Get it in Writing!

If you're planning on hiring a contractor to do construction, renovation, or repair work on your home, the Get it in Writing! Web site has information that will help you.

Get it in Writing! is a national campaign to warn consumers of the risks involved in dealing with contractors who offer "under-the-table" cash deals and to explain why it's important to insist on a written contract and get receipts.

There are many experienced and reliable contractors working in your community—highly skilled professionals who do business the right way. But not all contractors play by the same rules. Some cut corners to offer low prices as long as nothing is written down, and you pay them in cash. You should know about the risks involved in "under-the-table" cash deals before you decide to hire a contractor.

The Get it in Writing! campaign is being carried out by the Canadian Home Builders' Association with support from the Government of Canada. In Quebec, the Association provinciale des constructeurs d'habitations du Québec is managing the campaign.

Courtesy CHBA

Dave - 360renos

Every Kilowatt Counts

Last week to SAVE with instant coupons from the 2009 Power Saving Event.

Available at the Ontario Power Authority -

http://tinyurl.com/yfcrcbm

Dave - 360renos

Save Energy Save Money

• Switch to CFL lightbulbs
• Change your Furnace Filter
• Install a low flow Faucet
• Intall light dimmers
• Install weatherstripping
• Choose Energy Star appliances
• Install timers inside and out
• Install a programmable thermostat
• Properly insulate your home

Dave - 360renos

Save money with these Green Incentives and Grants

A collection of links from the past articles on Government Incentives -

Grant ecoENERGY
Provincial, territorial and municipal grants and

incentives
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Mortgage Loan

Insurance Refund (Home purchase/construction)
Energy-Efficient Housing ProgramHome Renovation Tax Credit
ENERGY STAR Rebates and Incentives

Home Energy Ontario
Ontario Power Authority
Enbridge Gas Distribution

Dave - 360renos

Home Sales & Painting

This home in old south Ottawa - Sunnyside area had some outstanding architectural features that were amazing.

Original 4" wide plate rail with wainscoting through out the Dining Room.

Huge, thick baseboards, door and window trim.

This beautiful, brick home was being painted before move in day.

There has been a flurry of activity with home buyers and sellers wanting their homes re-freshed with coats of paint.

Weather it is a home owner selling and they need a neutral color decor before they list on the market or a home buyer that wants a punch of color before they move in, it has kept us busy at 360renos.

We can help home owners or Realtors with advice and services.

Dave - 360renos

Ways to get Government Incentives and Save Part III

Home Renovation Tax Credit

The proposed HRTC is a non-refundable tax credit for work performed or goods acquired in respect of an eligible dwelling.
The credit will only be available for the 2009 tax year and applies to eligible expenditures of more than $1,000, but not more than $10,000, resulting in a maximum credit of $1,350 ($9,000 x 15%).

To be eligible, expenditures incurred in relation to a renovation or alteration to an eligible dwelling (or the land that forms part of the eligible dwelling) must be of an enduring nature and integral to the dwelling, and includes the cost of labour and professional services, building materials, fixtures, rentals, and permits. Eligible expenditures must be supported by acceptable documentation.

Some examples of eligible expenditures: Renovating a kitchen, bathroom or basement; New carpet or hardwood floors; Building an addition, garage, deck, garden/storage shed, fence; Re-shingling a roof; A new furnace, woodstove, boiler, fireplace, water softener or water heater; A new driveway or resurfacing a driveway; Painting of interior or exterior of a house; Window coverings directly attached to the window frame and whose removal would alter the nature of the dwelling; Laying new sod; Swimming Pools (Permanent – in ground and above ground); Fixtures – lights, fans, etc.; Associated costs such as permits, professional services, equipment rentals and incidental expenses.

A new line will be incorporated in the 2009 personal income tax return allowing to claim the credit.
For more information go to Home Renovation Tax Credit

ENERGY STAR Rebates and Incentives

Check out Details on Rebates and Incentives for Selected ENERGY STAR® Qualified Products in Canada

Courtesy of BestBiddy

Dave - 360renos

Another Cool Project

Another awesome home that I got to work on. Built in 1901 in Hull. This home was constructed shortly after the Great Fire of 1900.

I had the pleasure of completing the exterior trim work on this 'Craftsman' style home. Fabulous trim with some cool colors! And the vine leaves are changing colors!

If you want to read up a little on the Great Fire that destroyed most of Ottawa? Check it out - http://tinyurl.com/yjxeeq6

Dave - 360renos

Ways to Get Government Incentives and Save Part II

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Mortgage Loan Insurance Refund (Home purchase/construction)
CMHC offers a 10% premium refund on its mortgage loan insurance premiums(e.g., approximately $550 for a $200,000 mortgage with a 5% down payment), as well as extended amortizations to a maximum of 40 years (subject to lender availability) without regular premium surcharges, (e.g. approximately $1,200 for a $200,000 mortgage amortized over 40 years) to individuals who use CMHC-insured financing to purchase an energy efficient home, purchase a home and make energy-saving renovations, or renovate their existing home to make it more energy efficient.
For more information go to Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation

Energy-Efficient Housing Program

Qualifying home buyers can receive a 10 per cent refund on their Genworth-insured mortgages premium.

Through the Energy-Efficient Housing Program, home buyers purchasing an energy-efficient home or refinancing an existing home to make energy-saving renovations with Genworth-insured mortgages are now eligible to receive a 10 per cent premium refund.

