Move That Bus!!!

Powers House - Classic Prairie Style in West Centre Town Ottawa

2011-08-06T22:04:00.000-04:00

Previously, I have written about E.P Connors House, the work of Ottawa architect Francis Conroy Sullivan in the early 1900's. Sullivan was strongly influenced by the Prairie school and worked for several years with Frank Lloyd Wright, the best know architect of the prairie school movement.

Another example of Sullivan's work in the prairie style is Powers House - at the corner of James St. and Bay St. in Ottawa. To quote from the Heritage plaque mounted on the building:

Originally built circa 1887 for businessman Patrick J. Powers, this house was transformed in 1915 by prominent local architect Francis C. Sullivan. Sullivan created a Canadian version of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright's distinctive prairie style in the period before the first world war. This house is distinguished by its wide eaves, horizontal wood bands, stucco finish and distinctive detailing.

I would have loved to have seen the inside of this house back in 1915. Wright was famous for also dedicating time to designing the inside of his houses too - even the furniture. I am not sure if Sullivan had a similar tendency. Today, however, it looks like this house has been divided up into three or four separate units, so I fear that if Sullivan did do any interior design, it may well be lost now.

The federal GST rebate for renovations and new houses - Election issue

2011-04-16T13:16:00.000-04:00

Since we are in the midst of an election, and since I live in a riding where there seems to be no shortage of homes being renovated or replaced, I thought it would be timely to repost an article that I wrote last year about the federal GST refund program for new or renovated homes (or lack thereof). It would be nice if this program could be amended to better reflect the cost of homes now.

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If you substantially renovate your home or build a new one you may be eligible to receive a rebate of up to 36% of the GST you paid on goods and services to undertake the renovation.

Don't get too excited, however. There are conditions in place that effectively ensure most Ottawa home owners will be unable to claim this rebate.

First of all, you must substantially renovate your house. That means you must remove or replace at least 90% of the habitable interior. Basically, you would have to be undertaking a complete gut of the house, replacing all of the walls, electrical, plumbing and HVAC to qualify. You do not need to remove or replace foundation, roof or exterior walls to qualify, but if you do, they can count toward the 90%. Unfinished basements do not count as part of the habitable area for the purposes of calculating the percentage substantially renovated. If you basically tear down the existing house and build a new one, then you will also be eligible.

Second, the fair-market value of the house, which includes both the substantially renovated building and the land, must be less than $350,000 to receive a full rebate (i.e. 36% of the GST you paid). It's the fair-market value that is important here, not the cost of construction. If the fair-market value of the house exceeds $450,000 then you are not entitled to any rebate at all. And, if the value lies between $350,000 and $450,000 there is a formula to calculate the proportion of the rebate you are eligible for, which decreases to zero as the fair-market value approaches $450,000.

Unfortunately, the majority of Ottawa residents will never be able to qualify for the full rebate, if indeed they qualify for any rebate at all. You see, by the end of March 2010, the average price for a residential property in Ottawa (not including condominiums) was $354,698. With some exceptions, such as on the outskirts of Ottawa, it is hard to imagine the fair-market value of any substantially renovated or rebuilt house in Ottawa being less than $350,000.

If you are a condo owner, you might have better luck. The average price of a condominium in Ottawa in March 2010 was $240,409. That gives you some room, particularly if your condo is less than 1000 square feet. With average renovation costs running at about $100 per square foot, you could renovate 900 square feet of a 1000 square foot condo for about $90,000. If the pre-renovation value was $240,000, the completed fair-market value might still be below $350,000, entitling you to a full rebate (note that a full rebate is still only 36% of the GST paid).

Unfortunately, if you are reading this blog post from any other major centre in Canada, except Montreal, you have even less chance of qualifying for a rebate. That's because the average residential house price is higher in those centres - up to $800,341 in Vancouver, $471,269 in Calgary and $434,696 in Toronto. Residents of these cities have almost no chance of qualifying for any GST rebate.

To find out more about the rebate program (or lack thereof), check out Substantial Renovations and the GST/HST New Housing Rebate Guide.

