Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Our Block Foundation Leaks What Should We Do?

Q:

The Block foundation in our house leaks in the basement what should we do?

A:

There is only one thing that you can do to stop the leakage through the basement walls; 

Dig around the outside of the foundation, all the way down until the footings are exposed.

You will then have to pressure wash the block walls to remove any excess dirt or old tar off the block wall.

Using a self adhering waterproofing that you roll out and stick on yourself. It should be installed vertically starting at one end of the foundation, you will have to overlap it every time that you run it vertically, the overlap must be 3 or 4 inches. This will ensure that there aren"t any spots that could leak later because of lack of coverage. You should extend the waterproofing until it reaches the level that it will be above the finished grade.

Once you have covered the entire foundation in the waterproofing then you need to protect it. You can do this by installing a dimple board product overtop of the waterproofing. This should be installed so that it runs from the footing up until it is 3 or 4 inches above the finished grade, any excess waterproofing showing above it you can trim off later after the backfill has occurred.

Then you need to repair or replace the weepers, if you have any they were probably be damaged when you dig down to expose the wall.

You might have to add more stone to recover the weepers before you backfill.

You can now backfill against the waterproofed wall, you must make sure that you don’t backfill with any tree stumps, rocks or other debris that came out of the dig. These items can damage the waterproofing or the actual block wall itself.

I would recommend that for the purposes of re-waterproofing the foundation of your home you take the time to find a qualified contractor to do the work. This will ensure that your foundation doesn’t leak in the future and that you won’t damage the block wall while doing the work.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc. 

Monday, April 27, 2015

The Size Of Custom Homes Is Starting To Come Down

The size of custom homes by the average person is starting to come down.

After talking to scores of people at the last spring cottage life show 2015 (at our booth) a trend started to emerge. More people where talking about wanting to build homes that were under 2500 sqft.

This is a dramatic change from the previous 10 years where the homes have not just gotten larger but they have also gotten more elaborate with the cost per sqft of the custom home rising every year.

I talked to people about building custom homes, the majority of the people wanted to build a bungalow style of home instead of a two story design. In previous years this was usually attributed to people wanting to retire into the home and wanted to limit the amount of stairs that they would have to climb, but the people that I talked to about building bungalows ranged in age from the 70’s down to the 30’s.

There are several reasons for this change in thinking about the size of homes;

Utility costs have risen so fast in the past 5 years that people are actively looking to minimize the amount of square feet that they will have to heat and cool.
·         Seniors are looking toward their golden years and they don’t want to have to climb stairs.
·      
   The younger generation the people in their 30’s and 40’s do not have the capital that the baby boomers have and so they can’t afford larger homes.
·      The younger generation has a strong belief in leaving a smaller environmental footprint, smaller homes use less resources to build and also to maintain.

·         Families are smaller than they have been in the past; most families only have 1 child or possibly two. Baby boomers are empty nesters and only need a second bedroom for when guests drop by for a brief visit.

In the past people who wanted smaller homes have been content on buying track built homes (sub-division), this is starting to change. The cost of sub-division homes continues to rise with the size of the lot they are being built on getting smaller all the time. What is changing is that people are starting to realize that track built homes are constructed so poorly that for a little extra money they can have a custom home that is built to a higher standard and is also built the way that they want it. A custom home has a higher resale value then a track built home and has the ability to have a far greater return on their investment. With custom homes being better insulated there is a savings as well on the heating and cooling costs going forward as well.

Custom home builders are ideally suited to adapt with the change as they are able to build a home from 1000 sqft to 10,000 sqft and still build them at a  high standard giving their clients a maximum return on their investment.

Welcome to the new generation of smaller more efficient homes.

Rob Abbott

Village Builders Inc.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

2015 Master Ensuite Trends In Custom Homes

2015- Ensuite Master Bathrooms

Custom homes change as much as trends in fashion, some trends stick around and some come and go. When designing and building a custom home you have to understand what is the current trend and what is coming, this will help maximize the value of the custom home that is being built. In the Master Ensuite trends have become an important part of designing them as they are not only the owners personal bathroom they are becoming the owners personal retreat from the rest of the family.

