt’s family members’ first names and a truncated version of his surname.) From a small operation with

only 15 employees, Jeld-Wen steadily expanded to become a major player in the fenestration industry. Jeld-Wen Canada, founded in 1996, is headquartered in Toronto and has roughly 1,800 employees, working out of 11 major manufactur-ing, sales, and distribution facilities across the country.

In 2011, Canadian invest-ment and holding company, Onex Corporation, pur-chased a controlling ownership of Jeld-Wen.

“We work very hard to follow the culture and values of the founding family,” says Laura Fisher, director of marketing for Jeld-Wen Canada. In fact, all new employees are given the opportunity to learn about the company’s history.

“The phrase, ‘Depend-ability, innovation, and excellence,’ is part of our culture, part of everything we do from the top down,” say Fisher. “We’re always looking for solutions to our customers’ needs.”

Community Commitment Since it’s earliest days, Jeld-Wen’s vision has extended beyond making windows and doors. In 1969, the company founded the Jeld-Wen Foundation, a non-profit that supports social and environment causes in the communities where it operates, including the United Way and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Jeld-Wen has been an Energy Star partner since 1998, earning numerous

RC_040516_HOTP.indd 18 2016-03-30 11:22 AM


The Hybrid Window is a recent example of product innovation. This series of casement, awning, and fixed windows feature vinyl interiors and aluminum cladding on the exterior.

Sometimes that experi-ence simply travels across the country. For years Jeld-Wen’s triple-pane windows have made up a large percentage of the market in Western Canada. Now they’re seeing those products migrate east.

Jeld-Wen doesn’t only focus on exteriors. They have a full lineup of wood and composite interior doors. The newest addition, the Monroe was released this April. This newest style in the moulded panel lineup is a single-panel door that complements the current two- (Madison) and three-panel (Craftsman) doors.

Renovator Ready Jeld-Wen’s SMART program is a secure, online portal that provides dealers – including

many small renovation companies – with all the sales and marketing materials they need, including product litera-ture, product images and video demos, print, radio, and television ads, pop-up displays, and branded apparel. “We think of it as a sales rep’s briefcase at your fingertips,” says Fisher.

The company also hosts regular contractor events at dealer locations across the country. For more informa-tion, visit Jeld-Wen.ca.

Inside out coverage: The Jeld-Wen lineup includes a full range of windows and both interior and exterior doors.

energy e"ciency accolades since then, including the 2012 Energy Star Manufacturer of the Year Award in Canada.

The company also supports both amateur and profession sports in the regions it operates, including sponsorship of Canadian curling clubs, and the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets.

Product Innovation With an international network of experts at its disposal, “We’re building on our expertise, experience, and innovation globally,” says Fisher. The company’s R&D team are constantly refining and improving their wood, steel, vinyl, and composite products.

RC_040516_HOTP.indd 19 2016-03-30 11:22 AM



RENOVATORS’ ROUNDTABLE

Quotable QuotesSome memorable lines from last year’s event in Vancouver

LAUREN GOLD

Houzz

On posting awards you’ve won on your website:“Don’t be humble. These are your bragging rights.”

“You definitely want to make sure your website is optimized for mobile.”

“What happens when you get a bad review? You have an opportunity to respond to a review – once. Respond carefully and thoughtfully. You have the chance to mitigate.”

SCOTT LUMBY, AMBER KINGSNORTHScott Lumby of Fifth Element Constructions and Amber Kingsnorth of MaK Interiors on how designers save contractors time.

The simplest way designers save you time is by working with the client to get key design decisions wrapped up, and the materials delivered on time. “Where exactly do you want your heated towel holder? Will it encroach on the toilet or cabi-net?” says Lumby. Too often, “the client’s put in the position of having to make a quick and rash decision, or hold up the construction. A good designer will have all the details fleshed out ahead of time,” says Lumby.

“No more managing design-decisions. That’s what I do best. You should be doing what you do best,” says Mak.

GARY SHARP

Canadian Homebuilders’ Association

“It’s foolish to try to compete against cash operators on price. Education is the key. Mr. Homeowner, if you hire someone and you pay cash, you’re their employer and you’re responsible for them if they get hurt on the job. If wiring was done and not inspected and it causes a fire, is your insurance com-pany going to pay for it?”

DON SCHOUTEN

WorkSafeBC

“One of the main areas of concern in construction is working at heights, which represent 24 percent of all injuries.”

“Asbestos is the number one killer of workers in B.C.”

“Our biggest driver [to do surprise site inspections] is anonymous phone calls.”

CHRIS HIGGINS

Green Planner, City of Vancouver

“Vancouver city council’s goal is to lead the world in green building design and construction and be carbon-neutral by 2020.”

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PRODUCT INNOVATION

Save Time, Make More MoneyKohler’s lineup of kitchen and bath products help contractors be more productive on the job Presented by Kohler Canada

The saying that time is money may be a cliché, but it’s also a truism. As a contractor, the more e!-ciently you can complete a task, the faster you can tackle the next one. The more jobs you do, the more money you have in your pocket. Kohler has a number of products that help stream-line your workload, so you can get the job done, and move on to the next one.

A Simple Spa Solution With Kohler’s HydroRail system you can o"er your clients a shower system upgrade from standard to spa-like without having to open up any walls or dis-turb their existing tiles. The HydroRail fits with most existing overhead shower-heads. Simply remove the old one, mount the rail, and attach the new fixture(s).

There are four options available for either stand-alone showers or shower-tub combinations: handheld showerhead only, handheld and fixed overhead combina-tion, and rainhead combo units with low-ceiling clear-ance or with an attractive arched design for high-ceil-ing spaces.

Each can be connected to any of Kohler’s overhead or handheld shower options, including pivoting rainhead showers, and the FlipSide handheld unit which has four di"erent waterflow options built into the rotating head. The bracket holding the

handheld shower tilts and is height-adjustable.

The kit includes every-thing needed for installa-tion, including flanges, trim sleeves, screws, and even toggle anchors, so no sepa-rate trips to the hardware store are required. The entire system can be installed in less than an hour.

Mirror, MirrorWith Kohler’s Verdera line of medicine cabinets, you can install a mirrored bathroom cabinet in about the time it takes to hang a picture. The surface mounted models hang on a hidden, steel mounting bar.

The units are 30"-high, and range from 15"- to 40"-wide. The door is easily adjustable for left- or right-side hinging, and both sides of the door and the rear of the unit are mirrored. Some models even include an adjustable-height magnifying mirror built into the backside of the door. The glass shelves are easily height adjusted on factory drilled mounting holes. Other options include an open shelf at the bottom of the unit, and a soft-close mechanism on the door.

The aluminum construc-tion also ensures you won’t get callbacks to deal with rusty hinges or framing.

RC_040516_HOTP.indd 21 2016-03-30 11:22 AM


Designer Showers Quickly grow your business from builder to design-builder with the Choreograph Planner. This online tool (KohlerChoreographPlanner.com) enables you to select from a variety of colours and textures of Kohler’s light-weight but durable Serica stone–fibre composite panels. The material ships flat – making it easy to store, transport, or carry – and cuts with standard tools. It can be mounted directly over existing tile, and comes with corner and seam joints to hide and protect the silicone sealant.

There are a variety of built-in or wall-mounted shelving and storage options, as well as integrated flip-down seats available for seniors or those who need a place to rest in the shower.

When you’ve developed a design, print it out or use the social media links to share your plans with your client.

A Bellwether BaseWith many clients hoping to “age at home,” replac-ing a bathtub with a more easily accessible shower is a great option. The Bellwether Shower Base makes the job easy. Available in 60" x 32" or 60" x 34" sizes, and six di"er-ent colours, it can be ordered with a centre drain for new construction, or an o"set drain for retrofit projects. There’s a removable drain cover – available in colour-matching plastic, or stainless steel – to give the project a clean, finished look. With a low, 4"-high threshold, it’s easy for people with mobil-ity issues to step over, but high enough that water won’t overflow onto the floor. And the enamelled cast-iron construction means it will last a lifetime.

Don’t Sweat It For retrofit kitchen and bath renovations, why sweat soldering when there’s an entire lineup of easy to install kitchen and bathroom fau-cets at your disposal?

Kohler’s collection includes fixtures for both rooms with built-in flexible hoses for easy, torchless installation. Many of the two-handle faucets come with the handles and valves preassem-bled, meaning there’s less downtime prepping the job.

A solid foundation: The Bellwether base makes it easy to replace bathtubs with accessible showers.

