Home-Work Contractor Referral - November 2000 Newsletter



	*February 2001 Newsletter* About Us & January's $300 winner! February's $$ Saving Tip- Natural Gas Savings & Fireplace Safety Having a Pre-Remodel Meeting How to paint that dull, dark panelling on your walls Our Affiliates The monthly funny! :) *1. About Us & January's $300 winner!* Home-Work is expanding! There are now two of us working to expand our service here in Calgary and as well, we are currently screening companies in Edmonton. We will be launching Edmonton at the end of March. Congratulations to January's winner of $300 towards their renovation project! The winner is Don Burton! If you receive this e-mail, you are registered for each monthly draw. Best of luck! We are gearing up for the big Home and Garden Show at the Round-Up Center Stampede Park Feb 28th-March 4th. This is the most well attended show of its kind in Calgary with attendance up near 40,000. We hope to see you there! 2. February's $$ Saving Tips- Natural Gas Savings & Fireplace Safety Natural Gas Savings: On your last Atco Gas statement, you may have noticed a tip for saving money on your heating bills. I find it easy to remember to turn down the heat as I am leaving for work- your home doesn't need to be cosy while you are out! Atco tip: (For each 1 degree Celsius you consistently turn back your thermostat during the winter, you'll save $17.) Fireplace safety: You may have noticed that when you have a fire burning in the fireplace, the rest of your house gets very chilly or the furnace continues to run. This is because the fireplace is drawing the heated air out of the rest of your house. The room with the fireplace is the only warm room in your house. Overall, using your fireplace is increasing your monthly utility bills. You should crack open a window, nearest the fireplace, just a little. This allows the chimney draft to draw the excess air from the window and not from the rest of your house. You do not have to open it very far. This is also a safety measure to make sure that your furnace or water heater due not back-draft into an airtight house. (Courtesy of Jim Dulley) Please note, in last month's newsletter, we talked about taking furniture marks out of your carpet. It was brought to our attention that when using a warm iron to take out these marks, you should place a white towel between the iron and carpet. 3. Having a Pre-Remodel Meeting* One way to ensure the success of your project is to plan for and actively participate in a pre-remodel meeting. This allows your re-modeler to clarify procedures and explain how the job will progress. It also offers both you and your re-modeler an opportunity to prepare for those issues that may arise later. In this meeting you will want to cover some basic issues: Will you allow your re-modeler to place a company sign on your property? Remember that, in addition to being a marketing tool, signs help contractors and suppliers locate your home. How will workers, construction equipment and vehicles get to the job site without damaging outside structures, plants and flower beds? What areas of your home will be off-limits to workers? Do you have a place on-site to store building materials for your project? Who is responsible for removing your belongings and later returning them to the newly remodeled space? When packing, remember that the workers may need access to the electrical panel, the water shut-off valve and areas not being remodeled. Does your house have an alarm system? Will workers need a key or will someone always be there? How will you ensure that your children and pets stay out of the work space? Does the space to be remodeled contain any special items that you would like to save from demolition? If so, where should they be stored? How will trash removal be handled? Where will the re-modeler locate the dumpster on your property? Does the re-modeler anticipate any interruptions of utilities during them project? If so, when and for how long? At certain stages of construction, the project may affect basic household necessities like water and electricity. Will you need to vacate the house at any time? What are your expectations regarding clean up? Will sweeping be sufficient for a daily cleaning, or will you need a more thorough cleaning in order to use the space? (Watch for more about establishing guidelines next month!) *4. How to paint that dark, dull paneling on your walls* Make sure your paneling is absolutely clean. Determine if the wood has ever been cleaned or polished with a furniturewax. If so, remove it with a product such as Dirtex. Any residue will keep paint from sticking. Sand lightly with a 120-grit sandpaper following the grain of the wood,then wipe off the dust with a damp rag or tack cloth Apply a stain-blocking, oil-based primer and let it dry overnight. A lotof old paneling has been darkly stained and more than one coat may be needed to prevent stain from showing through. Begin painting with a latex paint applied with either a brush or rolleronce the paneling is tightly sealed. Paint with an eggshell finish is recommended because it has a slight sheen that reflects light and brightens the room. Flat paints do not work well on paneling because they are hard to clean and tend to look dull and lifeless. (Interior designer Jill Davis http://www.homestore.com) *5. Our Affiliates* Here at Home-Work, we work very closely with companies such as Home Hardware, Pillar to Post Home Inspections, Realty World Tempo, AmeriSpec Home Inspections, Remax House of Real Estate, Home Life Realty. We work jointly to bring our customers' information about the products and services we provide. Over the next months watch for more tips and in-store specials that will be available to you! To link to tips on saving money on your home insurance, from Sam Corea & Len Wong, click here: http://www.calgaryhomesearch.com/gold_newsletter.asp 6. The Monthly Funny :-) Old Dr. Carver still made house calls. One afternoon he was called to the Hill residence. Mrs. Hill was in terrible pain. The doctor came out of the bedroom a minute after he'd gone in and asked Mr. Hill, "Do you have a hammer?" A puzzled Mr. Hill went to the garage, and returned with a hammer. The doctor thanked him and went back into the bedroom. A moment later, he came out and asked, "Do you have a chisel?" Mr. Hill complied with the request. In the next ten minutes, Dr. Carver asked for and received a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a hacksaw. The last request got to Mr. Hill. Heasked, "Are you a contractor or a doctor? What on earth are you doing to my wife!?" "I am a doctor," replied old doc Carver. "I just can't get my instrument bag open." Home · About Us · Find a Contractor · Tips & Links Contractors · What's New · Testimonials · Articles Newsletters · Sponsors · Contact Us