Ensuite Master Bathrooms

Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;

The ensuite master bathroom continues to get larger in square footage every year.

Large seamless glass shower enclosures with large doors making the bathroom look larger than it actually is.

The amount of ensuite bathrooms in a home has grown, they are not just for the master bedroom anymore.

Benches in showers are common now, almost all showers have them to allow women to shave their legs and to help people as they get older still have showers without assistance.

Large rain head fixtures mounted directly over head.

Electric heated floors are still the most popular option to help make the rooms feel more comfortable so tile and natural stone are kept warm, thus eliminating the need for bath mats to keep your feet warm even when the heating system for home is turned off.

Large soaker tubs beside a large glass walk in shower are still the trend.

Slow close toilet lids are still the most popular option, allowing men to never worry about slamming the lid and waking their partner up.

A designated space for women to keep their makeup and apply it as well in the custom cabinetry.

Marble tops are almost a must now for bathroom counter tops.

Marble or slate natural stone floors are common with the feel of a luxury spa.

Multiple body sprays are the hottest trend, these body sprays come out of the wall, combined with rain heads they give you that total wash feeling.

Slide bars in showers are almost standard in every custom shower.

Wall sconce’s over the vanity instead of relying on over head lights or one large fixed light over the mirror are used to help give women the maximum amount of light when applying their make-up.

Larger and taller toilets are standard now with an aging population looking for more comfort and ease of use to get on and off.

Multiple mirrors are the trend, instead of the one large mirror, each sink gets its own mirror, or a mirror where the sink is and another mirror for were you apply your makeup.

White is the most popular colour for bathrooms.

Here a list of the new trends happening in master bedrooms ensuites;

The multi-ported rain head that requires a larger waterline to feed it.

Heated electric towel racks have come back into popularity with people looking for more
comfort.

Free standing tubs that sit under a window or in the middle of the room are popular especially with the ensuite still growing.

After a short trend of counters with one large sink the two separate sinks have come back in trend giving each person their own space.

More and more light fixtures are being added to ensuite, all of them on individual switches allowing people the option to have as much light as they need for applying makeup or as little for a more relaxed romantic mood setting.

Porcelain tile that is made to look like natural stone are trending up as people look for a way to save a little bit of money on finishes.

Large deep soaker tubs are becoming more popular then tubs with bubblers and jets.

Large free standing taps that are anchored into the floor are becoming a most with the increase in people installing free standing tubs.

Large glass showers without doors are becoming more popular as people are looking for something different than the typical glass shower, it also saves you money with not having to pay for the expensive door.

These are just some the new trends in master ensuite in today’s new custom homes.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

What Is An Insulated Window?

Q:

What is an “insulated” window?

A:

Modern windows are often referred to as “insulated” because of technology that retards, blocks, or slows the transfer of air through the unit. Most people are familiar with fiberglass or other types of insulation material in a wall cavity. In a window, the “insulation” is a combination of several factors.

Most common are windows with at least two panes of glass enclosing a ‘dead’ airspace between them. The airspace may also be sealed to contain a clear, odorless gas (commonly argon), which is heavier than air and thus an even more effective insulator. Better yet, one or both inside surfaces of the glass can be permanently laminated with a clear coating that further retards thermal transfer and protects the home’s interior against solar heat gain and damaging ultraviolet rays.

Homes that are on the water or face a direction with an excessive amount of cold wind or weather routinely have windows installed with three panes of glass, this is commonly called triple pane windows. These windows are basically double a normal window and give double the protection of a normal window since they have the advantage of two spaces to "insulate" your home from the outside world.

Triple pane windows are a heavy window to install and are also more costly, you must way the pro's and con's of buying them before deciding if they are needed.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Custom Tree Houses

Q:

Have you ever built had a custom tree house for one of your clients?

A:

Yes we have and this tree house wasn’t any ordinary tree house, this tree house was built like a little custom home.

