Author: buildinginsights_vkv4y8

The winter blues, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as it’s more commonly known, affects everyone in different ways. In winter especially as the days are so short and the temperatures drop well below freezing, it’s important to have strategies focused on keeping the mind and body active. Here are four ways to help cope with the winter blues: 

1. Get outside

Studies have shown that a even a thirty minute walk at lunch time can improve our moods significantly. Getting outside into the natural daylight as much as possible is extremely important. Just remember to dress for the weather!

2. Keep active

Keeping active both mentally and physically is crucial for the winter months. In the summer it takes almost no effort to get out for an after-dinner stroll, or hop on your bike for a spin around the park but in winter, while it takes a little bit more planning, outdoor activity has the same emotional and physical benefits. 

Try picking up a new hobby such as learning how to play bridge, knit a scarf (or mittens!), join a gym, take up a dance class or begin a journal. Keeping the mind active and having something to concentrate on and look forward to has numerous benefits.

3. Stay warm

Studies have shown that being cold can increase the symptoms of the winter blues, while keeping your body warm can reduce those symptoms by half! So bring on the soups, stews, tea and hot cider! Wear warm clothes and shoes, and aim to keep your home between 18C and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees).

4. Socialize

Socializing has been shown to be good for your mental health as well as helps ward off the winter blues. Meet a friend for coffee, invite them over to dinner, pick up the phone or write a letter. Make an effort to keep in touch with the people that you care about. Most important, while it may be tempting to stay in and cozy up on the couch every night, accept any invitations you get to social events, even if you just go for a short while, the benefits will be great.

The spring is quickly approaching and we couldn’t be happier that nice weather is on its way! With all of the snow melting away, flooding is a definite possibility as we’ve seen over the past few weeks. Learn what to do if you discover flooding in your basement in the coming months.  

Disconnect, Pump, Remove and Dry

Before attempting anything in the basement, make sure to disconnect all power and electricity! The next step is to pump the water out of your basement using a gas-powered water pump (which can be purchased or rented from a local hardware shop). As an alternative, you can reach out to a company that completes emergency flood restoration services to remove high and low levels of water from your basement. After the water is removed, get rid of any damaged items and move everything else out of your basement to dry. You will likely need to remove your carpet padding and get rid of it, unless you have specialized equipment to clean it. To help dry out the affected areas use fans, dehumidifiers and/or open windows and doors (if weather permits).

Clean, clean, clean!

Since all the items from your basement should now be removed, it’s time to complete a deep clean of the area. To prevent any mould from growing, make sure to disinfect and clean the floors, walls and doors.

Prevention

Ensuring your home is in tip-top shape before the winter is key to flood prevention! During the fall, it is important to look around your property and ensure water is running away from your home. Take a look at your gutters and make sure the spouts are pointing away from the property and that they are clear of any debris. If your home doesn’t already have a sump pump, make sure to install one; an automatic sump pump “should keep normal amounts of rainfall from building up in a basement”.

Whether you are looking to sell your home or just looking to improve your current home, decluttering your house should be on the top of your to-do list.

Why Declutter?

There are so many great reasons why you should declutter your home, but first and foremost, decluttering can help foster a safe and healthy area for you and your family. We’ve all had accidents around the home that could have been avoided; tripping over a backpack on floor, stepping on kids’ toys, etc. By getting rid of unnecessary clutter, you can make it easier to safely navigate around your home.

Having clutter in main areas can clearly present daily issues, but don’t forget about clutter in hidden places, such as basements, storage, and furnace rooms. Having extra items around large appliances such as a furnace or water heater can pose a fire hazard. Creating an organized space can help lessen safety hazards and makes it easier to detect if an issue arises.

Where to Start

The task of organizing your home can seem daunting at first, however, it doesn’t have to be. Start with a plan; pick one room each week to make the task less overwhelming. Each room should take less than an hour! When organizing the room, put all of your belongings into four categories: keep, trash, storage or donate. Still not sure where an item belongs? If it doesn’t add value to your life, consider getting rid of it. Once you have decided where your belongings should be, make sure you fully complete the task that day; throw out your trash, put away storage item, and donate your belongings right away!

Benefits

After you declutter your home, you will start reaping the benefits right away! By creating more space in your home, you will instantly be less stressed. If you are thinking of selling your home, a decluttered space will show the true potential to home buyers.

Buying a home, fixing it up, and reselling it down the road is a great way to increase the value of a home and make income! It is important to note that there are a lot of risks involved in house flipping, including losing money instead of making a profit, and experiencing a large amount of stress due to financial obstacles and strict deadlines. Before purchasing a property that you intend to flip, make sure to consider the follow advice to avoid a house “flop”. 

Plan, Plan, Plan!