RC_040516_HOTP.indd 22 2016-03-30 11:22 AM

If you’ve been reading Renovation Contractor over the last five years, you’ll have noticed how much we love to profile entrepreneurs. We know our readers want to see what their coast-to-coast

colleagues do to set themselves apart, land sales, and keep growing. So, for our fifth anniversary issues, we cherry-picked some of our most interesting story subjects and did a little check in. What’s new in their local industries? How has their work changed? Who’s growing like mad

and who’s changing tacks? Here’s what they’ve been up to. ❱❱


BY DIANE PETERS

WHERE

ARE THEY

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, Renovation Contractor checks in with

five past profile subjects to see what’s new

RC_040516_whereTheyAt.indd 30 2016-04-06 3:29 PM

If you’ve been reading Renovation Contractor over the last five years, you’ll have noticed how much we love to profile entrepreneurs. We know our readers want to see what their coast-to-coast

colleagues do to set themselves apart, land sales, and keep growing. So, for our fifth anniversary issues, we cherry-picked some of our most interesting story subjects and did a little check in. What’s new in their local industries? How has their work changed? Who’s growing like mad

and who’s changing tacks? Here’s what they’ve been up to. kk


BY DIANE PETERS

WHERE

ARE THEY

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, Renovation Contractor checks in with

five past profile subjects to see what’s new


“I just finished a houseyesterday,” Dan MacKay

told us during a recent interview. “I love doing the final inspection. Making sure everyone’s happy.” This Nova Scotia-based company still does about two new builds a year, and fills in the gaps with smaller renovation jobs.

That build was a 2,400-sq.-ft. bungalow with some upscale details – a tray ceiling, some nice outdoor lighting – just outside Truro. Recently, MacKay and his

team completed a showpiece of a 7,000-sq.-ft. home in the same subdivision. (Yes, word of mouth still lands the company most of its jobs.) That three-story home took nine months to complete.

Not much has changed at the company in recent years. MacKay still focuses on doing top-quality work and planning ahead so there are few gaps in the calendar. But there’s a bit more talk of “being selective” with projects, and golfing.

MacKay Construction is

celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and the main members of the team – Rod Nelson and Hal Otterson – are still on board as theyhave been since the earlydays. “I do plan on slowingdown a bit in the next fewyears. We’re good for a bit. I’m61 now,” says MacKay.

His other passion – golf – might be taking up a bit moreof his time, particularly in the offseason, as he travels to Florida every March. He’s also part

owner in a nearby golf course.With much of his team close

to his age too, he’s not sure about the long-term future of the brand. There’s still time to plan for that, and still enough passion for the work, and enough work, to keep MacKay Construction going strong. “I still love doing it.” RC

Dan MacKay

Dan MacKay ConstructionLOCATION: Debert, N.S.

EMPLOYEES: 5

ANNUAL REVENUE: Not available

APPEARED IN: July/August 2011

CONTRACTORRENOCONTRACTOR.CA

EASTCOAST

Building on the

CUTTINGTHE CORD,AND THE HOSE

Dan MacKay remakes a classic in Truro, Nova Scotia

Cordless nailers reduce hassles & improve efficiency

T H E M AGA Z I N E FOR CA NA DI A N R E NOVAT ION CON T R ACTOR S JULY/AUGUST 2011

BUILD THEULTIMATEBACKYARD!

Page 54

Get Wise About WindowsAn Open Letter to the Prime Minister

PLUS:


RC_040516_whereTheyAt.indd 31 2016-03-30 10:37 AM


I love doing the final inspection. Making sure everyone’s happy.



R amsin Khachi isn’t justa contractor these

days. The guy and his company are a brand. Around the time he was featured in the magazine in a story on basements, the Oakville-based entrepreneur was splitting his company up into three.

The contracting arm, which relies heavily on sub-trades, does renovation work. The design business draws up full buildings and renovations. And the decorator business o!ers finishing touches. “There was so much demand for people using our services individually,”

he says of the reason for pulling things apart. These separate units allow a designer to draw up a project and the contracting arm to bid on it, sometimes against other companies. Decorators work on his projects, and others too. “It keeps every facet accountable. When you throw it all into one pile, it’s hard to know which part of it is making money.”

Meanwhile, the company recently launched an e-commerce site calledBazuva.com that sells theunique design finds Khachihas sourced over the years:lamps, cabinet hardware,

wooden stools, and even toys, many with a modern edge. It’s complemented by an online magazine/blog called Khachilife, an image-driven site that muses on art and design and is written mainly by Khachi himself. He still appears on The Marilyn Denis Show and does TV shows when he travels through the U.S. too.

Somewhere in there, the company pulls off its top-notch renovation projects. That includes work on a massive, modern cottage in Kenora, Ont.

The blossoming of this brand has meant serious

growth for the company. “We’re bursting at the seams,” says Khachi of the company’s head o"ce. Finding a new location in Oakville is proving a challenge. But the Khachi Group decorates the city’s annual Christmas tree and is involved in numerous local events and organizations. The brand’s on a tear, but this business knows where its loyalties lie and won’t be moving far from home any day soon.

Ramsin Khachi

Khachi Design GroupLOCATION: Oakville, Ont.

EMPLOYEES: 13

ANNUAL REVENUE: $5 million

APPEARED IN: January/February 2012

CONTRACTOR

THE VOICE OF CANADA’S RENO AND CUSTOM HOMEBUILDING INDUSTRY

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

RenoContractor.ca

A/V Accessories, Paint, Trim, Bar Paraphernalia, and moreIncluding Advice from Design Guru

Ramsin Khachi

BUILD A BETTERBASEMENT

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BUILDING INSIGHTA Special SupplementALSO INSIDE:




When you throw it all into one pile, it’s hard to know which part of it

is making money.



This six-year-old businessis seeing growth, and

branching out. Recently, owner Sherri Player has been delving into commercial work. And loving it.

“The profit margins are bigger,” she says. Most recently, she built a 3,500-sq.-ft. bridal studio. And she built out a London location for the chain H&R Block.

On the residential side, things are moving along well too, with some kitchens, bathrooms, and a retrofitting

of an entire apartment, complete with structural work.

But Player has also become increasingly connected to the local community. She’s now working with a nonprofit group called Pathways to Education that gives youth a chance to learn new skills. She’s taken on an intern from that program, who worked with her in the field.

This spring, she’ll be launching a partnership with a local blogger who does DIY projects at a site called

100 Things 2 Do. The plan: Player will draft up a simple woodworking project on SketchUp and blogger Shelly Shepherd, who also lives in London, will build it. Player plans to launch a blog to coincide with the ongoing project to draw customers to her site.

Backing up these and other new marketing and

networking plans are Player’s longtime commitment to customer service and excellence. Now a parent with two young children, she’s more aware than ever of how renovations impact her clients, and she’s intent on being safe, e!cient, and clean. “I try to treat every home like it’s my home and my kids are living in it.”

Details RenovationsLOCATION: London, Ont.

EMPLOYEES: 3

ANNUAL REVENUE: $325,000

APPEARED IN: May/June 2013

Being detail-oriented, good listeners, and tidy are all traits typically attributed to women, and all definite factors to which Sherri Player attributes her success.

As one of the few female owners of a renovation company in Canada, Player’s entrepreneurial spirit and her skill set, combined with the above above qualities, have given Details Renovations a leg up on the competition. “I listen to what they want

and what they need [in a renovation] and help them take the longer view, so that what they want doesn’t overshadow what they actually need,” she says. Also, some clients are more comfortable working with a woman because, often, the lady of the house is at home when work is being done and “she feels safer.”

Being female in a male-dominated field isn’t always easy, as potential custom-ers are sometimes initially skeptical. “I’ve had people

say, ‘Let me speak to the guy who does that,’ when talking with them on the phone,” Player says.

After being downsized from her position as a maintenance planner with an automotive parts manu-facturer near her home-town of London, Ont., Player decided to return to her first love – residen-tial renovations.

In her early teens, Player had dropped out of school and quickly found a job as a labourer with a drywalling

and painting company. She called on skills learned when she was in grade eight, helping rebuild her grandparents’ cottage on Lake Huron. “The contractor taught me how to use the basic tools of the trade, like how to read a tape measure accurately and how to ham-mer without taking my own thumbnail o!,” she explains. “I was hooked.”

Player spent the next several years learning di!er-ent skills while working for various renovators. By her

mid-20s, Player was ready to focus on education and got her high-school diploma as a mature student, then attended Fanshawe College and gained a diploma in a three-year program study-ing mechanical engineering.

Working in manufactur-ing was financially reward-ing but her heart wasn’t in it, so even though being laid o! was troubling, she was pleased to be able to try her hand as an entrepreneur and launch her company, Details Renovations. “I missed the physical labour of building.”

Enrolling in the London Small Business Centre’s Self-Employment Benefit Program, Player attended workshops on marketing, social media, accounting, and bookkeeping. This government-funded pro-gram provides grant money to supplement unemploy-ment benefits, enabling her to sink proceeds of the business back into it. Player found the intensive study required to write her business plan, as well as its acceptance as being viable, a rewarding experience.

