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When winter hits Toronto, the snow and ice that come with it can make blistery mornings especially tough for those who have driveways to shovel out. Whether you have a snow removal service, a snow blower or a good, old-fashioned shovel, dealing with snow and ice can be a pain – especially when you are rushing to get to work. A more recent solution is the heated driveway.

While heated driveways and walkways have been used extensively in the commercial realm for the last 25 years, their adoption in the residential sector is more recent. There are two types of heated driveway – electric and hydronic. The electric heated driveway is easier to install but it is harder to maintain a constant temperature. The hydronic heated driveway uses an anti-freeze water solution in pipes under the surface to maintain the temperature you want.

There are a number of good reasons to install a heated driveway.

– They save you time you would otherwise spend shoveling

– They save your driveway surface from harsh chemicals used to melt snow and ice

– Keeping your driveway surface at a constant, above-freezing temperature will help the surface last longer

– Prevents slips and falls

– Will increase the market value of your home

There are also a few reasons to not install heated driveways.

– Initial installation is expensive

– If an element breaks, it will mean breaking a part or all of your driveway to fix it

– Your utility costs will increase

Also, keep in mind that even if you have a heated driveway, you will still have to shovel your walkway unless you install a heating system in that as well.

A heated driveway can last anywhere from 10-20 years as long as it has been installed correctly. You can use your heated driveway just as you would any other driveway, although it is best not to allow any heavy trucks onto it to avoid potential damage to the heating structures underneath it.

Renovations are always exciting. Once you decide that your Toronto home needs a facelift, the next steps obviously include choosing the design for your project and all of the materials and fixtures that will make it what you want it to be. However, translating your vision into reality will require a good, experienced and trustworthy contractor. Choosing a contractor is very much like choosing anything else – you must do your research before hiring anyone.

Start out by asking friends and family if they have used anyone they would recommend. Chances are, someone in your circle will have a contractor to recommend. If no one among your group of friends has any suggestions, look on neighbourhood business boards for local contractors or look online for suggestions in your area. Although it isn’t necessary to hire someone locally, you might have to pay a premium for the travelling a contractor who usually conducts business on the other side of the city will have to do. Some contractors won’t even accept jobs that are not close to them as it is not worth the travel time they lose.

Once you have three or four contractor names, it’s time to set up meetings with them to find out what they can offer you and to see whether you get along. Since these people will be in your home for extended periods of time and will be remodelling the Toronto home you live in, it’s important that you are able to easily communicate what you want.

Get quotes from your shortlisted contractors and make sure those quotes include details of what materials they will provide and what you need to provide. Make sure that the quotes include solid timelines for when they will start and finish the work. They should also have a very clear payment schedule.

When meeting with the contractors be sure that they bring portfolios of the work they have done along with references that you can contact. And, also see if there are gaps in their work history – sometimes gaps are explained by illness or having taken some time off, but if there are too many gaps between jobs, then it is not a good sign. Be sure to contact the references to see if they had a positive experience with the contractor.

Lastly, find out if you could visit current job sites to see how they work. A good contractor will have no problem having you visit.

A few red flags to look for include;
– Not being able to contact them easily
– Having no portfolio of their work or very badly taken photos of their work
– Refusing to give you a solid timeline for when the work will get done
– Refusing to give you references
– Insisting on getting paid either up front in full for the job or demanding the majority of the costs up front
– Bidding too low for the job – it means they will likely be cutting costs somewhere

As with anything else, as long as you do your due diligence and investigate the contractors on your short list, you are sure to find the perfect match for your job.

Choosing the correct lighting for your Toronto home can be a tricky proposition. There are so many varieties of lighting and fixtures available that deciding on the perfect illumination can take some time.

There are three types of light in a home: ambient, task and accent.

Ambient lighting is the light that fills the room. More modern ambient lights tend to come from pot lights, although fixed centre ceiling lights are still quite common. The amount of ambient light in each room of your home will vary with kitchens and bathrooms requiring the most light.

