Special Features - House and Home Fall Edition

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WEST KOOTENAY

ARCHITECTURE • TRENDS • DESIGN

Simply white 2016 colour of the year

Shutty Bench Feature home emanates east-coast

Wine storage — A kitchen essential and more

Sales and Marketing by

2 | WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015

WEST KOOTENAY

ARCHITECTURE • TRENDS • DESIGN

Content 5

QUARTZ, GRANITE AND LAMINATE COUNTERTOPS.

Building green — what does it mean?

Matthew Stanley

8

Freeing yourself from clutter Laurel Colins

11

Shutty Bench feature home emanates east-coast Trisha Elliott

11

Wine storage — a kitchen essential Wendy Kelly

17

Flooring to walk all over Trisha Elliott

19

Planting the seed: Winter planning for spring Andrea Bell

Publisher: Editor:

Karen Bennett Jennifer Cowan

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FROM START TO FINISH.

Graphic Designers: Sandy Leonard

WEST’S HOME HARDWARE

Katelyn Hurley

WE HAVE IT ALL

Advertising Sales: Kiomi Tucker Dave Dykstra Adam Mandseth Lonnie Inglehart Christine Esovoloff West Kootenay House and Home magazine is published twice a year by Black Press.

Dyan Stoochnoff Chantelle Carter

publisher@nelsonstar.com

514 Hall Street Nelson BC V1L 1Z2 250-352-1890

This material, written or artistic, may not be reprinted or electronically reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publisher. The opinions and statements in articles, columns and advertising are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff of Black Press. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the owner’s responsibility, if any, for errors or omissions of any kind, is limited to the amount paid by the advertiser for that portion of the space as occupied by the incorrect item and there shall be no liability in any event greater than the amount paid for the advertisement.

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WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015 | 3

This could be your backyard

JO-ANN BURSEY

Realtor Century 21 Mountainview Realty 1695 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, BC. V1N 1J1 Direct: 250-304-8681 Office: 250-365-2111 Fax: 250-365-6651 email: jo-ann@century21castlegar.com

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Building green

FSC certified wood adds warmth and beauty to this Nelson home.

Photo by David Glunns

—what does it mean?

Matthew Stanley In 1968, Martin Luther King famously said, “It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world, it’s nonviolence or non-existence.” His plea for peace had nothing to do with solar panels but his words echo true to the construction industry and the environmental dilemma we face today.

With the residential sector already accounting for 15 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, our new homes are getting bigger and we are building more of them. Last year in BC, new housing starts jumped by more than we’ve seen in a decade and these homes are 68 per cent larger than those built 20 years ago.

Knowing the average home is saturated with products and processes harmful to personal and global health, I paraphrase Dr. King to say: it is no longer a choice between green building and non-green building in this world, it’s green building and non-existence.

WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME| FALL 2015 | 5

But, what is green building? Should I invite my friends over to smack together cob walls with our own hands or should I hire a team of engineers to design a super-insulated net-zero building? Should I buy solar panels with components from China or tap into locally sourced hydroelectricity? With so many options available to us, how do we know what truly makes a green home?

That very same night in 1968, Dr. King also said “Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.” In the green building universe, there are many stars to guide us toward a greener future. One of the benefits of green building certification programs is that they do this — they guide a building toward viable, green solutions.

Popular certifications and programs in the Kootenays include: LEED Where many other programs focus on energy efficiency, LEED is a comprehensive certification that evaluates a home’s location, site treatment, water efficiency, energy use, materials and indoor air quality. With 700 homes certified in Canada, it is widely recognized as an industry benchmark. Here in Nelson, Carrie Fitzsimons and Dave Oosthuizen built their home to LEED standards. Avid sailors who are acutely aware of the changing climate, they said “building green just felt like the right thing to do.” While the extensive paperwork and pricey certification kept them from certifying the home, Dave and Carrie are proud of the home’s LEED features including its use of natural daylight, recycled materials, a geothermal system, and especially its locally sourced, FSC certified wood.

Built Green Built Green is an industry driven program that certifies homes and builders. The program offers resources including a library of construction details and an online product catalogue intended to guide a home toward certification. In the past five years, there have been 76 Built Green homes in the Kootenays.

EnergyStar and R-2000 These are administered by Natural Resources Canada and are among the most established programs in our short history of green building certification. R-2000 has roots back to the 1980s and the EnergyStar program was created by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 to promote the use of energy efficient products. Both programs offer practical solutions for homes that are at least 20 per cent more efficient than a home built to code.

