Summer… thankfully it is back but so are the chores that go with it! Home maintenance is not optional, especially if you want to protect your biggest investment, it is a must! So, while the sun is out after the long cold winter, try to incorporate your sun tanning efforts with a few of your essential home maintenance tasks. No one said that getting some sun had to be done from a beach chair, although realistically it would be my first choice too!

Life in the Niagara Region means dealing with four seasons and the challenges that go with each one. While most of us are happy to see winter end, and look forward to the blooms of spring, we are a little disheartened each year by the pests that come with them. 

Well, it was a long winter in Niagara and it is finally a time to crack open our windows and let the fresh air in. So, while you are going around your home and opening up your windows, it is an opportunity to take a little more time and exam the units themselves. Just as you should in your quarterly maintenance home checks, it is good to ensure that the seals, frames and glass, etc. are properly intact and functioning.  If there is an issue that has arisen since your winter inspection, now might be a great time to look at window repair or replacement. Don’t let it go too long. Leaky and inefficient windows, skylights, and doors can lead to damage to your home, but they also can cause household energy bills to increase. 

So often, the space beneath a staircase is under-utilized or inefficiently used.

Most people dream of living in an expansive mansion or sprawling villa with a kitchen suitable for a top chef to create his/her masterpieces in. However, reality often means that our culinary creations will need to be made in the smallest of spaces. But don’t let your tiny kitchen limit your dream creations. While not ideal, a small kitchen simply means that its design must utilize every inch of space in the most effective manner. Smart solutions to create an open, spacious, and functional space are a must when dealing with a small kitchen. It is after all the heart of the home.

What can be said about a bathroom – Well, every home needs to have one… but it doesn’t have to just be practical! 

Designing a custom home/renovation starts long before you meet with the architect. It starts with your own collaboration of wish lists, current lifestyle needs, expectations for the future, and function ability.

At Vanderzalm Construction Inc. our custom homes take advantage of as many of nature’s focal points as possible, through the strategic placement of layout and oversized windows.  But not every home has an extraordinary view; thus it is necessary that the right interior elements be chosen to set the tone and mood of the space.  So what is a focal point anyway?  It is the first thing that catches your eye when you enter a room. Its purpose is to capture your attention and the essence of the space in the most visually pleasing way.

Why is it that our utility rooms are designed as strictly that… utility? Function is always at its best when combined with form.  We do this in other rooms, but the laundry and mudroom are probably the most neglected rooms in a house. They are often designed simply to incorporate the necessities and thus are often under-utilized.  Since laundry is likely not anyone’s favourite activity, planning is the key to creating an efficient but inviting space. Redesigning your laundry room can make the chore seem like less of one.

Well, it is always a welcoming thought that it is beginning to look and feel like spring… Soon we will be seeing green grass, blooming flowers and hopefully a lot of sunshine.  But as always with the change of seasons, comes certain chores that should never be overlooked.