Those of you with long memories know that roofing is a fixation at Ask Around.  I have long felt that there must be a better solution than covering the inhabited parts of North America with short-lived, dangerous to dispose, hard to fit, asphalt shingles.  Rumours of lifetime shingles, metal sheeting, solar roofs and whatever have mostly proven uneconomical, but I recently met my first real, newly installed, metal shingled roof.

It cost 50% more than its asphalt equivalent, looks similar and was installed over existing asphalt shingles (which did not have to be removed and dumped) but there the similarities end.  It was put in place by specially trained installers and will last more than 50 years. It is repairable and when it does eventually need to be replaced, being made of steel, it can be recycled and will have scrap value. Interestingly it's the membrane under the shingles that does the real work - the steel just protects the membrane.

Can you tell I'm impressed?  I once had to arrange for the environmentally questionable disposal of old asphalt shingles and I don't ever want to do that again.  And when I next have to replace my roof I want it to be the LAST time.  Roofing work is expensive and hard to arrange. I'm also uncomfortable living in a house while guys with boom-boxes and cleavage in the wrong places rip off the roof.  I'm glad there's an alternative.

Check the recommendation for the metal shingle roofing job here or tell us about your roofing job here. 

You can leave comments too; what's your view on the roofing debate?

But I digress – I am still reluctantly doing my own furniture painting, complete with streaks and drips.  I am now facing the great kitchen painting job that is long overdue because it is daunting. Spray painting my kitchen cupboard doors would jumpstart the whole process.  I just can’t believe there isn’t someone up to Sarah’s standards out there in the spray painting business, hiding in an industrial park somewhere in Ottawa . . .

Nancy

TV decorating connoisseur and long-time Ask Around member

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Short of conjuring a spray painting knight to appear on a (drop sheeted) white charger and ride into Nancy's kitchen there's not much more I can do.  But Ask Around members are a resourceful lot - I'm sure someone has some ideas.  Share yours by posting a comment here or a recommendation at askaround.ca.

Look forward to hearing from you.

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I monitor a number of on-line bulletin boards and email groups to help me keep Ask Around up-to-date on all the issues.  An exchange on one of my favourites, the Ottawa Recycling Bulletin Board, sent me scurrying to the file cabinet looking for the receipts we have stashed away towards the Home Renovation Tax credit next March. 

Linda:

I have just spent the better part of today gathering and scanning all my home renovation receipts in preparation for tax time. Why so early? Not because I am super organized, but because I discovered that the receipts from most of the big box stores are printed on thermal paper, and have already started to fade. At this rate, they will barely be legible by next March, and would be of no use at all if I were to be audited a few years down the road.

So if you or anyone you know is planning on using the once-in-a-lifetime credit, may I suggest that you start scanning your receipts while you can still read them?

Sharon:
Good idea! And you should also keep work invoices along with a proof of purchase (cheque or credit card receipt) or proof of delivery in addition.  Actually a lot of requirements:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/sgmnts/hmwnr/hrtc/clmng-eng.html

Note also that this deduction has still not been approved by Parliament.

Some of our Home Depot Receipts are already looking fairly fuzzy and, like Linda, I doubt if they will still be legible in March.  At a minimum I feel a walk down the road to the photocopier is justified, or maybe a scanning session if I feel more ambitious. 

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The Christmas season does not begin at our house until December 1, but just sometimes I see something to file under 'do it now, enjoy other things later' .  One of these snippets popped up yesterday when I was twittering with Melissa Dimock, a clever crafty Mom here in Ottawa, who is just full of good ideas.

The background to this is my severe allergy to some perfumes and many aerosol carriers, which can make Christmas shopping hazardous.  The worst offenders are the scented candles in almost every store, but their 'air freshener' relatives must share some blame.  Melissa's @refashionista tweets about making her own diffusers for natural essential oils caught my interest.  I like nice smells around the place,  just have to be careful what I use.  Essential oils, with a few avoidable exceptions, do not give me problems and I have a collection of favourites.  Melissa gave such useful advice I asked her about a blog post and within 30 minutes she had one written!  Very impressive. Here are her notes on making your own essential oil reed diffusers for holiday gifts or your own home.

