Intelligent Designs

Mill Road

Intelligent Designs — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:51:38 +0000

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600 Queens Quay West

Intelligent Designs — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:18:21 +0000

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5 Most Common Home Updates for Under $10,000

Sam Regan — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 20:18:50 +0000

Sometimes, you don’t have a lot of money, but your place is still looking tired, and you want to fix it. I know this feeling: you work hard all day long, and you come home every day, and the place is boring and uninspiring.

Of course, there’s a lot that can be done to fix up the place, but I don’t have that kind of budget. I only have $10,000, and I’m not very handy. What can I do?

This can be a great time to get creative with your to-do list. Do you need a new toilet? Maybe, but it will cost you at least $500 for a decent toilet and any other material you need, as well as a guy to come and install the toilet. While paying for a guy to take your other toilet with him because you don’t wanna haul that thing to the dump yourself. So, you’re probably looking at around $800-$1000.

Is a toilet really worth 10% of your total budget, not to mention the tax? Not to me.

If your toilet is having a problem flushing, it’s usually a valve problem which can be fixed by changing a $50 part on the toilet, saving the cost of changing the entire thing. Changing your bathroom vanity can also be a great way to change the look and appeal of your bathroom. A single bathroom vanity can go anywhere from $500-$5000 depending on how fancy you want to get, and you still need to install it and do the plumbing. Is it really worth $1000-$6000 for a new vanity in a small bathroom when you only have $10,000 to spend? Again, it’s not my favourite choice. If you want to upgrade the countertops or if the faucet is starting to drip or have problems sometimes you can change parts or just change what you need. If you want renovation, that’s an entirely different budget.

Let's get into what you can do or at least my top five recommendations for things you can do for under $10,000.

1. In the kitchen, a great option for under $10,000 can be to change your countertop so it’s no longer that old laminate as well as updating your faucet and sink. Depending on what you choose for stone countertops, you will be basically right there around your budget at $10,000.

2. A fantastic option is always to repaint. It’s been years since you’ve repainted, and with all those marks and scuffs on the wall, not to mention the mark left by the old location of the sofa and that time you were moving the furniture around and smacked the corner bead, your walls can really use some new paint. Plus, wouldn’t it look great with a new color? Did you even pick this color? The good news is if you haven’t changed your floors in 40 years, the colour is coming back in again. Lol, it’s not exactly the samecolour, but it’s pretty close, so if all you did was paint the walls, you might be able to buy yourself a little bit of time before you do that major reno. Painting a 1000-square-foot house will probably set you back somewhere around $6000 -$7000, which includes everything. And you still have a couple of bucks left over to remove the stucco on your living room ceiling. Great!

3. Accent walls, in my opinion, are the smartest way to use the money. They don’t break the bank, and you can do something really cool. Sometimes, this can be throwing on a quick wallpaper that you can even do yourself. If you have the patience for that kind of thing, painting one wall, or a series of walls. Afavourite for me is tiling, and this can be something you do to your fireplace or even in a bathroom. Depending on your choice of material, the cost of the material and the installation method will be reflected, but in most cases, you should be able to find some nice options for your budget. Obviously, if you are looking to repaint a 100 ft.² wall, it will probably only cost you a few hundred. If you decide to do a book-matching stone slab, you will definitely be looking closer to your $10,000 range.

4. Wallpaper is another favourite, and I know I have said this before, but yes, it is back. I know I know I just got rid of the wallpaper and I don’t want to do it again too bad it’s back. There are lots of options to do. Just stay away from the one you just removed. There are also some newer options that can be noise dampening as well if you are trying to keep the noise down in certain spaces or you happen to have noisy neighbours you are trying to ignore. I just wallpapered my powder room, put on some new accessories and a floating shelf, and hung a piece of art, and I think the whole thing cost me $3000 to $4000. Yes! I love being under budget.

5. Lighting can be #1 of the most impactful things you can do to your home. If you don’t want to get into anything major, you can change the type of light fixture you use in different rooms. If you have a little bit more patience, you can usually add pot lights in different rooms, including paint and patching as needed, for under $10,000. This obviously depends on how many and where you decide to put them. You cannot believe the difference between a room that is solely dependent on external lighting sources versus one that utilizes natural light and the proper style of fixture for that room.