Passive House Originating in Germany, Passive House is one of Canada’s newer and more promising green building programs. Certification is primarily about rigorous energy SAK House wall parts, structural insulated efficiency. There is one home cerpanels. Photo by Ricky Cappe. tified in the Nelson area (four in BC). The industry expects to see many more in the near future.

6 | WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015

Nelson Hydro’s EcoSave Nelson Hydro’s EcoSave is about retrofitting your existing home. The program, offered to Nelson Hydro customers, includes rebates and access to a home energy evaluation. Carmen Proctor, the program’s coordinator, says “almost 500 homeowners have registered to date, reducing their energy use by 30 per cent on average.”

While certifications and programs guide us toward greener homes, a green building is not just about certification. Paula Kiss owns and operates the Building Tree in Nelson — a business that offers green building consultation. She sees both sides of the coin — programs like LEED make massive contributions to a greener future, but in rural settings such as the Kootenays there may be more regionally appropriate, custom solutions.

She cautions against “point chasing” and encourages people to think holistically about their green building projects. Paula points to many examples in the Nelson area of green designers, builders and buildings that can inspire us all, including the Chamber of Commerce’s restoration of the CP Rail Station.

Heritage restoration is one of the many intangibles often overlooked by green certification programs. Another is prefabrication and kit homes. Prefab homes reduce the transportation impact on our environment and lessen construction waste headed to land fills. Kit homes address affordability by solving many of the hidden costs in a home before you encounter them. Kit and prefab homes are popular in the Kootenays where budgets are tight, building sites can be difficult to access, and timelines are “needed it yesterday.” Innovative examples seen in this area include Roccio Romero’s LV prefab and the local SAK House, acronym for Sustainable Affordable Kit House. Based out of Harrop, Ricky Cappe built the SAK prototype using materials sourced within 500 miles of the building site to reduce its carbon footprint and support local economies.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This common reference implies that the names of things do not affect what they really are. Before there was Net-Zero or LivingBuildings, we still had green buildings. Consider the following anecdote: built in 1379, the dining hall at New College, Oxford had massive 45’ long solid oak beams supporting its roof. The architect anticipated that, after hundreds of years, these beams would rot. Finding a worthy tree to replace them would be difficult, costly or impossible. He instructed the college to plant a grove of oaks, protect them for many generations, and cut them only when the original beams failed. In the 1800s, at 500 years old, the beams began to rot. There, on college grounds, was an impressive grove of oaks ready to be put to their intended use.

Building green is about designing for today and for tomorrow. It is about understanding your site, natural processes and life cycle costs. Most importantly however, green building is about buildings that are loved, because buildings that are loved are maintained, protected and cherished over the years.

Matthew Stanley is a LEED certified architect.

Interior view of the SAK House. Photo by Ricky Cappe

WEST KOOTENAY KOOTENAY HOUSE HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015 | 7 WEST

Freeing yourself from

u e cl tt r Laurel Colins

When you want to make a change in your life or your environment, from life makeover to home renovation, the most important thing you can do is create a clean canvas to work with. This will allow you to assess your needs and make great decisions for plans you can feel excited about and confident with.

Creating a clean slate means de-cluttering and this includes all kinds of clutter — common clutter, as well as mental and emotional clutter. Clutter comes in many forms and it does not always look like a pile or a jumble or disarray as it is defined in the dictionary. There are many things that you keep which may not seem like clutter, but they have an energetic attachment to them, which does not make you feel good when you look at them. All of this is depleting your energy and will keep you stuck when you want to move forward.

Common Clutter • That junk drawer that you shove everything into • The pile of newspapers and junk mail in the foyer or pile up in the recycling area.

• The broken items you keep with the idea that you will fix them but never do.

• The clothing that you are hanging on to • The toys that you keep even though the kids are long past playing with them • Books and magazines overflowing your shelves and coffee table.

Symbolic clutter This is the stuff that is affecting you in an emotional way that you may not even realize.

If you look around your home or office, you most likely have items, like art, equipment, books, that you keep even though there is a negative association attached to them.

You may be keeping a piece of art over you fireplace that is 20 years old and it’s just always been there so it never occurs to you to move it. Now that I have brought your attention to it, when you actually think about it, you might not even like it that much 8 | WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015

How to create a clean canvas for a fresh start to anything you want

and it probably doesn’t inspire you. The symbology of the art you keep should be positive.