The tree house was built for a very good client of ours that wanted somewhere special for their grandchildren to play.

We picked a location that was close to the deck/pool area that the adults could keep an eye on it, but with enough space that kids could be kids. The spot we selected was among a group of 4 tall cedar trees that were evenly spread from each other.

We started by picking a height off the ground for the tree house, once that was established we limbed the four trees up to the point where the branches wouldn’t be in the way for constructing the tree house.

We built the frame of the tree house out of 2x12 pressure treated material that we bolted through each tree. This provided the base of the tree house and it also tide all the trees to gather, this helps limit the sway in the trees when the wind blows off Georgian Bay and as a collective it makes then stronger as well.

Once the frame was installed we built the tree house on top using all cedar material inside and out so that it wouldn’t rot and it would blend with the cedar trees that surrounded it.

The tree house was given windows and doors, the shutters for the windows and the entrance door where all hand made out of cedar and the surrounding deck and railings were all made out of cedar. These shutters and doors were not bought at a store they were constructed to fit onsite by carpenters.
The roof was shingled with asphalt to keep the rain and snow from damaging the inside of the tree house and the cedar siding was painted a dark colour to help it blend into the natural surroundings.

There was a cedar ladder built from the ground up to the deck of the tree house with metal hand rails installed on the sides to help kids when they are climbing or descending from the deck. There was also a pulley system installed off the roof that hung out over the deck railing with a rope so that kids can haul up toys or anything they deem necessary.

The tree house was so well built that when a Tornado tore through the front yard  ripping giant willow trees out of the yard the tree house and the four cedar trees where still standing there the next morning. In fact the winds were so strong that they ripped the top of one of the cedar trees off about 5 feet above the tree house roof without the tree house losing a single shingle.

Check out the tree house at http://www.villagebuilders.ca/cedar-treehouse/

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Custom Chandeliers Will Give Your Custom Home a Unique Look

Custom chandeliers will give your custom home a unique look

One of the main reasons that people want to have a custom home built s so that they have a house that is uniquely theirs. Sometimes it is because they have unique tastes or because they want to have a home that they can show to their clients and family that will wow them. Whatever the reason, a custom home gives people something that is uniquely theirs.

Everything in a custom home can be customized to your tastes, from the windows to the siding all the way down to the way the home is insulated. One of the ways that you can really make a statement is with the finishing’s and one of the finishing’s that is always left to the last minute is the light fixtures.

Light fixtures are one of the last things to be installed in a home, because of this people always wait till the last minute to find and buy their light fixtures. They end up having to settle for lighting that is more readily available, when something is readily available it is not custom, it is basically generic.

You should be taking more time to pick your lighting by starting earlier while the home is either still being designed or when it is early in the actual construction stages. This will allow you to find those unique light fixtures that suit your tastes and needs, but you should also be looking for something that is different then what everyone else has in their homes.

One of the best ways to insure that you get a light fixture that is fairly unique to only your home is to have the fixture custom made. There are a lot of artists and craftsmen that have small or medium sized businesses that make and create custom lighting fixtures.

Custom lighting can be made from anything from metal to wood to deer antlers. The only limitations to a custom lighting fixture is electrical codes (must be able to pass an electrical safety inspection before it is installed), the ability of the craftsmen making it, your own imagination and the amount of money that you want to spend.

The only other thing that you need to know about custom lighting fixtures is that in new homes they need to be installed by a licensed electrician.

So when you are looking to give your new home a unique look or feel look up above your head and get something that no one else has, get a custom light fixture.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Turn Your Dark Basement Into Welcoming Livable Space

Turn that dark basement into welcoming livable space

A lot of older homes have dark unwelcoming basements that end up being glorified storage for all people’s stuff.

Newer homes are designed with larger windows or with walkout basements.

Short or rebuilding the basement walls for larger windows and re-grading the landscaping around the house to accommodate the bigger window wells you will have to renovate the basement in a way that will make it feel light and airy.

