Special Features - BCRenoNation Friday, March 23, 2012

Abbotsford News Friday, March 23, 2012 A23

March 2012PRODUCTS ❱❱

QUALIFIED TRADES ❱❱ EXPERT ADVICE ❱❱

Getting rid of clutter

By Maggie Calloway

It’s fi nally spring and what must be a primitive urge to throw open the curtains and scrub every corner of the house is upon us. But what of the mounds of stuff we are stepping over, stuffi ng into closets and basements and, most puzzling of all, renting storage space to handle the overload? What are

“ more page 27

By Ma

It’s fi nallymust be a prthrow open scrub every is upon us

The beginning of springbrings out the cleaner and

organizer in all of us.

“ more page 28

By Maggie Calloway

If there is one hot commodity in home décor it has to be tile. We all remember those cream tiles in the bathroom with the burnt orange design, but never before has there been such an amazing choice for practically every surface in the home.

Curt Higham, of Ames Tile & Stone, a wholesale supplier to architects, designers, contrac-tors and retailers throughout Western Canada, certainly has his fi nger on the pulse of what is available now and what is in the pipeline.

“Every September there is a society trade show in Bologna, Italy, which our four-person purchasing team attends every year,” says Higham. “We need four people because the show is so huge, over 750 vendors and manufacturers. We split up and literally stalk the grounds looking for new, innovative products. Italy is the leader in fl oor tiles, and has been for years. Th e leader for wall tiles, and again for years, is Spain.”

Th e reason the two countries specialize in the two types of tile is due to the diff erent clay available in the two regions.

It all starts with the clay; not all clay is suitable for every use and the Spanish clay lends itself to wall tiles, while the Italian clay can withstand the pound-ing fl oor tiles need to endure.

Putting in tile in style

By Maggie Calloway

I speak from experience when I say one of the scariest parts of do-it-yourself is fi guring out the precise measurements of railings, both straight and down stairs. Th en there are all the other parts needed, how many screws, brackets, etc. etc.

Well, I have found a company who makes all our angst disappear: Rail Simple, available at most local building supply stores.

Rail Simple is a division of BW Creative Wood Industries Ltd., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of railing systems, components and accessories for both interior stairways and exterior decks or porches. In business since 1974, they have built a solid reputation. Th e outstanding success of their products is based on a four-decade-long commitment to quality and innovation. Th e Rail Simple products certainly demonstrate innovation.

I called Gordon Catherwood, National Sales Manager for Rail Simple, to ask just how it works and what the advantages are to the homeowner.

“We manufacture two levels of product, both interior and exterior, one for the homeowner and one for the craft sperson or builder, someone with a bit more experience. Th ere are a variety of styles to choose from, (from) traditional to mod-ern to fi t any style of home,” Catherwood says.

Here is what you need to do before you go to the store to source the product: make a diagram of your project. Let’s take your deck for example. You’ll need to take measurements of where you need to place the railing. Th e kits come in 6’ and 8’ lengths so keep that in mind when you are designing your project.

“Say you have a 12’ x 12’ deck that ends against your house. Th at means you have 3 12’ sec-tions,” Catherwood says. “You would need seven posts and six kits and that would be enough to

complete the railing. In the kit you get pre-measured, pre-drilled, profi led top and bottom rails in either premium Western red cedar or treated lodge-pole pine, you get the rail hanger brackets to hang the rails to your posts plus the screws you need and you get the straight metal balusters in your choice of style or, in the case of the Clearview kit, the glass. Th e customer is

confi dent they have everything they need to do a great job.”

To help the homeowner feel confi dent using Real Simple, the company posts instruction videos on their website demonstrating each style of railing installation plus written instructions. You’ll have everything you need to complete a professional project.

Finding your perfect railing can be easy with Rail Simple kits

Submitted photo

You’ll have plenty of options with a Rail Simple kit, which give you a variety of options including the type

of wood and the length of your rails. You’ll be easily able to fi nd your perfect railing due to the numerous

styles available, from traditional to modern.

Shop where the builders & designers shop for major home appliances!

Vancouver: 8488 Main St

Surrey: 19495 56 Ave

Coquitlam: #1-1315 United Blvd

Abbotsford: 34445 Marshall Rdwww.coastapp l iances.com

A24 Abbotsford News Friday, March 23, 2012

Whatever way your day started, chances are FortisBC has touched your life today.

