Fire Contractors and Renovations

Find Fire Contractors Who Can Restore Your Home

It is important for you to be able to find quality contractors after your home has been damaged by a fire. There are many fire restoration contractors to choose from. The right one will make sure that your home is quickly restored to its former condition before the fire.

Fire Causes
There are many different fire causes from cooking fires to electrical fires, but a good company will be able to restore your property from the inside out. Structural damage can be dangerous and make what's left of your property a threat. Quality contractors can come in and make sure that your property is restored and that there will be no falling beams or roofing materials that could hurt occupants. Before you go back into your home after a fire, you want to make sure that its structure has been looked at thoroughly.

Types of Damage
Although structural damage can be a serious concern, there are other types of damage that can occur to your property as well. Smoke and soot can cause your property to look dirty and be covered in a black dust that does not want to come off easily. The smell of a fire can linger in your home as well, so it is important for contractors to be able to clean, restore, deodorize, and sanitize your property. In many cases, water damage may occur from firefighters putting out the flames. A reliable company will be able to take care of all of your concerns so that your house looks as good as it did before the fire began.

You can feel good about hiring a company that has a good reputation and experience in this industry. There is no time to waste after a fire. You want to contact professionals right away so that your problems are taken care of and do not get worse. Water damage can spread and other problems like mold can start if the issues are not taken care of properly. The structure of your home must be looked at as fast as possible too. The right restoration contractor will be a good investments to make.

Toronto glass condos not as great as you think

CANADA - Years ago an urban planner in Toronto, warned that all the glass condos Toronto was building would someday come back to haunt buyers.

At the time his colleagues thought he was daft, but he who laughs last laughs best.

According to industry experts many of the glass condominium towers filling up the Toronto skyline will fail 15 to 25 years after they’re built, perhaps earlier, and will need retrofits costing millions of dollars. Why?

The buildings in question (while made of pretty glass and steel) are grappling with nightmarish problems due to shoddy workmanship:

Insulation failures.
Skyrocketing energy and maintenance costs.
Water leaks.
Declining resale potential.

One Toronto developer calls glass-walled condos “throw-away buildings” because of their short lifespan relative to buildings with walls made of concrete or brick.

Toronto mortgage brokers are also shying away from such buildings, warning owners they would be better getting an older building which has passed the test of time. Glass condos are riskier investments.

No other city in North America is building as many condo towers as Toronto. Toronto has reshaped the skyline, blocked Lake Ontario from view. Even now there is 130 new towers are under construction.

Glass walls have been popular among developers and consumers alike because they’re cheaper than more traditional materials and make a good first impression. Builders worried about construction costs, production planning, inventory management, materials and delivering the finished condos on time aren't so worried about what happens down the road. They're primary goal is profits now. Such buildings aren’t energy-efficient and come with a hidden price tag that can soar down the road if built shoddily (and developers are more shoddy than not)

HOT TIP: Ask developers/builders about previous condos they've built, then go to those builders and ask the residents about the quality of the building and what they are paying for maintenance.

Floor-to-ceiling glass walls heat up and swell in the summer, freeze and contract in winter, and shift with the wind. The insulating argon gas between the glass panes escapes, the seals are breached and the windows are rendered useless against the city’s weather. Glass condos work well if you live in California and other locations where its basically summer all year around, but in a city with seasons like Toronto it is folly.

Eventually, the glass walls — the skin of these condo high rises — might have to be replaced entirely, with condo owners picking up their share of the multimillion-dollar costs.

Any of the glass condos built int he 1990s are encountering these problems now. Some of the buildings are even newer. The glass fogs up, the rubber gaskets and sealants starting to fail, and then complaints and lawsuits are launched. Lawyers start practicing their whipping with a reed switch.

Condo owners in a tower off Front Street are suing the developer, Concord, claiming the window-wall system in the nine-year-old building near the Rogers Centre has defects and water is seeping through. Other developers are facing similar lawsuits.

The high cost of retrofitting a highrise is also startling. At First Canadian Place, a retrofit will take three years and $130 million to complete. More money for the construction workers, but the building owners will be made to suffer.

Most condo owners have no idea about the expenses they’re in for and don’t ask the right questions. The buildings don't appreciate in value over time. They depreciate and become cheaper because of the maintenance costs.

The urban planner I mentioned earlier, calls such buildings "the future slums of Toronto". And he is absolutely right. Eventually the buildings will be used as rental units, and renters are harder on buildings because they don't care, causing them to wear down faster.

Buyers are looking at the glass walls with rosy tinted glasses. They are imagining romantic dinners, parties with friends in their ritzy condo... they have no clue that the glass walls undermine a condo’s durability and energy efficiency in a northern city like Toronto.

Glass-walled condos meet the requirements of the Toronto building code, although the code does not specify how long a building should last. Energy-efficiency is also a fuzzy area, since condos aren’t rated that way.

And what about the developers?

