Resources

A common error some people make about bamboo is that it is a type of hardwood. Not to be confused with common associations of many species of grass, bamboo is actually a type of grass which matures into a material that can rival the hardness of maple! Well adapted to their environment, bamboo plants thrive in areas of fair-to-poor soil quality and still remain one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Controlled harvesting has very little impact on each individual stalk, which will continue to grow long after harvesting. This is what makes bamboo such a renewable source of flooring material, and why it is often associated with environmentally minded choices for flooring. The fact that it is so uniquely attractive makes bamboo flooring an extremely beneficial choice for your own interior environment!

How Bamboo Flooring is Made

Once the bamboo has been harvested, the outer layer of green skin is removed and each stalk is cut into lengthwise strips or fillets. These curved fillets of bamboo are milled along their outer edges in order to flatten them. The excess elements of this process will go into another type of bamboo flooring that is called strand-woven bamboo flooring. The flattened strips of bamboo are then kiln dried in order to remove the natural moisture in the bamboo, and are then boiled. The bamboo fillets are now ready to be glued together to make a solid, dependable surface that is more than suitable for flooring. The bamboo undergoes one final compression stage, which makes it that much more durable and ready to ship. Tongue-and-groove elements are added in order to make installation as easy as possible. The outcome of this manufacturing process is dependent on which kind of bamboo flooring is being made. There are several types of bamboo flooring, both in terms of cut and of color, and some differences in how they are processed.

Horizontal or Vertical Bamboo Flooring

During the gluing process, the bamboo can either be bound with the narrow edges facing up, which results in a thin, channel pattern, or so that the broader surface of the bamboo is bound facing upward, making for a surface that is more akin to traditional hardwood patterns. These styles of bamboo flooring are known as vertical and horizontal bamboo flooring, respectively. There are visual benefits to each one, depending on your personal taste, but both remain decorative choices. The horizontal style is striking for its knuckle or node patterns (the pattern naturally occurring in the bamboo that is the equivalent of growth rings in many hardwood species). The vertical style is a unique surface that remains unmatched by any other natural flooring material.

There is very little wasted material during the bamboo flooring manufacturing process, making bamboo a truly renewable and sustainable source of flooring materials.
With more and more demand for green products Trillium Construction has found itself promoting Bamboo flooring for is unique appeal, ease to install and relative durability, we also find ourselves educating our clients on where this product as well how it should be maintained.

When considering a home renovation to improve the resale value of your home, keep in mind what has the highest return on investment (ROI).
Bathroom and kitchen renovations seem to still lead the market place with ROI. Painting both the exterior and interior or upgrading the floors will pay for itself in value. Renovating the basement, creating a recreation room, or building a garage to add square footage all offer a high resale value. Installing a fireplace, replacing windows and doors, installing central air and improving the heating and furnace system will all appeal to the energy-conscious buyer and also offer better pay backs at selling.
Working on your landscaping is always recommended, but be a minimalist as this is not the area to gain your ROI. Adding a skylight may seem like a good alternative to light your home, but for resale it has the same returns as using energy-efficient bulbs.
Set out a budget, the amount you are willing to invest to get a higher price for your home. Talk to a professional who is able to assist with improving your home, as well as your bank manager. These people should be able to tell you exactly what your house needs to get the highest ROI. Then, decide which areas you are going to focus on and start the process.

More insulation demands better moisture management

More builders than ever are adding a layer of rigid foam insulation to outside walls to cut heat losses. While the extra insulation reduces thermal bridging and boosts wall R-values it also increases the potential for moisture problems. Given enough thickness, all types of rigid foam board become vapor retarders, making it harder for moisture that gets into wall cavities to dry out.
 

Even traditional building methods rely on science

Given the potential down side, some builders argue against the practice altogether. Builders who use exterior insulation, however, seem to have science on their side. It’s understandable that people get frustrated by the endless number of building techniques and materials to choose from these days, but the fact of the matter is that the basic principles of how heat, air, and water move through a building are the same no matter what you build with.

