Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

 ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ event will be held at the Collingwood Farmer’s Market and the route will cover 3 blocks of Hurontario Street that facilitates the high profile, public experience we hope to create in Collingwood.

Last year, over 300 communities across the country held ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ events and tens of thousands of men put on high heeled shoes as a symbolic gesture to walk in solidarity with women. This visually riveting community event is a great opportunity for your organization to show support for the men who are taking a stand against violence. It is also a great way to let the community know you care about women’s issues and are willing to take a stand against violence.

This spectacular event will be emceed by Matt MacLean of 95.1 The Peak.  This is the 12th year for the International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault, and Gender Violence and My Friend’s House is proud to be bringing this event to Southern Georgian Bay.

Walk a Mile 2012 and…

Put yourself in her shoes. "You can't really understand another person's experiences until you've walked a mile in other people’s shoes." Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women's high-heeled shoes. It's not easy walking in these shoes, but it is fun and it gets our community talking about something that's really difficult to talk about. Click here to see a short video: YouTube  go to www.inherheels.ca to register, pledge or support the event!

We recognize you as leaders in the Southern Georgian Bay Community and we would like your involvement as Participants, Supporters or Sponsors for ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ for My Friend's House.

Together we can make a difference; not only for the success of ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ but also for the abused women and children My Friend’s House serves.

‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ is an event benefitting My Friend's House, which for 20 years, has been providing safe refuge and support to abused women and their children in Southern Georgian Bay. 

Walk a Mile brings men together to take a stand against violence against women.

All the funds raised from this Collingwood event will go towards covering My Friend’s House operational costs of providing safe refuge and support to abused women and their children in both the shelter and to women in our community, who are living with abuse and violence.

How you can help!

Sponsorship – Position your business with ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ event. The Southern Georgian Bay area is highly engaged in community, fitness, healthcare, education, arts, culture and theatre.  It is an exceptional location for this dynamic, high profile, international march event.  There are sponsorships available at all levels of commitment. To find out more, please call 705 444-2586 Ext. 221 or email myfriendshouse@myfriendshouse.ca

Walk – FIRST YOU WALK THE WALK and THEN YOU TALK THE TALK! Walk to get the dialogue started that domestic violence is not only a woman’s problem. Walk for the women in your life – your wife, mother, sister, daughters, coworkers and employees. Walk to send the message that it is a basic human right to live without fear of violence yet it exists within our homes on a regular basis and that it is not okay! Encourage the men in your life to join the walk. You or the men in your life can register online at www.inherheels.ca or call 705 444-2586 Ext. 221.

Prizes – donate a prize to be presented to one of the ‘Walk’participants upon completion of the walk or provide take aways for each participant. Help us show appreciation for the men in our community man enough to “strut their stuff” to get the dialogue started.

Pledge A Participant – offer to make a pledge for your favourite walker and encourage/challenge others to do the same.

Volunteer – to make an event such as this successful, it takes many hands working together. If you are available to help out prior to or on the day of the event, please call 705 444-2586 Ext. 221 or email myfriendshouse@myfriendshouse.ca.  

JOIN US TO CHEER ON THE MEN IN OUR LIVES WHO ARE WILLING TO WALK THE WALK!                                                

Thank you for your support.       

This is a copy of the publication sent out for the charity My Friends House. Please come out and support your community as we try to end violence against women.

Rob Abbott

Operations Manager

Village Builders Inc.

The Customizable New Home

The Customizable New Home

You may have heard the term "customization" in your research for your new home. It's a word that's typically used to describe the process of making alterations to the floor plan or exterior appearance of a home so that it reflects your particular tastes, current lifestyle, and location.

But there's a more subtle yet equally important variation on that term that's emerging within the home design and building communities. Simply, that new homes today are -- by design -- better able to adapt to the changing needs of their owners after they've moved in and for years to come.

This kind of customization has its roots in areas like the Great Room and so-called "flex" spaces that many builders offer these days. But true customization requires a more thoughtful approach to the floor plan, materials choices, and future lifestyle changes than simply a room or two that allow some flexibility in their use.

Obviously, rooms like the kitchen and bathrooms are dedicated spaces. But there's no reason that a dining room can't eventually become a home office, then switch back or become something else down the road, depending on what the family wants and needs.