I'm going thrift-shopping for some pretty bottles this weekend; planning balsam fir diffusers for friends and relatives who can no longer manage a live tree and some cinnamon/vanilla versions for that welcoming 'fresh-baked cookies' magic.  

By-the-way Melissa is a multi-talented lady.  Her shop at Etsy.com is full of pretty things and good ideas.  Check it out quickly because I happen to know she will not be re-stocking before Christmas.  Not sure if she ever sells her reed diffusers - give her a tweet and ask?

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Yes. Absolutely.

Not everything fits into Ask Around's recommendation format and some businesses, mostly retailers and professional services, don't belong there at all.  However,  Ask Around members still want to know about these businesses.

Since we opened for business I have been building a list of businesses and organizations I feel comfortable endorsing on the site, and now you can see some of these down the right hand column of the Home and Find pages.  Ottawa Riverkeeper has been there from early on, reflecting my personal view that fresh water is a critical issue for the planet. Our River Keeper is part of the larger North American Waterkeepers alliance and runs regular events,  monitoring and lobbying activities towards maintaining the health of our precious water source.  Have a look at  their list of 10 things you can do to help protect and nurture our beautiful river.

This month I am also welcoming some new advertisers.  Firstly  Equity One Real Estate.  The way we buy and sell Real Estate is changing and Equity One is poised to become a big part of that change here in Ottawa.  This Ottawa Citizen article explained some of the trends in the Real Estate industry and encouraged me to bring Equity One on board.  They offer a new type of property marketing and I'm glad to be able to introduce Around members to this Real Estate alternative.

I would also like to introduce Randy Little who is an independent financial advisor here in Ottawa.  Randy likes to meet with people one-on-one and often finds they have been left confused or even down-right bewildered by other financial professionals.  He also likes to 'do lunch' in Ottawa offices.  He shows up, with lunch, to chat with a group of colleagues and provide a brief update on the world of finance and investing.

Randy avoids talking about 'products and services’ saying the phrase is "much overused in my industry".  Instead, he likes to give people the information they need to make better decisions.  "If people find they want to work with me that's great!  If not, they'll be armed with questions and concepts to take back to their own financial advisor"

My last new advertiser this month is GirlFriendSocial, a website run by Amanda Blain.  I am a busy networker and met Amanda at one of my favourite monthly events; The Old Ottawa South Womens' Business Network. GirlFriend Social is a unique resource for women wanting to build or expand their network of frinds in Ottawa. The site lets you find friends to share the things you like to do, whether it be attending events, sports, or just hanging out.

Take a look at GirlFriendSocial.com.  I think you will like what you see.

If you know of outstanding Ottawa businesses that do not fit into the 'recommendations' at Ask Around please let me know.  I'm always interested in talking to businesses that provide value and quality for Ask Around members, so don't be shy about getting in touch.

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If you live in a city, you don't need to own a car 

William Clay Ford Jr., Chaiman, Ford Motor Company

Our own car club experience went really well. The combination of shared car, walking, bikes, public transport and the occasional taxi was convenient and economical; at least until our closest shared car lost its parking spot and disappeared. The next one was 10 minutes away and became overbooked when the first one vanished.  This gave me my first 'Is car sharing right for you' rule;  There should be more than one car within 5 minutes walk of your house.  A couple of twitterers also said they had enjoyed VrtuCar but could no longer use it when they moved out of the city centre.

The next big question is related - How organised are you and does your week follow a predictable routine.  Families with school-aged children tend to have more fixed schedule (Wednesday - swimming)  with playdates and activities planned in advance.  Car club bookings fit well into this type of family calendar.   I find getting the car back on time sometimes adds stress - admittedly I can extend bookings by phone, but stopping to phone slows me down even more!  The extra half hour costs much less than a late fee so planning and routine are essential. 

