Our very talented Designer / Project Manager, Susan Allison, has done it yet again.  A dramatic transformation on a very modest budget, including a kitchen, fireplace, & bathroom.  Here a few photos taken by the very happy clients:

Before

After

Living Room

Fireplace

Are you considering Klondike Contracting for your next renovation?  If so, watch one of our clients, Graham Bingham of Momentum, talk about his experience renovating with Klondike.

With the number of people in attendance at the last Home & Interior Design Show, we thought you might want to get a jumpstart in registering for the GVHBA’s Home Renovation Seminar.

Homeowners considering renovations can obtain great ideas from how-to television shows, magazines, newspapers and the internet, but careful planning is needed to keep the dream alive, said Peter Simpson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association.

To help you make informed decisions, the GVHBA Renovation Council will present its popular fall consumer home renovation seminar on Tuesday, November 24, 2009.  The seminar s from 7-9pm; doors open at 6pm.  Please arrive early in order to visit over 30 displays of renovation-related products & services, gather printed material and discuss plans with renovation and design pros.

Despite a slow market, a record $7 billion will be spent on home renovation and improvement in BC this year (65% of those dollars in the Lower Mainland alone).  So be sure to do your homework before signing a renovation contract.

Register for the seminar (IT’S FREE!!!) by calling 778-565-4288 or Email.

Colours of fall are everywhere and the chilly air of winter is just around the corner.  This season is not only rough on your skin and car, it’s also rough on your home.  We have put together a list of maintenance items to help you get a head start with winter maintenance:

1. Roof & Gutters – Keep fallen leaves off your roof & out of your gutters.  Roofs should be swept or gently blown off to remove any loose debris.  Gutters should be flushed out with a garden hose or vacuum.  Once you have completed a thorough cleaning, inspect gutters for leaks & misaligned pipes.  Then check your roof for leaks, curled, warped, cracked or buckled shingles and replace as needed.  We do not recommend you do this work if you are not comfortable on roofs.  Book our maintenance crew to do the work for you by calling 604-708-3337.
2. Furnace – Change your filters every six weeks and have a furnace inspection and cleaning done yearly to keep it in good working order.
3. Draftproofing – Seal any gaps or cracks by installing weather stripping and caulking at the bottom of doors and on the sides.  Keep chimney damper closed when the fireplace is not in use.
4. Exterior pipes –  Wrap them to prevent the costly nightmare of a burst pipe.

For all maintenance queries and to schedule our maintenance crew, please call 604-708-3337.  Don’t wait to book, as winter is our busiest season!

Are you considering Klondike Contracting for your next renovation project? If so, watch one of our clients, Lisbet MacKay, talk about her own experience renovating her kitchen with Klondike.

The cornerstone of Interstyle’s product development process has always been to find innovative uses for reclaimed and waste stream materials.  As a local (Burnaby) manufacturer of ceramic tiles in the early 80s, Interstyle salvaged containers of broken glass which were turned into glazes and some of the first glass tiles.

As production of glass tile increased, a growing quantity of their post-industrial waste was rerouted to produce new products.  Making use of cut-offs and mismatched die lots became an integral part of the production of some of Interstyle’s most popular mosaic tile product lines, while other salvaged glass was crushed and cast in moulds by product designers to create some of the most unique tile products – made entirely from recycled glass.

Further, each stage of the manufacturing and materials handling has been reviewed to ensure that waste is minimized; any reusable materials are recycled and; energy conservation measures are in place.  These include: recycling water from glazing production in a closed loop water system, using heat from kiln exhaust for drying of bisque and coatings, using packing materials that contain a high percentage of recycled materials, and reusing incoming packing materials.

The use of these products may assist in reducing the environmental impact of a construction project and support the project in earning LEED points.