There are many things that you can do to make your basement light and airy;

Paint. Paint is one of biggest things that will affect the feel of your basement. You don’t have to pick white for the walls and the ceilings but a light colour and earth tones will give a warm and welcoming feeling.

Wall treatments. You don’t just have to paint all the walls and the ceilings you can do wall treatments, wallpaper or textures on at least one feature wall. This will bring a sense of drama and artistic flare to the area.

Lighting. The more light that you can put in a basement the less it will feel light a basement. Pot lights work really well because they are flush with the ceiling, spotlighting on certain parts of the basement also help. All main through fares need to be almost over lighted.

Bulkheads. Try to keep the bulk heads that will be in the basement to a minimum. They are a necessary evil especially in an older home but if you can try to keep them to certain area’s or towards the outside walls then they can look more like a feature of the ceiling and less like a bunch of drywall installed to hide ductwork.

Flooring. Stick to a lighter stained or coloured floor and the ceilings will feel higher and less closed off.

Storage. It’s a basement you’re going to want storage, have built in cabinetry that matches the wall colours or the wall paneling. It will help give the allusion of being upstairs.

Whatever you choose to do to your old basement you should make sure that you don’t have any water or moisture problems. There is no reason to do any work at all in your basement until those kinds of issues are resolved and resolved permanently.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Watch Out For Hidden Fee's When Hiring a Custom Home Builder

Watch out for hidden fees when hiring a custom home builder

When you are looking for a custom home builder you need to ask them what they are going to charge you to manage the building of your home. They will tell you what there fee to build the home are to be, it could be a fixed number, fixed percentage, a floating percentage or a floating fee. All of those are normal ways for custom home builders to bill for their services.

What you need to look at is what you are actually getting for that fee. Some custom home builders have been quoting a fee for building the home and once you have a agreed to it they then tell you that to have a supervisor on your site it will cost you thousands of dollars more depending on the size and scale of the home that you want to build.

You need to ask your potential builder what exactly the management fee entails and what it doesn’t entail. This will be the key; some builders will look less expensive because they are not giving you the service that you would expect with a management fee.

What you need to understand about hiring a custom home builder is that they aren’t just organizing the building of the home they are also organizing you the homeowner. You have so many decisions to make and bills to pay that you actually will affect the length of time that it takes to build the home more than the builder will. Every decision that you take a long time to make has the ability to slow the progress of the home down.

Because you are building a custom home you actually get to choose every single thing in the home.

Your house plans are a good start at this but they can only take the builder so far, at some point usually fairly early on in the building process they will start asking you questions about what you would like for this or that or if you want to change something now that you have seen it built (like the position of interior walls) instead of just on a page with lines on it.

It is routine for custom home builders on larger projects to charge a management fee and then bill out for an onsite supervisor, these supervisors are there to help not only the build process but also to help you the homeowner with all your decisions.  You should be able to find out before the build starts from your builder if they are billing out this way, it shouldn’t come as a surprise at a later date.

So remember that the more questions that you can ask the better you will be able to make the right decision pertaining to the selection of your new home builder.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

How To Properly Frame a Floor Using TGI’s and Sheeting

How to properly frame a floor using TGI’s and Sheeting

When you are planning to frame a floor and the floor is made out of TGI’s (wood I’s) you will have to do it after the concrete walls have been poured, stripped and the interior posts and steel beams have been installed. Without these you will not be able to successfully install the sub-floor. These beams and posts are part of the engineering that works with the TGI joist system to make up your floor.

First you have to install the plate on the top of the concrete walls; this is done by attaching it to the anchor bolts that are embedded in the concrete wall when it is poured. Under the plate which is usually a 2x6 must be a piece of foam gasket, this will help stop the plate from rotting from the moisture in the concrete and will also give a better air seal.

Once your sill plate is installed then you can layout the floor joist by marking them on the newly installed sill plate.

To layout out the floor properly you will have to refer to the floor layout that is supplied by the floor manufacturer. This layout will tell you where each floor joist goes, where the beams are to be placed, the nailing pattern that must be used on the beams and the size and shape of the hangers that need to be used for the area’s that require hangers to hold the floor joist.