Being a business owner is tough but Player finds it grat-ifying. “I want my success or failure to be my own.”

Because she’s an intro-vert, networking is chal-lenging, but Player takes seriously her responsibility to keep her crew of three working. Her e!orts are paying o!. The first year, she employed one part-time labourer and had gross sales of $40,000; in the second year of opera-tion, the company grossed $195,000 and employed three full-time sta!.

Now in year three, Player expects to gross in excess of $250,000.

All of this hasn’t been without harsh lessons. Dealing with one di"cult client, who required seven quote revisions, taught her to “get it in writing, and I mean all the details.”

This is balanced out by the rewards of work-ing with clients that are pleased when the job is complete. “I like making my clients’ visions a reality. I just like to make people happy,” she says.

—Jill Ellis-Worthington

10 renocontractor.ca | May/June 2013 Renovation Contractor

CALENDAR COUNTDOWN

Details RenovationsRENOVATOR PROFILE

TOOL PRESS Edited by Allan Britnell

FAST

FAC

TS

Company name: Details Restorations and Renovations Founded: 2010Location: London, Ont.Specializing in: General renovations (mainly

kitchens, baths, and basements)Number of employees: 3Gross revenue (2012): $195,000 Website: DetailsRenovations.com

OFF THEHOT

For Sherri Player, it’s all in the Details

MAY/JUNESherri Player turned a down-sizing into an opportunity to launch a reno company

Renovation Contractor May/June 2013 | renocontractor.ca 11

Ph

oto

s cou

rtesy o

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en

ovatio

ns

May 12Mother’s DayYou have one and are probably married to one*. Get both of them a nice gift. They deserve it.

May 20Victoria DayOr, as we like to think of it, the o"cial start of summer.

May 25Champions League FinalTwo of the best soccer, er, football clubs in Europe duke it out for bragging rights on the Wembley Stadium pitch in London. On a related note, the (Red Bull cli!)

diving championship series takes place the same day in France.

June 2–8Environment WeekPitch in by getting your helper to sort the recyclables from the trash.

June 5Stats Canada releases April’s building permit stats. For some other industry-related stats, see The News Ticker, on page 61.

June 16Father’s DayYou have one and may be one. And who doesn’t love getting gifts?

June 24St. Jean Baptiste DayOr, as they like to think of it in Quebec, la o"cial start d’été.

*For our female readers with o!spring of their own, leave this page open where your loved one can see.

Before

After

Sherri Player



I try to treat every home like it’s my home and my kids are living in it.


Business owners usually thrive on the thrill of

growing their brand and achieving new heights. “We’re just maintaining and enjoying life,” says Je! Andrew.

As his business partner Art Lussier turns 68 this year, the duo are taking it easy on the contracting side and focus on o!ering quality service. They’ve simplified things since appearing in the second issue of Renovation Contractor: they now have a full-time sta! installer, instead of relying on subcontractors for their work,

which is still mainly windows and doors. They company moved from Scarborough to more a!ordable Ajax, which is also where Andrew lives. (And where there’s a lot of building and renovating going on in this rapidly developing area too.) And Lussier spends three months of the year in Florida.

But this duo, their partnership as strong as always, have no immediate plans to wind up their work together. Instead, they’ve been tinkering on a side project for the past few years that’s soon

to hit the market. They’ve created a special tip

for caulking tubes that can be removed and cleaned, allowing professionals and homeowners to actually use an entire tube instead of perpetually having to throw them out, simply because the tip gets clogged. “There’s a ton of waste. Most caulking is not water-based. And it’s all going into landfill,” says Andrew.

The product is ready, as is the packaging – the name is set too, it’s The Clean Caulk Tip – all puns very much intended – and Andrew is now at work on the website.

Basically, it’s a new business and semi-retirement package all wrapped up in one. This team will be sealing windows and doors, but just in a di!erent way, for a whole lot more years to come.

Superior Home ImprovementsLOCATION: Ajax, Ont.

EMPLOYEES: 5

ANNUAL REVENUE: $750,000

APPEARED IN: July/August 2011

Jeff Andrew and Art Lussier


Renovation Contractor July/August 2011 | renocontractor.ca 13

After decades of working for other people’s home improvement companies, too many winters spent perched at the top of a ladder trying to cap a window frame with frozen fingers, and one too many of those ladders slipping out from underneath them, Art Lussier and Je! Andrew decided to go into business for themselves, with each other.

“I remember the day,”

says Andrew of his epiph-any. “I was working for a company where the owner was younger than me. I was actually working on his house and it just struck me: Why am I doing this for somebody else?”

Lussier is more suc-cinct about it: “It was all the bullshit,” he says. Specifically, while always proud of the e!ort he put into his work, Lussier found that far too often the

people he was working for and with were only inter-ested in making a buck, and the customers often ended up angry and disillu-sioned with the experience.

So, in 1999, the two joined forces under the name Superior Home Improvements, and set up shop in a 20,000-sq.ft. showroom and warehouse in an industrial unit in north-east Scarborough, Ont., and haven’t looked back since.

While both had fairly diverse renovation experi-ences in the past – once

upon a time, Lussier was a foreman in the steelwork-ers’ union, and Andrew’s done everything from hang storm doors to building decks – the bulk of their careers were spent install-ing windows and exterior doors, so that’s what their focus is.

Right from the begin-ning, they developed a workflow system that tapped into each individu-al’s skills. Lussier manages the installation crews and still regularly straps on the toolbelt: he rechecks all

the sales guys’ measure-ments, handles most of the service, and even helps out on the odd job when work orders are starting to pile up. Andrew covers the admin side, taking care of the ordering, scheduling, and myriad other paper-work tasks required to

keep to keep two installa-tion crews and two sales-men busy.

If there’s one thing that keeps them from being as busy as they’d like, it’s the underground economy. “Ever since HST came in, the guys who’ll take cash have been killing us,” says Andrew. To Lussier, one of the obvious solutions is to reinstate programs like the now cancelled federal ecoEnergy Retrofit rebates. “That really helped because you had to be above ground for

customers to be able to claim their rebate.” (We’ll delve deeper into the issue of how to combat – and compete with – the underground economy in an upcoming issue of Renovation Contractor.)

And, though there can be the occasional butting

of heads – “Being in a partnership is a bit like being in a marriage,” is how Andrew puts it – both agree they couldn’t be happier working for them-selves. And, with a dozen years at the helm, they’ve got the confidence to keep going. As Andrew says, “we can handle anything that comes our way because we have done it before.”

Interested in joining our advisory board? Contact managing editor Allan Britnell: [email protected].

12 renocontractor.ca | July/August 2011 Renovation Contractor

Superior Home Improvements

CALENDAR COUNTDOWN

FAST FACTS

SUPERIOR HOME IMPROVEMENTS’ Je! Andrew (left) and Art Lussier decided to go into business for themselves, with each other.

RENOVATOR PROFILE

TOOL PRESS Edited by Allan Britnell

Ever since HST came in, the guys who’ll take cash

have been killing us.

Ph

oto

by N

icole N

ade

au

Company name: Superior Home ImprovementsLocation(s): Scarborough, Ont.Year founded: 1999Specializing in: Exterior window and door installationsNumber of employees: TwoGross revenues (2010): $1.2 million

OFF THEHOT

“ ”

For these two independent subs, joining forces was a superior idea

JULY/AUGUST1

August

When you’re not toiling away through the dog days of summer, relax with a cold one (or six) and take in some of these events.

RBC Canadian Open, VancouverJuly 21–24The Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club hosts 156 golfers trying to claim the 107th Canadian Open championship.

AUGUSTThe August Long WeekendAugust 1Sure it’s got a bunch of di!erent names (Civic Holiday, Heritage Day, and Natal Day, among others), and we don’t all get the day o! (sorry Quebecers, Newfoundlanders, and Yukoners), but for those that do, the mid-summer long weekend is a wel-come break.

Labour Force SurveyAugust 5Statistics Canada releases its latest Labour Force Survey detailing employment figures for July. Did you have to hire – or fire – somebody last month? July’s Consumer

Price Index report (telling us how much gasoline went up, among other things) comes out two weeks later.

Toronto’s Festival of BeerAug. 5–7It’s a festival. Celebrating beer. Enough said.

Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament (Montreal)Aug. 8–14In the immortal words of Da!y Duck: Tenni-th anyone?

NASCAR 200 MontrealAug. 19-20

Champ Car Grand Prix of MontrealAug. 26–28It’s back-to- back racing weekends on Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. First up are the NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers, followed by the Champ Car World Series.



We’re just maintaining and enjoying life.


Do not think for one minute that the

downturn in Calgary right now thanks to plummeting oil prices will hinder the ambitions of Alkarim Devani and his innovative inner-city renovation company. Declining budgets have been just one reason Devani is doing a major pivot on his company. “We’ve shifted our focus. Our priority is to get families living in the inner city, but at a more a!ordable rate.”