With 2 cars close by I never had trouble finding a car when I needed it, though Saturdays and Sundays do get booked up earlier than weekdays.  Some city centre cars are probably busy during the week too because businesses use car clubs as an alternative to fleet management.  Although we are not using it right now we will maintain our club membership for those rare occasions when we need a 2nd car.  Multi-city memberships can also be useful when traveling.  

Car-sharing may not be right for you if you use a car every day, live far from public transport or see your car as more than just a way to get you and your stuff from A to B.  Then again if I ever do get my 'hobby' car or another motorbike, car sharing will make an excellent practical back-up.  Somehow they never film those 'joy of the open road' commercials with silver-haired drivers stuck in traffic and pouring rain!

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News from VrtuCar

Because VrtuCar has often been discussed on twitter and many Ask Around members live outside the city centre I asked the VrtuCar head office about their plans for the coming year. 

Barbara Griffin, their operations manager, told me that every new 'station' presents 2 related challenges; Each car needs at least 30 regular drivers to be cost-effective and each station needs to be less than 1,000m away from it's nearest neighbour (see my '5 minute' rule above).  However, in the next year VrtuCar plans to add more cars to existing locations and is working with the City of Ottawa to expand into the Baseline/Woodroffe area once construction there is completed.  Barbara also said they also have built partnerships with building owners and developers for new car-sharing stations at Preston and Carling, St. Denis St. in Vanier, and The World Exchange Plaza downtown.

Good news if you are waiting for car-sharing to reach one of those areas!

 
_______________________________________________________________________________

Here are the VrtuCar reviews sent in by @AskAroundOttawa followers at twitter.com

• Vrtucar? I've been using it since it only had one car. So good on price and service they are keeping the big chain out (Zip)
• Vrtucar is great. The only catch is the per/km fee instead of flat rate. I prefer ZIPcar (TO, Vancouver) but this will do!  We use it on average about 5 or 6 times a month? MUCH cheaper than owning a car, by leaps and bounds!
• No! I'm not a car = toaster (appliance) type ! No Fits, Echo's and Civics for me :-)
• Was Vrtucar member until I moved. Loved it! Cheaper than cabs & faster than bussing. Though sticking to time slots is difficult
• I used VrtuCar for 5 years. Was happy with service but they didn't have a car in my new area - only reason why I left.  Wasn't enough demand for cars in my new area. Access to Ecopass was a nice feature too.

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So there you go.  If it fits your lifestyle and you have cars located close by, car sharing clubs can be a great alternative to car ownership. Maybe you are considering retiring a gas-guzzler or already have car club experiences to share?  We would love to hear from you and VrtuCar has genrously offered one of their signature golf shirts for an Ask Around reader.  I will draw a name from the list of everyone who adds a comment here, or a car-sharing tweet @AskAroundOttawa

 . . . but you already knew that.  A quick peek at the list of businesses  Ottawa members have told us about makes this clear.  But there's more to the story this month - we are truly expanding; new Ask Around cities are on the way.

The next Ask Around location will be Oxford in the UK followed by a new Canadian centre.  (I'm twittering with someone about AskAroundMoscow too; interesting idea.  Let's see where that one leads)  I will be dividing my time between Oxford and Ottawa while the new sites grow, but don't worry I'm still at the end of a phone or an email when you have questions.   

All this means the summer is exceptionally busy around her; if I have been slow answering your email or checking your recommendation please don't be shy about sending me a reminder.  

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Amrita Singh from CBC Ottawa aspires to be a A-team Frugalista.  Over the summer she's putting frugal living practices to the test and sharing her results with listeners. You can listen to her Frugalista adventures every Tuesday on Ottawa Morning and read her blog here.

When Amrita asked me whether twitter can save you money I volunteered to show her around at @AskAroundOttawa.  She turned our rambling, enjoyable conversation into a great piece of radio.  You can listen to it here and read her whole article here.

If you twitter you can follow Amrita at http://twitter.com/frugalottawa; she has great tips and ideas on local resources, most of which are  *FREE*. 

Our hunter/gatherer ancestors had simple ways to bring home the family dinner; but that classic image of 2 happy hunters with an animal slung on a pole has now been replaced by a harassed grocery shopper laden with plastic bags and environmental guilt.  It has taken me a while to kick the plastic bag habit and I've learned that it is largely a question of having the right bag right there when you need it.  I found useful suggestions in this article from Hugg and now offer my own . . .