Well if the worst happens the developers can sell or split up their business. Declare bankruptcy or at least file for bankruptcy protection. They're not worried about energy efficiency or the long term wishes of the buyer.

"We don’t have energy-efficiency ratings on condominiums and that’s too bad, because we get them on dishwashers, refrigerators, and they only cost a few hundred dollars,” said Ted Kesik, a professor of building science at the John H. Daniels faculty of architecture, landscape and design at the University of Toronto.

Janice Pynn, president of the Canadian Condo Institute, isn’t sure energy efficiency is a big factor for condo buyers — even for buyers who care about not wasting energy. “People talk that they want it, but when it comes down to what it's going to cost them, it doesn't even come into the equation,” says Pynn, whose Simerra Property Management company manages 250 condos across the GTA.

“It really is ‘Can I afford to buy this?’ not 'What am I willing to pay to have a green building, or a building in the long term, that will be far more economical, and cost-saving and for the environment?' They're just not asking those questions.”

The end result? Glass condos in Canada are not worth the money you pay for them.

Check out other Canadian real estate oriented posts at My Search for a Home.

Building a Cabin

While I write this review I am sitting my apartment building's laundry room, with Toshiba notebook computer, drinking chilld tap water from an old Bek Se Ju (for those that don't know, I am a huge fan of Korean Bek Se Ju [pronounced baek say joo] which is made from rice, sweet potatoes and 12 traditional herbs). I think the bottles are great for drinking water out of.

Also in front of me is Snuggle fabric softener 'Fresh Rain' and Purex 2X Ultra Concentrate. I have no complaints about their cleaning ability, stain fighting power, softness-fying or the nice smell I get when I pull them from the dryer.

I find the laundry room a nice place to sit and write blogs on my notepad. Its relatively quiet and secluded, the only sounds being the constant whirring, ka-thunk ka-thunk and splashing sounds of the washing machines and dryer. They're strangely melodious.

What I want to write about today is that sense of tranquility and calm you get in being in such a nice quiet place. Some people might start to feel bored or anxious, but I think its an excellent opportunity to unwind, relax and get away from the other sounds of living in downtown Toronto... the sounds of trucks going by, police sirens, fire truck sirens (I live near a fire station), construction, traffic, noisy neighbours and so on.

Now there is other ways to get away from such sounds...

#1. You could go camping. In which case I recommend Canadian Tire if you want to go buy a tent and other supplies / camping gear. I should note however that I am a firm believer in the "less is more" style of camping. You pack as few things as possible, only as much as you can easily carry up a steep hill while getting whacked in the face with branches (I did this back in October 2010 with my girlfriend at the time, loads of fun!) without getting yourself hurt. Food/water, a source of heat, sleeping bag, toilet paper, tent... you know, the bare essentials! Anything more than that and you're not really camping.

#2. You could get a cottage, ie. Muskoga Cottage. My sister and her husband got a cottage last year and although I have yet to visit it I do know its on a river near Georgian Bay, which allows them to go kayaking whenever they feel like it.

But here is the thing... I would like to do one better than both of these... I would like to someday buy a chunk of land in Northern Ontario (and the land up there can be pretty cheap depending on where you look) and BUILD a shelter, eventually a cabin up there.

I am going to break this down into a number of stages so you can get a better idea of what I am talking about...

#1. Build a basic shelter to live in, the first step you want to do so you have a place to live while working. You could use a tent, but I think that would get pretty cramped over time and isn't really much protection from moose or black bears. Therefore an actual wooden structure, regardless of how crude it is, sounds much better to me.

My method would be to build something akin to a cedar log fence, but in the shape of a square or hexagon. Build it up so its 8' tall and then peak the roof inwards like you are building a pyramid. Then cover interior with mosquitoe netting. Then use whatever you have available to reinforce the walls, roofs and so forth until you have a shelter which will adequately keep out the sun, rain and insects.

#2. Build your Outhouse or Bathroom NEXT. I say this because I'd argue this is probably the most important place in your would-be-cabin-away-from-it-all.

When building your bathroom you will want to have a rough idea of how the rest of your cabin should be designed (with rooms for future additions).

In my case I want my cabin to be combination of stone, wood, cement and glass. I want mortared stone to be the main part of the building's structure. I might use some commercial roofing along the way to speed up the process or metal panels on the sides if I can't get lots of stone to do the job, but that is still the long term goal.

The beauty of stone (I think) is that is doesn't have to be used in straight lines like brick or wood is. You can make rounded walls, as thick as you want them to be, different colours of stone, the flat sides facing outwards or even the rounded sided facing outwards. I actually prefer the rounded look, the bumpy quality of it.

Inside the bathroom you want to think in terms of several things...

A) Plumbing, you will need a clean source of water. The proverbial water barrel with tubes might work for some people, but others might want to have a professional plumber come in and install everything like its a normal house.

B) Drainage, some place for your leftovers to go that won't cause a huge stink with the neighbours. A pit in the ground filled with water is typical of what most outhouses use.

