Beware of Dogs

There’s a great article this month in Fast Company magazine on The Promise and Peril of a Reputation Economy.

Some really interesting points in the article about the challenges we face as a company sometimes having to play middleman between some minor dispute between a contractor and a homeowner.

We like to think we’ve got a pretty good process to protect ourselves from the bogus reviews, but of course it could get better. We cross check a few things both technically, and legally, which is manual work, but valuable.

However with close to 25,000 reviews on the site, we’re approaching such big names as Zagats and UrbanSpoon in terms of content.

Posted by BrianS

Where to buy Christmas decorations in Toronto

When it comes to seasonal and holiday decorating I myself am, well, pretty pathetic — just ask my kids. I do the bare minimum: at Halloween it’s the pumpkin, at Christmas it’s the tree and a few outdoor lights (LED of course!) and that’s about it. To be honest with you, I’m more of a baker. I’d whip up a batch of nanaimo bars or shortbread cookies in exchange for someone else decorating my house in a heart beat (But they’d also have to come and take it all down right after Christmas is over!). I realize, however, that there are a lot of people out there who love to decorate for the season.

So, since I recognize that I’m no authority on Christmas decorating shopping, I asked someone who is: Chris Jones from StyleNorth.ca. Chris has given me a list of his favourite places to purchase Christmas decorations in and around Toronto, and since Chris’ website is all about budget shopping, he’s kept that in mind with his list. Enjoy and happy decorating!

If you have a favourite shop or antique market for decorations, add it in the Comments Section following this post.

Where to buy Christmas Decorations

By Chris Jones

I’m a big fan of vintage Christmas ornaments because they take me back to
my childhood. My favorite place to find them is the St. Lawrence Antiques
Market (Sundays 7 am - 1 pm). Great prices on lovely old ornaments,
lights and table top display pieces like nativity scenes and reindeers and
sleds.

Toronto has fabulous museums and galleries and their gift shops have really
special and not particularly expensive holiday decorations. The Gardiner
Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario are both excellent spots for seasonal
items and the gift shops are free to browse.

Winners and Homesense are obvious standbys for decorative items that
won’t break the bank. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Hanukah
display at Winners’ Bloor Street location last week and the ornaments
were pretty and inexpensive.

For hipper, higher-end decorations you can hardly go wrong with
Crate&Barrel (Yorkdale Mall, 3401 Dufferin Street,) and West Elm (109
Atlantic Ave.).

The One of a Kind Show, on now until Dec. 7, has fantastic Christmas
decorations, some cheaper than others but all really lovely. I saw Xmas
wreaths made from shiny tree ornaments and some wonderful handmade
trimmings. Similarly, check out the Poppytalk Handmade website
(http://www.poppytalkhandmade.com/) for a variety of handcrafted seasonal
decorations, many less expensive than you might think.

A Christmas Trim (334 Kingston Rd) is a crazy jumble of a store that
carries a riot of seasonal decorations in a wide range of prices.

One of the designers of the Gardiner’s Twelve Trees of Christmas, Maria Ramirez of MDR Design Consultants, highly recommended Royal Green Enterprises, a florist/giftware wholesaler in Mississauga that sells to the public and stocks a wide range of Christmas decorations at very good prices.

And don’t forget Dollar Stores. Nearly all of the designers creating the
Gardiner Museum’s Twelve Trees of Christmas (on display until Dec. 10)
found at least some of their decorations at Dollar Stores. The airplanes on
the tree in the detail pic are small wooden toys, sprayed white and
repurposed as ornaments. Be creative!

Posted by CathyR

How to Shop for the Perfect Area Rug

by Belinda Albo, interior designer

An Area Rug is a great way to add the finishing touch to any room. In addition, area rugs have several practical benefits. They add warmth, intimacy, and reduce noise levels. They define a rooms boundaries, which helps to unify and complete a room.

WHAT SIZE?  Area rugs are available in various shapes and sizes. For a living room, the rug should be at least the same length and width as the furnishings. It looks best when both the front and back legs of the furnishings are on the carpet. Common area rug sizes for living rooms are 6’x 9’ and 8’ x 10’. For smaller rooms and bedrooms, 4’ x 6’ or 5’ x 7’ rugs work well.

Most dining tables will need at least an 8’ wide area rug. The chair legs should sit on top of the rug, even when someone is seated. An easy way to determine the rug size needed is to measure the width and
length of your table, then add a minimum of 3’ to each measurement.
STYLE   When choosing a rug style, think about the ambiance you are after. Is the room style: casual, traditional, or contemporary?
1 COUNTRY For Victorian, “old world” or English country themes consider an aubusson or faded oriental rug. Also, consider a tribal or nubby geometric for a Mexican country interior.