Even keeping books that made you frightened or projects that you have never completed, they are all sending negative messages to your subconscious, such as “I never finish anything” or “I am scared.” And what about that treadmill you never use, these things are hounding you and it’s exhausting.

Sometimes clutter is in the form of a single piece of furniture. A piece that is nice enough, it’s fine, it has some redeeming qualities. It used to be your grandmothers. You inherited it and you feel obligated to keep it.

Or it is the oak hutch you bought in your 20s with your former spouse and it cost a lot of money?

Or maybe it is the vase you got for your birthday from that friend of yours who isn’t a healthy relationship but more of an energy sucker, and is actually toxic for you.

It’s just a vase, or a hutch but it has an invisible cord attached to it. It is actually speaking to your subconscious mind and reminding you of unpleasant feelings or memories or triggering anger which is actually depleting your energy.

These things that don’t resemble clutter in the traditional manner which you keep because you feel you should, have an invisible cord attached to some guilt or bad and unsettled feelings. Even though your conscious mind knows better, your subconscious mind is feeling the effects of this and you don’t necessarily realize how it is keeping you stuck or emotionally drained. This is called Energy Clutter.

Our brains are so fascinating, our conscious brain is quite a bit smaller than the unconscious brain. This is why you can know something in you rational mind, but your subconscious mind overrides it. So even though you know that is a nice vase from a friend, you’re subconsciously stressing about the last unpleasant interaction you had with that person and it is silently zapping your energy.

Do you have energy clutter? It is very important that you go through your home, office, garage and notice what you are keeping that makes you feel guilty or unhappy or has any kind of negative connotation to it. Gifts from past relationships that you only keep because they have monetary value but represent an unhappy memory are not worth keeping for the toll it takes on your energy level. Cut the invisible cords and let yourself free to move forward with your life and the dreams you have for your future.

Mental and emotional clutter, which are really unresolved issues or appointments you neglect to make such as doctor appointments. Or what about your will? Or your financial affairs? What are you avoiding?

All these things can keep you stuck in a state of being overwhelmed and don’t allow you to make progress with your goals. They keep you exhausted just by thinking about all these things you need/should do but you are not always aware that this is what is draining you.

So whatever your goals are for yourself, or whatever project you endeavour to complete, make sure you are starting with a clean slate — an environment and mind free of clutter, which will allow you to think clearly about what you want, why you want it and how you can create it. Don’t plan a renovation around a pile of clutter that you should not keep and don’t try to make plans for your future when you are stuck in the past.

By letting go of what keeps us stuck in the past, we can create a vision for what we want today.

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Shutty Bench feature home emanates east-coast

Trisha Elliott

Six kilometres north of Kaslo is the tiny, rural community of Shutty Bench.

It is here that a stunning, new dream home stands between the foot of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy and the sandy shore of Kootenay Lake.

This elaborate blue and white palace of pillars, turrets, angles and contours sits upon an elegant, landscaped property that extends down to a sandy beach.

The West Kootenay estate includes 4200 square feet of living area, a double bay garage, five bathrooms, four bedrooms, and a large bunkroom that sleeps eight complete with custom bunk beds. The two acres of outside space includes a bar, barbeque area, hot tub, outdoor shower, and a gas fire pit.

Wayne Woodward (lakewoodhomes@shaw.ca), owner of Lakewood Custom Homes, was responsible for the design, and construction to finish, which is set for Nov. 21. “About 85 per cent of this design came from me and 15 per cent from the client. She showed me photos of houses she liked and wanted an east coast, cape cod style.�

WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015 | 11

Finding trades in a remote location was initially a challenge for Wayne, but knowing a few locals helped tremendously in finding the right people.

“You can do a lot with standard building materials,” says Wayne, “It’s more about the tradespeople and how skilful they are in creating the finished product.”

The property had an 80 year-old original cabin on it that had been added to in five different stages, but wasn’t in condition to save so construction began from the foundation up.

The client wanted a modern yet rustic beachhouse feel.