More dramatically, consider a back room -- properly designed -- that could eventually evolve from a simple bedroom into a family or TV room, a home office, a rental apartment, or a first-floor master suite as the owners age and tire of climbing stairs to their bedroom.

Similarly, a seasonal or long-term storage area adjacent to a second-floor master suite could, over time and if properly designed, become another bedroom or swap with the master bedroom, leaving the former as an upstairs family room or office; the space could also become a private sitting room or home gym for the owners.

These examples are not only practical, but generally inexpensive to provide ... if your builder has the forethought to "rough in" plumbing and other mechanical systems. This level of customization could set the stage for a small kitchen and a private entry to serve as a future rental apartment. Another option: leave sufficient room for a staircase or design the roof frame to accommodate skylights or dormer windows to finish an upstairs area adjacent to the master suite.

The benefits of being able to "customize" a home you already live in are inspiring. As much as we want to build new homes (it is our business, after all), we also like the concept of creating communities of people that are able to live in their homes longer and build tight neighborhood bonds -- which proper design and planning allows.

We also like providing homes that serve our clients now and in the future, reducing their on-going maintenance and extensive remodeling costs. This type of 'built-in' flexibility also helps make the house easier to sell when the owners are ready to move on to another new home.

Finally, given the current economy and changes in construction and mortgage lending that has limited the ability to buy and sell homes quickly, we recognize and respect that families are looking for homes that they can enjoy over a longer period of time.

This kind of "customization" works best in new homes. As builders, we can direct the floor plan and construction process from the beginning to accommodate your family's changing lifestyle needs.
Warm Regards,

Doug Abbott
Village Builders

 This is an exert from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. It is written by the President Doug Abbott. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Fireplaces common construction terms 10

Common construction terms 10 Fireplaces

Have you have ever been on a construction site talking to your contractor and been totally lost in the terms that they are using? Well I’m here to help, here are some common terms that contractor’s use that you might not understand.

• Zero clearance fireplace. This is a type of fireplace, can be wood or gas. What you need to know is that just because it’s called zero clearance, it doesn’t mean that you can put anything you want close to it or have the hearth as close to the flame window as possible. Zero clearance refers to the rear of the fireplace. It means that the fireplace can sit up against a wall without needing an air space.
• Cement board. Cement board is the sheeting that is installed on the studs of showers and backsplashes. It is installed anywhere that you want to have tile on a wall or tub deck. It is made from concrete and is usually about ½” thick. It is installed the same way that you install a sheet of drywall, with screws. Cement board is considered non combustable and is safe to use around fireplace openings.
• Chase. A chase is a column in a wall that is allows wiring, mechanical or plumbing to travel from one floor to the next. It is usually framed around by wood or metal studs and covered in drywall.
• Firebox. This is the area in which the fire is actually built and burnt. It is designed to withstand extremes in heat.
• Viewing window. This is the part of the fireplace that you can see the flame.
• Surround. This is either a metal or tile area that is around the viewing window of the fireplace.
• Mantle. This is usually made of wood, it sits above the viewing window of the fireplace. Usually used to display pictures or other worldly treasures.
• Damper. This is a metal flap that is in the chimney that is manually opened to allow more air into a wood burning fireplace.
• Insert. This is a fireplace that is made to fit into an existing fireplace hole. It allows you to convert a wood fireplace into either a sealed gas fireplace or an air tight wood fireplace.
• Bird cage. This is metal screening that is installed at the top of the chimney to restrict birds and other animals from getting into the chimney.
• Clay tiles. These are what a lot of hand built chimney and fireplaces are made out from. They are oblong shapes that are made from clay and are stacked on top of each other to line the chimney. This helps to direct the heat up the chimney and out of the house.
• Draw. This is the rate in which air is pulled up the chimney from the firebox, it helps create a draft so that the fire burns better and the smoke leaves the house through the chimney.
• Chimney cap. This refers to the top of the chimney. It can either be made out of masonry or metal.
• Liner. This is usually a continuous metal sleeve that runs from the top of insect or firebox all the way through the chimney until it reaches the chimney cap.
• Hearth. This is in front of the fireplace, it is made out of a non-combustible material like stone or tile. It can be used as a seat but it’s primary job is to protect against anything overheating and catching on fire. In a wood burning stove its primary function is to protect against sparks and logs that fall out of the firebox.
• Blower. This is a fan that takes the heat from around the fireplace and disperses it into the room away from the fireplace.
• Fresh air intake. This is a duct that brings in air from the outside of the home. They are used with sealed fireplaces.