 With careful attention to detail, inside and out, exterior foam insulation should do exactly what it’s supposed to. It comes down to looking at the shell of a home as a system, where the insulation, airsealing, moisture barrier, flashing, and siding are matched to perform in a safe and predictable way.

 http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/12886/does-rigid-foam-insulation-trap-moisture-in-the-walls

This has been a bad week when considering basic human decency. What with the severely demented media, the appalling number of protesters causing havoc in Toronto, our governments lap dog obedience with our boarders partners south of us and their bad choices, the drug dealing women who shot her kids when they reported her to children’s aid services our Justice Department that is so politicized that even top rated interns are blacklisted from jobs while total hacks are put in place to deliver (liberal) justice, and a Supreme Court that arrogates the wisdom of the medical profession and condemns women to dangerous and perhaps deadly procedures because they want to show they “respect life”, it’s enough to make one wonder if the world isn’t going to hell in a hand basket and people are pretty nasty creatures.

It’s times like this when one is overwhelmed with the bad, being reminded of how it’s okay to trust or even like our fellow human beings is essential. Today, I found a piece that helped dispel my weary cynicism.

I used to share the cynicism common to many contractors: that people were frequently malicious and opportunistic. But, of course, you don’t get treated well wearing a hard hat and tool pouch and thick, black glasses taped together, and now, I get that. Years of customer service have changed the way I think about people

Now I believe that people are overwhelmingly trustworthy and deeply OK. I don’t want to sound sanctimonious or syrupy, but for the past seven years, I’ve been doing full-time customer service, interacting with hundreds of people. I see that most people share a similar moral compass: They play fair, they give each other a break and they generally get along. I see that pretty much everyone operates by that Golden Rule thing.

 To be of service to others rather than trying to find the best way to strike it rich,we built a company where we really do see how most people operate with the sense of decency and that observation overwhelms this experience with the few who want to take advantage of others or don’t want to play fair.

Whats your thoughts on his testimony:

Mistake #1 – You pick a contractor based only on price! The old adage is really true: “You get what you pay for.” This is especially true in the contracting business.If you want good contracting you should decide to deal with a contractor because of the overall value you receive, NOT because they are the lowest priced.

Here’s why… Read more »

Building your own home is not as simple as it may appear. For example-Have you had adequate technical training and do you have a working knowledge of the Building Code? You would be somewhat nervous if your builder told you that your house was going to be his first and you may not want to finance his education.

For you to take over any function in the home construction process, you should calculate in the cost of your education to do that job. The cost of wasted materials after you have done it the wrong way, and the professional consulting to get the mistakes fixed, can be a difficult and expensive learning experience.

A professionally built home instills confidence. If you sell your home down the road, will a purchaser pay more for a novice built home or one built by a reputable known builder?

There is a common misconception that the builder adds excessive profits to the total home costs and some people think they can avoid paying the extra charge by building the house themselves. In order for this statement to be true the novice builder and the professional builder would have to have the same net costs. The professional’s net cost will always be lower. Construction is a competitive industry and profit margins are lean. There is not a lot of money to be saved by acting as your own general contractor. You might be pleasantly surprised at how little it really costs to hire a professional.

Can you devote 3-4 months of essential daytime supervision? Will your current job suffer? Do you have the ability to recognize and stop potential problems as they occur? When you take on the responsibilities yourself, you may find that you cannot hire the better sub-contractors when you would like because they are already booked.

Those who have chosen the route of self-contracting commonly speak of frustration, costly delays and headaches. Although they were in direct contact with the subtrades and were able to make their own decisions every step of the way, they were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of decisions to be made. The builder makes it easy for you by making many of these decisions on your behalf, leaving you with the decisions that make your house uniquely yours such as cabinetry, fixtures, and wall and floor coverings.

There are so many complexities and other important aspects to building a new house that it is wise to deal with a professional builder and one who can provide you with an independent third party guaranteed warranty. You can get started by going to the list of Registered Builders in the New Home Warranty Program.

The Ontario Renovators’ Council of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association was established to
meet the specific needs of the home renovation industry.  In addition to this Consumer Guide, the Council also prepares magazine and newspaper articles that are intended to inform the consumer about developments in the renovation industry.  Projects displayed in this brochure were completed by members of the Ontario Renovators’ Council.

Download the Ontario Renovator’s Council Renovation Guide (pdf 1.2MB)