Beyond Homes is currently in the process of changing its name to Rndsqr, and will be out of the single family dwelling market entirely by

2017. Too bad: those modern new builds with lots of green features at the hand of Devani were gorgeous. He’ll bring the same forward-thinking design to the 20 townhomes he plans to build next year.

These 1,200-sq.-ft. homes will come in rows of four and replace a single-family teardown in the city’s north or south end. He’s got five developments in the planning stage to be executed next year.

To sell these new builds, Devani will run a mobile showroom out of a 1969 Airstream. His slimmed-down employee roster of seven will be focusing on sales,

marketing, and design. He’ll be contracting out the building of the townhomes.

As a newly sprung townhome developer, however, Devani still plans to do things quite di!erently. “I’m working on exploring the lifestyle component. Instead of just developing where they live, I also want to help them with how they live.” To that end, he’s networking with local companies to build partnerships to support his townhouse projects.

Beyond HomesLOCATION: Calgary

EMPLOYEES: 7

ANNUAL REVENUE: $5 million

APPEARED IN: November/December 2014

Alkarim Devani


That may result in o!ering parking spaces for a car-sharing services or giving new buyers some free spin classes at a nearby studio. He plans to provide communal bikes for his new homes.

At a price point of about $550,000, these new builds will help map out the kind of city Devani has always dreamed of. He can’t do much about the price of oil or the local economy, but he can keep building Calgary’s inner city to match his ideals.

10 renocontractor.ca | November/December 2014 Renovation Contractor

CALENDAR COUNTDOWN

TOOL PRESS Edited by Allan BritnellOFF THEHOT


NOV/DEC

That strong belief in old-school urban living – albeit layered with pretty progres-sive ideas about design and green materials – is what drives the owner of Beyond Homes. His big ideas and solid execution have gar-nered him kudos and awards around Calgary, and put him at the centre of this formerly sprawling, suburb-oriented town’s drive to embrace inner-city redevelopment.

The Calgary native studied marketing at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and he got his real estate license while still in school. He also worked the show-room and project man-aged at his brother Afshin’s building company, Devani Homes. (Hence it took

him five years to finish his degree.)

Around the same time, he started dating his future wife Majida, a longtime family friend who was studying architecture at U of C. “She showed me how to look at things di!erently.” The prospect of blending entrepreneurial real estate work and with a creative approach seemed possible.

Devani, Afshin, and a third brother, Zamil – him-self an entrepreneur as well who owns used car dealer-ships – launched Beyond Homes together in 2007. “I was born in this city and I’ve seen how it’s grown, and how vast it is,” says Devani.

People were just starting to talk about the problem with sprawl. Meanwhile green building materials were coming out. The final piece: Majida launched her own design firm called Building Blocks around the same time, but she agreed to do architec-tural work for Beyond Homes.

Right away, Zamil found this business held little resonance and he focused his energy on his existing businesses. By 2011, Afshani was ready to devote himself to his own real estate investment and finance business, so Devani took over full ownership.

Now, Beyond Homes works on between 10 and 17 homes at a time, selling each for an average of $850,000 to $1.2 million (although some go for more). About 40 percent are custom builds for clients, but the rest are tear-downs on inner city lots Devani sources (he’s still an agent) and builds on spec, often replacing a single bungalow with two semis.

Sometimes, Devani finds lots that could take a row of townhomes, or a low-rise. “We’re trying to do more a!ordable stu!. I

don’t think good design has to be expensive,” he says. “But the community is not always ready for more density.” He’s been gaining contacts with city sta! as he finds himself becoming an advocate for new zoning rules, and a new attitude.

No matter what the price tag, Devani likes every home to be unique, to suit its property, its neighbour-hood, and the needs of its residents. He’s not a fan of reusing floor plans, but sits down with custom clients to find out how they live and what will work for them.

Then, it’s working with Majida to find a creative layout and seeking new materials – often reclaimed products – to make every-

RENOVATOR PROFILE

Beyond HomesThis Calgary builder wants to do more

thing from the kitchen, staircase, cladding, and outdoor design elements truly unique, but also timeless and long lasting.

Sometimes Devani admits to pushing his ideals and design sense close to the wire and having to pull back to ensure the com-pany stays profitable. Sometimes he’s eager to try a new green material to find out, just a year or so later, that it’s not working and must be replaced. For Devani, it’s part of what he’s trying to do. “We would not have had as much success if we did not push the design and do things di!erently. We would not be here today.”—Diane Peters

Calgary contractor Alkarim Devani is interested in building more than just housing in his hometown.

Alkarim Devani believes so much in inner-city living and redevelopment, he not only lives in one of his own custom-built semis in Calgary’s southwest quadrant, but he, his wife, and daughter stayed for two years in the old bungalow on the property. “We live in an area we love,” says Devani, who often bikes to work.

Lest we forget. November 11Remembrance DayLest we forget.

November 27–29The Third AnnualRenovators’ Roundtable

November 30102nd Grey Cup, Vancouver Will your team be there? (Note: probably not, if your team plays in the NFL!)

December 3–5If you’re in town for the Roundtable, why not stick around the follow-ing week to attend Construct Canada? While many of the exhibits and seminars are more focussed on the ICI sector, many of

RENOVATORS’ROUNDTABLE2014

November/December 2014 | renocontractor.ca 11

FAST

FA

CTS

Company Name: Beyond Homes Ltd.Founded: 2007Location: CalgaryNumber of Employees: 8Gross Revenue: approx. $15- to $20-millionWebsite: DevaniHomes.com

the vendors use the event to showcase their newest tools and build-ing materials. ConstructCanada.com

December 21The lights go out early tonight as the solstice – and shortest day of the year – marks the o#cial start of winter.

December 25Merry Christmas!

December 31Happy New Year!A toast to all our hard-working readers! Best wishes for prosperous and healthy 2015.



I’m working on exploring the lifestyle component. Instead of just developing where they

live, I also want to help them with how they live.



kk�BUILDING SCIENCE jj

RC_040516_Disaster.indd 30 2016-03-30 10:51 AM


It’s not just the mailman who has to deal with rain, sleet, and driving snow. Here’s Renovation Contractor’s guide to

building weather-resistant homes

W hether or not you buy in to the theory that global warming is a manmade phenomenon, it is getting harder to deny that the Earth is actually getting warmer. According to the U.S.-based

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the top 16 warmest years ever recorded have occurred since 1998. In fact, 2015 is the warmest year on record, with nine of the top ten warmest months ever recorded. Likewise, you may not believe that global warming has anything to do with extreme weather events, but it is tough to deny that severe storms seem to be occurring with alarming frequency these days.

Contractors have always had to consider the environmental challenges peculiar to the region where they build, and that has probably never been as true as it is today. Depending on where you live and work in Canada, you may have to pay extra attention to factors like high winds, extreme temperatures, frequent flooding, or heavy snow and ice loads. But the weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable across the country, and given the increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, unique building solutions to regional environmental challenges could start to become standard practice for more builders regardless of where they work.

BY FRANK CONDRON

Attacks!



Bills were forced to move a home game to Detroit because their stadium couldn’t be cleared in time.

Snowstorms that big are exceptional, of course, even in Bu!alo, but there are areas where the snow can build up over the course of the winter to a level that can threaten the structural integrity of homes. Not surprisingly, the Canadian heavyweight snow title goes to British Columbia, where the seasonal snowpack in the mountains can exceed a mindboggling 15 metres in spots. Roger Smith of Olson Construction has been building custom homes and cabins in and around the mountain town of Golden, B.C., on the Alberta border for 40 years, and he has seen first-hand the kind of damage snow can do.

“This is avalanche country; the weight and power of the snow is incredible,” says Smith. “It’s common to see the snow rip dormers o! of roofs and

SNOW AND ICE, ICE, BABY

Winter wonderland: Heavy snow is not only bad for your back, it can damage roofs and even rip dormers right o! houses.

Big snow is certainly nothing new to Buffalo, N.Y., but a lake-effect storm that hit the city in late November 2014, was different. Bu!alo was hammered with two metres of snow in a matter of 24 hours, with drifts rising to better than three metres. The snow was so deep that the NFL’s Bu!alo eavestroughs ripped o!.

Sometimes clients from Vancouver and Calgary don’t understand that they may not be able to have exactly the roof design they want because the design has to take the snow load into consideration. You have to anticipate that once-in-50-years weather event, because it could be next year.”

Along with extra-robust cross-bracing between trusses and engineered truss systems, the key to managing large snow loads is simplicity, says Smith. Complex roof systems that incorporate multiple dormers, valleys, and gables are just asking for trouble.