98%

2011-04-08T20:13:00.001-04:00

This week we had a pre-delivery inspection of the house. It looks fantastic. Everything is pretty much finished now with the exception of a few small things like vent covers, the backsplash in the kitchen, and some exterior painting. The landscaping will also have to wait until the weather warms up. We take possession in two weeks. Very exciting.

Kitchen

ensuite shower

Kid's bathroom

Exterior cladding, floors and painting finished

2011-03-24T22:17:00.000-04:00

Here are some new photos of the house. The exterior cladding is almost complete. All of the brick, the siding and most of the cedar shakes are in place now. Inside, the floors have been put in, the painting has been completed and most of the fixtures are in place.

The birth of American Modernism

2011-03-24T21:51:00.002-04:00

In January, I was in Manhattan where I stumbled across the house of American modernist architect William Lescaze. Lescaze is one of the pioneers of modernism in America and was clearly a man well ahead of his time. He designed and built this home in 1933. It must have seemed completely out of place in the 30s when he built it, but today it looks very contemporary.

Electricity connected

2010-12-21T09:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday they connected the electricity and the bricklayers started working. Today they also turned on the water to test the plumbing for any leaks.

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC complete

2010-12-19T19:37:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a month since the last post about the house.

As you can see, we now have a proper roof, doors and windows. Actually, the doors and windows came at the end of November and the roofing started at that time too. But then we were hit with a huge freezing rain storm and the roofers were unable to finish the job for a week or so until the ice melted. Then, it rained cats and dogs, and water poured into the house through the unfinished parts of the roof. Fortunately, it does not appear that there was much pooling of water on the floors because the OSB floors do not appear to have swelled anywhere, which they can do when water is left standing on them.

During this period I did a lot of research on OSB, and it turns out that the OSB they use in Canada for construction is coated with a wax or resin to make it water resistant for just such unfortunate events as a week of rain. The real danger point is where the OSB has been cut with a saw. The resin in the OSB can easily absorb water along the cut edges of the boards because at these points the water resistant coating has been cut away.

We did an inspection of the house last Friday and I did not notice any swollen parts of the floor, which is great. If if had swelled, the builder would have sanded it down to keep the floor level for the floor installation.

Once the week of bad weather passed, the builder was back on the job finishing the roof and installing the plumbing, electrical and HVAC as well as pouring the concrete floor in the basement and the garage. The furnace has been installed, along with the humidifier, and soon the Heat Recovery Ventilation Unit and tankless hot water heater will be installed. By next week they hope to have the house fully insulated and connected to the electricity grid so that they can start heating the house. Right now, they are heating the basement with propane heaters.

The concrete has also been poured for the front porch and the brick has arrived for the exterior cladding. Likely the bricklayers will be on site next week.

So, all in all things are moving along very quickly. I expect they should start drywalling in the new year.

Avoid finishing your basement for a year after it is built

2010-11-27T11:08:00.007-05:00

Today's Ottawa Citizen ran several interesting stories in its Homes section on renovating basements.

As I have remarked before, basements in older homes were often not designed for daily living. That was certainly the case in the home that previously occupied our lot. Even though the basement had been finished, there was no waterproofing around the basement walls, beams and ductwork were hung at only six feet above the floor, and the stairway to the basement was hidden away in the back of the kitchen - hardly making it feel like part of the main living space.

The stories in today's Citizen note the trend toward taller basement walls, fully waterproofed and insulated walls and integrating the basement space into the main living space. Here are some tips the stories offer:

If you are buying a newly-built production home, says Bruce Nicol, VP of Tartan Homes, wait at least a year before investing money in the basement. Some settling of a house is inevitable in the first year, and the standard warranty won't cover upgrades if your basement develops problems like water seepage.
Don't give too much credence to reality television shows that trumpet low-cost upgrades. If you are adding 1,000 square feet to a house, why would you think you could do it for $15,000. For a good basement upgrade integrated with a home's ovearll flow, be prepared to pony up $50 to $60 per square foot.
To ensure a basement reno is successful, it's not smart to scrimp. Make sure you continue all of the finishings downstairs, using the same carpeting and similar moldings.
It helps if the ceilings are higher, because the feeling of space is immediate, but paint and lighting can work wonders too. Donna Corey, the owner of Ottawa's KISS Design Group says she has often gone with a dark wall or two because darker colours seem to recede, creating the illusion of more space. Adding wall sconces at a little over six feet so that they will cast light downward can also create the illusion of greater ceiling height.
Upgrading your basement likely will not yield a financial payback. According to Jennifer Skuce, president and broker at RE/MAX metro-city realty, the return depends on the style and design of the house. Owners of a smaller home, such as a two bedroom, one bathroom bungalow, can expect a far greater return on their investment if they add a third bedroom, den or family room and a second bathroom in the basement because they will have effectively doubled the size of the home. With decent finishes, a 70% return would not be unreasonable. However, the payback is not nearly so lucrative in a larger two or three storey home. In that case, the return is more likely around 25 to 30%.