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Design Consultant Custom Drapery & Bedding Wendy Burgess 250-608-2723 Castlegar, BC WLdecor.ca wendy@wldecor.ca Locally made where“We Love” to create with fabric 12 | WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME| FALL 2015

Some of the rustic features include one wall that is wainscoted. When one panel is pushed, it becomes a secret door that goes to the upper bunkroom. An old Coke crate from the original house became a part of the new bar and the bathroom vanities. Lumber stickers from the shut-down Slocan sawmill were used as a design feature throughout due to their consistent dimensions. Most of the original landscaping by the previous landowner was retained — work he did by hand over 40 years.

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backsplash in the kitchen was made of glass blocks with fibre optics running throughout.

This feature makes the most of natural and synthetic light.

Rick Short, owner of Red Dog Carpentry, was responsible for the foundation, framing, retainer walls, timber installation, and some landscaping. When asked what was the most challenging aspect of the job he responded, “The framing of the roof was the most challenging part of this house. There were so many details to take into account on every section of it. Most of the roof was hand cut and fit to maximize headroom inside. The centre section of the roof had to be framed with an elaborate system of hidden valleys to hold the weight. This section then had to tie into a round turret facing the lake. Careful planning and mathematics made the process go well.”

The wood was locally sourced with cedar from the Porcupine Sawmill and timbers from Spearhead Timberworks.

Both Wayne and Rick’s favourite feature of the house was the turret that sits on top of the larger turret (the ‘crow’s nest). Rick said, “it was very challenging to build and it really stands out.”

Shutty Bench: Settlement History Andrew Shutty claimed approximately 500 acres of land in 1897 making him the first settler of the community. The rest of his family came from Podbiel, Czechoslovakia to join him in 1930.

All other hospitable terrain on the bench and the waterfront was claimed or purchased mainly by British immigrants prior to WWI. The community was given the nickname “British Bench” by certain observers.

Neighbours were neighbourly; generally the Brits had as much contact with the Czechs and Germans as they did with each other. Community spirit was evident in good times and bad. Early Czech weddings were celebrated for several days following the ceremony. Guests would pause to sleep in the hayloft or perhaps go home to care for animals and chickens, then return for more eating, drinking and dancing.

WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015 | 13

Wine

Wine storage — a kitchen essential Wendy Kelly

A summer watching people dig a 20 foot deep hole resulted in my first experience with wine cellars. The gash in the earth behind my best friend’s house Wendy soon became a luxurious and rather large wine cellar, complete with gorgeous storage units and a cool, earthy feel that complemented the wine being stored there.

Who doesn’t love cool underground wine storage cellars? Whether over-the-top or humble, the earthy, quiet spaces evoke what we love about wine.

But of course, digging a large cellar under your home isn’t always practical, even in the most extensive kitchen renovations.

With the new wine refrigerators and chillers, achieving the perfect temperature for the varietals you love is easy and quick.

Whether done through buying an existing unit or creating a custom unit together with a local renovator or builder, you can have the wine you love in an accessible, practical and utterly beautiful cabinet right where you need it.

The custom wine cellars go from humble to sublime with your imagination your only limit. Amy Kelly, senior designer for Jonathan Rachman Designs out of San Francisco, relayed a story of a recent client who turned their coat closet into a stunning modern wine storage unit, surrounded by clear glass to showcase the floor-to-ceiling racks of wine bottles.

Closer to home, George Kinakin of Kitchen Connections enjoyed working on a round wine cellar in a recent lakeside home with a custom made thick hardwood door complete with a replica latch from medieval times. As George said, every new kitchen must have a wine chiller built in. It’s as mandatory as a dishwasher now.

Higher-end homes nearly always include a basement wine cellar.

storage

14 | WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015

—a kitchen essential Kelly

Danny Rickaby of the Adventure Hotel, host to the 14th annual Food and Wine Fest, commissioned David Dobie to design a wine cellar at Louie’s, built by Ed Olthof who included an actual hidden passageway to the basement at the back of the cellar. A very heritage touch.

And of course, nothing is more Nelson than the wine storage at the All Season’s Cafe. Well known for their extensive wine list, their cellar is accessed via a few loose floor boards.

It’s definitely more than a fad. Including a wine storage unit in your kitchen, is a must.

Built-in or recessed? How to choose When choosing which wine chiller to buy, you need to keep a few things in mind. First, will you be able to include a built-in unit in your kitchen? If so, these sleek designs create a completed look to any kitchen.

A built-in unit needs to ventilate from the back, and without the proper ventilation, will effectively not be able to control temperature, which will ruin your wine.

You may want a “built-in” look from your wine chiller, but before you do, consult with an expert to make sure that the wine chiller you have chosen will work properly in the space you want it to stay in.