Task lighting refers to lighting used for specific applications – to help you apply makeup, read a book or work easily on a counter. Task lighting need not be hardwired into your walls – although it can, but can also come in the form of lamps sitting on desks or floors, bulbs on mirrors hanging in your room or even be mounted on a wall. Task lighting really is meant to provide light in a very small area.

Accent lighting is meant to be decorative and to draw the eye to a specific object or spot in the room. Accent lights come from any number of light fixtures, but are usually the kind that can be directionally focused on one area or object.

Usually a good lighting design incorporates all three forms of lighting into a home. For instance, kitchens usually have ambient lighting in the form of pot lights on the ceiling, task lighting in the form of under cabinet lighting and accent lighting in the form of pendant lights over the centre island. Bedrooms usually have one overhead ambient light and smaller task lighting for bedside reading.

The kind of lighting fixtures chosen will have a huge impact on the look of your overall home design. Whether it is recessed, flush mounted, pendant, chandelier or sconces will help pull your room’s style together. So, when choosing lighting for your home, it is best to have a unified look or theme. Whether your home has a modern design sensibility, a contemporary aesthetic, a traditional feel or a country-home vibe, the correct lights will go a long way towards creating the kind of ambiance that will make your house a home.

Along with cabinets, counters in any kitchen must be both functional and attractive. As counters take up a large surface area, choosing the correct material and hue will be crucial to pulling your space together.

In the past, counters were fairly basic and were made using either butcher block, stainless steel, melamine, concrete or tiles. In more recent years natural stone counters have come to dominate the counter market. Today you can select from amongst granite, quartzite, quartz, marble, limestone and soapstone counters along with the more traditional options.

So, what’s the difference between the natural stone options? While they are all strong and resilient, certain stones are better suited to counters than others. We’ll look at the top options over here.

Quartz

The best choice in counters for those who want the least maintenance is quartz. Engineered using quartz fragments/dust and resin, this extremely hard and durable material is highly resistant to scratches, chips and stains and can be easily cleaned with regular cleaners. It also doesn’t require any sealing to be done. The only drawback is that high heat can occasionally melt the resin in the material and leave a mark – so, using a trivet or hot plate is a must. Quartz comes in a variety of colours and designs, which means that it is very easy to choose the exact colour/pattern that you want for your space – and since they are engineered, they don’t have imperfections like natural stone does. Quartz is similar to granite in cost and can be quite expensive.

Granite

Polished granite continues to be the most popular choice in counters. Not only is granite very strong and resilient, it has a luxurious quality and every slab is unique. Similar to quartz, granite is heat resistant but should not be exposed to high temperatures for extended periods of time as that can remove the sealant from your counter. Granite also needs to be sealed every year since it is a porous rock and can stain if not properly cared for. Along with quartz it is among the more expensive countertop options.

Soapstone

Soapstone was historically used in farmhouses and centuries-old homes, however, it is seeing a resurgence as it is a durable, easily maintained surface for kitchens. Soapstone comes in only one dark grey colour with light veining and tends to darken over time. It also forms an antique-looking patina that will lend itself well to kitchens with an old look/feel. Soapstone is highly durable, fairly heat resistant is resistant to scratches and chips, although these can occur. If/when they do, they can be buffed away to keep the counter looking its best – or if they are allowed to remain, will add to the antique feel of the counter. They do need to be sealed every year with mineral oil.

Marble

Although marble will always be included in the list of most desirable countertop materials, it is the softest, which means that much greater care is needed to keep it looking its best. It chips and scratches fairly easily and due to its highly porous nature it stains far more quickly than other stones – even after sealing. However, marble is still a very luxurious stone and one of the most attractive as well. Of course, it has one of the higher price tags of all the countertop options, but if you are willing to put in the work of keeping it looking its best, then it can be one of the highlights of your home.

While the other stone options are also very desirable in kitchen settings, they tend to be less used than the ones above, but can definitely create a huge impact when chosen well.