Look for part 11 coming soon....

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Structured wiring in today's modern custom homes

Modern Day Construction for custom homes Part 9

In today’s modern world of construction things are changing year to year faster than they did decade to decade in any other previous time period. In this multi part series I will traverse through an entire house starting with the foundation and working my way up to the roof and then to the finishing’s. I will explain what has changed in the last twenty years in custom home building.

One thing that you should be able to take away from this is how important it is to not just hire the right general contractor to build your custom home but how important it is to hire one that is up on today’s building methods.

Structured wiring

Twenty years ago a lot of builders had not even heard the term “structured wiring”. Structured wiring is all the wiring that runs the alarms, speakers, internet, phone, cable and any automation.

In today’s residential construction we run almost more structured wiring then we do electrical wiring. Large bundles of wiring are run all over the house. Here are some of the different wiring that we now run and what they are for;

• HDMI cables. These are the latest and greatest audio/video all in one cables. They are run behind the walls from the audio and video components to the TV’s. They are usually shorter runs, like 5 to 10 feet, but we have gone as far as 30 to 40 feet with them if you require the components to be in one room and the TV in another.

• Phone/internet/cable. These lines are now run together everywhere. So anywhere you want to have a TV, or a receiver, these lines are run to them. Also they are run to any where you want a phone jack. Usually every bedroom in the home gets at least one of them. The study, rec room, living room and kitchen also get them. All these lines are run in the walls and the ceilings and run back to a central place usually in the basement or mechanical room.

• Alarm wires. Alarm wires are now run to almost every window and door in the house. There are other wires run to certain rooms where you just want a motion detector. There is a line run to the sump pump so that you will know if the water overwhelms the pump, this is done by placing a sensor above the sump pump high up in the pail, when the water hits a certain height in the pail the sensor triggers an alarm. There is usually at least one panel, sometimes 3 or 4 to disarm or arm the system. The panel has a thermostat built in that will signal the alarm company if the temperature drops too low in the house. There are lines run for cameras on the driveway, front gates, front doors, alley ways and garage doors. There are lines that run to alarms that make noise or talk to you if there is a break in. There are also lines that run up into the smoke detectors and the carbon monoxide detectors that will signal the fire department if there is a serious problem. All these wires run back to a central panel in the basement. A lot of these systems can be monitored and controlled from your cell phone or lab top.

• Speaker wire and controls. Speaker wire is all run in the walls and ceilings with a lot of people opting to install all there speakers in the walls or ceilings. Most rooms in new custom houses get some form of speaker wires installed behind the drywall. You can have sound controls in every room of the house, including the bathroom from a touch pad on the wall, or a wireless remote on the table. Even running speaker wire outside is all controlled from the components in the residence.

• Lighting control wires. You can now have control of your lights from a remote or even your cell phone. All you have to do is install the proper type of switch and any control wires that they may be required to go from the device to the control panel. Lighting then can be controlled from a simply remote control. You can actually turn off all the lights in the house when you are lying in bedroom late at night about to fall asleep.

Looking for part 10 coming soon....

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

We just completed a project for the designer Jentry Chin

We just completed a project for the designer Jentry Chin. It was am addition on a farm house in the hills of Creemore for one of Jentry’s clients. This was the first large project that we have ever done with Jentry; we have only done a small project with him many years ago.

The project that we just finished was a 300 sqft addition to create a larger bedroom on the north side of the house and also to increase the size of the neighbouring mudroom.

When the project was finished we had taken a smallish bedroom with a 7 ft high ceiling, no closet, one window and an old patio door and turned it into a luxury style bedroom with cathedral ceilings that reached a height of over 12 feet.