Once you have successfully marked out the location of the joist and beams on the sill plate then it is time to install the rim joist.

The rim joist is installed at the outside edge of the sill plate, it should be placed flush with the sill plate. The rim joist material is a different material then the floor joist and is supplied for this reason.

You should install all the beams for the stairwell or load bearing walls before you start on the TGI’s, this way none of the TGI’s will end up in the way of the beams.

Once you have it installed and nailed the beams properly you can start to install the TGI’s. These TGI’s can be installed starting at one side of the building and working your way to the other. You must nail the TGI’s into the sill plate and the rim joist at the ends where the TGI’s come in contact with it. Anywhere there isn’t enough room for the TGI’s to sit on top of a beam or the sill plate you will need to install a hanger to hold it. All hangers need to be installed with approved hanger nails, this goes for when they are nailed to the rim joist or beams/headers and also for fastening the TGI’s to the hanger.

Once you have installed all the rim joist, beams/headers and TGI’s then you can start installing the sheeting on top of them.

To install the plywood sheeting you have to start at one end of the building. Measure the depth of a sheet of plywood from the edge of the floor in, this should be 4 ft. Measure this from both ends of the building and chalk a line, this line will be where you set your first row of sheeting down, this will help keep it straight for installing every other row across the house.

The plywood sheeting should be placed with the tongue to the outside and the groove to the line that you chalked. Before you lay a sheet down you must cover the top of every TGI that the plywood will cover with a sub-floor adhesive, the amount of adhesive should be at least a ¼ inch thick and be a consistent bead everywhere. Then place the sheet on top of the area, position the sheet so that it lines up with your chalk line and is square to the edges of the building, then install screws every 8 inches throughout the entire sheet into the TGI’s below.

Install the entire first row this way all the way across the building with them lining up with your chalk line. Once this is done, then go back to where you started to start the next row of sheeting.

You should stagger the next row with a half lap, this means that you should cut the 8 ft sheet of
plywood in half so that it is only 4ft. Cover the TGI's that the sheet will cover with your adhesive and place the sheet on top. You should place the sheet so that it is facing the same way as the one before it with the grooves away and the tongue toward the first row of sheeting.

The installation of the rest of the floor can be done with you working on the sheeting that you have already installed. This is the safest way to install the floor sheeting and it also keeps you from walking on top of the adhesive that you applied to the floor joist.

Take a 2x4 and place it on the open end of the plywood sheeting so that it is butted up against the groove, now that you have the sheeting listing against one another you have to force the tongue and groove together. To do this you stand on top of the sheet and hit the 2x4 that you placed at the edge of the plywood with a sledge hammer, you hit the 2x4 and the sheet of plywood until the tongue and groove of the two sheets of plywood are tight together. Then you screw the sheet down like you did the first row.

Proceed to install the entire floor this way until the whole area is covered in sheeting.

Trims the edges so they don’t overhang the rim joist and you are done.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc

Friday, April 10, 2015

Keeping Projects on Track When Renovating

Keeping Projects on Track

Failure to make timely decisions is the number one culprit behind schedule and cost overruns.

Homeowners play a key role in preventing these problems.

Some homeowners find it a challenge to make their final selection of products and materials. It’s easy to see why—with practically limitless choices in countertops, fixtures, tiles, windows, and other products, it can be difficult to settle on one model, style, or color.

But decisions must be made at some point, and making those decisions in a timely manner is crucial
to keeping a project on schedule and on budget. Indecision and delay can cause costs to rise dramatically.

Professional remodelers always include enough time in the schedule for homeowners to sort through these choices, but they also set firm deadlines for when each choice must be made. Those deadlines are based on how long it takes to obtain each item, and whether other work depends on the decision.

Take the example of an interior remodel that includes replacing the existing windows, and where the new windows will be sized to fit the existing opening. After the new drywall has been installed, the homeowners decide they really want larger windows. This would require cutting back the drywall and reframing the openings, a job that will slow down the schedule and increase costs. The same goes for decisions about plumbing fixture locations that would require the moving of pipes after the drywall is in.