All these options can be done whether you’re in the home or a condo.

If you’re in a condo, don’t forget to get permission first. If you’re married, don’t forget to get permission first. Hahaha

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Five Big Mistakes People Make When Getting Their Home Ready for a Sale

Sam Regan — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 19:53:33 +0000

Here are the five biggest mistakes people make when getting their home ready for a sale. This list is not exhaustive by any means, but it’s a list of avoidable mistakes people do all the time when they are getting ready for a sale.

1. Personalized Renovations

What could be better than a personalized renovation? You spend a bunch of money you don’t have to impress someone you don’t know in the hopes that they will buy the renovation of your dreams and launch your property into the stratosphere with an over-asking price before it is even listed; what a dream. There are a number of things you can do to your home prior to selling to spruce up the place to entice the next person not to try to haggle on the price or put in conditions. If your place really needs a renovation, it might serve you well to get the place renovated, but doing it with only your personal taste in mind doesn’t usually work.

The number of times I see people buy a place that has just been renovated, rip out everything, and start again tells me that renovating to try and increase your sales price is not a good idea unless you consult your professionals. By professionals, I mean other people who have experience, knowing what is hot and what is not as well as consulting with your agent or whomever is planning on selling this place for you. This does not mean you should not renovate with your own taste in mind before you sell. If you plan to sell in 2 to 5 years, go ahead and renovate today. If the place is out of date and you need to do a renovation anyway you might as well enjoy it before you sell. Who knows you might even like it so much that you don’t sell at all. But give yourself some time to enjoy it and get your moneys worth just in case the new person doesn’t appreciate your taste.

There are a lot of people out there who over-renovate only to find out the market doesn’t care. Most of my clients that are planning to stay for 15 or 20 years can do completely custom renovations, including getting rid of bedrooms to make them into closets or any other options that might seem crazy because they will enjoy the space themselves for long enough that the next person can do their renovation however they like.

2. Selling the House = Not Having to Maintain it

This just falls under the category of laziness, and I never understand it, but when someone plans on selling their house, they always stop maintaining it. That’s like being single and deciding that this is a good time to stop going to the gym or wearing make-up because if people don’t like you for you, then to hell with them. This is the time you want to impress the person who is going to buy your place, not push them away because they wonder what else you haven’t done. So many times, I see people selling their place, and the grass is 8 inches or a foot tall, and they live in complete darkness because they haven’t changed a lightbulb in the last five years. If this is your style, I completely understand. I don’t like cutting my grass either but pretend you do, and you’ll make a couple of extra bucks on the appeal. No amount of exterior paint can help you sell your house if it looks like you don’t care about the yard.

3. Half Measure Fixes

OMG, the amount of times I see people doing half-measure fixes makes me laugh so much. Do people really expect that you didn’t notice the fact that they just painted only one spot on the wall or the ceiling or that you just changed one spot on the floor so they wouldn’t see that burn mark? This is literally like spilling wine on your couch cushions and then reupholstering only one cushion instead of both because no one will notice the difference. Of course, they will. And they will wonder what the heck happened there and why you had to fix it – Was there a leak that I should know about? The best, by far, is the three or four coloured shingles on your roof. Clearly, you have done some work on your roof. How long was the roof leaking? Is this an insulation problem, an animal problem, or potentially a mold problem? Who knows? Sorry, I guess this is a sensitive topic for me. Lol, I’m getting fired up. Just thinking about it.

4. Not Staging

Not staging, I believe, is probably the biggest mistake you can make. When I first got into this industry, I worked with a fantastic stager who would make small improvements. It could be a new countertop or a backsplash, a paint job, or even just bringing in some furniture and some decor. In most cases, your stuff won’t sell the place and having your personal stuff everywhere will just wind up looking like clutter. Sometimes, your agent will include staging complementary, or sometimes, it will be an additional line item. Regardless, do it anyway. I’m sure the amount of money lost by not doing it is huge.

5. Take Their Advice

The last and most important thing I would say is that if you were going to pay professionals in any field, including real estate, this could also mean your lawyer in the transaction if you were paying for their advice. They have your best interest at heart, so take their advice. There are so many times that this happens while we are doing our jobs, and I am not always in a conversation with somebody looking to sell, but someone hires us as their professional who has their best interest in mind, and they deliberately choose to ignore our years of experience and advice. I always wonder why they are wasting money or if they should’ve hired someone, they actually respected enough to give them advice worth listening to.