By choosing the right energy for the right use, you can maximize energy efficiency and value for your energy dollars. Natural gas is a good choice for heating, whether it’s hot water for your shower, warmth from the furnace or fireplace, or heat for grilling burgers.

Depending on where you live, natural gas can be more affordable for heating. For comfort, convenience and value—not to mention style—balance your home energy mix with natural gas.

Furnaces and boilersNatural gas heating systems provide even warmth and comfort throughout the home.

Water heatersNatural gas storage tank water heaters heat water faster than electric models. On-demand water heaters save space and heat water only as needed.

Cooktops, ovens and ranges Chefs prefer natural gas for instant heat, a variable flame and precise temperature control.

Backup powerA natural gas generator can power your lights, electronics and refrigerator during a power outage.

Barbecues With a quick connect for natural gas you’ll never lift a propane tank or worry about running out of fuel.

FireplacesAn indoor gas fireplace provides ambience and cosy warmth. An outdoor fireplace, firepit or patio heater can extend those summer evenings.

DryersNatural gas dryers heat up instantly and dry your clothes with gentle warmth for fewer wrinkles.

Energizing B.C.

Choices to fit your lifeStylish, convenient natural gas appliances increase the comfort of your home, indoors and out. Find out more about energy efficient appliances at fortisbc.com/gasappliances.

Meeting the energy needs of British Columbians, every day

“Natural gas is the kind of heat we’ve always wanted.”

Paul and Marilynne, Natural gas customers

Visit fortisbc.com/naturalgas to watch our video on how natural gas fits into your home energy mix. If you have questions or would like to open a FortisBC account, call 1-888-224-2710.

Let energy saving start with a rebate

Program1 Rebate

EnerChoice® Natural Gas Fireplace $300

ENERGY STAR clothes washer2 $75

Energy Saving Kit2 Free for low-income households

LiveSmart BC Up to 7,000 for insulation, weatherization and space heating

1 Terms and conditions apply. 2 With BC Hydro Power Smart where applicable.

Visit fortisbc.com/offers or call 1-800-663-8400 for more information.


YouTube can save energyWant to save energy at home but not sure how? We’ll show you with our short, informative how-to videos. Like replacing a furnace filter or updating your showerhead to a low-flow model. Watch them on our website at fortisbc.com/howto or scan this code with your phone.

Need a gas contractor?Water heater due for replacement? Planning to upgrade your furnace? You’ll need a licensed gas fitter. The FortisBC Contractor Program can help you find a professional for the services and products you need. Learn more at fortisbc.com/findacontractor.

If you are a gas contractor, learn about the benefits of membership and join the FortisBC Contractor Program today at fortisbc.com/ contractorperks.

FortisBC Energy Inc., FortisBC Energy (Vancouver Island) Inc. and FortisBC Energy (Whistler) Inc. do business as FortisBC. The companies are indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. 12-094 (03/12)

for·tis·BC / 1. largest investor-owned distribution utility in Canada. 2. known for safe, reliable delivery of energy to homes and businesses in 135 communities. 3. delivers natural gas, electricity and innovative energy solutions to 1.1 million customers. 4. supports customers with energy efficiency and conservation rebates. 5. delivers more energy than any other utility in B.C. 6. fortisbc.com.

“We want to be a leader. By taking on this initiative, we hope to make an impact on the environment. My suggestion to other businesses is to seriously consider it.”

Selvan Chetty, Financial Controller, OPUS Hotel Vancouver

As a leader in the boutique hotel industry, OPUS Hotel Vancouver wanted to be among the first to sign up for renewable natural gas. Their goals in joining are to be a part of the sustainable community, help the environment and set a great corporate example.

Sign up your home or business for renewable natural gas today. Visit fortisbc.com/rng.

For coupons from our Green Leaders, like OPUS, visit fortisbc.com/rewards.

FortisBC’s renewable natural gas has been designated as carbon neutral in B.C. by Offsetters.

OPUS Hotel makes room for renewable natural gas


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By Maggie Calloway

Playgrounds have come a long way from a lonely, forlorn swing in the middle of a concrete pad, although I still yearn for a swing on my property to stay in touch with my inner child!

If you have a lot of room to install a fantasy playground lucky you, but most of us live on small lots or in multi-home complexes. However, not all is lost. Why not go back to the way we grew up and wish things were today? Call a meeting of the neighbourhood folks, or your strata council, and start planning a fantasy for all the kids.