The faucet you choose for your Toronto kitchen remodel will make all the difference in the world when it comes to washing up. Along with the sink you choose, the faucet will play an integral role in setting the tone for the style of your kitchen. And, with so many styles to choose from and features to consider, finding the right fit for your needs and budget can take longer than you anticipate.

Gone are the days where your kitchen faucet was a standard tap with two temperature control knobs on either side. Today’s range of faucets include everything from your old fashioned versions to touchless, sensor-controlled taps that require merely a wave of your hand to activate. The faucet you choose will need to fit into your renovation budget and the design tone established for your kitchen.

Gaining in popularity are touchless faucets. There are two versions of touchless taps – those that are powered with triple A batteries and those that are hardwired to the home’s electricity. Both options work just as well, with the battery powered faucets simply requiring battery changes every so often. Depending on the brand installed, regular faucet use will require the batteries to be changed every year. While the hardwired versions won’t require battery changes, they will require an electrician to install.

Although slightly more expensive than their counterparts, touchless faucets have several advantages.

Fighting germs

In our pandemic-driven world, germs are a very real concern. Faucets are a high-concentration area for germs since you must touch the faucet before washing your hands. Having a touchless faucet in such instances is highly convenient and makes it easier to keep germs at bay.

Convenience

When cooking your hands will get dirty – and turning on the tap while your hands have been touching raw meats or kneading dough will mean having to disinfect your fixtures afterwards. However, with a touchless faucet you can wash your hands without worry of having to clean/disinfect your taps.

Conservation

Another advantage of a touchless faucet is water conservation. The water won’t keep running, the sensor will automatically shut off so there is no water wastage. If you pay for water consumption, you will readily see a savings after the installation of a touchless faucet.

There are some cons to consider if you are thinking of a touchless faucet. They are more expensive than a regular faucet. They do need an electrical source and, if it is hard-wired to your home’s electricity, in a power failure you won’t have water. Lastly, you can unintentionally activate it when moving dishes around. Overall, a touchless faucet is considered an upgrade and will add value to your home.

You have chosen your cabinets, your colours, your counters and your sink – you’ve even chosen the lighting for your new Toronto kitchen, but, what about the hardware fixtures for your cabinetry? Although seemingly functional and nothing more, the right fixtures can add tremendous functionality and visual interest to your culinary setting.

IWhen going about choosing the right hardware for your Toronto kitchen, it is best to keep certain two key elements in mind – your theme and your finishes.

Your theme will guide you in deciding on the size, shape and finish of your hardware. For instance, if you have rounded handles on your appliances and curves in your light fixtures, then you might want to keep that theme going with your cabinetry hardware. On the other hand if everything in your home is rectangular then those same curved handles would look odd.

TThe finish of your hardware is also very important. Although it is possible to have your kitchen stand alone, most designers prefer to keep the same finish used in the rest of the home. Brushed nickel is a perennial favorite while copper and bronze add a striking accent to country-style kitchens. Lately, designers have been using brushed gold fixtures as striking accents in more contemporary kitchens.

A good rule of thumb is to match fixtures to the colour of the kitchen cabinets as well as the sink. For instance, if you have a copper sink, then you should probably stay away from chrome fixtures. Making sure that all of your colours meld together is a good way to create a harmonious environment for cooking and entertaining.

Consideration should also be given to whether you install knobs or pulls. If you tend to catch yourself on fixtures, then you are better off using pulls. If you do choose pulls make sure that the family member with the largest hands in the family is able to easily insert their hand into the pull to use it. Pulls should be convenient to use.

On the more premium-end of the scale are copper sinks. These beauties last a very long time and retain their good-looks for generations – however, they are sensitive to acids, heat and harsh cleaning agents and are also susceptible to dings and scratches, which often end-up adding to their cachet. However, be prepared to pay for their elegance and to spend more time maintaining them.

Lastly, be sure to purchase good quality hardware. While it might be tempting to stock up on the cheapest handles you find, those handles might not last as long in such a high-use area. It is better to buy something that has a guarantee and will retain its look and finish long-term.