If you steer clear of these common pitfalls, you will sell your home, you will sell it quickly, and you will make more as a result than you would’ve otherwise.

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Five Things You Can Do to Get Ready for the Holidays

Sam Regan — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 19:24:22 +0000

Everyone has a different view on this, but as a design-oriented and opinionated person, this is my list of five things you can do to get ready for the holidays.

1. Put Away the Crap

Everyone likes to personalize their home with items that allow them to express themselves. This can be a lot of fun and allows you to really enjoy being at home, especially if you are working from home these days. When I entertain or expect to entertain, I like to keep in mind that not everyone wants to see all of the crap I have collected over the years. Think of this as accessorizing. If you were going to accessorize and you really wanted to show off a new watch, would you also wear a bunch of bracelets and a new pair of shoes as well as a cool pair of sunglasses, or would you just let your watch speak for itself? This is not necessarily a guide to getting ready for a specific holiday as much as it is a general rule. I know people who throw a Thanksgiving event, and they have Christmas stuff up too early, Halloween stuff that has not been put away birthday stuff, and even welcoming the new year from the previous year. This is my opinion, but I think you should get rid of the crap. Find a home for those cherished pieces, take them out again next year, and enjoy celebrating what you’re celebrating.

2. Picking Your Colours

No, this is not about your wedding colors, but I guess it’s pretty similar. Whether it’s your wedding or not, it’s about getting organized mentally. Whenever you see those gorgeous pictures on social media or in the magazine of people decorating for the holidays, it looks so seamless, doesn’t it? It is as if they designed the entire house for the purpose of having that holiday. That’s the point. Pick the theme.

If you’re planning to do a Christmas party and you really like Disney, do you really need to make the Disney+ Christmas party by inviting Star Wars and Marvel? Would it be appropriate at this Christmas party to also have an antique nativity scene, or can we clean this up and make it look a little bit more organized? Pick your favourite pieces and use those for inspiration so you can decorate with a purpose.

3. Closet Space

So, people are coming over or even just potentially dropping by? Where are you going to store those extra jackets? How many jackets does each person living there need to have on hand? I’m sure this probably seems like a silly thing to mention, but are you going to throw jackets on the back of a couch, on the floor, or on the railing?

4. Clean Out The Fridge

I know I’m a complete weirdo, but something I love to do is clean out the fridge. It’s a great opportunity to do it during the holidays andany other time people are coming over. These days, refrigerators are getting bigger and bigger. You could say families are getting bigger, but I don’t believe they are. What’s getting bigger is the portion sizing. Years ago, we had a much smaller plate. That being said, we need more food to fit on those large plates, especially if you’re having people over. With the appetizers, mains, and sides, not to mention desserts, this is a lot of extra food, especially if you are entertaining. Keep in mind this is the time of year you bring out those bigger serving trays you keep above the fridge or in the basement. That means if you were keeping them in the refrigerator stocked with food, you would need to be able to make room for them.

If you are one of the lucky people who does a lot of entertainment and has multiple refrigerators or a nice commercial-style kitchen in your home, you probably won’t have to worry about this, but it is still a great idea to get rid of any leftovers and stuff your family is no longer interested in eating before you open your refrigerator to extended family and friends who are coming over during the holidays. At the same time, this is a great time to find the lids for all your Tupperware so you can send leftovers with your guests or at least have a place to store them when you want to keep those delicious leftovers.

5. Set Up The Bathroom

I’m not entirely sure why I need to write this, but I believe I do. Assume people, after eating your delicious food, will want to make room for dessert. And assume they are your in-laws who will be judging the way your bathroom looks completely. Give yourself some time to properly get the bathroom ready, including any deodorizing or freshening spray, and pretend it is the beginning of COVID-19 and you’re going to run out of toilet paper. You probably will. Also, test your toilet and make sure your guest bathroom toilet or powder room toilet is functioning correctly. If it’s not fixed or replaced, nothing is more embarrassing for your guest than doing a courtesy flush again and again just to realize your bathroom does not work properly. Fresh towels are a must, and it comes in handy to have more than one so that everyone is not washing their hands with the same wet towel. You don’t have to be like a hotel during COVID-19, giving everyone a fresh towel, but the least you could do is give them more than one. Also, I would highly suggest making sure you have a garbage can in there, as the last thing you want is people flushing anything they don’t have to down your toilet, potentially leaving you with a clog because there’s nowhere else to discard something. Again, I think this was completely unnecessary to need to write, but we all know that person that if they invite us over, we use the bathroom six times before we leave and then stop at the gas station on the way home because no one wants to be that person having to use their bathroom. Don’t be that person.