Th e great team at Habitat Systems has loads of information to get your planning process started. Check out their website at www.habitat-systems.com for product information and design inspiration.

One of the best ways to fi gure out what is possible is to visit existing playgrounds, both old and new. Elementary schools and public parks are great places to start if you’re looking for inspiration.

Check out how the equipment is holding up to wear and tear, and how the equipment looks on the site. Are you looking for the more natural look of wood, which has its own maintenance problems, or very colourful metal? If you are planning on metal think about vinyl-coated aluminum or stainless-steel, which is a better choice in our damp climate: the metal won’t rust and the vinyl off ers protection against temperature extremes.

Once the practical decisions are made, the fun begins deciding what, of such fantastic choices, to include in the playground.

It will our little secret if, once the playground is up and running, you sneak out in the dark of night and just play!

Getting in touch with your inner child

Playgrounds are more than a single slide or swing now. With

many options available to you, a fantastic place for your kids

(or you!) to play is easy to fi nd, from slides to treehouses and

everything in between.

Submitted photos

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We are proud of how our business has developed and grown over the years. Let us show you everything a contractor should be through our complete professionalism, respect for our work and impeccable customer service.

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we thinking? Is this the year you fi nally get your home under control?

Imagine what your life would be like if you purged your home of all the superfl u-ous items. No more hunting continually for items you need; everything stripped back and everything in its place. Th is could be the serenity you long for.

Don’t be tempted to rush out and buy baskets and closet organizers at this point, tempting as it may be. You won’t know what you need until you know what you are left with aft er purging.

It can be overwhelming if you think about tidying the whole house. It didn’t get cluttered overnight so take a deep breath and choose one room a week. In the bedroom empty your closet onto the bed and fl oor with enough space to make piles. Keep telling yourself, “I am not keeping anything I don’t wear, that doesn’t fi t and belongs in the 80s.”

Label the piles: keep, donate, and trash. It can be scary at fi rst but as you storm through your closets, then the linen cupboard, the bathroom, and on and on, you will fi nd a sense of immense freedom, not to mention a vow never to let this happen again! Once each area is cleared start planning on installing organizers to help you stay on track.

“ from page 23

Keeping a lid on clutter

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However, the Italians are running out of clay and are now bringing it down from Ukraine: like every other natural resource, it is fi nite.

“Th ere used to be lots of red clay used and now its white clay with a denser porcelain ma-terial which gives a higher breaking strength and lower water absorption,” says Higham. “Like everything else, things change over the years including production, which requires a diff erent type of clay.”

Asked about what is trending right now and what we should expect to see in the stores, Higham says, “Th e big trend is the movement to much larger tile; two foot by two foot tiles are becoming more mainstream right now. We actually bought a line this year of two foot by four foot tiles just to test the market. Th e larger homes being built now can facilitate a larger tile. Concrete looks are still very popular, and the high-polished tile. We have gone through the last fi ve or six years when the matte look was hot but now the shiny look is back, either polished or high-glazed. Glass

tiles, with a change to a cleaner, shinier look rather than the tumbled look of the last few years, are still with us. Another very hot trend is tile which looks exactly like hardwood. You get the look of wood with the easy upkeep of tile; coupled with under-fl oor heating this is a major winner.”

Natural tones such as taupe and grey are still here to stay, as well as a lot of white. Several diff erent shades of white right into the cream tones are popular now, and soft er colours, rather than the chocolate browns and charcoals we have seen over the past few years, are coming on strong as well.

Higham says that people are putting ce-ramic tiles throughout the whole house now, not just in the kitchen and bathroom. Th e use of tile has really increased over the last few years. For people with allergies this is the perfect material: just sweep, mop and go.

“Th ere is a lot of crossover now between fashion design, the automotive industry and house colours,” says Higham. “Car colours are particularly interesting; right now we are seeing lot of silver, clean colours and white, exactly what we are seeing in tile.”

The only limitation is the power of your own imagination“ from page 23

Reg. #14716

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW before you call any electrician

To ensure you are contacting the right electrician, consider this...

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2 Appointments: Most electricians don’t make actual appointments. Instead, they say something like, “I’ll be there Tuesday” or “some time next week”. Meanwhile you waste a lot of time waiting, wondering if you should risk going out in case he should show up. When you call Blue Crest Electric for an appointment, we arrange for our actual arrival time so you can go about your day with the least amount of inconvenience, and we keep our appointments. Guaranteed.