Before purchasing a home to flip, it is imperative to create a detailed budget with how much you are planning to buy the home for, how much money you are going to put into it (expenses), and how much you want to sell it for. Putting extra money aside for a contingency fund is always a great idea as unexpected costs and issues can arise when renovating. This budget will give you a great idea about how much income you could earn on a property. Additionally, it is important to understand local zoning laws and permit requirements before buying the property to ensure you can properly carry out renovations in the amount of time that you budgeted for.

Taxes

The Canada Revenue agency has made recent changes to taxation regarding house flipping, be sure to speak to an accountant so you fully understand any tax implications associated with flipping a house.

Hire a Home Inspector

Conducting a home inspection before buying any property is an invaluable investment which will give an unbiased, objective assessment of the property. Home inspectors will walk their clients through the interior and exterior of the property and will visually assess all of the major systems. They will take their time to explain what they are specifically looking for and what they find along the way. Items that are typically inspected are plumbing, electrical, grading, roofing, siding, windows, doors, HVAC systems, the foundation, structural components and much more. The inspector will discuss the severity of potential issues and share their objective recommendations about the property.

Flipping is an Investment

When flipping a home, it is important to make cosmetic changes that will appeal to a wide audience, including paint colours, cabinetry and countertops. Try not to make bold or personalized choices that are on your personal wish list – just because you love a specific trend or colour does not mean that potential buyers will! Neutralized choices will appeal to more home buyers and lead to a lower number of days of the market.  While cosmetics are important, it is also important not to take short cuts on the items you don’t see, such has electrical/ mechanical upgrades, structural issues, insulation. Use good quality products and professional help where needed. The quality of the workmanship in all aspects will be evident in the finished product and will go a long way to determining the sale price of the home.

The snow has been falling hard the past few months, and although it may be a beautiful sight, it can pose significant issues for homeowners! Since we’re in the middle of winter, we thought we would share our best snow removal tips to help you make it through to the spring!

Prepare for the Task at Hand

Before tackling the snow, make sure you are dressed appropriately! Dressing in layers allows you to take off article of clothing when you get warmer from working hard, and still be comfortable. Snow removal can be hard on the body, so make sure to stretch your arms, legs and hips before going outside.

Invest in Quality Equipment

Even though we would all prefer to see light and fluffy snow all around us, that’s definitely not not the reality of snow in Ontario. Heavy, mushy and wet snow all create a difficult removal process. Whether you purchase a durable shovel or invest in a snow blower, make sure you have equipment that can handle all types of snow and ice. When purchasing a shovel, look for one that is ergonomic and has a wide-grip handle – this will help avoid back injuries by reducing the weight of snow.

Stay on top of it

The more snow accumulates, the hard it is to remove. Make sure to shovel your driveway, sidewalks and paths to your home early and often to avoid heavy snow/ice. When shoveling, you should bend your knees, and lift with your legs to avoid injury. Look around your home and yard to see if anything that is covered in snow could break, including tree branches, shrubs or even your roof!

Don’t forget the salt and sand!

To avoid ice from forming or to get rid of ice, make sure to apply salt or sand to your driveway, sidewalk and pathways. Both these items have advantages and disadvantages; salt will only work in a limited temperature range and has a negative affect on the environment when used in large quantities. Alternative ice melters are available and work at lower temperatures. Sand, on the other hand, can be used at any temperature but can clump and freeze together, make removal harder.

Did you know that the Region of Waterloo takes roughly 75% of its water from the ground, while the city of Guelph relies primarily on groundwater? Let’s take a quick look at why water quality in your home is important, the differences between soft and hard water, and how to ensure you have safe drinking water in your home.

Soft Water vs. Hard Water

Hard water contains “excessive levels of the minerals calcium and magnesium” which can shorten the lifespan of plumbing and appliances. Although it has harsh effects on appliances, hard water is not dangerous to homeowners’ health. On the contrary, soft water is easier on appliances and plumbing because it allows soap to foam up and work properly since it provides “more of a blank slate in chemical reactions”.

Water Softeners

Since hard water is found throughout Guelph and the Waterloo region, many homeowners decide to use a water softener to protect their homes. Most softeners are ion exchange systems where calcium and magnesium are exchanged for salt. If you are looking to purchase a water softener, the first step is to find out the grains per gallon in your water, which you can find out here: http://watersoftenerfacts.ca/my-water-hardness/, then determine how much softener you should buy!

Safe Drinking Water

As we mentioned above, hard water is considered safe to drink in Ontario, however, there are instances that require monitoring water quality regularly, such as homeowners who own their own source of drinking water, like a well. Public Health Ontario provides testing for E. coli, while local public health units can test for chemicals. To find out more information about testing you water, check out Public Health Ontario website.