Homes built under the following programs will qualify for the 10 percent premium refund without the requirement for an individual EnerGuide evaluation:

•Built Green (TM) Alberta Gold Label Homes
•Novoclimat (MC) (Quebec)
•EnergyStar (R) (Ontario)
•Power Smart (TM) (Manitoba)
•R-2000 (National)
For more informa

tion go to Energy-Efficient Housing Program

Courtesy of BestBiddy

Dave - 360renos

Ways to get Government Incentives and Save

Retrofit Your Home and Qualify for a ecoENERGY Grant
To help homeowners save energy, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Canadian Government has created the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program. The program awards homeowners with rebates of up to $5,000 for home energy improvements. This matches up to $5,000 available from the Ontario Home Energy Retrofit Program- for a total of up to $10,000.
See the list of provincial, territorial and municipal entities offering grants and incentives below.

Sounds good, isn’t it? But how real this grant and what exactly do I need to do to get it?

It was reported on February 27, 2009 by Natural Resources Canada that

Due to the greater-than-expected number of Canadians participating in the program in its first year, some homeowners have experienced delays in receiving their cheques. has resumed payment of retrofit grants to Canadian homeowners.
This is the good evidence, that program works and help homeowners to cut their energy costs, emissions and get some cash back from the government.
Because of the immediate and lasting benefits to homeowners, the economy and environment, Canada’s Economic Action Plan includes an additional $300 million for the ecoENERGY Retrofit-Homes program. This will allow as many as 200,000 more homeowners to participate in the program over the next two year

Here’s what you can do to reduce your energy consumption and receive grants through ecoENERGY Retrofit:

1. Before you undertake any energy efficiency renovations, hire a Natural Resources Canada certified energy advisor to perform an energy evaluation of your home. The advisor will give you a pre-retrofit evaluation report and an EnerGuide rating label for your home.
2. Select your improvements and implement the recommended energy upgrades, leaving time to ensure your post-retrofit evaluation is completed within 18 months or before March 31, 2011, (whichever comes first).
3. Call your energy advisor to perform your post-retrofit evaluation, to confirm your new energy rating and to submit your grant application.
4. Wait no more than 90 days of your post-retrofit evaluation to receive your cheque.

Here are examples of improvements that are covered under ecoENERGY Retrofit Homes: Replace your heating system with an ENERGY STAR® qualified oil or gas boiler that has an 85.0% AFUE or better – $600 grant amount; Install a CAN/CSA-C448 compliant earth-energy system (ground or water source) -$3,500 grant amount; Replace the heat pump unit of an existing earth-energy system (ground or water source). The system must be compliant with CAN/CSA-C448 – $1,400 grant amount.

•Home Energy Ontario
•Ontario Power Authority
•Enbridge Gas Distribution

Courtesy of BestBiddy

Dave - 360renos

New Colors

A complete Main floor painting project that freshened up this home.

An excellent sitting area that has lots of light is such a relaxing feature of the home.

The fireplace has been given an updated look by priming and painting the red brick. There was minor smoke staining on the brick but with the use of a good quality primer and stain blocker this problem can be eliminated. Finished off with 2 coats of high quality latex paint will give any fireplace a fresh, new look.

An excellent entrance that has great potential. Stair stringers were completed in semi-gloss white to highlight the curve to the second floor. Wall decor and accents to be completed will

finish this entrance way off perfectly.

Dave - 360renos

Courtesy of Jon Eakes -

Besides the price, what is the real difference between professional tools and handyman tools? It is true that you can accomplish almost all the same things with both -- the handyman versions may require going more slowly and working more carefully to not overload the tool -- or making several passes each removing a small bit of wood rather than hogging out the wood with the power of a professional tool.

In a nutshell handyman tools are made lighter to be easier to use and have less power to reduce the strain on the hands or arms. They are designed to last about 3 years with normal household maintenance tasks and given their use they often give a good balance between quality and price. The one place where making things cheaper hurts is in the cutting edges: the drills and blades. Often if you put professional blades in a handyman tool you can get really good results.

If you run a handyman tool in a professional environment, it may not last the week before overuse will bring it to the end of its life. So if suddenly you have a big construction project to take on, you may want to upgrade at least your circular saw -- or rent a powerful concrete drill.

Dave - 360renos

Take Care of Your Customers

Wow, I received this in my inbox this morning!!

To Whom It May Concern,

I was very pleased with INTERIOR PAINTING by Dave Bennett. The job which took two weeks included my downstairs and two stairways.

Dave gave me a written plan for his allocation of time, when he first arrived on the job, allowing me to plan accordingly. I found this to be very helpful. On the job itself: I found important time was given to preparation - clean removal of wallpaper, plastering, and sanding. Painting was clean and carefully done (removal of door handles and fixtures). I love my 'new rooms'.

Consideration was paid to me, the client, during the process. I need time and flexibility in determining colours and I found Dave very accommodating. Consideration was given not to inconvenience me while appliances were moved. The work area was cleaned everyday and I had the use of my house everyday. Curtains were replaced and Dave even gave me help hanging pictures when the job was completed.

Advice and paperwork were given to me on the tax credit for Home Improvements for next year's Income Tax.

I am happy to recommend the company 360 Renos.

D Bursey

Dave - 360renos

1880's Home

I had the pleasure of being able to paint a portion of a home built in Ottawa in 1880.

Absolutely fantastic customer who is slowly upgrading and refreshing her home.

Original floors and stairs with all of the natural squeaks!
Check out the one of a kind handrail. Hand turned newels and balusters from 1880!

Thick walls, wide door and window casings and way cool baseboards.

It has had a many upgrades of the years and now it is time to pull it all together and create a look for our customer that works for them.

Stayed tuned for more renos from this home later on down the road

Dave - 360renos