3 Invoice Overload: This is what happens when you get a ‘ball-park estimate’ or are charged for ‘time & material’ and the electrician gets paid more the longer he takes to complete the job. At Blue Crest Electric we take exception to this practice. We show you the guaranteed exact amount you’ll pay before the project begins. In most cases we will even provide several cost options so you can choose what is right for your budget.

4 Don’t have the parts: Other electricians do not stock their trucks like we do. This usually results in 2, 3 or even 4 trips before your problem is fixed and is all added to the time charged on your invoice. Blue Crest Electric trucks are stocked with more parts so we can fix your problem the first time.

5 Guarantees: Ask other electricians if they guarantee their work, and for how long, and you’re likely to get a blank stare or you should be informed of their ‘concrete guarantee’ which lasts as long as they are standing on your concrete driveway. At Blue Crest Electric, your satisfaction is 111% guaranteed. If you’re unhappy with our work for any reason, we’ll redo it. Free. We want you to be more than just 100% satisfied. We want you to tell your friends good things about us.

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By Maggie Calloway

Th e axiom “Less is More” is never more important than when a person lives in a small space.

Th ere is no place for extraneous furniture or decorations; every-thing has to be pared down to the basics. It’s what you do with those basics that makes a statement.

Julie Miller, principal of interior design fi rm Creative Shift Studio, is becoming an expert in small spaces. Miller lives downtown in a small condo which is also her workspace.

“Living and working in the same place takes fl exibility and a certain discipline, especially in my business where you need to spread samples out for diff erent jobs,” Miller says. “In order for my personal space to feel comfort-able I have to put away things and tidy up more oft en because I can’t close the door on it. A second room for an offi ce would be great.”

A great project Miller just fi n-ished is a 550 square foot condo for a young man with a very inter-esting lifestyle. He designs com-puter games and, like most people in his business, the line between work and home is nonexistent.

“He is a young bachelor who wanted his living space to feel like a lounge. He oft en holds parties and invites people over to play games so wanted the atmosphere to be like they were out on the town at a club,” Miller says. “Th ere

is no need for a dining area so the furniture, which is dark and low, takes up most of the room ... Th ere is nothing about the project that looks like a family would live in the space. Everything in the condo is young and male,” she says.

Anyone living in a small space has to be constantly aware of what they bring into the space. One thing in and one thing out is a mantra to live by and it doesn’t hurt to really edit twice a year. Th ink vertical; a wall of shelves right to the ceiling can hold a ton of items, not just books. Have a home for everything so it gets put away. If an item doesn’t really belong anywhere it will clutter up any fl at surface.

Julie Miller of Creative Shift Studio

is an expert in living in small spaces,

especially in her own home.Martin Knowles photos

Less is more in small spaceOrganization the most important thing to remember when living with small square footage


By Maggie Calloway

More and more of us are working from home. I have worked from my home offi ce for the past 25 years and can’t imagine ever having to brave a commute in my lifetime. It is not for everyone though. Th ere are hundreds of distractions everywhere you turn at home: fi nish the dishes, laundry, the latest novel.

Over the years I have moved my of-fi ce around the house but settled a few years ago in my loft . Th ree skylights, a big window, French doors and a small balcony that brings the outside in makes my offi ce a joy to be in. Light is one of the most important consider-ations if you are thinking of working from home; there is nothing more de-pressing than having to hunker down in a dark corner and expect inspiration to strike.

Th ink through what you need to make your days effi cient: a proper fi ling cabinet, room for electronics, an adjustable task light, and a great chair are all good things to think about. For some reason I am most comfortable sitting on a hard seat. Th ink through what works for you.

Keep your work in your offi ce; this is something I have trouble with only because I am in the habit of walking around. Pieces of paper end up in the kitchen and on the coff ee table, so if you’re like me gather all your work parts and pieces up and put everything in its right spot in the offi ce at the end of the day.

If your budget allows or your com-pany off ers fi nancial help, think about hiring an offi ce design company. Th ey will consult with your regarding what you need and how you work, then design and install a custom offi ce.

Working out of a home offi ce cuts down on the commute

Submitted photoWhen working from home, it’s important to think about how you will organize your

offi ce. A good chair and plenty of fi ling space should be tops on the list.

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Special Features - BCRenoNation Friday, March 23, 2012

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