We changed the existing window to a new window that was twice the size, added a second window the same size and installed a large picture window to take the place of the sliding door. When we were done there was a large proper closet and a wood beam at the peak of the cathedral ceiling. New pot lights and a ceiling fan help bring the room in to the 21st century.

All of this was accomplished by gutting the old room of all drywall and trim and then adding an addition out the end of the building. We installed a new crawl space foundation and added a large overhang to the end of the roof to cover the new cedar deck that the homeowners starting enjoying before the project wasn’t even completed.

Designer Jentry Chin had a vision of very clean lines, so there was no baseboard trim installed in the new room, the drywall was finished at the floor with a corner bead, giving it a very clean modern look. The entrance door to the room was also given the same no trim treatment and turned out quiet sharp looking.

The windows and closet doors where handled differently because we were re-using shutters that had been in another residence. With a little creativity on the part of Jentry and our carpenters we were able to get the shutters mounted and operating so that when unfolded in they covered the interior window. This feature gave the room a real clean and warm feeling.

The room was painted white and the carpet was close to the same colour, this helped focus the attention to the architecture of the room’s sharp lines and high ceilings.

In the end the client was happy and so was Jentry Chin the designer. It was a very pleasurable experience working with Jentry and we look forward to working with him again on whatever next project he comes up with for us.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.  

Staying in Style in the "New Economy" when building a new home

Staying in Style in the "New Economy"

Economic hard times or not, new homes are still being built across the country and in our community. But housing industry and new-home style 'experts' have noted a change in how people are approaching those projects. The trend seems to be toward high quality products and finishes.

We've been paying attention to those trends. We are committed to be responsive to the needs of our homebuyers by being prepared to help make design selections or suggestions for their new home.

As you read this list, keep in mind that our clients' specific and unique wants and desires trump any trend. Consider the following as observations. They are not intended as mandates.

A few of the primary themes we've noticed include:

• People are looking for Canadian made finishes and quality products that will last longer and reduce energy and resource use. Homeowners want to lessen ongoing maintenance and replacement costs.

• Given that higher-quality and resource-efficient materials and products may cost more, consumers are gravitating toward "minimalist" design schemes .

• We like our technology! New homes are a great way to accommodate greater and more convenient access to it -- namely, by providing an ample amount of wiring and cable (and multiple outlets) to allow for video and audio through the house.  All home automation is something that is really catching on. Imagine walking around your house with one remote that will control lights, heating , audio , video etc

• Our new central vacuum with the "hid a hose" feature is a great hit . No more trying to hang your vacuum hose in the closet, just put your hand over the end of the hose and it disappears into the wall.  ( my wife thinks this is awesome ,and never fails to demostrate it to everyone who walks into our showroom)

• Earth tones are the new white ... at least according to some style experts.

• Though not as opulent or outfitted as they were a few years back, outdoor areas remain a popular way to extend usable living space.

• Home offices continue to be in demand, accommodating in-home businesses or telecommuting trends.

• Home theater in dedicated rooms with high end video and audio are a must have with the younger generation of new home owners.

Reports indicate that buyers of new custom homes and other consumer goods have altered their value systems toward more quality, durable,energy and resource-efficient products. We're keeping close tabs on those trends to meet our clients' needs.

Warm Regards,

Doug Abbott
Village Builders

 This is an exert from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. It is written by the President Doug Abbott. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Interior designer in Collingwood

Interior designer in Collingwood

If you are looking for an interior designer that can help you furnish your home or you are thinking about updating your home and need some help then you should give us a call. We at Village Builders have access to a wide variety of interior designers, our offices are in the Village of Creemore.

We can help you come up with a plan for your home, a plan that is so accurate that we can even place your existing furniture in the new space so that you can feel comfortable that it will fit. We have the ability to draw everything on software that allows you to have a vertical walkthrough of the design and remodel of your new space. We can take the drawing that you have approved and give you an accurate quote on the work that would need to be done by Village Builders. You don’t have to use Village Builders to do the work, you can use any company and we will work with you through the project.

We have helped many people in the area with their interior furnishings, interior renovations, kitchen designs and bathroom remodels. With her years of experience in design she is able to help everyone regardless of their taste or their budget.

Village Builders has the ability with all her contacts to buy furniture, appliances, bedding and window coverings at a larger discount then most people are able and will supervise the installation so that you the client has little too no worries.