“Roof valleys create spaces for snow to accumulate, and more weight means a greater potential for structural failure.”

Northern Quebec also gets more than its fair share of snow, and Alain Hamel had to take that into account when he built his custom home on Lac Kenogami in the Saguenay Region near the city of Rimouski in 2012. A retired contractor, Hamel designed his roof system to be twice as strong as what would be common practice farther south in the province. “The snow comes in o! the lake and regularly gets as high as six or seven feet against the



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house,” explains Hamel. “We also had the terrible ice storm back in 2007, and that did enormous damage to many houses in the region. If you don’t consider these things,

you could have a much bigger problem if nature throws something like that at you.”

Hamel opted for a metal roof on his home because he liked the durability it o!ered,

but metal is another red flag for mountain homes out west. “We prefer shingles, although the snow doesn’t slide o! as easily,” says Smith. “Architects tend to prefer metal, but I’ve seen the snow and ice get under the seams of metal roofs over time and roll them back like an orange peel.”

Then there is ice. The cycle of freeze-thaw in the sunny mountain valleys can lead to serious ice dam issues, says Smith, “That’s why you have to pay special attention to the roof membrane, because if it’s not adequate, huge icicles can become a big safety issue around the house.”

Ice House

When life gives you snow and ice…make igloos. For centuries, the Inuit built temporary structures from the material most-readily at hand: snow. They ranged in size from small, one-man temporary shelters to larger ceremonial complexes.


BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND



No one who was living in central Ontario in the spring of 1985 will ever forget the afternoon of May 31. That day, 14 tornadoes of varying strength touched down in and around the agricultural region of Simcoe County and the City of Barrie in a wild six-hour stretch, killing 12 people, injuring 300, and damaging some 600 homes. The worst of the twisters, rated at F4, packed sustained winds of between 270 and 310 km/h and left parts of some subdivisions completely flattened.

Unlike in the U.S., severe wind events, like tornados and hurricanes, are rare in Canada. Still, there are areas of the

Bunting, senior branch engineer for Simpson Strong Tie-Canada, which manufactures engineered building hardware for residential construction. “That’s fine as long as you don’t get a crazy weather event. But with extreme events happening more often, you are bound to see more structural failures from high winds.”

High winds bring several forces to bear on a structure, putting extra stress on points where the major structural elements – foundation, floor, walls, roof – come together, explains Bunting. “Sustained high winds can apply three di!erent forces to a structure: a pushing, or shearing force on one side, a rotational force if the wind hits the structure on an angle, and an uplift force on the roof and truss system. Any building in a high-wind area has to be built to withstand all these forces.”

The key to making a structure more wind-resistant lies in tying the structural elements together. In places where hurricanes are common, this is achieved by using engineered metal connectors and straps to better tie the

On May 31, 1985, a series of tornadoes swept through parts of Ontario, wiping out entire subdivision in the City of Barrie.

country, like the Maritimes, the Prairies, and the western mountain regions, where sustained high winds and powerful gales come with the scenery. Like moisture, high winds have a knack for finding weaknesses in structures and hammering away at them until they fail. For that reason, contractors in high-wind areas who try to pinch pennies with less-than-optimum construction methods and weak or inappropriate materials aren’t doing their clients any favours.

“The current building code instructs contractors how to build based on past performance in a given region of the country,” says Brent


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exterior walls back to the interior walls, the upper floors to the lower floors, and the roof to the truss system. The goal is to create a continuous load path transfer system that spreads the load throughout structure when the wind is blowing hard, but remains rigid when buffeted by negative wind pressure.

Other building techniques common in hurricane and tornado regions include applying continuous plywood or OSB sheathing from below the top of the foundation to the roof line, lapping seams between floors, walls, and ceilings. This offers protection against the wind in the event exterior siding or masonry fails.

Protection against high winds can also be as simple as opting for a hip roof instead of a gable end, and using the appropriate nails spaced at the correct intervals, as nails offer more blow-off resistance for wall sheathing than staples. Corrosion-resistant fasteners are vital to maintaining overall structural integrity over time.

Windows and doors also play a key role in making a structure stable. “If a window or door fails in a high-wind event, that pressurizes the entire structure and all bets are off as to what can happen next,” Bunting says. “That’s why, in places like Florida, windows and doors have to be hurricane-rated to withstand debris strikes.”

Dome Sweet Dome

This 6,000-sq.ft., dome-shaped home in Pensecola, Florida, is designed to withstand the worst that Mother Nature can throw at it, including hurricane-force winds and storm surge floodwaters. So far, it’s stood tall through hurricanes Dennis, Ivan, and Katrina.

Building in areas at risk of extreme winds calls for reinforced framing and shatter-resistant windows.


When your home consumes less energy, it frees up money for other things like vacations, your children’s education and retirement. With the Enbridge Home Energy Conservation Program, it’s easy and affordable for you to improve the energy efficiency of your home, lower your energy bills and save money. Plus, if you’re a qualified homeowner, you can take advantage of valuable incentives of up to $2,100.*

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HERE COMESTHE RAIN


The summer of 2013 was a rough one for basements. In June of that year, heavy rains in southern Alberta pushed a number of major rivers over their banks, leading to images on the nightly news of well-appointed lobbies in downtown Calgary o!ce buildings swimming in three feet of water. One month later, 100 mm of rain fell in the Greater Toronto Area in a

surface water flooding that occurred in Calgary and Toronto in 2013, there’s really not a whole lot contractors can do to make homes more resilient in advance.

Groundwater flooding is slightly more manageable, however, and certainly more predictable, based on the soil type around the foundation and the elevation of the home

Rise Up

In many countries, including Bangladesh, monsoon-driven flooding is an annual occurrence. To deal with the onslaught, many houses are built on stilts. Others are built on stone and brick plinths that elevate structures above floodwaters.

Heavy rains in the summer of 2013 almost washed out the Calgary Stampede, and flooded a GO Transit commuter train in Toronto.

matter of hours, flooding the subway, stranding commuter trains, shutting down roads, and cutting o" power to some 300,000 homes for several days. Between damage from surface water and backed-up sewers, there was enough basement remediation work in both cities to keep contractors busy for years.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the kind of rare,



relative to the water table. “If a home is situated on a

flood plain and the soil has poor drainage, it could be problematic any time there’s a big rainstorm,” says Daniel Garfield, whose Toronto-based company, The Underpinners, specializes in basement lowering projects. “Sandy soil drains well, but water tends to pool on clay. And you can have sandy soil on top of clay, where the water will drain down and pool there or flow along a plain underground and up against the basement walls.”

Many of Garfield’s projects involve older homes where the original foundation drainage system is plugged with silt and no longer functional. The simple solution in that case is to install an interior drainage system to channel groundwater away. In extreme cases, it might be necessary to add a sump pump. Says Garfield: “Ideally, you’d like clay sloping away from the house, because it acts as a barrier to water getting into the ground, then sand around the foundation walls to channel any ground water to the drainage system.”The crew from The

Underpinners often uncovers completely clogged drainage systems in older homes.


FEELINGHOT, HOT, NOT


Extreme heat is rarely a problem in any region of Canada for long, but extreme cold is something builders have to consider no matter where they operate. Of course, the best way to combat extremely cold temperatures is with extreme insulation, combined with a tight building envelop, and Alain Hamel’s custom-built house in northeastern Quebec just might be the best cold-weather home in the country; Hamel’s house was named

Green Builder Home of the Year in 2013 by U.S.-based Green Builder magazine.

“It gets really cold here: usually minus-25, minus-30 at night in the winter, and sometimes minus-40 for a week at a time,” Hamel says. “Our exterior walls, from the stone and spruce siding to the interior finished walls, are 30- inches thick, and the wall core is insulated with a combination of rock wool, EPS, and wood-fibre insulation. Even in this harsh climate, the house is net-zero for energy consumption.”

To deal with Quebec’s extremely cold winters, builder Alain Hamel constructed a home with R83 exterior walls and R151 in the attic.



The house can’t get cold if the cold can’t get in, and Hamel’s Lac Kenogami house is sealed tight from top to bottom. The exterior walls deliver R83 insulation value while radiant heat comes from a polished concrete floor slab sitting on a layer of R64 EPS. The roof is rated at R151, and the building envelope is built to a standard 17 percent higher than the normal Passive House

requirements. Triple-glaze windows massed on the south side of the house allow the sun to come in and warm the concrete floor and exposed brick interior walls, providing abundant passive heat.

“Once, I shut the heating system o! for 10 days, just to see,” says Hamel. “The house never got below 21C; when it’s sunny, even in the winter, the house never gets cold.”

Baked, Not Fried

With trees in short supply in arid Yemen, in the 16th century builders in the town of Shibam used mud to construct highrises up to 11 stories tall.


IF THE HOUSEIS A ROCKIN...


