Our Designers' Blogs
At ProCad Designs a lot of our time is spent researching current trends and products. Sometimes we find something that we feel we need to share with everyone, sometimes a client has such a good question we think others might be interested in the answer, and sometimes we just have something to say. Below are our thoughts.
"Do you spend a lot of time in your home?"
Do you feel tired a lot of the time? Are you sick more often than normal? Are your allergies bothering you more than usual? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, have you thought about your home being part of the problem?
Indoor Air Quality is one major factor that affects everyone. Your home should be a place you can go and be comfortable spending time to recover from a cold or flu, or just be able to catch up on some rest and relaxation.
All components of a home should function together in order to give you the best place to spend your time. The exterior shell of your house protects you from the outdoor elements, but some fresh air needs to be brought in to exchange the stale air, but you also don’t want the exhaust from vehicles, or the pollen from trees and flowers coming in and affecting your allergies. Through the coordination of your designer, contractor, and mechanical supplier; a mechanical system can be designed to give you the “fresh air” you need in your home.
I know when I’m feeling under the weather, snuggling up at home in the warm blankets and drinking a hot cup of tea is the best!
Tammy Geurts, Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009.
"The MicroEdge Renovation Revolution"
If you're looking for interesting ways to update you kitchen and you love the look of an in-set sink, but not the expense, Blanco has come up with a new product. I saw this product at the Trade Show and it's fabulous!
The Micro Edge Stainless Steel Sink design comes with a flanged and and unflanged edge. The best part? The look and feel of a recessed sink without having to put in counter-tops! They're designed to be set into the counter top just like a standard sink - it's the 1.0 mm and 1.25mm sink rims that make the look. So now you can pull up the old sink, recut the countertop and snap in the new sink! Very European. Visit: www.blancocanada.com
Jennifer Baldes, Monday, February 23, 2009.
"Did you know that it takes time to custom design a home to fit your desires and budget?"
When you think about building a home, don't forget to plan enough time for the Design of your home. There is a lot of planning and coordinating while your house is in construction. However, if you plan lots of time before the construction begins; the actual construction phase is much more relaxing and enjoyable.
We at ProCad Designs Ltd. like to spend time planning the space of your house, but we also like to ordinate house structure and interior features with the companies that supply your materials and finishes. Through "time well spent" co-coordinating with companies for your "Dream Home" home or your "Star Feature in your home", we can ensure a smooth enjoyable construction phase.
For example - if your dream is to have a post and beam house, but the complete deal of post and beam is too expensive - through pre-planning we can coordinate with a Timber company in the beginning and the cost can be brought down. If that is still too much we can bring the cost down again by planning feature rooms instead of the whole house.
If your goal is energy efficiency, we talk with companies and co-ordinate building envelope and mechanical systems to fit the energy efficiency target.
Don't forget to have enough time available for the Design Phase of you home. It will save you time and money down the road.
Tammy Geurts, Tuesday, February 20, 2009.
First day of Buildex in Vancouver has been great. Lots of advanced seminars and lots of products to look at. This year there is a huge concentration of green products and courses.
I'll be truthful, I like to take very hot showers. I have always felt bad about all that hot water going down the drain. I know that there are products available to recover some of that heat, but they have been hard to find and there is not a lot of information about them. Most green innovations are so new that they have little distribution, and even smaller networks. That's why so much of the green building industry is driven by word of mouth.
So anyhow, I came across a product from Saskatchewan that is basically a copper wrapped pipe. Watercycles Drain Water Heat Recovery replaces a section of your normal drain water pipe, and the copper (great for heat transfer) transfers the heat to the incoming cold water that goes to the hot water tank. This would probably be more efficient if you also had a Tankless or On-Demand hot water heater, since it will take some of that waste heat going down the drain, and preheat the supply water a bit. Check out http://watercycles.ca/
We have just received the 2009, 41st Edition Jenish Plan books in our office. Come in and see the new designs offered. Remember, if you would like to make revisions to a Jenish plan, we would be happy to sit down with you in a free initial consultation and discuss how best to make you preferred plan work for you and your family. Stop by the office for your free complimentary copy.
Buildex in Vancouver is a large construction and design show in Vancouver. It covers the entire Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre and is held on Feb 11 and 12. The entire ProCad Designs office will be attending the show, participating in advanced training courses, reviewing the latest in Green technology, and investigating the latest products. Watch here for our updates from this important event.
A client recently asked: "When would you say is the best time to do a kitchen renovation?".
Well, that answer really depends on if you plan on staying in your home, or not. While a properly planned kitchen renovation should not take that long, you are talking about a very disruptive type of renovation. You will not be able to cook, your water may be turned off, and workers usually start very early. If you can move out of your home for the renovation period, then winter will often bring slightly lower pricing, and better availability.
However, if you plan on staying in your home and if the renovation is going to take any length of time, I feel that the best time is in the summer. You will want to get out of the house a lot, perhaps you will need to bar-b-que a lot, and you will just need time away from the activity and mess. Summer will give you a lot more options for this than the winter.
In one renovation that we did for a client that involved their kitchen, we were able to move the old lower kitchen cabinets, sink, and stove into the living room. They were replacing the living room flooring as part of the reno. We were able to hook up their sink with some temporary plumbing, and run power to their stove. While the work went on in the kitchen area, they could still cook and live in the rest of the house. Of course it was also summer, so they could get out when the disruption became too stressful.
Cool floor mats for the Kitchen. Gel filled to reduce back fatigue when cooking. It looks like they have a lot of distributors in BC, or I think you can order online. See www.gelpro.com/. Lots of different colours.
Most fires start in the kitchen. Commercial kitchens have lots of protection against stove fires, but now you can have the same type of protection in your home. See www.21centuryfire.com. Check out the little movie clip of the stove fire.