I know I come across as vain, and I should probably just be happy to see my friends and family when they come over without judging them, but I have a way better time when people come to my place, and I don’t have to worry about what they might be thinking of me. It also makes you feel like a million bucks when all you have to do is sit back and enjoy all your hard work while hearing compliments about how nice your place is.

Give it a go this holiday and let me know if you have any other tips. I’d love to add them in for next year.

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Top 5 Tips For a Bathroom Renovation

Sam Regan — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 19:17:24 +0000

#1. KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVES

Make a list of all the things you would like to have and know your objectives and create a plan. Do you want more storage? Do you want a tub, a shower or both? Do you need to think about the future and accessibility? Do you want some extras, like heated floors? Now is the time to do your research on what you would like and what you don’t like. Check out magazines and online to gather your ideas, but I also suggest physically seeing things, asking lots of questions, and visiting home shows.

Home shows are an excellent opportunity to have access to so many different vendors, products, and suppliers, and they are fun too!

#2. USE WATERPROOFING MATERIAL

You want to protect your bathroom from enemy #1 – water and moisture. I suggest using waterproofing technologies from the latest and greatest products and materials available. The most significant advantage of using waterproofing materials is to prevent any leaks from causing damage to your new bathroom walls and floors. Going with the cheaper option isn’t worth it in the long run, as you will spend more time and money fixing any damage.

#3. MOISTURE MANAGEMENT

Waterproofing goes hand-in-hand with moisture. Moisture management and proper exhaust ventilation are a must as it is code for any bathroom to have a window or an exhaust fan, but make sure you are using the right size fan for your bathroom, as many people don’t have the correct sized fan. You also need to ensure that your fan is vented correctly. Nothing worse than having to keep the window open in the middle of the winter during your shower because your exhaust fan is not performing.

#4. CHOOSE YOUR FIXTURES WISELY

Fixtures are important. I like my toilets by American Standard; they aren’t fancy, but they have consistently proven to have excellent flushing capacity. Regarding shower fixtures like valves, handhelds, and shower heads, I recommend picking something from a quality brand where you can get parts in the future when you need them. Nothing lasts forever, which is why some brands offer free part replacements. And you can’t go wrong with a quality brand – it will always be worth it.

#5. LIGHTING IS ESSENTIAL

When it comes to bathroom renovations, lighting is a crucial component—possibly the most crucial one. Everyone always puts it on the back burner, but your lovely new bathroom just won’t be the same or functional if you have insufficient lighting. I like to use a mixture of lighting options or layers of lighting, including pot lights, in the shower. Wall sconces or pendant lights over the vanity work great. Depending on the size of the bathroom, a flush mount or a semi-flush offer excellent overall lighting coverage. Hanging lights or a chandelier adds a nice touch over a free-standing tub. And finally, consider putting all your lights on dimmers. Dimmers can be a great way to lower your electricity costs and provide the flexibility to change your lighting levels to create the right atmosphere.

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Winterize Your Home

Sam Regan — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:26:09 +0000

Get your home winter-ready with my top five list to winterize your home this year.

1. Snowblower and Shovel Ready.

Get the snowblower and shovels ready and pick up a couple of bags of salt or sand. This is Canada, and we will need them. It’s funny that I mentioned this because every year, the first snowfall happens and disappears fairly quickly. It usually winds up being the second snowfall that is 6 inches and I have to pull my snowblower from my backyard in the shed all the way to the front yard and then find out I don’t have any fuel, so I still have to shovel myself, which happens every year. You would think that I hadn’t grown up in Canada based on the way that I act.