If you would like to see some of the spaces that we have designed and renovated simply log on to the Village Builders website. Look at some of the pictures of the homes that have been renovated with her designs and direction. Just go to www.villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Changes to decks in modern construction

Modern Day Construction for custom homes Part 8

In today’s modern world of construction things are changing year to year faster than they did decade to decade in any other previous time period. In this multi part series I will traverse through an entire house starting with the foundation and working my way up to the roof and then to the finishing’s. I will explain what has changed in the last twenty years in custom home building.

One thing that you should be able to take away from this is how important it is to not just hire the right general contractor to build your custom home but how important it is to hire one that is up on today’s building methods.

Here are some changes that have come along in the last 20 years alone;

Decking

Twenty years ago you had two options, pressure treated decking or cedar decking.
Today there are a variety of different options for decking, depending on your budget and style. Also there are better ways of building a deck; here are some of the popular options;

• Composite decking has come a long way in just 10 to 15 years. It used to look like plastic, now it can come with a wood grain and be almost any colour you want. Composite decking is usually made from a recycled material and comes with a lifetime warranty. The only problem to be found with this decking is that it can be very slippery in the winter. It can also be very costly.

• Natural iron wood. There are now some Amazon iron woods that are on the market. The most widely used is called Ipe. Once they are installed they require no special treatment. They are left in their raw form, they have natural oils in them that allow the wood to repel water, this allows the material to withstand the outdoor elements and stave off rot. Over time they go from there natural brown colour to a more silvery colour, a colour closer to the look of teak. An Ipe deck is considered a deck for your life time. The only down side is that they are extremely expensive and can be difficult to work with because of the density of the material.

• Pressure Treated wood has gone under a big change in the way that it is manufactured. They have removed the carcinogens from the pressure treating process and gone with more environmentally friendly chemicals. This came about after soil samples were taken from children’s playgrounds directly underneath pressure treated built play areas. The soil samples were found to be so full of arsenic that if a child were to eat some of the soil they would become extremely ill. The chemical change doesn’t seem to affect the longevity of the material, as you still seem to get long life from pressure treated wood.

• Thermally modified wood. This is the process of taking normal wood heating and pressurizing it so that cells in the wood fibres collapse in on themselves. What this does is apparently stops water penetration. This treated wood is said to last a life time. The only down side is that it hasn’t been around for that long and the verdict is still out on how well it will stand up to the outdoors. What it does allow you to do is if you want it to turn silver like cedar then just leave it alone, but if you want it to stay the natural wood colour then you simply add a clear coat of special wood stain/sealer. This sealer helps the wood stay the natural colour year after year.

• Cedar. Cedar is still a popular choice, the problem with cedar is that it doesn’t seem to last as long as it used too. With the price of cedar being so expensive it almost doesn’t make it worth your while to spend a lot of money on a product that won’t last.

With all this new decking that is suppose to last a life time, the industry has come up with new ways to make the sub structure of the deck last longer. Starting at the footings, they have become bigger with bells on the bottoms to resist shifting. Joists are now wrapped on the tops with waterproofing to stop the rot from water run off. As long as the deck is built high enough off the ground so that air can travel underneath it then the deck joist should last as long as the material on top of it.

Look for part 9 coming soon...

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Renovating the green way

Practical Green

Green building and remodeling is certainly a hot topic these days. By improving an existing home rather than using resources to build a new one, we see remodeling as inherently green. Still, some remodelers who strive to reduce the environmental impact of their work struggle to communicate the practical value to homeowners.

The question is, does green remodeling really mean anything to you? Sure, you may recognize and perhaps even appreciate seeing the Energy Star label on windows and appliances, but what's the tangible benefit of recycled-content drywall or certified wood doors to your daily life ... and pocketbook?

As a professional remodeling contractor who is ready and able to respond to what our homebuyers want -- including making improvements that result in better energy efficiency and indoor air quality -- we also recognize that clients need to see how those efforts impact them personally.

To that end, we strive to communicate "green remodeling" options to our clients in a way that extends their interest in earth-friendliness to their remodeled home.