While not weather related, earthquakes are a very real issue for builders in places like British Columbia. In fact, B.C. south coast residents were reminded of that fact shortly after 11:30 p.m. just this past December 29th, when a magnitude 4.8 quake shook people from their beds, smashed dishes, and cracked interior drywall in homes in Victoria and Vancouver. It wasn’t “the big one,” but B.C. has experienced much worse: in 1946 a magnitude 7.3 quake hit Vancouver Island near the town of Courtenay, and in 2012, a 7.7 magnitude quake hit farther up the coast at Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, sparking fears of a tsunami. These larger earthquakes did much less damage because they occurred in less populated areas, but, as people all along the Pacific coast of North America know, the next “big one” is just a matter of time.

Given that British Columbia is home to 40 specific regions identified as “high seismic locations,” the province’s

Homeowner Protection O!ce (HPO) amended the building code in 2012 to mandate more stringent standards for new builds and significant reno-vations designed to mitigate damage from earthquakes. To help designers, builders, and inspectors come to grips with the new standards, the HPO produced the Illustrated Guide for Seismic Design (you can download a copy at hpo.bc.ca/files/download/guide/Illustrated-Guide-For-Seismic-

Design-of-Houses.pdf).“For municipalities that

don’t require a structural engineer, the building code defines the earthquake hazard by region and then identifies the engineering design based on the risk,” explains Bob Deeks, president of Whistler, B.C.-based RDC Fine Homes. “The architect and builder

would then be required to follow the prescriptive design guidelines laid out in the guide by the HPO. But this would only be required when a building permit is required, and it’s only enforced when a permit is applied for.”

The new requirements are centered on the concept of “braced wall bands” around

A 7.3-magnitude quake in 1946 toppled buildings in the town of Courteny, B.C., on Vancouver Island.



Studio

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BY DATEAPPROVALS

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2-22-2016 2:29 PMPREPRESS

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damage. And in a worst-case-scenario quake, the new standards could help ensure the structure remains habitable once the shaking stops.

“Wood-frame construction is generally pretty resilient in an earthquake because it’s flexible,” says Weeks. “But modern architectural designs that call for elements like huge exterior windows, concrete floors and walls, and the removal of bracing walls to create bigger spaces create conditions that didn’t exist in homes years ago; it can make building a custom home in a high seismic area very challenging. Lots of structural engineers will assume the builder will have to skip certain steps to achieve what the client is looking for, so they will add additional structural elements to ensure they end up with a robust design.” RC

Writing this article has frightened

long-time contributor Frank

Condron into building an

underground bunker, just to be safe.

the exterior of the structure and placed along strategic lines inside. Earthquakes cause the structure to move from side to side, placing strong lateral forces on the stud walls, especially at the connection points at the floor, ceiling, and upper floor exterior walls. Sheathing all exterior walls and key interior walls on both sides

with plywood or OSB helps the wall combat these lateral forces.

Wherever possible, making allowances for windows and doors, the braced wall structure is continued around the house from grade to roof, lapping at the various floors, and inside along bands running from side to side and vertically from basement to attic. The

B.C. requirements also call for braced interior walls to be built within specified distances from parallel exterior walls on the various floors, as open-concept designs create a point of structural weakness in an earthquake. In the case of a modest tremor, the braced wall band approach should help minimize cosmetic

The red dots on the map below indicate potential seismic hazards. Northern Manitoba looks safe!

Ancient Chinese Secret

Researchers recently discovered a secret ingredient that’s helped some of China’s ancient structures survive centuries of wind, rain, and earthquakes: sticky rice. Chemists determined that gluten-laden water from cooking rice was mixed with lime to form the mortar that was used in China 1,500 years ago.

50 renocontractor.ca | April/May 2016


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doesn’t take a degree in business to know that keeping

in touch with your customers and prospective customers makes sense, and oftentimes email o!ers the most direct and scalable way to do that. But people’s lives are busy, and there’s no way to know what message at what time can result in the right engagement in moving your business in the right direction. Not only that, as contractors, we know that your lives are busy, and if you’re going to implement some sort of marketing, it better be the best use of your time.

easy to implement and have the potential add value to your business.

So how can you leverage email communications? Here are a few options: • Thank-You Emails: When you complete a job, automati-cally send a thank you note that also gently asks them for a review on the platform of their choice.•Newsletters: Don’t send these out more than once a month or less than four times per year. This form of com-munications helps you stay top of mind with your clients and doesn’t need to include too much info, and you might just get a referral out of it.•Surveys: Once a year or included in your newsletter. If you have a fair number of former clients, it’s great opportunity to get a sense of what kinds of projects they’re planning and what their budgets might be.

Customer Email Addresses: OrganizedUnless you’re running a sophisticated online pres-ence that includes your website, social media, and paid online advertising, you’re likely not getting enough visitors to passively collect email addresses. The lowest hanging fruit for building your contact list is your existing customer base or prospective customers that you’ve previ-ously been in touch with.

By Edward OkumMarketing Manager, OutRank by Rogers


The answer is, yes, it can, if you do it properly.

DOES EMAIL MARKETING REALLY WORK?

It

M A R K E T I N G

The Online Tool That Everyone UsesEmail marketing is really e!ective because everyone uses it. When it comes to emails from businesses, a recent study found that 70 percent of email readers open emails from a brand or com-pany in search of a discount or deal! Businesses that embrace email marketing have 40 per-cent more revenue on average according to another study, which further drives home the point. If you’re a small outfit, and resources for marketing are on the thin side, there are still email strategies that are

RC_040516_BYOB_redesign.indd 60 2016-03-30 11:07 AM


Once you have their email addresses, keep them all in one place – an Excel spread-sheet can work in a pinch, but an email program like MailChimp (MailChimp.com) will allow you to keep all your contacts in one place, set up reminders, and automate everything so you can save time and remain connected to your customers.

Say Hello to the Mail Monkey In the name of transparency, I must say that I work at OutRank, a Rogers com-pany that delivers an online marketing platform providing simple and automated email marketing. That said, if you’re going to go your own way, MailChimp is probably your best bet. Their platform is pretty fun to use, and if you focus on only a few key fea-tures, can be very straight-forward. It’s also completely free as long as you have fewer than 2,000 contacts. We’re going to walk you through the first steps of getting up and running on MailChimp. Let’s start with creating your first list:


TICKERNEWS

A collection of stats and facts that could affect your business

THE

Washed Out In Vancouver Vancouver is now officially unaffordable for most of us. The Royal Bank of Canada recently released a report where they calculated that the cost of owning a detached house in the city exceeds the average Canadian’s pre-tax earnings. Based on the median income of house-holds in the Vancouver area, the bank calculates that it would take 109% of pre-tax income just to cover basic housing costs – mortgage payments, property tax, and utility bills. Leaving nothing for other things you might need, like food and clothes.

According to analysis by a group called Demographica, Vancouver is the second least-afford-able housing market out of 360 cities surveyed, trailing only Hong Kong.

On the upside, the oil crash is making houses in Calgary seem like a downright bargain.

Got It, Got It, Need It The U.S. National Association of Home Builders conducted a survey of 4,300 recent and prospective homebuyers and asked them what items or features were must-haves for them, and what could they live without. Energy efficiency seems to be a top priority. Here are the top five of each.

Must-haves:• Laundry room (92 percent rated it “desirable” or “essential”)• Energy Star appliances (90 percent)• Exterior lighting (90 percent) • Energy Star-rating for the whole house (88 percent)• Energy Star windows (87 percent)

No thanks: • Elevator (63 percent said they “do not want”)• Pet-washing station (54 percent)• Wine cellar (53 percent)• Golf course (53 percent)• Daycare centre (52 percent)

Ice Time In our December/January issue’s kitchens and baths feature we included an item on a Calgary couple, Marcia Andreychuk and Joel Hamilton, who had remodeled their kitchen to look like the one on The Simpsons. We weren’t the only ones to notice. The show’s producers decided to acknowledge the

RC_040516_BYOB_redesign.indd 61 2016-04-06 3:28 PM


Once you have their email addresses, keep them all in one place – an Excel spread-sheet can work in a pinch, but an email program like MailChimp (MailChimp.com) will allow you to keep all your contacts in one place, set up reminders, and automate everything so you can save time and remain connected to your customers.

Say Hello to the Mail Monkey In the name of transparency, I must say that I work at OutRank, a Rogers com-pany that delivers an online marketing platform providing simple and automated email marketing. That said, if you’re going to go your own way, MailChimp is probably your best bet. Their platform is pretty fun to use, and if you focus on only a few key fea-tures, can be very straight-forward. It’s also completely free as long as you have fewer than 2,000 contacts. We’re going to walk you through the first steps of getting up and running on MailChimp. Let’s start with creating your first list:


TICKERNEWS

A collection of stats and facts that could a!ect your business

THE

Washed Out In Vancouver Vancouver is now o!cially una"ordable for most of us. The Royal Bank of Canada recently released a report where they calculated that the cost of owning a detached house in the city exceeds the average Canadian’s pre-tax earnings. Based on the median income of house-holds in the Vancouver area, the bank calculates that it would take 109% of pre-tax income just to cover basic housing costs – mortgage payments, property tax, and utility bills. Leaving nothing for other things you might need, like food and clothes.