2 CONTEMPORARY High tech, urban streamlined rooms work well with the contrasting texture offered by a shag rug. Another alternative is a leather-bound sisal, or flat pile commercial rug.

3 ECLECTIC / GLOBAL Select a fun faux zebra, or leopard rug for a striking ethnic twist. Mix it in a traditional cream coloured setting for a unique spin.

4 TRADITIONAL Consider exploring Persian or Pakistani rug designs which have bold colours and elaborate designs.

FIBERS    Rugs are made of several different fibers that determine their appearance and performance. Natural fibers (like wool, cotton, or silk) are soft and come in low lustre colours. They are often hand-made, provide long term performance and often cost more. Synthetic fibers (such as nylon, polyester, or acrylic) are available in more brilliant colours. They are easy to maintain, and are an outstanding value.

Belinda Albo: interior designer and author is available for your home consultations.

Posted by Belinda Albo

We’re now on Twitter

We suspect few of you use Twitter, or even know what it is. But again, we may be wrong!

Check out our new twitter feed here. Follow us on Twitter!

Posted by BrianS

Heart Business Journal for Women

As a woman running my own business in addition to running my family, there are times when I wonder if I’ve stretched myself too thin. It’s not that we all can’t handle tasks and to do’s, but when work and family obligations conflict, the decisions you make and what you focus on can be even more challenging.

A good friend of mine recently launched a new magazine called Heart, designed for business women. Heart is available in book stores and across Canada and deals directly with the work-life balance issue that affects us all. Heart is also a workbook or journal which happens to include the latest information on trends in both the workforce and personal matters (from finance to health) and particularly how these issues pertain to women. The articles cover subject areas as broad as our daily routines, ranging from recipes to articles on mentorship. It also features women who have successful careers and who have achieved them without sacrificing their personal lives. It is a resource for all working women and fills that mentorship void giving step by step instructions on achieving and maintaining the difficult work-life balance. For those that like to write or even just jot down ideas, Heart shares approaches to journaling throughout the magazine.

I also checked out Heart’s website to see what else it had to offer. The site includes useful templates that are directly related to the magazine’s articles. Take, for instance, the article on networking (”No Woman is an Island. The Power of Networking,” November/December, 2008), on the website you’ll find a downloadable template to help keep track of your networking tree. There are podcasts from interview profiles, “how to” exercises to get you started in journaling and a calendar of events where Heart will appear.

A lot is packed into this new medium and it’s a valuable resource worth reading. Way to go Brenda!

Posted by NancyP

Eco-Friendly Building Materials

By Kelly Turnbull
Sacchidananda Design Solutions

There is no doubt about it; everyone wants to be more environmentally responsible. However, going green can be a little overwhelming. The best advice I can give is to pick your battles. You don’t have to save the world all at once.  Just a little bit can go a long way in creating a healthier home. When choosing eco friendly options for your home, here are a few guidelines to help you along;

Floors

To ensure dust and allergens are kept to a minimum, avoid fitted carpets and synthetic rugs. Consider canes and grasses such as Jute, Sisal, sea grass, hemp and rattan. Natural fibers such as silk, cotton and wool coloured with vegetable dyes are also an option, just be sure to use a natural fiber underlayment with them.
Other choices include natural cork, which is insulating and warm underfoot, bamboo which is beautiful and also renewable and sustainable resource, recycled rubber or linoleum flooring made from 100 per cent natural products including linseed oil, jute, resin, cork, limestone and wood flour (sawdust). Linoleum is also considered extremely durable and can be 100% recyclable.
If you love the look of hardwood, try using reclaimed lumber, smart wood or FSC approved hardwood.
Countertops
There are several gorgeous options for eco friendly countertops; Solid wood butcher block, such as maple, from responsibly managed forests, Marmoleum, which is a durable and eco- friendly linoleum, Concrete with at least a 30% fly ash content, which lowers production energy, Stainless steel made from salvaged or with recycled metal and surfaces made of recycled glass, reclaimed paper or a combination of bamboo fibers and paper.
If you plan on using natural or quarried stone such as slate, granite or marble, be sure avoid varnishes and sealants containing PVC.

If possible, consider refacing your current countertop – use water based VOC free spray refinisher over your existing arborite, wood or laminate counters to get them looking as good as new and keeping them out of the landfill.

Cabinets
The most significant source of UF (urea formaldehyde) emissions in the home basis come from the composite woods in our furnishings and cabinetry. Avoid traditional MDF and try solid wood from sustainably managed forests, plywood with flour based glues or particle board made of recycled and sustainable raw materials with low VOC adhesives.