What about items that don’t affect framing or plumbing? Late selections anywhere can cause problems. Custom-made products like shower surrounds, cabinets, and countertops can have long lead times, so late selections can easily push the job past its original finish date. The same goes for decisions on flooring and paint colors.

The problem with extending the schedule is that time is money—every day the remodeler's crew is on the job, expenses are adding up for labor and overhead (for example, items like the dumpster, a perimeter fence and, on large projects, a jobsite office).

During that extra time the homeowners may have the continuing inconvenience of, for example, not having a kitchen. If it's a home they just bought and are having remodeled before moving in, the delay will extend the time they have to pay for both the new home and the one they're living in.

Savvy homeowners reduce this risk by working closely with the design team, whether it's the remodeler's design staff or an independent architect and interior designer. This helps minimize selection problems: the design team helps the homeowners to narrow the choices in models, styles, and color, and guides them to selections they will be happy with.

The most effective thing homeowners can do to ensure a smooth project is to work with the remodeler and design team to make as many decisions as possible before work starts. Early selections eliminate a lot of stress and expense. Every remodeling project requires a lot of decisions, and savvy homeowners help keep the project on track by meeting decision deadlines.

Warm Regards,

Doug Abbott
Village Builders


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

Rob Abbott



Village Builders Inc

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Back painted glass for your kitchen backsplash

Back painted glass for your kitchen back-splash

Are you having a custom home built or having a new kitchen installed in your existing home? Have you thought about the back splash that you want to install on the walls?

It is important that you install a back-splash behind the stove of your new kitchen, it helps protect the wall from being damaged or potentially ignited by the extreme heat that can come off the back burner of a gas stove.

When you are thinking about all the options for kitchen back-splashes you should take the opportunity to look at back painted glass. This is something that is growing in popularity in custom homes and new kitchens.
  1. Image result for back painted glass kitchen backsplash
Back painted glass is exactly what it sounds like; it is glass that has the back part of it painted to whatever colour you want. The glass is installed with a special adhesive to the drywall of your kitchen where a normal tile back-splash would usually be installed. The affect is a very simple and (depending on the size and shape) seamless coloured back drop for your kitchen. 

Back painted glass is heat resistant and is extremely easy to clean. It is very durable once installed, but like any glass it doesn’t do well with direct impact (so refrain from throwing that frying pan at your husband when he is standing in front of it).

Today’s trends in kitchens and design is toward simple and sleek looks, back painted glass gives you that exact look.

If you want the back-splash to stand out then paint it a loud colour, if you want the back-splash to disappear then simply paint it the same colour as the cabinets or wall and you’ll forget that it is even there. Whatever you do about the colour you will be sure that you will have a unique and original back-splash for that kitchen you always dreamed of having.

When planning that kitchen remember to give glass a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.


Sunday, April 5, 2015

The Next Generation Of Custom Homes Is Becoming Smaller

The size of custom homes wanted by the average person is starting to become smaller.

After talking to scores of people at the last spring cottage life show 2015 (at our booth) a trend started to emerge. More people where talking about building homes that were under 2500 sqft.

This is a dramatic change from the previous 10 years where the homes have not just gotten larger but they have also gotten more elaborate with the cost per sqft of the custom homes rising every year.

I talked to a lot of different people about building custom homes, the majority of them wanted to build a bungalow style home instead of the traditional two story design. In previous years this was usually attributed to people wanting to retire into the home and wanted to limit the amount of stairs that they would have to climb, but the people that I talked to about building bungalows this spring have ranged in age from the 70’s down to the 30’s.

There are several reasons for this change in thinking about the size of custom homes;

Utility costs have risen so fast in the past 5 years that people are looking minimize the amount of square feet that they will have to heat and cool.

Seniors are looking toward their golden years and they don’t want to have to climb stairs or have to clean an overly large home.