According to analysis by a group called Demographica, Vancouver is the second least-a"ord-able housing market out of 360 cities surveyed, trailing only Hong Kong.

On the upside, the oil crash is making houses in Calgary seem like a downright bargain.

Got It, Got It, Need It The U.S. National Association of Home Builders conducted a survey of 4,300 recent and prospective homebuyers and asked them what items or features were must-haves for them, and what could they live without. Energy efficiency seems to be a top priority. Here are the top five of each.

Must-haves:• Laundry room (92 percent rated it “desirable” or “essential”)• Energy Star appliances (90 percent)• Exterior lighting (90 percent) • Energy Star-rating for the whole house (88 percent)• Energy Star windows (87 percent)

No thanks: • Elevator (63 percent said they “do not want”)• Pet-washing station (54 percent)• Wine cellar (53 percent)• Golf course (53 percent)• Daycare centre (52 percent)

Ice Time In our December/January issue’s kitchens and baths feature we included an item on a Calgary couple, Marcia Andreychuk and Joel Hamilton, who had remodeled their kitchen to look like the one on The Simpsons. We weren’t the only ones to notice. The show’s producers decided to acknowledge the



C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E

boxes if there are ones that are already checked, don’t worry about these. Click next.• Choose your template, we recommend the first one (a one column format).• This is where the building magic happens! On the left

you can see the email layout, on the right is where you can access the tools to manipu-late the elements and layout.

It might seem like a challenge, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few minutes. Drag and drop an image into the top where it says, “drop an image here.” Then write out what you want to say in the body. The beauty here is, once you

have a layout you like, build-ing out future emails will be a breeze because all you’ll need to change are some of

Send out emails no more than once a month, and at least four times a year. Schedule them to coincide with

your busiest sales periods.

• Create (or log into) your MailChimp account. • Choose Lists at the top of the window.• Click Create Lists. • Name your list, choose the email address you want your list to see (usually your company email address), choose the name you want associated with it (either your personal name or company name), and a quick blurb about how you got their email, something like, “You are receiving this email because you are a customer of Your Company Name.”• If you already have your list of customers who want to receive emails from you, copy and paste them into your MailChimp list. If not, type them in manually (it’ll be a little bit of elbow grease to start, but once you have it

set up in one spot you’ll real-ize it’s worth it). Click Import Subscribers if you have your contacts in list form already, otherwise click the Add Subscribers option to input each one individually and hit subscribe. That’s it.

Now let’s take a high-level overview of building your first email. Now there are a lot of options when it comes to what you can do with your emails, but we’re going to walk through the simplest option. • On the MailChimp dash-board, go to campaign and click create campaign in the top right.• Select Regular Campaign.• Choose the list you want to send the email to, click next in the bottom right.• Name your campaign, below that write your email subject line, type in a “from name” either your personal name or your business name, write in your “from email” – this is the email address you want your recipients to see. For now, ignore all of the check-


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C U S T O M E R S E R V I C E

couple in a very Canadian fashion. In a recent episode of the long-running series, while Homer and Bart are watching a hockey game, the announcers refer to a couple of the players on the ice as Hamilton and Andreychuk. Anyone up for trying to replicate the Family Guy’s kitchen?!?

Taxman’s Tricks We certainly wouldn’t encourage anyone to cheat on their taxes, but if you were thinking about it, you should be aware of

TICKERNEWS

Continued...

THE

the words. Be sure to preview and test your email before you send it out. • On this screen you have the choice to send your email right away, or schedule it for some time in the future.

Do It Well, Not Too Much, And Keep TabsEmail marketing can easily turn into spam and alienate your customers if you’re not careful. We suggest sending monthly or quarterly emails and to always focus on the quality of your emails. As a contractor, it’s a good idea to adjust your email schedule to coincide with your company’s biggest sales season.

And keep in mind, after running your first campaigns, any email client you use will display information about their performance. You’ll be able to get insights into how many people are opening, reading and even clicking through on your emails, even on an individual level. This can prove to be a great insight on your customer base.

Though it might seem a bit daunting, once you put your email templates in place, create your list, and define your topics, you can start communicating with your clients. Happy clients keep you in mind and when they need work done, whether it’s now or a year from now, you’ll be top of mind.


Benford’s law. Back in the 1930s, a physicist named Frank Benford crunched a bunch of numbers and concluded that roughly one-third of all multi-digit numbers start with the numeral one. The numeral two is the second-most common starting digit, and so on. Rather than bore you with the statistical reason why this is the case, we’ll let you know how the taxman uses Benford’s law: most people who fudge their figures tend to use too many eights and nines. A careful analyst – and now, computer algorithms – can detect these statistical anomalies. See also, “Make tax time easier by having the right tools in your toolbelt,” on page 60.

Happy birthday, Pops!JUNE 04, 1949

Check yourE-mail!

Cashless Society Home Hardware recently unveiled a new digital eGift card, calling it “the first of its kind in the Canadian hardware industry.” Instead of traipsing into a store, then mailing or hand delivering a gift card, customers can design a card online and send it electronically. Recipients can then either print off a hardcopy, or load the card onto their smartphone. The balance can be tracked online, and you can even schedule the delivery for a specific date. Happy birthday, Pops!


Learn more by visiting, www.DEWALT.com/outdoor

Copyright ©2016 DEWALT. The following are examples of trademarks for one or more DEWALT power tools and accessories: the yellow and black color scheme; the “D”-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool. *Maximum initial battery voltage (measured without a workload) is 40 volts. Nominal voltage is 36.

CORDLESSOUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT

Now Available

The Latest Additions toThe DEWALT Outdoor Line Up

NEW16 in. Brushless Chainsaw

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a skilled tradesper-son, quality is your trademark. You

strive to be the best and take pride in your workmanship. You have the qualifications and the skills, but do you have the tools necessary to file your tax return?

Speaking of tools, if you bought new ones for work this year, you may be able to claim the tradesperson’s tools deduction, a deduction

of up to $500. You will need your employer to certify the tools were bought by you, for you, to be used directly in your work, to claim the deduction. You may also be able to get a rebate on the goods and services tax/ harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) you paid.

If you pay dues for mem-bership in a trade union, hold on to your receipt! You may be able to deduct the

amount paid on your tax return, including any GST/HST you paid as part of your dues.

If you’re self-employed, you may also be able to deduct other reasonable expenses you paid to earn income, including vehicle expenses, supplies needed to complete a job, and o"ce space expenses. Have you converted part of your garage into a workspace for your business? When you use part of your home for business, you may be able to deduct a portion of your maintenance costs such as heat, home insurance, electricity, cleaning materials, and more.

Employers can benefit too. If your business hires a qualified apprentice work-ing in an approved Red Seal


By The Canada Revenue Agency


Advice from the experts on how to file your taxes on time

MAKE TAX TIME EASIER BY HAVING THE RIGHT

TOOLS IN YOUR TOOLBELT

As

Canada Revenue Agency

www.cra.gc.ca

F I N A N C I A L P L A N N I N G

TAXTIME


Main Street

Main Street

Clearance Street

Oak Boulevard

Cherry Street

Oak Boulevard


trade, you may qualify to claim the apprenticeship job creation tax credit. This non-refundable investment tax credit is equal to the lesser of $2,000 or 10 percent of the eligible apprentices’ salaries or wages. Don’t need to use the whole credit amount this year? Carry the unused amount back three years or carry it forward up to 20 years!

For most Canadians, their income tax returns for 2015 are due by midnight on May 2, 2016. Self-employed indi-viduals and their spouses or common-law partners have until June 15, 2016, to file their income tax and ben-

efit returns, but any balance owing is still due no later than May 2, 2016.

Filing electronically with Netfile is easy, secure and

allows the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to process your return much faster. If you use Netfile and are expect-ing a refund, your money can be directly deposited in your account in as little as eight business days (weeks faster than if you filed on paper).

You can deal with many of your tax matters online:

change your return, track your refund, change your address, and much more, all with a few clicks of a mouse. With so many services avail-

able online, it’s easy to stay on top of your tax affairs year-round. You can also choose to receive your notice of assessment online, so you can review yours when it’s convenient for you.

On the go? The MyCRA mobile app allows you to access key portions of your tax information wherever

you are, from your mobile device. MyCRA uses the same login information as My Account, so you only need to remember one password.