We love Interstyle’s products because it is recycled and beautiful.  Please visit Interstyle.ca for more information & to locate dealers (they do not sell directly to consumers).  We hope you will find inspiration for your new shower surround or kitchen backsplash with these lines of recycled glass:

River Crystals

Aquarius

Agates

Aquarius: coloured glass gems suspended in a clear glass tile.  Aquarius glass tiles offer a unique blend of colour & texture within a glossy finish glass tile.  Available in 20 colours & 3 sizes: 2″x2″; 4″x4″; and 1-1/4″x8″.

Agates: lustrous glass pebbles with hand blended colours that give the cabochons subtle colour variations.  Available in 20 translucent colours and meshed sets of 4″x4″; 6″x6″; 3″x12″; 4″x12″; 6″x12″; and 12″x12″.

River Crystals: random shaped translucent glass pieces that have the appearance of smooth tumbled rocks.  The colours are randomly distributed within each piece to give the visual effect of depth.  Available in 10 colours and meshed sets of 4″x4″; 4″x12″; and 12″x12″.

Six days until the BC Home & Interior Design Show.  Klondike is all geared up for THE AMAZING SPACE! Are you?  Why should you attend you ask?  This year, our interactive booth will educate you on how to be green.  Stop by for an AMAZING presentation and a sweet & sustainable treat!

Here’s the where, when, & who of it all:

Where:

BC Place Stadium

777 Pacific Blvd

Vancouver, BC

When:

Thursday, October 15  4:00pm-9:00pm

Friday, October 16  Noon-9:00pm

Saturday, October 17  10:00am-9:00pm

Sunday, October 18  10:00am-6:00pm

Who:

Ty Pennington, everyone’s favourite handyman, will be making an exclusive appearance on Thursday, October 15 at 6:00pm on The Urban Barn Design Stage.  This is his first and only Canadian appearance so do not miss it!

The Scottish Design Duo, Colin & Justin, will transform audiences and their homes.  These decorating divas are sure to entertain the crowds with helpful home tips and a wave of comedy to ease the pain of moving from shag to hardwood.

For more of the goods & to get your tickets, visit www.bchomeandgardenshow.com

On September 22, 2009 the City of Vancouver presented its guidelines & regulations to members of the GVHBA.  This presentation provided further clarification to materials already distributed by the city.  Moreover, it further reiterates that due to the fact that LWH is new to Vancouver, city staff requires that all submissions adhere to regulations and guidelines to make the application process as smooth as possible.  One thing we recommend you pay close attention to are those “project killers”.  For example, is your home in RS-1 or RS-5 zones?  Currently, only homes in these two zones are allowed to build a LWH.  Further, do you have enough sideyard clearance for fire-fighting?  These are only a couple to look out for before you proceed too far and discover that your site does not meet all requirements.  For more of the presentation, please visit www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca.

Klondike Contracting would like to thank the City of Vancouver and GVHBA and their staff for organizing this session to keep us all informed.

Real stone is striking, but can be expensive and finicky to live with.  It requires regular sealing.  It can be brittle, porous, stainable, expensive to repair, hard on dishes, and don’t forget the seams!  Manufactured quartz surfaces are less fragile and porous but is very expensive (over $100/ Sq. Ft.).

We recommend Granicrete as a new alternative.  It has the look & feel of stone but is actually an engineered, light-weight acrylic concrete that is sealed with clear acrylic resin.  It can replicate the look of almost any kind of stone, tile, or cultured cement. 

Some of its characteristics are:

• tough & resilient
• overlay system to surface new counters & floors or to resurface existing ones
• scorch & stain resistant
• non-porous and foodsafe
• easily installed without seams
• customizable with unlimited colour palette
• simple to maintain and clean
• quieter and easier on dishes
• a fraction of the cost

This overlay system allows you to resurface your counters or floors without demolition and added wastes to our landfill.  Further, there is no radon emissions or VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and production is in eco-friendly plants. 

You can also use it outside on patios, driveways, pool surrounds, walkways, garage floors, outdoor kitchens, etc.