It has taken about a year but now I can't find a plastic bag around the house when I need one; most of our grocery shopping is done on foot and we have settled on 3 main ways to bring home the bacon Oops! Sorry; healthy, organic, locally grown produce.

1)  My trusty string bag;  This low-tech miracle squishes really small so it's always in my hand bag when I need it.  I can't tell you where to buy one but if you are a knitter or nimble-fingered enthusiast you can learn to make 'em.     I also found patterns for knitted bags here, here, here and here. 

2) A bright red wheeled shopping trolley that would make my Grandma proud.  This beast is massively effective and makes me feel about 95.  A creaking back from schlepping shopping makes me feel even older so I put a jaunty enviro-heroine bounce into my step and pretend the red trolley is just following me home.  I still aspire to the elegant wicker version I once wrote about, but if you are in the market for a trolley remember that bigger wheels are always better.  Big, all terrain wheels and rugged tires handle bumps and curbs almost gracefully.

3) My favourite shopping helper, apart from my husband, is a square based compostable hessian shopping bag.  I have not yet tested the compost part but this wonderful bag stands up unaided even full of shopping.  It's not too deep to carry comfortably and can even go on my shoulder.  Did I mention that it stands up?  I like these bags so much that I want to share them; I have 10 to give away for this months prize draw!  More details here.

So what are you using to schelp it all home?  The brightly coloured bags your supermarket gave out when they started charging for bags, or have you found more elegant/ergonomic/environmental solutions?  I saw a bike with a huge low-slung carrying box on the front at our farmers market and not all of us can afford a smart car; what's your solution?

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This question flashed across my twitter screen and made me stop to think.  I know which categories and services have the most businesses and recommendations, but it's useful to check my instincts on the categories that Ask Around members visit most often.  I set to work to unravel the numbers.

Roofers, Roofers, Roofers. Visitors check out Roofers even more often than General Contractors. Not too surprising given the expense and aggravation of roof repairs and replacement; but it is not the heading with most businesses or the most recommendations, so members are clearly looking for pointers when roofing work become inevitable.  (A member asked recently whether anyone has had experience with metal/permanent shingles; he wants to have it done once and done for good)

General Contractors is also busy; another expensive area where members want information before embarking on a major project.  More surprisingly the Interior Painting category is busier than Exterior Painting; and Landscaping gets almost as many enquiries despite having only 6 listed businesses.

The Electricians, Plumbers and Handyman Services listings are always busy; these are the core services for Ask Around.  These jobs need doing quickly and effectively with good customer service.  I've been really heartened by all the truly excellent recommendations for these guys (and girls).

This quick exercise has reminded me to add Landscapers, Masons and Pet Sitters to the 'Want Ads'. These services see lots of 'enquiries'  even though we have not yet collected long lists of businesses.  Have you used one of these services recently?  Tell us about it with a recommendation.

It's snowing again here in Ottawa today, but I did get our bikes on the road; my neighbour's crocuses are in full bloom; and the ski stuff is back in the basement.  Another major sign of spring is the Cottage Life and Big Back Yard show at Landsdowne Park this coming weekend.  My back yard is microscopic but Ask Around summer HQ is an island in Georgian Bay, so this show is one of my favourites.

If I sometimes seem obsessed with plumbing and plumbers you now know why. City dwellers take plumbing for granted, until it goes wrong; but island life forces me to face plumbing issues frequently and forthrightly; the alternatives are too smelly to contemplate.  I am a huge composting toilet fan - wonderful green technology for fragile ecosystems and careful cottagers - so when Scott from Envirolet offered free tickets for the Cottage Life Show there was loud cheering here at Ask Around.

This is the deal: Scott has given me 2 free tickets for the Cottage Life and Big Back Yard Show for Ask Around members, courtesy of Envirolet.  Interested?  To get your name into the draw recommend a local business at AskAround.ca before 12:00 noon on Thursday April 11.  Ask Around members can also forward this week's newsletter to a friend (cc wendy@askaround.ca) to have both your names entered for the draw.