Hidden Gems. The bulk of a comprehensive green remodeling effort happens behind the finishes, making it tough to articulate its value. But instead of touting the R-value of the attic insulation or the solar heat gain coefficient of the windows, we talk about comfort: no more drafty feeling by windows and doors; no more temperature differences between floors or rooms; the ability to walk around in your bare feet. Those benefits seem to resonate far better than anything technical.

Easy Recycling. We want to encourage and help facilitate recycling household waste. So we increasingly plan for and provide convenient bins within a remodeled kitchen to make it easier to collect those items and get them to the curb and out of the landfill.

In that same vein, we have also installed handy compost bins in a new kitchen to collect vegetable clippings and other organic matter than can be added to a larger compost pile or collector outside and used to improve soil for a vegetable or flower garden -- allowing our clients to extend an interest in local produce and organic foods to their home lives.

Breathe Easier. Whenever possible and practical we utilize materials and methods that help save energy and boost indoor comfort. Green remodeling often includes the use of non-toxic paints, flooring, and other interior finishes -- as well as ventilation systems -- that improve the quality of the indoor air.

But because vent fans and semi-gloss paint aren't very sexy, we often explain the value in terms that respect allergies, respiratory problems, and other sensitivities that our clients might suffer ... and appreciate not having in their remodeled homes.

Into the Future: Monitors and Electric Cars. While certainly not mainstream, in-home computer programs that allow homeowners to see and adjust their use of energy and water are great visual reminders of green remodeling efforts.
Similarly, we've seen electric car chargers that run on the home's electrical service (or even solar energy) that can accommodate all-electric or hybrid cars, allowing homeowners to conveniently serve that investment in sustainable living.

It is easy for remodelers to get caught up in the details and technical specs of green remodeling; professional contractors understand that to be truly beneficial, those efforts have to relate to everyday life.

Warm Regards,

Doug Abbott
Village Builders

 This is an exert from a newsletter that is distributed to all former, current and future clients of Village Builders Inc. It is written by the President Doug Abbott. If you would like to receive this newsletter feel free to email me at www.robabbott@villagebuilders.ca

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

Having your eave trough painted to match your house

If you are trying to match the eave trough on your new home or addition to the soffit then you might have to actually hand paint it.

This might sound strange to most people that you would take a coloured aluminum eave trough and take the time to paint it but it actually happens more than you think.

The reason that this happens is because there are only about 175 different colours of metal eave trough available on the market and there are probably 10,000 to 20,000 different colours of paint in the world.

A lot of my customers that have custom homes with custom wood siding want the eave trough to disappear as much as possible. So the only way to accomplish this is to hand paint the eave trough after it’s in stalled.

The paint used is a high end metal paint that has been matched to the wood facia. The result is that the eave trough almost disappears. Eave trough  are usually not seen as an architectural part of most custom homes, they are more functional then anything and most homeowners would rather get away with not having them at all. But for most people they are essential to help controlling the water coming off the roof.

As long as you use a professional painter to paint the eave trough then you should have no problem with the quality of the finish. Most people can’t even tell that it has been painted until they get right up close to one of the downspouts.

So if you are at the stage that you need to pick your eave trough on your custom home, try not picking a colour of metal at all and get your painter to finish it after it is installed.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

What to look for if you think you have water problems in your basment

Do you think that you may have water problems in your basement? Here’s what to look for to confirm before you call someone.

First things first, when you open the door to the basement and walk down the stairs what does the air feel like? Is it moist? Can you taste moisture in the air? Do you smell anything like mold or mustiness? Does the basement feel humid?

There are a lot of things that could tip you off to having a wet basement; those are just some of them. The biggest one is of course if you see damp spots in the carpet or dark spots in the concrete floor.

There are a lot of reasons for having a wet or damp basement and some of them are easily fixable and some of them are not.

If you want to know if you have some water problems here is what to look for in your basement;

• Look at the perimeter of the basement on the floor where the wall and the concrete floor meet. If there is carpet and baseboard there pull the carpet back out of the way. Feel the concrete, does it feel damp? Does it look darker?

• When looking at the perimeter of the basement walls look at the baseboard, is it discoloured like its absorbed moisture? If you pull a piece off is there mold or mildew on the back side of the baseboard?