The younger generation that are in their 30’s and 40 do not have the capital that the baby boomer generation have and so they can’t afford to build or live in larger homes.

The younger generation has a strong belief in leaving a smaller environmental footprint, smaller homes use less resources to build and also to maintain. They also believe in a little simpler living.

Families are smaller than they have been in the past; most families only have 1 child or possibly two. Baby boomers are empty nesters and only need a second bedroom for when guests drop by. This allows people of both generations to build homes with less bedrooms and less washrooms.

In the past people who wanted smaller homes have been content on buying track built homes (sub-division), this is starting to change. The cost of sub-division homes continues to rise with the size of the lot they are being built on getting ever smaller. What is changing is that people are starting to realize that track built homes are constructed so poorly that for a little extra money they can have a custom home that is built to a higher standard and built the way that they want it. A custom home has a higher resale value then a track built home and has the ability to have a far greater return on their investment. With custom homes being better insulated there is a savings as well on the heating and cooling costs going forward as well.

Custom home builders are ideally suited to adapt with the change as they are able to build homes from 1000 sqft to 10,000 sqft. They are also able to build a home as simple as someone wants or as elaborate as they require it to be.

Welcome to the new generation of smaller more efficient homes.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Friday, April 3, 2015

The Trench Drain For Your Garage

The trench drain

A growing trend in front of garage doors of custom homes we have built lately is a trench drain.

A trench drain is exactly what it sounds like; it is a drain for water that looks like a long trench that usually extends the entire width of the garage doors.

The trench drain has a metal grill over the top of it to stop foreign particles from falling into it or having a tire damaged or someone stepping in it and twisting an ankle. The metal grid on top is strong enough to take the biggest pick-up truck driving over it or if they parked on top of it without being damaged.

These drains can be installed on the outside of the garage embedded into the asphalt or they can be installed inside the garage placed right in the concrete floor.

The body of the trench drain can be made out of many different types of material, from fibreglass to concrete to metal or even plastic in the cheaper models.

It has a drain at the end of it usually with plumbing pipe attached to it as the drain line. The drain pipe then runs underground away from the building to a designated area where the water wouldn’t cause flooding or damage to the home.

The trench drains that are installed inside garages in front of the garage doors help stop water from pooling up at the garage door when the snow from your car melts off and falls onto the floor. It also protects the rubber seals on your garage door from deteriorating from water with rock salt pooling up against it. It will also help keep your garage floor from being stained from drying pooled water.

The trench drain that you install on the outside of your garage in front of the doors in the asphalt does a very efficient job at stopping any rain or storm water from coming in contact with the garage doors or the structure. This works really well in homes that have a slopping driveway that runs toward the home from the street.

You must install your trench drain before you pour your concrete for the garage floor if it is to go inside the building, if it is to go outside then you should be installing it before the asphalt is installed, you will have to dig out a channel in the driveway's gravel bed to make room for it.

There are so many different versions and varieties of trench drains that I cannot recommend one over another. What I will tell you is that you should trust your contractor and go with their choice if you want a trench drain; a lot of homeowners only look at the price of the drain and end up with an inferior product.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Thanks for the Visits at the Spring Cottage Life Show

Thanks everyone for visiting us at the Cottage Life Show this past weekend.

We had a great show and were able to talk to a lot of people about building and renovating.

Hopefully we will be able to help some of you in the near future with your projects.

People seemed to be generally happy to be thinking about spring with all the cold unfortunate weather that we have been dealing with throughout March and into April.

We received many compliments on our new booth this year that was much larger then last year and had many more pictures for people to view.

We also had a lot of positive feedback on the Mirolin Beacon tub and Delta Taps that we had on display in our booth. The tub got a workout with almost everyone that walked by wanting to touch and in one case a lady took her shoes off and climbed in to see how comfortable it was!

The tub was part of our show promotion that we would be giving a free tub away if you signed up for a bathroom renovation with use at the show.

So once again thanks everyone for taking the time to come and see us, we hope to be able to help you with your projects in the future!

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.