Even with all of your train-ing and credentials, it’s still important to be vigilant. If your clients suggest you do a job under-the-table, know that by accepting cash and avoiding taxes, you are put-ting yourself at risk. If you are caught evading taxes, you may face fines, penalties, or even jail time. Under-the-table deals undermine the integrity of Canada’s tax sys-tem and deprive Canadians of funds for vital programs that benefit everyone, includ-ing children and seniors.

If your business hires a qualified apprentice working in an approved Red Seal trade, you may qualify to

claim the apprenticeship job creation tax credit.

For a complete list of legit-imate business expenses, visit CRA.gc.ca/smallbusiness.

For more information on the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit and other investment tax cred-its, click on the “investment tax credit” tab on the CRA’s Small Business section.

For a list of software and web applications, including some that are free, visit CRA.gc.ca/netfilesoftware.

To use the auto-fill service for your return, you must be registered for My Account at CRA.gc.ca/myaccount.

For more information about the underground economy, go to CRA.gc.ca/undergroundeconomy.

To correct a mistake or omission on a past return through the CRA’s Voluntary Disclosures Program, visit CRA.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

Online ToolsFor information on deductions and tax credits for employed tradespersons, including deducting the cost of eligible tools, go to CRA.gc.ca/trades.

To determine if you need a GST/HST number, fill out the short survey at CRA.gc.ca/gsthst. If your business is in Quebec, you want to visit RevenueQuebec.ca.

F I N A N C I A L P L A N N I N G



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F or more than 70 years, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) has represented the interests

of the residential construction industry across Canada, including both homebuilders and renovators. While there is much overlap in terms of services provided to both seg-ments of our industry, CHBA recognizes that renovators have unique needs, and works hard to address these.

Statistics show that residential construction is now the largest industry in Canada. Our industry supports more than 900,000 jobs and pays out $51-billion in wages every year. Canadians are investing approximately $125-billion per year on their homes, with more than half of this going to home repair and renovation. Renovation activity also supports more than a half-million jobs, and generates more than $28-billion in wages.

With the renovation sector playing an ever-larger role in our industry and the economy, CHBA ensures renova-tors have effective representation with governments at the local, provincial, and national levels.

CHBA’s Canadian Renovators’ Council also set up a working group last year, to identify how best the Associa-tion can support and assist renovators across the country. Its recommendations were two-fold; help renovators in-crease their professionalism, and help renovators achieve increased business success by being more profitable. The working group suggested these goals could be achieved by taking action in three areas:

• Providing consumer education on, and increasing consumer awareness of, the value and benefits of using CHBA members (i.e. branding).

• Supporting renovator professionalism by providing members the technical and business information they need to succeed.

• Combatting the underground economy by helping members compete effectively with non-professionals, and educating consumers about the many serious risks that come with a cash deal.

CHBA CONNECTS

Canadian Home Builders’

Association

The Canadian Home Builders’

Association builds bridges for contractors BY GARY SHARP

Renovation Association

RC_040516_CHBA.indd 64 2016-03-30 11:11 AM


Last June, CHBA established the new role of Director, Renovator Services as the Association’s contact point for renovators, and to lead efforts in the three action areas set out by the Renovators’ Council. As someone who has worked in the industry for many years, I was pleased to take on this role, and after the first nine months of effort, I think the value being delivered to renovator members is certainly increasing. CHBA has achieved several wins that benefit renovators.

Item One: the CHBA’s Get it in Writing! initiative is being ramped-up, and is now being supported by the federal government over the next three years. Get it in Writing! activities support CHBA members in a couple of ways. First, by providing them with training and sales tools and tips that let them compete more successfully with the cash contractors. More than 25 training sessions have been delivered since last fall to CHBA members from coast to coast.

Second, by educating homeowners about the very significant risks if they do business with a cash operator. This includes presentations at local Home Shows that let consumers know how to be safe, secure, and reduce their risk when completing their home renovation or repair by using CHBA members and through Getting it in Writ-ing!. To increase the number of homeowners receiving the Get it in Writing! message, CHBA is reaching out to the big box stores for help in getting the word out. So far, both Home Hardware and Rona have invited the CHBA to deliver the message through their national contractor shows. CHBA is pleased to be participating with these industry allies and the message is getting a good response from CHBA members and from homeowners.

As we all know, homeowners typically are unaware of the risks of dealing in cash, but when these risks are explained, they are motivated to look beyond price and ask for proper documentation from their contractor.

Item Two: CHBA is well known for its advocacy for the building industry with the federal government. The 2016 Forum for Growth involved 61 meetings with MPs on Parliament Hill to inform politicians on the important role our industry plays within Canada’s economy.

During those meetings CHBA delivered several rec-ommendations to the government that specifically address the needs of the renovation contractor. These include the return of a renovation tax credit to help Canadians im-prove the energy efficiency of their homes and to combat the underground. CHBA is also pushing for the imple-mentation of the new EnerGuide Rating System to allow Canadians to better understand how their houses per-

form, and how CHBA professional renovators can make houses more comfortable and less expensive to operate.

MPs heard how each dollar spent in energy retrofit renovations results in four to seven times more energy savings than the same investment in upgrading a new house. Energy renovation of the existing housing stock should be a key element in the government’s plans to meet Canada’s climate change goals. This also represents a great opportunity for renovators across the country and CHBA is working hard to make it happen.

And it doesn’t stop there. The CHBA is working on other initiatives that will directly benefit renovators, including programs to deliver savings on products and services renovators and builders use every day, and im-proved technical training opportunities. Stay tuned over the next year as these new services are announced!

Now is a great time to look at CHBA as “your” trade organization. Contact a local HBA near you today.

Gary Sharp is the Canadian Home Builders’

Association’s Director, Renovator Services.

He can be reached at [email protected].

“THE CHBA ENSURES

RENOVATORS HAVE

EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION

WITH GOVERNMENTS AT THE

LOCAL, PROVINCIAL,

AND NATIONAL LEVELS”

RC_040516_CHBA.indd 65 2016-03-30 11:12 AM

W RKSMARTNOT HARD

Knife WorkGot a powerful idea that’s a cut above? Let us know and you could win a DeWalt ToughSystem Music Player worth $249. (Editor’s Note: Perfect for rocking out to Platinum Blonde classics. See page 10.) Enter at RenoContractor.ca. Not online? Snail mail us at: Work Smart!, c/o Renovation Contractor, 5500 North Service Rd., Ste. 905, Burlington, ON L7L 6W6.


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Dan Wall of Covenant Construction in London, Ont., actually sent us a couple ideas, but we liked this one best, in part for following the keep it simple, stupid principle:

I picked up an electric carving knife at a second-hand store. It makes cutting Roxul insulation easier, faster, and better. RC

WIN ME

Cuts Like A Knife

This reader realized plug power trumps hand power

Stylish grilles for increased curb appeal.

Attractive window shapes for architectural

symmetry.

With endless design options, helping homeowners find the ideal features to get the most value out of their renovation budget is easier than ever.

Put our

to work.EXPERTISEEXPERTISE

Be sure to check out our new Build With Expertise renovation

guide included with this month’s issue of Renovation Contractor.

Together we can give homeowners the best renovation

experience possible.

Visit jeld-wen.ca to explore our endless selection of top-performing

windows and doors.

79867 JW Renovation Contractor - April/May Print.indd 1 2016-03-14 1:53 PMRC_ADS FULL PAGE.indd 1 2016-03-29 10:14 AM

TU

RNUP COMFORT.

TU

RN

DOWN ENERGY

COST

S*.

DRecommended by: Jim Caruk

Master Contractor, HGTV Hostand Editor-in-Chief of Renovation

Contractor Magazine

Save up to 20%* on your heating and coolingcosts with AttiCat® Blown-In Insulation System.• It’s never been easier to top up your attic and start saving* today.• An easy, Do-It-Yourself system, that is safe, quick and reliable with virtually no mess or settling.• Save time and money*. Insulate your attic for under $349, in as little as 2 hours.†

Visit your local building materials retail store to learn more and start saving* today. 1-800-GET-PINK® or visit owenscorning.ca

THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964-2015 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. © 2015 Owens Corning. *Up to 20% heating and cooling savings based on Hot 2000, Version 8.7 run for a 2 storey 1972 type base house with 1149 sf per fl oor for an increase from R-8 to R-40 in the attic in Canadian climates. Savings vary depending on original amount of insulation in your home, climate, house size, air leaks, and personal energy use and living habits. 73% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all Owens Corning fi berglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefi ll inuslation manufactured in Canada, SCS certifi ed. †Blowing time. Based on attic size 100m2/1000 ft2 at RSI 8.8/R-50

Jim Caruk

67376p_OCC_AC_TUC_RenoDecor_E.indd 1 2015-09-18 3:14 PM


renovation contractor april/may 2016

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