• If you do not have baseboard but have drywall push on the base of the drywall and see if it’s soft or if it breaks easily. This is a sign of moisture absorption.

• If you have stud walls and no drywall then look at the bottom wood plate of the wall and see if you see any discolouration from moisture absorption.

• Not all concrete floors are level in basements; find the lowest spot in the concrete floor and check to see if there is evidence of water laying there that might have dried.

A lot of times you will only have water problems at certain times of the year, usually in the spring and in the fall. This is one reason that you look for staining instead of just looking for water. If your basement only has water problems in the spring and fall then there are certain things that you can do to stop the water from penetrating the basement that aren’t that expensive;

• Make sure that your sump pump is working.

• Make sure that the sump pump is set low enough so that it can remove the water from under the floor releasing the hydrostatic pressure on your basement.

• Check in the high water times to see if your sump pump can keep up, you might need a backup pump to help it out.

• If you find that the water or moisture problems are showing up in the corners or near the corners then the problem could be outside. Check where you’re down spots exhaust coming from the gutters on the roof. If they are disconnected or do not exhaust far enough from the building then they could be the problem. Extending them away from the building might help solve the problem.

• When you are outside check to make sure that the grade of the land next to your house is running away. If you have ground that is level or slightly sloped toward the house then it will act like a funnel toward the basement.

If you have checked all of this and you still have a water problem in your basement then it is time to call a professional in to take a look. There are a lot of different options today to fixing water problems and getting the right professional will make all the difference.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.

I have an interior door that will not close, how do I fix it? Simple home repairs 1.

I have an interior door that will not close, how do I fix it?

 Here is a problem that happens a lot to people especially in older homes.

Interior doors are usually hollow inside and have a skin on the outside around a light frame. This allows the door to function and still be light enough to open and close. The problem with these doors is that they have a tendency to become out of align easily because they are built so light.

Here is how to fix a door that will not close properly because it is rubbing on the top of the door jamb;
If the door is rubbing on the top against the frame then you have to remove some of the material off the top of the door. Depending on how bad it is will depend on how you do this.

• First things first, remove the door by pulling the pins on the hinges; this will allow you to easily reinstall the door after you have worked on it.

• Put the door on a set of sawhorses, if they are painted doors you should wrap the saw horses with an old blanket to protect the paint from rubbing off on the wooden horses.

• If there is a lot to remove to get the door to close properly then you should cut the door with a skill saw or use an electric planer. You should wrap the end of the door where you will be cutting in painters tape first, this will help protect against chipping and or cracking in the finish.

• Use a straight edge to draw a line so that you can take an even amount of material off the door.

• Cut or plane the door from the ends in, stop cutting before you get to the other side, you must cut or plane in from both ends or you could damage the finish on the edge of the door.

• If the door doesn’t require a lot of material to be removed then the best thing for you to use is a belt sander. This will remove enough material safely without damaging the finish of the door.

• When you have trimmed the door to what you want make sure to clean the door before taking it back inside. There will be a lot of sawdust that you wouldn’t want to track back into your home.

• Re-hang the door by putting the pins back in and make sure it now closes properly.
You might need to adjust where the striker plate and the plunger come together to properly close, this is normal when doors have moved up or down. You should be able to adjust the striker by removing it and chiseling out the wood so that the striker sits flush in its new location.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc

Village Builders gets a brand new website coming this fall

Village Builders gets a brand new website coming this fall.

Village Builders Inc. is introducing a “from the ground up” new website to perspective clients, current clients and former clients. The new website will be more interactive with access for clients that have current projects in the build process.

The new website will be geared not just to help perspective clients make the proper choice when looking to hire a general contractor but it will also explain all the ways that Village Builders can assist people in their new home construction.

There will be more pictures and better quality ones as well.

The new website will explain how our process works, whether you are looking for a new custom home or a renovation to your existing one. There will also be a new section explaining the interior design division of Village Builders and how it is helped keep the high standards that our clients have come to expect.

As a company we are always trying to re-create ourselves so that we can better serve our clients, this new website will go along way in helping us service our future and current clients.

Log on to www.villagebuilders.ca in the fall and see what out new site will look like.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.