2. Cover the Air Conditioner, Pool and Barbeque.

Cover your air conditioner, pool, and barbeque. I’m sure every year, the pool company has a crew scheduled to close your pool, but if you don’t close it, it can create a lot of problems for the following year. The same thing goes for the air conditioner. If you leave it, exposed it prematurely leak or rust as well. Your lines can also oxidize quickly. Barbeque, the same problem again. I always forget to do this, and then your brand new shiny stainless steel barbecue,that you didn’t put it in the garage or cover up properly, will be nice and oxidized or rusty when you go to use it next.

3. The Hose Bib.

This is something I always forget. We all have an access point somewhere, usually in the ceiling of the basement, where you can access a random shut-off that goes outside. Find which shut off is behind the hose and test it before the winter to make sure you’re shutting off the right water source. You can also get frost free hose bibs that allow you to shut the water off from the inside on the outside. If you are looking for some extra protection, a great option is a little hat that is a Styrofoam cup with an elastic on it that connects to the hose bib on the outside to shield it or insulate it from freezing. This should not be your main source of protection asit is only some minor insulation.

4. Check for Holes.

It’s always a good idea to look for holes outside the house, whether it be louvered fan vents or any areas where piping might be coming through the wall, as well as holes made by critters. Bugs and small animals like to find a place to go for the winter. Some of them migrate to Florida with those of us who can afford it, and others just work their way into your home. Any pest control expert will advise you to fill any holes bigger than a quarter of an inch on the outside of your house. A good option for filling holes around your house is pest control spray foam, which is in a green can and can be found at Home Depot. It is also silicone and outdoor caulking; for anything bigger than that, that’s the job for scouring pads. You can pick them up at the dollar store or the hardware store, which are usually made of metal or metallic wool and are fantastic for stuffing bigger holes where mice and other animals can make their way in.

The other option, obviously, is to fix the situation. I had a situation one year where a client had a fresh air ventilation hole, which is common for boilers and some older furnace systems that do not pipe directly out, and during a very cold year, a waterline in her furnace room froze. She called me at 11:30 PM to tell me. The waterline had frozen, and I told her to keep an eye on it as the situation may or may not escalate. Within about an hour, the pipe burst, filling her basement. With 2 or 3 inches of water very quickly, I had to go over to do the cleanup at 3 o'clock in the morning. It was not fun. My staff normally start at 8 or 9 o'clock, depending on the project, and I had to get one of my guys to come in at 6 to help me clean up the rest. Although frozen pipes are not always avoidable when the temperature drops to -25°, you can do your part to minimize the impact.

5. A Big Thing is Exterior Water.

What are the chances that your house will be hit with exterior water during the winter?100% chance.

Double-check that your roof is in good condition. If you see shingles that are breaking or starting to cup, keep an eye on this. Your roof is old or damaged. Your shingles can also start to prematurely die a quick death if you do not have your attic properly insulated. You want to make sure, your gutters are clean, so you are not overwhelming your gutters while they are trying to get rid of the extra water, snow, and ice. Once the water leaves the roof, it will hit the gutters, and then it will hit your downspouts. Make sure your downspouts lead away from the house. Nothing is worse than having all that extra water, not to mention the regular water dumping in the same spot over and over again, right next to your foundation, eroding soil and drainage stone, as well as clogging your weeping system and potentially flooding your basement.

Another thing to watch out for is standing water on pathways and other walking areas where the water either comes out of the downspout in that location or skates right off the roof and lands. It can also be areas where gutters are blocked or broken and where ice can pile up; they can also be hazards in the winter. Speaking of hazards in the winter, if you see icicles that are humungous hanging from your roof, they are usually due heat to escaping, melting, and refreezing. This means or usually means that the insulation in your attic is not sufficient enough to stop your heat from escaping and poses a problem for safety as no one wants to be hit with a huge icicle, but at the same time, you don’t want to spend extra money every year to heat and cool your home because it is all escaping through the roof. The last thing I will say that is not something people really think about is if you have a sump pump or a backflow valve, make sure they are working.

I know this is an exhaustive list, and you’re thinking between now, and the time the winter comes, I really don’t have enough time to do all the things I need to do. Make a list of the most important things, and you will get there.

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Calder Crescent

Intelligent Designs — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:38:10 +0000

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Indian Road

Intelligent Designs — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 17:32:30 +0000

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Bloor Street

Intelligent Designs — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 16:48:31 +0000

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