Toronto Renovation Stories & Expert Advice

Pam and Ted's Renovation

This summer Nancy Peterson (Homestars' 'Grand Fromage') and I saw a fabulous renovation not too far from where Nancy lives (okay, so Pam lives across the street, what do you want from us? We're just starting out...). The point is, although the renovation looked like your typical "blow-out-the-back-addition," there were a lot of features that are worth sharing.

When Pam and Ted had bought the house they knew that one day they would have to renovate. But after three years of living with the house's shortcomings, they decided enough was enough. The basement flooded after every rain storm, a fuse blew when the oven and vacuum were on at the same time and the insulation was non-existent so they had the choice between freezing every winter or taking out a second mortgage to pay the gas bill.

So, with a renovation a must, they hired Thur Construction and off they went. Needless to say, the priorities were the very unglamourous but oh so critical wiring, plumbing, heating and insulation. In fact, the wiring job is so gorgeous, I think they should remove the closest doors and display it as a piece of art! Pam disagrees with me and prefers it stay out of sight... go figure.

Here are the "unglamourous" things they did that we loved:

Electrical wiring: Clearly labeled, not only in the basement by the fuse box, but also on the main floor where it is easily accessible. Further, they took the opportunity to install built-in speakers and hide all the computer wires behind the walls. Their electrician also installed "cat 5" (hard-wired) a security feature preventing would-be hackers sitting outside your home from tapping into your wireless system while you are online.

Plumbing: The plumbers used flexible silicone tubing instead of copper or PVC pipes as it withstands up to 200lbs of pressure. Basically that means no more burst pipes. They also installed a hot water circulating pump so hot water is available on demand. One last plumbing feature they installed was a stopper on the drain to the sewer. If sewer water ever backs up to their house the stopper will flip to the other side to stop it from entering the house.

Waterproofing and insulation: Not one drop of water will ever enter this house again except through a tap (or a child's bucket when he comes in to show mom the rock he just caught... I'd say frog but we're in the city here). They have waterproofed and insulated the foundation both inside and out, and they have insulated every nook and cranny in the old section as well as the new. You will be hard-pressed to find a drier or warmer house in Toronto.

Two furnaces and air conditioners: All right, this feature may sound luxurious, and I suppose it is, but it will pay for itself in a few years through its efficiency. One heating and AC unit heats and cools the basement and first floor and the other was placed in the attic to heat and cool the second floor. Think of the efficiency of that: during the day when the main floor is used the most, the upstairs furnace can be set at a much lower temperature and vice versa at night. Plus, the units will be much smaller as they do not have to heat and cool the entire house.


The Renovation Process

The contractor: You are working with your contractor every day so making sure there is a personality fit is important. When you are interviewing contractors get a sense not only of what you like about his work (and make sure you see some of his work), but also, if you can get along with this person. Be aware that they will be looking for the same thing in a client. Pam cannot say enough good things about Thur Construction (see Pam's review below). The company was on-time, excellent at communicating what was happening at the time and what was the next thing to be done. The workplace was kept neat and clean and swept up every night. The project was only slightly behind schedule, but that was due to a delay at the millworker's with the client before Pam. In the end it was sorted out and Pam and Ted were able to move back into their house just a little later than expected.

Organization is key: Pam told us that before the project began, she and the contractor went through the list of finishes that she would be responsible for choosing. Since the list was long and Pam doesn't consider herself a naturally organized person, she developed a worksheet with details of what she needed on it and when; then she colour-coded each sheet in order of priority. (I don't know about you, but this sounds like an organized person to me!) She even cross-referenced items that went together, as in "baseboard trim selected" and "paint colour."

If she were to do it all again: Pam felt that she spent too much time sourcing her finishes. For example, she said that basically the same products are offered at most of the larger stores, if you find what you like at your contractor's stores, you should just be happy with that. Which brings us to another point: many contractors have discounts with certain stores, and they are usually willing to pass along their discount to you. If you are choosing all the finishes yourself, definitely check out those stores first as your allowance (given to you by your contractor) will go further than where he doesn't have a discount.

There you have it -- a brief sketch of Pam and Ted's journey through a renovation and some of the unique features of the renovation. Below, Pam's given us reviews of stores where she purchased her finishes, as well as her contractor, landscaper and pool company.


Company Reviews

Thur Construction:
Barry is meticulous, organized and a pleasure to work with. When you work with Barry you WILL be on time... or as close to it as humanly possible. He gives you due dates for the items he needs from you so you are always prepared. He has an excellent relationship with his trades so you are guaranteed that they will show up on time and do the job. He directs you to the shops where he has discounts and passes the discounts on to you. He assures you your home will be maintenance free when he's finished. He is more expensive, but he is also completely reliable.

Ridley Windows:
Outstanding service and quality! Ridley offers outstanding service and product! Doug Bannon from Ridley helped us choose all of our windows and doors. He offered us exceptional service and expertise, from assisting us with choosing the colour of our windows, right down to designing the mullions on the back windows so they looked even from a distance (the windows aren’t the same size). We couldn’t be happier with our windows and doors!

Tasco:
Everything's perfect with Tasco. Easiest experience ever! I told Anna Binetti what I needed and she told me what I could choose. In a store seemingly filled with hundreds of different choices Anna narrowed it down for me based on my requirements.

Finer Edge:
Shane is terrific!
Finer Edge was very careful and clean with their painting. I was hesitating a bit on colour choice for some of the rooms and Shane helped me decide. They were a pleasure to work with.

International Tile Gallery:
Such helpful service!
They have unique and unusual tiles that other stores don't carry. Their prices are fair and they will install as well. Mike was helpful in matching flooring to the entire colour scheme of the bathrooms and helped coordinate the tile with the other fixtures. Mike has a great eye.

Floor Shop:
Wonderful flooring company.
Did all my wood floors and laminate floor. The floors turned out beautifully, the service and price was terrific. We're really pleased with this store.

Amati Plumbing:
Great Service! Amati carries some products that other companies don't so I ended up going there for everything, and am I ever glad I did! The service was excellent. There was a mistake on one part of the order and they took care of it immediately.

Royal Lighting:
Great service at great prices. I found the prices at Royal Lighting to be better than at other stores I looked at. Also, the selection was good, and Co was very helpful. My order was ready and shipped on time. I will definitely shop here again!

Union Lighting:
Good selection of lights, reasonable priced, especially when there's a sale.

Fausto Presta Designs:
What a wonderful service this is! I love my garden, the plants are beautiful, the work is meticulous, the people are so friendly. We have had a wonderful experience with this landscaping company.

Todd Pools:
The best pool designer and builder ever! Todd pools had finished building the pool in three weeks! Every day I was told what was going to happen and at what time. They also recommended the fencing and landscaping companies for me. We started the job in mid-April and were using our pool by mid-May. Impossible, but true, and the result is fabulous!

Labels: Renovation Stories

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