C) Pottery / Ceramics... I bring this up because I think this is an excellent way to both decorate your bathroom and make it easier to clean. Handmade pottery can be used for the sink(s), toilet seat, and shower/bathtub tiles.

Or you might decide to bathe in the local river, pond or lake... in which case try looking for some environmentally friendly soaps.

#3. Build the ground floor and walls next. In theory you could build over and replace your existing shelter, or be building a whole new place to live. Either could be ideal depending on your plan.

Again I think stone and mortar would be an excellent method of accomplishing this. Other people might prefer to use wood or other materials, but I like the permanency and reliability of stone. True, it will be tough work to quarry, lift and mortar all that stone, but just imagine your biceps by the time you are done! It would be a great weight loss program!

When doing this you should also be concerned about building a fireplace and chimney. Myself I would be tempted to design this in a way it can be used for cooking, baking and even as a kiln for pottery.

#4. Lastly you will want to build a roof, one which hopefully lets the light in, but can withstand the weight of snow in the winter. For me I want to build a steep peaked roof so the snow slides off frequently and doesn't get a chance to build up to any thickness. Also, I want to use as much space as I can to put in glass roofing windows / sky lights to get as much natural light in there as possible. In the summer I can draw shades or soap up the windows to keep it cool inside, but for the rest of the year I want the inside to be brightly lit and as warm as possible.

I firmly believe that you can find for free, salvage most of the materials you need, buy used materials, barter, pay some hippies to help you build it, etc... You don't need to resort to buying everything if you have the Do-It-Yourself Mentality.

#5. Adding Insulation...

I firmly believe in the idea of adding buffer zones and continuing to insulate a home more and more. The idea is to eventually make it so insulated and cozy on the inside that you don't even need a fireplace. You can do this cheaply, by finding ways / materials to cheaply insulate (heck you can even find printable coupons for things that can help you, but again I am a traditionalist... my preferred method would be to simply keep adding more stone to the walls. Mortar and stone are both cheap, so you can keep adding to the structure, making the walls thicker, adding entry sections, buffer zones, additional walls, etc.

I also like the idea of having a greenhouse as part of the cabin. This could be built like a glass pyramid, using very little other materials, and connected to the rest of the cabin... This would then provide both food, heat and a place to relax.

(Heck, you could LIVE inside a greenhouse if you really wanted to... I would just advise putting lots of thick plants around the sides so the neighbours can't see in so easily. The greenhouse could also be used to get rid of your bathroom drainage...)

#6. Electricity...

Assuming you actually want electricity this is where that peaked roof comes back into play. Stick a windmill turbine up there, attach it to some batteries, maybe add some solar panels... voila! Enough power for a toaster, a small microwave and a laptop computer. Need more than that? Add a larger solar array or build a waterwheel that can be put in the nearby river.

The Finale!

At the end of all of this you've just managed to make a place, a home possibly, where you can live comfortably away from the stress of the city... you will be "off the grid" in terms of electricity, and combined with your greenhouse and some gardens pretty self sufficient in terms of food. Depending on where you bought the land the land taxes will be pretty cheap too.

Some people might even design their cabin to look more like a Buddhist temple, using designs for traditional Asian cabins which use thick paper for interior walls, windows, etc. Definitely an excellent place to enjoy the tranquility and harmony with nature.

Below is a traditional Korean cabin which was built by some friends of mine in Jeonju.

Looking for homes in Georgetown

Lately I've been thinking of buying a home in Georgetown Ontario and then commuting to work in Toronto via the Go Train. (Georgetown is so close to Brampton, but the prices are dramatically different. A home in Brampton or Mississauga costs about $500,000+, but the Weavers Mill townhomes in Georgetown are $289,990. That is a huge savings!)

[Right: A rendering of one of the townhomes from Weavers Mill in Georgetown.]

The reasoning is because homes in Georgetown are super cheap in comparison to homes in Toronto (like half the price!), but the real issue is a matter of convenience but I don't want to be driving in gridlock every day for 2 hours to get back and forth to Toronto.

Thus having the Go Train in Georgetown makes it super convenient and cheap. Plus Georgetown has that small town feel that is so much nicer.

When it comes to buying a home in Georgetown however I've discovered its cheaper to go for a new housing development, which is why I've been looking at Weavers Mill - Georgetown Homes. The Weavers Mill location is a new development in downtown Georgetown, so I will be walking distance from the Go Station and also walking distance from local shops, restaurants, etc. Super convenient.

A couple months ago I helped my friend Greg and his wife Karen move into a house in Brampton and I ended up staying the night in a guest bedroom. Monday morning we went to work on the Go train (from the Brampton station) and it occurred to me how convenient it was and how much easier it was than people driving to work every day. (I apologize if this sounds more like a review of the Go train!) Nevertheless that idea stuck with me. I see it as a major selling point for when I would buy a home in Georgetown.

Georgetown isn't the only place I am shopping for a home. I would still like to get a home in downtown Toronto, but the prices are just outrageous. Check out my other blog: My Search for a Home.