Finally, what's hot in the home's coolest area? According to the Citizen, here's what the pros consider to be the top 10 must haves:

Home theatres - with big screens and bigger sound;
Watering holes - not the 1960's rec-room style bar, but full on pub style bars with pull-taps, granite counters and subtle lighting;
Wine cellars - temperature controlled with glass doors;
Full kitchens - reserve the main floor kitchen for show or entertaining (this seems ridiculous to me);
Playrooms - with play structures and toy storage;
Games - foozeball, air hockey, pool etc. To this list I would add space to set up an electric train set and a race track;
Fitness rooms - complete with all your necessary excercise equipment (or you could just go outside);
Home spas - spa-like bathrooms with steam and body jets (for after all that excercise, or after all that buttery popcorn);
Concrete floors - if heated. Also in vogue is ceramic tiles and engineered wood;
Bright colours - accent walls can splash your basement with colour and character.

roofing

2010-11-24T23:10:00.002-05:00

The builder finished putting OSB on the roof on the weekend and on Monday, the shingles arrived. Today, they started putting the shingles on, which should take to the end of the week. They also started to put some insulation in walls, but just in areas where they will need to build more, like the box for the fireplace, the bulkhead in the kitchen and where the stairs go.

Second floor and roof

2010-11-20T11:13:00.003-05:00

The last ten days have been busy at the house. Despite a few cold and wet days with unseasonable rain, they framers have managed to put up the second floor and the roof trusses. Apparently the roof shingles will come on Monday.

Framing: 1st floor just about complete

2010-11-11T14:23:00.003-05:00

Framing on the first floor is just about finished. By the end of today the floor joists for the second floor should be in place and the floor put down. By tomorrow, they should have most of the second floor walls erected.

Habitat for Humanity gift home

2010-11-07T22:24:00.003-05:00

In case you were unable to make it to the open house of the Habitat for Humanity gift house that was unveiled in Ottawa recently, DesignTies has an extensive photo series on their blog.

There is also a video on YouTube.

It's quite an impressive renovation.

Backfilling against the foundation

2010-11-07T21:43:00.003-05:00

Backfilling of the house occurred last week. It took about two days for them to complete it, with several large trucks of fill delivered.

Waterproof membrane applied to foundation

2010-11-07T21:28:00.004-05:00

In the last week an a half, a lot of progress has been made, starting with waterproofing the foundation.

Once the foundation was poured, a Platon membrane was applied to the outside of the foundation against living areas. Platon is a tough, waterproof, double dimpled, high-density polyethylene plastic membrane that keeps wet soil away from the foundation wall. The dimples create an air gap between the wall and the waterproof membrane. Any water that does find its way past the membrane flows to the footing drain. As an added benefit, wall moisture condenses on the back of the membrane and flows to the footing drain. This dries out the wall. Because Platon is not adhered to the wall, the wall can crack, shift and settle over the years without affecting Platon’s performance (although hopefully that wont be an issue).

Next step, back filling.

Big house, little house

2010-10-27T12:07:00.002-04:00

It's interesting to watch the new house rise up out of the ground and it will be great to move in when it is finished. The new house is certainly bigger than our current residence, but with the hole dug and the foundation exposed it looks particularly big. Interestingly though, the footprint of the new house is not that different than the house we demolished. In fact, the living space on the main floor of the new house is about 200 square feet less than the former house. Even counting the garage, the footprint of the new house is only about 200 square feet bigger than the footprint of the former house. The difference, of course is in the second floor, which is where the additional space is added.