On Thursday I will let winner(s) know where to pick up their prize. The rest of us can buy discounted tickets online here.

Good luck - see you at the show.  I'll be at booth 1326 in the Aberdeen Pavillion talking to Scott about Envirolet vacuum flush systems  . . .

More News
Heather Bayer of cottageblogger.com  will also be at the Cottage Life Show and has offered 2 more tickets for the Ask Around draw.   Her blog has amazing resources for Cottage owners. We don't rent our place but I still found it fascinating.

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The lists of categories at askaround.ca are troublesome.  I get in there with a broom and tidy up when I can; move things around and sweep out the corners.  Stuff sometimes gets put in the wrong place (Plumber? Really? But he fixed your furnace?) and it's hard to fit a hair stylist into a format built mainly for tradespeople.  Some businesses do work in more than one category, and other things just won't easily 'fit'.

Ask Around will soon have specific recommendation formats for different categories. In the meantime if the business you want to tell us about does not fit well, please don't give up;  your experience is so valuable for other members.  Add comments where explanations are needed and give us as much information as you can.  A clean, tidy workplace is important for any business; timeliness and availability are also universal measures.

If you want to post a recommendation and can't find the right heading please let me know.  I can quickly set up a new category or change an existing label. This helps avoid  endless 'empty' headings. A quick email or twitter message is all it takes.

Thanks as always.

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Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year from Ask Around

One of the most useful things I ever found on-line was called 'A Mother's guide to Gick'.  A recent twitter message about lighter fuel, labels and a lap-top reminded me that 'Gick' is an ever-present danger through the holiday season, so here is my up-dated edition.  

What is 'Gick'?  Well, in my world it is anything that combines gooey and sticky  in some place it didn't ought'er be.  This does not include the mysterious thin layer of jammy stuff that coats toddlers by 4pm;  I don't know what causes this natural phenomenon, but bath time fixes it.  No.  Gick is crayons, markers and worse on carpets, toffee in zippers, and the defining incident for me; silly putty smushed into the mesh pockets of a brand-new Lands End back pack.    

Silly Putty has relations too: Slime, Aliens or Lizards in Putty and Sticky Tack. Also chewing and bubble gum.  These horrors abound during the festive season, and sometimes even come home from school or parties disguised as 'Science'.   Silly Putty fascinated me as a child but I now realise that these toys exist only to torment parents. 

When disaster strikes and the Gick hits the ottoman,  remember first that all this stuff sticks best to itself.  Grab another gob of the offending goop and use it to 'dab' off whatever is embedded in the carpet, comforter or upholstery.  This is surprisingly effective.  Solvents and other stain removers can be used on whatever remains. 

Most goopy stuff can be hardened in the fridge or with ice cubes.  Where the sticks-to-itself dabbing method fails this can help to remove large 'chunks', before resorting to solvents, which tend to spread the problem around. Silly putty, sticky tack and gum can also be dissolved with WD40, but the smell lingers.  Vodka is my favourite solvents for stain removal. It has no smell and works on several aspects of the same problem.

The opposite of freezing Gick - heating it - is a horrible shock when you open the tumble dryer.  On a good day the bubble gum has stayed inside the snow suit and it may still be possible to pry the whole thing apart with pliers.  On a bad day the silly putty has escaped from the jeans pocket and welded all your underwear into a sticky pink knot. See Vodka above.

If the Gick is in someone's hair neither sticks-to-itself nor solvents will work safely.  This is why we hear about peanut butter removing chewing gum from hair. Peanut butter apparently does work, and so does mayonnaise and baby oil.  Silly putty can be also be dissolved with baby oil, Pam spray oil or alcohol based hand sanitizer. I'm guessing that a heavy duty hair conditioner could also help.

I found references to using nail varnish remover (acetone), lighter fluid and rubbing alcohol on hair, but I would reach for the scissors before using any of this on a child.  Most 'slime' type stuff is water soluble and will wash out. Eventually. While on the subject, beware of a particularly evil, pointless item this year called Slimecano.  A bit like hot wheels with red, staining slime but no cars. 