Points to consider — serving and storing wine Before deciding on the wine chiller to buy, you should know whether you want to use it for serving wine, storing wine, or both. For storage, as mentioned above, wine should be kept at a steady 13 degrees temperature. Thus, a single temperature unit will suffice. For serving, whites need to be slightly cooler than reds, and as a rule of thumb, the lighter the wine, the cooler the serving temperature. If you plan to use your wine chiller for serving, buy a dual temp unit.

Gold Standard for Storing Wine EuroCave wine cellars, which range in price from around $3,000 to $10,000 (and up), are the gold standard for wine storage. Protecting against humidity, UV light, vibration and temperature fluctuation, these cellars are what you need if you will be storing wines rather then serving them.

Wine serving — what to choose When you will serve wines more often than store them, your choice is a bit broader. You’ll probably be looking at an under-the-counter or cabinet model, both of which can be found at Sears. Cavavin, a Canadian brand out of Montreal, which has been making wine chillers for over 30 years is a great choice for both service and storage.

If you need a smaller model, it is possible to find a quality unit for a few hundred dollars. Typically, though, prices range from around $1,500 to around $5,000 for kitchen models.

Whatever you choose for your wine cellar or refrigerator, make sure to use the local knowledge of our builders and suppliers. Let our unique heritage and style shine through your kitchen renovation and allow your wine chiller to reflect your needs.

Wine Refrigerators: What You Need to Know Tra d i t i o n a l l y, wine stored best in a cave or cellar because it was cool, dark, still (more important than you might think) and slightly humid. Here are the four most important factors to good wine storage: • You need to store wine at a consistent temperature, 13 degrees works for all wines.

• Your wines need to be kept in the dark.

Really, really dark.

• Corks need mild humidity so they don’t dry out and crumble.

• Wines need to be kept still. This is important when you choose which type of refrigeration unit to use.

Wine refrigerators keep wine still, slightly humid and not too cold, all things that your food refrigerator fails at. The refrigerator you use to keep your leftovers cold and ready-to-eat uses a compressor, which vibrates the food slightly.

This has no real impact on your leftover Thai noodles from Busaba, but can shorten the life of your wine.

WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME| FALL 2015 | 15

Photo by Lisa Seyfried Photography

Custom Kitchen & Flooring Designs

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Flooring to walk all over

Flooring these days is a lot more diverse than carpet or hardwood. With more options than a chinese buffet, the task can seem a little daunting. All options have their pros and cons, but have no fear, we’re here to give you the low-down, on the low-down: Carpet traps allergens, reduces noise and is soft on the feet but it requires a more involved cleaning process than other flooring.

Hardwood has timeless style and comes in different sheens (matte, satin, semi-gloss and glossy), but, can only be installed at a specific moisture and humidity levels, is easily scratched and can get U.V light induced colour change.

When asked what his favorite all-around flooring option would be, Steve Farnum of Gordon Wall Floor Coverings in Trail stated, “Hardwoods. You can install them anywhere and they are long-lasting. The oaks are my favorite.”

Laminate can be used anywhere, is less expensive than most, is easy to maintain and is more dent and stain-resistant than hardwood flooring with the same look, but, it is hard underfoot, cannot be resurfaced like hardwood, and is somewhat noisy.

Sheet vinyl is a slightly softer surface than other hard surface flooring, affordable, and is very resistant to water, but, it can be gouged or scratched, can’t be resur-

Trisha Elliott

faced and the colour fades in the sun.

Cork floors are soft, easy to clean, block out ambient noise, are naturally resistant to invasive organisms as well as mold and mildew, and are all natural, biodegradable, and very renewable, but, the colour will age over time, furniture pads need to be used to disperse weight, and they can be scratched by pet nails.

Tile is long lasting without fading, easy to maintain, goes well with in floor heating, is pet-friendly and can be installed in basements, but, it can be cold in the winter, hard to remove, it’s hard, loud and expensive to fix.

Natural stone is long lasting without fading, goes well with in-floor heating, is pet-friendly, and can be installed in basements. Drawbacks? You may get variation in shadings and markings, it’s cold in the winter, ongoing resealing is required, and these floors are hard (don’t drop your wine glass!).

Wendi Thomson, Flooring Manager at Maglio’s Building Centre in Nelson for eight years, has a lot of expertise on the subject.