Foundation poured

2010-10-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

On Thursday or Friday, they poured the concrete for the foundation walls. They removed the forms on Friday.

Forming the basement

2010-10-24T13:38:00.001-04:00

Last Thursday, they formed the basement.

weeping tile and stone fill

2010-10-24T13:36:00.004-04:00

Once the footings were poured, weeping tile was placed around the footings and a stone slinger deposited stone fill all around the footings in preparation for the concrete.

House Demolition

2010-10-24T12:41:00.006-04:00

Thanks to our neighbour, we now have some pictures of the demolition.

concrete footings poured

2010-10-15T22:04:00.004-04:00

The footings for the house were poured yesterday. Today, they had hoped to install the weeping tile around the outside of the footings, spread stone around the footings and erect the forms for the basement walls. However, with all the rain today, things were delayed. As you can see from the photo, some of the plumbing has also been installed.

Engineered fill creates a firm base to build the house on

2010-10-15T21:35:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, the soil under the old house was quite loose and full of organic material. From what I have been told by neighbours, this area used to have a stream or an underground stream running through the backyard and may also have been a floodplain for the Ottawa river long ago before the entire area was developed. That would certainly explain the large amount of organic material in the soil - it was almost like peat.

So, to ensure that the new house would not settle, the builder had to remove all of the organic soil until they reached undisturbed mineral soil - about 60 cm below the level of the bottom of the footings on the new house. Then, about 160 metric tonnes of engineered fill were dumped in the hole, spread and compacted to create a firm flat surface to build on.

Now the surface is ready to build on and the next step is to pour the concrete footings.

kitchen design

2010-10-10T00:01:00.001-04:00

Inspired by the online design contest, I have put together a "storyboard" of our proposed kitchen. I could not get everything exactly right, but it's close. Our cabinets have less red in them and are more of a chocolate colour than those shown in this photo. Also, our proposed floor will be 12" X 24" tiles in a shade somewhere close to the grey shown in this picture.

Soil troubles

2010-10-09T12:01:00.001-04:00

With the old house removed, the site engineer had a chance to inspect the soil on which the new house will be built.

According to Mike Holmes, builders like to take advantage of millions of years of natural compaction by digging down to earth that has not been previously dug up and tamped down. If they don't do this there may be problems with shifting. The foundation has to take the weight of the house, but it also has to stand up against the pressure of the earth around it; if a foundation is going to shift, that pressure is what will cause it.

However, once our old house was removed it became apparent that it was in fact built on loose soil with lots of organic matter in it. No wonder the old house sank in one corner. In fact, I watched them dig up the soil in the corner where the old house had sank, and it was black, stank like sewage and contained logs.

In other words, when they built the original house in the 50s, they did not bother dig down to undisturbed soil and furthermore, it looks like they just piled in old trees and other junk to fill up the space. As this organic matter decomposed, it created a void and the house sank. While further sinking is not usually likely in an older home, given the amount of organic material I saw in the soil, it would not have surprised me, especially after we added extra weight to the house with an addition. All in all, I feel a lot better digging the whole place up.

Here today, gone tomorrow

2010-10-08T16:02:00.002-04:00

Demolition of the house began on Thursday, and they wasted no time. The entire house was gone by the end of the day. Unfortunately, we do not have any pictures of the demolition because we were both stuck in meetings all day and could not find time to get down to the house while it was being demolished.

These pictures show the house with all of the wood and mechanical material gone, but the foundation is still partly there. At least the concrete slab and some of the foundation walls are present. Today, they removed the remaining material.

Living room design

2010-10-01T22:24:00.006-04:00

Recently, I came across an online design challenge among design bloggers. The challenge was to come up with a living room design for under $6000. Some of them are pretty creative and show that you don't necessarily need to spend oodles of money to create a pretty decent look.

Check out each designer's response to the design challenge at the links below:

Kelly Berg at Arte Styling
Amanda Burdge at AB Home Interiors
Kathy Passarette at Creative Home Expressions
Dayka Robinson at Meditations on Life and Style
Susan Snow at Moving Designz
Traci Zeller at Traci Zeller Designs