Reverse Osmosis Systems

If you are concern with the taste, appearance and smell of your water, a reverse osmosis filtration system is a great solution! Reverse osmosis is “a process in which dissolved inorganic solids (such as salts) are removed from a solution (such as water).” Through a filtration system, fluoride, lead, chlorine, and nitrates can be removed from the water.

Did you know that once a fire alarm sounds you only have a minute or two to get out safely? Fires can spread extremely fast which is why fire prevention and planning for emergencies is critical for all homeowners! In Ontario alone, there were 10,951 “loss fires” (a fire with an injury or fatality) in 2015. We believe that having a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector is the most important thing to have in your home so we’ve outlined a few key points you should know about these life saving detectors.

Smoke Detectors

Did you know that you should have a smoke detector on every floor of your home, including your basement? It is recommended to replace your detector every 10 years, and to check the batteries every month. The two most popular smoke detectors are ionization and photoelectric and it is recommended to use both types of smoke alarm technologies in your home. While ionization smoke alarms are normally more responsive to flaming fires, photoelectric smoke alarms are more response to fires that begin with a “long period of smoldering”. 

For more information about smoke detectors and laws in Ontario, click here.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Carbon monoxide is a “by-product of incomplete combustion of fuel such as natural gas, propane, gasoline, wood, or other bio-fuels”. What makes carbon monoxide so dangerous is that it is colourless, odourless and extremely toxic. There are many things in a household that can produce carbon monoxide, including vehicles left running in a garage, dirty fireplace chimney and household appliances such as water heaters, gas stoves and clothes dryers.

It is recommended to have a carbon monoxide detector placed closely to all bedrooms (with additional detectors placed on every level of the house), and at knee-height. It is important to note that the detector should not be blocked by any furniture or objects that could block airflow to the device.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, and loss of consciousness. If you notice any of these symptoms and suspect poisoning, you should immediately leave your home and call 911.

When the fall and winter weather comes storming in, one of our favourite things to do is cozy up beside a warm fireplace! Gathering around a lit fireplace with friends and family, especially in the winter months, is something potential homeowner envision when viewing a home that has a fireplace. Although having a fireplace is a great feature to have in your home, you must be aware of fireplace safety to ensure there are no accidents.

Know your fireplace. Wood-burning, gas and electric fireplaces all have different pros and cons to having them in your home. Make sure you know which kind you have and what it requires in terms of maintenance and supplies (wood logs, screens, etc.).

Do you have children or pets? Install safety gates around the fireplace to ensure that they stay away from the fireplace itself, as well as the hard stone that normally surrounds it.  Make sure that the area around it is clutter-free, including toys, and that fireplace accessories like matches/lighters are out of reach. Don’t forget to teach your children the dangers of fire and fire safety rules when they are old enough to understand.

Make sure to have alarms correctly installed in your home. In case an issue does arise, you want to be alerted! Install a carbon monoxide detector in the same room as the fireplace, and to avoid false alarms from your smoke detector, place it a safe distance away. Make sure to change the batteries of your alarms every season to ensure they run correctly.

Never leave the fire burning unattended. Before your leave the house, or go to bed at night, make sure that the fire is completely out. Don’t forget to make sure the fire is properly enclosed with a screen or protective cover to avoid ashes escaping the fireplace.

During the buying and selling process of a home, appliances are typically used as a bargaining tool for potential homeowners. Since buying appliances can be a very expensive purchase, we’ve outlined the average lifespan of common household appliances to avoid unexpected expenses after buying a home.

Washer and Dryer:

The lifespan of a washer and dryer can vary quite a bit depending on the quality of the appliance and how much use it gets, but on average, they should last anywhere from 8 – 12 years. When shopping for a new washer and dryer, you may want to consider an energy efficient model to save on water and electric and gas bills. Don’t forget to clean the lint trap after each use to make sure your dryers’ motor works properly and effectively!

Refrigerator:

On average, a refrigerator should last anywhere from 10 – 15 years. As with other appliances, regular upkeep and maintenance can help increase the lifespan. Try to clean the refrigerators’ condenser coils (located under or behind the fridge) by wiping dust and dirt away at least once a year.

Stove/Oven:

Stoves should last between 10 – 15 years, but it is important to clean your oven and burners frequently to ensure grease and food do not build up, which could affect the lifespan.

Hot Water Heater:

Traditional electric or gas water heaters ca usually last anywhere from 7 – 10 years. The lifespan can vary depending on water quality, maintenance and water source. If you notice rusting on key components including the anode, try replacing the part before the water heater leaks; “One thing is certain: When a tank begins to leak, it’s done!” 

HVAC system:

Proper maintenance, changing air filters when dirty, and annual check-ups will allow your HVAC system to work properly for on average 10 – 15 years.

Remember, taking proper care, purchasing quality products and performing regular maintenance on any of these appliances will increase the lifespan.