Icky Poo and other goopy stretchy things, which also arrive in encased in slime for double the fun.  These yucky artifacts stretch a seemingly infinite distance when 'flung', before making contact with a wall, ceiling, sibling or breakable heirloom.  The sibling will just squeal, but the gicky creatures leave stains on light coloured walls, ceilings and other surfaces.  Never leave one stuck to anything.  If left in pockets or beds they get wonderfully coated in fuzz which makes them less dangerous, but even nastier.  Have not yet met one in the dryer but watch this space.

Labels, sticky tape etc.  Safe removal of these varmints, and the sticky bits they leave behind depends on the surface.  Goo-gone and/or a sharp blade are excellent on a hard surface.  Gentle heat can soften some - but again it depends on the surface. From personal experience sticky tape in a child's hair calls for scissors; problem solved quickly with least grief. I think solvents are dangerous round kids and ungumming is virtually impossible.

Markers and crayons are not strictly 'Gick' but can be equally dangerous. My 3 year old's first recognizable drawing was a large, red 'Mr Sun' on the dining room wall.  It was only crayon but the wall was porous and the house was rented, so we had to redecorate.  This useful article on crayons and markers suggests that baby oil can help here too.

Washable Markers sometimes live up to their name if you spot the damage early.  Some colours are less washable: blue and purple have been the worst in our household.  If Santa has not removed these from the box you might want to 'lose' them quickly. Most online advice suggests that solvents are needed for removing stains made with these markers - so why are they called washable?

Permanent Markers eg Sharpies, should be kept in a gun-safe.  When they escape you will be able to follow their distinctive tracks right through the house until you find them, leaking to death on an absorbent surface.  Solvents are needed here.  Goo-gone gets mixed reviews, hand sanitizer also seems to work - what is in that stuff?   Lighter fluid will always be the best, if it can be used safely on your surface.  Ventilate well and blot vigorously to prevent spreading.

The golden rule for any stain removal on fabric is do not use hot water or a dryer until the the stain has gone.  Heat will  'set' stains so get rid of as much as possible before hotting things up.

Useful websites for more on Gick, stains and related aggravations:

The helpful Crayola folks have stain removal tips at the back-end of their website.  They discuss 2 sorts of silly putty but I saw no mention of farting slime. Guess it must be made by someone else?

Essortment seems to have a lot of useful how-to stuff for sticky situations.  I even noticed one on "How to tan small hides",  but I'm sure it's not intended for parents.

Wishing you a gick-free holiday season.

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Plus bonus Cogs and Treats for December Recommendations (check the end of this article)

You've been meaning to tell us about that window installer/electrician/snow plowing company or whatever else, but you've been busy, or feeling shy.  Here's a quick 1,2,3 on recommending a tradesman, contractor or business at Ask Around.   Help your friends and neighbours and earn Cogs points for yourself;  Tell us all about it.

1. Find the right category and service for the business you are recommending. Click here to see the complete list then click on the service that matches; You will be reminded to sign in. If  the business you used  is listed click on the business name to reach the recommendation form.  If the business you used is not yet listed yet click Add a new business at the bottom of the list.
2. The forms are quick.  You'll be finished in no time! Enter whatever details you can find when adding a new business; we need a business name and at least a phone number for a useful recommendation.  Then click through the recommendation form.  Tell us as much as you can - every detail helps your fellow members find the right help.  Accept the terms and conditions at the end of the form, click on the 'Add Rating' button and you are done.
3. You earn 100 cogs points for each recommendation you share so visit 'Your Page' to check your balance. Your recommendations are listed there too so you can review your words of wisdo. Want to make changes? Just send us an email.

That's all there is to it; so go ahead, share a recommendation.  Good, bad or just 'Ok' we want to know.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

ps. Recommendations posted before January 1st will earn 50 extra cogs; a little seasonal extra from Ask Around.  Plus 10 members who post December recommendations will receive a gift card for New Year treats.