“Vinyl Plank or Luxury Vinyl is the most popular these days,” says Wendi, “It has the look of wood. It’s waterproof so it can go in wet areas. It won’t swell or delaminate with washing.There’s a new version that you can install by just ‘drop and done’. I like the version with WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015 | 17

L-R: Old timbers from the CPR station refurbished into a beautiful wood flooring. Wendi Thomson, stands in front of her new favorite flooring display, “Luxury Vinyl.” Beautiful clean balthroom flooring.

a cork backing for warmth. We’re seeing it go into all sorts of new projects. It can take a lot of abuse.”

If the environment is on your mind, there are options for you as well.

“We sell a lot of marmoleum, which is made of linseed oil with a cloth, burlap-type back, and comes in lots of bright colours. We’ve had many artistic people create their own designs with different colours.

You still have to use glue, but there are very low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) glues. We also do a lot of eco-friendly wool carpeting.”

The industry is doing its best to keep up on environmental issues, according to Wendi.

“The companies have to be very careful. There was a big show about formeldydhyde coming in on flooring from China, but you won’t see that in our store, or most stores in Canada.

“Shaw and Mohawk, the big flooring companies out of Georgia are manufacturing with biodiesel.

With Torlys Flooring, you can move it with you, and they will warranty up to three moves. They also donate a lot to Habitat for Humanity,” Thomson went on.

Tile is also a very popular seller in the area, from backsplashes to shower surrounds, to floors.

The range in cost for flooring goes from about $1/ 18 | WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015

square foot for some sheet vinyl up to $15/square foot for a high-end hardwood floor.

Deborah Weiland from Weiland Construction concurs with Wendi on the popularity of vinyl plank. “It’s been very popular, but there is also a big movement toward using eco friendly products such as cork, natural stone and real wood.”

She goes on to say that engineered products are popular because they are easy for homeowners to install themselves and are cheaper than real wood.

This local contracting firm has projects from Midway to Cranbrook and they tend to build custom homes and work with select clients. They are seeing a big trend towards using eco friendly products.

“I’m a fan of using natural products if the budget allows. Heated floors are very popular these days and manmade products simply don’t hold the heat as well as the natural products do,” says Deborah.

The company buys nearly all of their products locally, using the expertise of Wendi at Maglios and Arianna at Home Building Centre in Nelson.

“These ladies know what they’re talking about and are extremely knowledgable. In 30 years of building, we’ve only ever had one warranty problem and it was with a product made in China. We buy locally because warranty is very important to us.”

Planting the seed As nostalgia sets in with the falling leaves and priorities turn to family gatherings, many of us are already simmering thoughts of home of a different kind on the back burner. The colder months can be the best time for project planning when it comes to home improvement.

Winter means bare bones for your property and this is a good thing when working out changes to your home or garden. With all of the “fluff” removed from the picture, it is much easier to see where changes need to be made. Literally working with basic shapes in the landscaping and garden or being able to clearly see structural issues means now is the time to list the things you want to attack as soon as the snow melts.

Any landscaping worries are much simpler to mentally adjust when the leaves are off the trees. A talented landscaper starts with balancing shapes and scale. Ensuring that your property’s design has all the correct elements during these months means a more successful look for spring, summer and fall. Creating winter interest by filling empty spaces with evergreens and plants that keep some colour during the cold season can make your yard a source of year-round beauty. Map out your yard on a clean piece of paper or in one of the many computer programs that are available for landscape planning, and draw out the favourite existing plant and hardscaping features to scale.Then spend the winter planning what to move or purchase in the spring to create focal points or simply fill in empty spaces.

Nolan Hadikin from Silvertip Earthworks in Castlegar says that winter is a great time to plan out the places on your property that

Use the quiet of winter to plan for a spring home renewal Andrea Bell need leveling out, brush removal or earth moving to increase usable space or property size. Hadikin notes that while there are fewer new builds currently, anyone thinking about (breaking ground) needs to consider their septic system and excavation around February or March when the snow melts.

Any large projects such as a new deck or water feature should be properly planned out. Take the time during the cold months to speak with representatives at your home building center or contractor to see what your options are. Spend time on the internet researching what new products are available to work with and compare pricing. Make plans with tradespeople now to lock your space into their calendar before they get busy with new builds in the spring. Have fun reaching for the moon with your design and then take the time to scale it back to a reachable and more tangible project. Thinking big first means you might see how important it is to include that outdoor kitchen you covet and find savings in the garage reno that you don’t especially need. Taking the time to shop and plan means you may find a way to do both.

WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME| FALL 2015 | 19

The most obvious area that planning through the

winter months takes place may be the vegetable garden. Online catalogues and those from your local nurseries will give you an idea of what grows best in your region and when to put things in the ground for optimum yield.When planting time comes you won’t have the time to question which course is the right one so planning through winter is crucial. Decide what went well in the garden this year and what

needs improving. If you are starting your first garden, speak to a neighbour about their successes and failures and learn from them. Extend the growing season by starting plants indoors in early spring.

An effiicent homeowner knows the time to plan out home improvements is when you are in your home every day and that broken faucet is staring you in the face. During the summer it is easy to ignore small repairs in favour of beach time or family camping trips, but as the temperature drops and we find ourselves again indoors, those small inconveniences become more important to deal with.

Make a list and prioritize what will need to be sorted first, according to budget, and speak with tradespeople to get quotes. Often you can negotiate better prices during this slow building season.

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If your home improvement takes the direction of large renovations or aesthetic changes, then winter gives you all the time you need to arrange a list of wants and needs.This is the time you will realize your home needs more natural light, a more cheerful colour palette, or radiant heating for a more comfortable living environment.

“You can save time, money and stress by taking the time to plan ahead,” says Jim Lepard from Nelson’s Home Hardware. “Research product options, speak to the experts and schedule home remodeling projects now, while you have the time to plan it and get on the

rick@reddogcarpentry.ca

rick@reddogcarpentry.ca

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schedule of contractors.”

With a little bit of preparation, your spring cleaning could take on an entirely new meaning come March, so use those days snuggled up near the fire to dream big and plan well, and your home will be all the better for it.

Rick Short

Rick Short 250-354-8747 250-354-8747

I enjoy my profession by committing to protecting and promoting the interests of all the Buyers and Sellers whom I have the privilege of serving.

Mary Martin

Office: 250-368-8818 Cell: 250-231-0264 mary.martin@century21.ca

CALL MARY MARTIN... AND START PACKING

The Annual TFSA Dollar Limit is $10,000*.

We all want our investments to grow faster while paying less tax.

And we want to know that our money will be there when we need it. With a CIBC Wood Gundy Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) you can save for what matters to you and watch your savings grow tax-free.

With a TFSA you can withdraw funds at any time, for any reason, without paying taxes. You can contribute up to $10,000* per year into a TFSA, plus any unused contribution room and any amounts withdrawn in previous years, with the exception of withdrawals to correct an excess contribution.

A TFSA is one more way CIBC Wood Gundy can help you achieve all of your financial goals.

Peter Cameron, Investment Advisor

250 352-1452

*The annual TFSA dollar limit was $5,000 between 2009 and 2012 and was $5,500 between 2013 and 2014.

CIBC Wood Gundy is a division of CIBC World Markets Inc., a subsidiary of CIBC and a Member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. Clients are advised to seek advice regarding their particular circumstances from their personal tax and legal advisors.

WEST KOOTENAY HOUSE & HOME | FALL 2015 | 21

Serving the West Kootenay area for over 20 years

Susan Wilson

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Simply White Benjamin Moore’s 2106 colour of the year Benjamin Moore has named Simply White as the 2016 Colour of the Year.The irony is that there is nothing simple about White. As colour consultant Andrea Colman writes, “surrender to the complexity of white,” and it’s true. Primarily, white colour schemes require attention to undertones as well as a huge emphasis on textures, shapes and quality materials and the results are visually spectacular and my personal favourite.

Some may say white is not a colour but there are hundreds of whites and each will have it’s place in decorating. Choosing the right white is integral to making or breaking your colour scheme even if you prefer a predominately bright and bold palette.

“The colour white is transcendent, powerful and polarizing — it is either taken for granted or obsessed over,” Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore’s creative director, said in a statement. “White is not just a design trend, it is a design essential.

Laurel Colins

Come in for expert advice on everything from building supplies to interior paint.

LOCATIONS NEAR YOU: Grand Forks HH Nakusp HBC Nakusp HH Nelson Hippersons Hardware Nelson HBC New Denver Trail Winlaw

250-442-3135 250-265-3681 250-265-3658 250-352-5517 250-352-1919 250-358-2422 250-364-1311 250-226-7771

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