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Renovation Innovation

Renovators find new products, new technology and new techniques on and off the job site.

The Canadian renovation industry is eclectic, as revealed when Home BUILDER asked about the latest innovations being used to get jobs done faster, quicker and at a lower price. The range of products and ideas was vast - from kitchen sinks to a new stair system. We have selected some of them here.
When Bowman Husted, president Bowood Custom Homes and Renovations in Red Deer, Alberta, which won both of the Alberta HBA's Renovation Awards this year, was asked about his most popular innovation, he didn't hesitate. "It is the Schluter-Ditra sub floor," Husted said. "It works great when laying tile floors." He explains: "We deal with a lot of crappy old floors and all kinds of things where there may be concerns. You just lay the Ditra over top and it spans all the problems."
Developed by Schluter of New York, and widely available in Canada, the Ditra is a polyethylene membrane with a grid structure of square, cut-back cavities and an anchoring fleece laminated to its underside. In conjunction with tiled coverings, Schlüter®-DITRA forms an uncoupling, waterproofing, and vapour pressure equalization layer.
Husted was also impressed with another Schluter product: a waterproof foam base for shower stalls that includes a floor drain.

Estimating
Vancouver-based stucco installer Ernie Roos turned to high technology as his pick for his most innovative product. Roos, president of Ernies Stucco Ltd., recently began using Canadian-developed estimating software known as EstiMaster2. "It took me less than two hours to build my database from scratch, and less than one hour to prepare a comprehensive estimate," said an impressed Roos, who admits he is less than computer fluent.
Estimator 2 was developed by Amos Avitan of White Rock, B.C., who has worked in the construction and contracting industry for 30 years. "I wanted an estimating system that can be run by anyone regardless of their level of computer knowledge," he explained.
Priced at $590, Estimator2 will run "out of the box" on any PC using the Windows operating system. The database pricing can be input manually or imported from a supplier's pricing.
With the software, data is divided into various trade items, allowing for quick compilation of materials, which can be used time and time again for different jobs. Categories can in turn be joined to form larger components, enabling the data to be tailored for different situations. A big advantage is that data can be input manually or imported from suppliers' pricing.
Estimator is simple to run, according to Roos and others who have used it. Five separate tabs step through to a finished report that can be faxed or e-mailed.
In addition to the material reports, there are standard formats for generating quotes and invoices for the client. Both automatically assist with the separation of taxable and non-taxable components for the costs. The quotes and invoices may also be exported to MS Word or saved on the PC for late use as templates. There is also the capability to export the entire materials pricing structure to MS Excel.
Contractors who have used it say it works well. "Once I understood the program, I realized how easy it is to operate and I found that it not only saved me estimating time, but it also saved me from making any errors. Compared to other estimating software that I have looked at, this one is great," said Glen Bertelson, president of All Domain Plumbing of Burnaby, B.C.

Kitchens
Doug Kerr of Kerr Construction Ltd., whose company won a CHBA-BC Georgie Award in 2002 for "best kitchen renovation under $30,000", offers some innovations for low-priced kitchens with a high-priced look.
"Co-ordinating the paint with your tile colours and matching light fixtures doesn't cost money but it can create an awesome look at the end," Kerr said. "You can save literally thousands of dollars."
Kerr offered two specific examples. When doing a bathroom floor, he advises using mostly low-cost plain ceramic tiles but buying one or two larger custom-designed tiles as a centrepiece. "The result is a custom floor that costs less than using expensive tiles for the whole floor."
In the award-winning budget kitchen, Kerr removed walls, replaced all the appliances and completely gutted and replaced the kitchen. "Instead of granite countertops we went with a black laminate. The cost difference is around $125 to $200 per linear foot for granite or $25 per linear foot for the laminate."
The end result was a showcase kitchen with co-ordinated colours, textures and low-maintenance materials, he noted.

Tight-fit spaces
While not a renovator, Chris Lu of Sabal Crafted Homes LP of Calgary has come up with a series of innovative design ideas to stretch space in a small house. The ideas were used in a home that won the 2003 Innovation Award from the Alberta HBA - a 26-foot-wide house designed to fit on a narrow lot. As many renovators work with infill housing, trying to squeeze more living space into small older homes, Lu's concepts should prove worthwhile.
First of all, Lu found that by changing the stair configuration to the second level more room could be created downstairs. "We widened the U-shaped staircase so it is actually longer, which made room on the ground floor for the kitchen."
His other award-winning ideas were on the second floor, where he made the kids' bathroom larger and the master ensuite smaller. "The parents always have a soaker tub that is never used," he explained, "so, instead, we put a luxury shower stall with jets in the ensuite and put the soaker tub in the kids' bathroom with double sinks. Technically, two kids could be in there without any fights."
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