Paint
Look for low VOC options and the “Green Seal” label. Darker the paint colour the more VOC’s, though Benjamin Moore has developed a new colourant system which does not add VOC’s with the addition of pigment. Oil paints become zero VOC after 3 days as opposed to standard latex paints.  If you’re really serious about zero emissions, try looking for recycled paint or using milk paint and adding your own pigment.
Fabrics and Upholstery
Use natural fabrics such as wool, cotton, linen, silk and bamboo fibers. Since many cotton and linen growers use pesticides, organic is best…a bonus if you can find products which have been naturally sun bleached.

And of course, recycle whenever possible during your home improvement projects – refinish existing pieces whenever possible or contact stores like the Habitat for humanity re-store, who will help keep your unwanted building materials out of landfills while helping raise money for less fortunate families.
Going green in your home doesn’t have to break the bank or create a compromise on style and comfort.  New environmentally sound technologies are emerging every day and the opportunities to make beautiful and responsible choices are everywhere. With a little research, you can have the gorgeous home you dreamed of and feel good about doing your part in taking care of the planet.

Posted by BrianS

The Yelp Model - Transparency or Dollars

We came across a great article about how Yelp, sells their service. It’s a good read for our customers.

There’s some interesting points about ‘adjusting the reviews’ for their paying customers. Although they do not remove the bad reviews for their clients, they will reorder them to have the good ones at the top.

They are also not completely transparent in their review process:

“Review order is determined by a combination of recency and user voting,” the Web site states. “Yelp has a system which automatically determines which reviews show for a given business . . . We don’t show every review.”

At HomeStars we post all approved reviews - good or bad - even for our paying clients. While we are, of course, trying to help our customers get more business and grow their home improvement ventures, we have to respect that our site is trusted by our readers. Our readers definitely let us know if a bad review disappears. (See Nancy’s earlier post)

The other thing worth notable point in the article was on the pricing:

The company offers a range of advertising options. At the basic level, a business can pay $150 a month to have what the site calls an enhanced profile. It lets a business place a favorite review at the top of its profile, add pictures and announcements, and track the number of people who visit its Yelp profile.

Starting at $300 a month and going up to $1,000 a month, the company will let businesses advertise on the review pages of local competitors. The more a business pays, the more times its advertisement will show up on a local competitor’s profile.

HomeStars is a good deal! At $80/month for a single category in one location, we’re well below our competitors, and, in the home services category, quite likely have more traffic.

Posted by BrianS

Winter Window Woes

Winter Window Woes

By  Graham Clarke, VP Engineering, Carson Dunlop.

Did you know that extreme winter cold can place undue stress on your house? Consider your windows.

A graphic example of the effects of extreme cold can be seen on the old single-glazed, metal-framed windows in many older homes. Over a really cold night, these windows will often frost right up. While wonderfully artistic, and fun for kids to scratch their names into, this does render the window particularly useless: can’t open it - frosted shut; can’t look out - frosted over.

Windows all over the province will be exhibiting varying degrees of the same effect. Even some new windows will sweat heavily or frost up. Let’s look at the root causes, and suggest some solutions.

(more…)

Posted by CathyR

Choices for Eco-Friendly blinds and shades

When I was at the HomeStars “Meet the Contractors” event a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Ana Pilling from 4Blinds Inc. We began talking about new “eco-friendly” window coverings products and the increasing selection that’s available. In fact, it can be a bit overwhelming so choosing a product depends on your needs (ie.: decor, privacy, insulation…). I asked Ana if could write an article on the subject and she was kind enough to agree. Thank you Ana for your contribution to our blog.

SHADES OF GREEN

By Ana Pilling (co-owner of 4Blinds Inc.)

Making environmentally-conscious improvements to your home? Then don’t forget to include the products people will see from the street - your window coverings.

From earth-grown designer bamboo shades to the more energy-efficient air pockets of honeycombs, the choices are environmentally conscious and stylish too!

(more…)

Posted by CathyR

Finally! A one-stop shop for all your green building materials needs!

If you’re a green building fan like me, you’ve probably looked on enviously at Ottawa’s and Vancouver’s green building stores wondering why we here in Toronto don’t have the same thing. (Ottawa has “The Healthiest Home” and Vancouver has “Greenworks Building Supply“). But surprisingly nothing like those stores existed in Toronto — until now.

In July Green Design Studio opened its doors — and more or less a stampede through the gate followed. Catherine Bottoni, Green Design Studio’s Manager, told me that people have been coming in and saying “Finally I don’t have to traipse all over the city to track down the green products I’m looking for!” (Which of course also saves those nasty greenhouse gases.)

The store sells everything from dishware made from bamboo or recycled glass, furniture and bedding, through to flooring, carpeting, paints and tiles. They’ve also recently added design, renovation and build services.

Catherine said that they will be offering “lunch and learn” sessions where they will explain the benefits and uses of new products. Initially open to the trades only, eventually these sessions will also be open to the public.

In a follow-up post I’ll feature a few of the products Green Design Studio offers and what makes them green.

Posted by CathyR