How to prepare your home for winter?

The arrival of winter requires a series of preparations to protect your home from the harshness of the season. In this article, we’ll provide you with essential tips for preparing your home for winter. From turning off water outlets to cleaning outdoor furniture to inspecting your home for air infiltration, follow these steps to keep your home warm and safe during the cold months.

Close the water outlets

At the end of September it is time to stop watering the plants, as they are usually at the end of flowering. Be sure to store the garden hose carefully, empty it to prevent it from freezing, and store it in a shelter like a shed or garage. Additionally, make sure that water outlets are properly closed, as negligence in this area can result in costly pipe repairs.

Outdoor furniture and accessories:

Start by cleaning all your outdoor accessories and furniture to protect them from winter. Store as much as possible in an enclosed space, such as a shed or garage. For items that are too bulky to store, cover them with a canvas to protect them from the elements.

Exterior inspection

Start by checking the air outlets to make sure they are clean and the screens are intact. Next, clean the gutters thoroughly and make sure they are secure. Perform a visual inspection of the roof for any holes, cracks or damage that requires repair before winter. Finally, clean up your yard, trim trees and plants, and remove leaves to prevent infestations of carpenter ants, which are attracted to moisture.

Air infiltration

Check all windows in the house for possible air infiltration. If necessary, seal the cracks with silicone. Also remember to check the weather stripping on your doors and replace them if necessary. A well-insulated home can save you up to 50% of your heating costs.

Outdoor furniture and accessories

Don’t forget the smell of burning dust that fills the house when you turn on the electric baseboard heaters for the first time in the fall. Before using them, be sure to clean and vacuum them to avoid that unpleasant smell.

Conclusion
Preparing your home for winter is essential to maintaining comfort and reducing energy costs. By taking these simple steps, such as closing water outlets, putting away outdoor furniture, inspecting your property and reducing air infiltration, you will ensure a more pleasant and energy-efficient winter. Follow these tips for a home ready to face the cold months with peace of mind.

How to choose the right home for me ?

The first thing to do is setting your criteria so that your home consultant can help you find several properties meeting your requirements and fiscal capacity. This way, finding the right home for you will be more achievable.

 

The following questions will help you to see if a property is right for you or not:

 

Are the house dimensions meeting my needs?

Is the number of bedrooms and bathrooms enough?

Is the basement finished?

Is the house in my price range?

In what conditions the house is; when was the heating system and electrical wiring installation and in what conditions are the roof and foundation?

What the neighbourhood look like; in what conditions the other properties around are and do I like the neighbourhood?

Is it easy to have access to public transit and main arterial roads?

Do public institutions like schools, hospitals, shopping centres and recreation centres have a good reputation?

Is it an old or new neighbourhood?

How the municipal taxation is compared to other sectors? Is there any development plan that will affect the sector?

Is the property value likely to increase?

 

 

Please contact us if you have any questions!

A beautiful lawn, is it possible?

Your lawn doesn’t resemble anything like you’d want; yellow stains and weeds everywhere? Listen carefully to our advices!

For each region there is a type of lawn

You thought there was only one type of lawn seeds… You must review your current knowledge! If you use seed grains that are appropriated to warmer regions where climate is temperate, you will never have good results. You have to choose seed appropriated to your environment.

Grass cutting

You should be cutting your grass at least two times a week. If you cannot do it frequently, cut your green space every week at least.  Grass will be denser. Further, a regular cutting reduces weeds proliferation.

Watering

Watering heavily your grass (late afternoon or overnight – following your municipality law) and not frequently is better, you’ll make it easier for underground roots to grow. Further, if grass is watered too much, lawn will be weakened and more vulnerable when dry day will come.

Feeding

Your lawn needs efficient fertilizer. Use appropriate fertilizer for your type of lawn, at spring or/and fall. This feeding will give strength to your lawn while allowing it to maintain its appearance. Water immediately and generously after each fertilization.

 Aeration

Aerate with an aerator at least once a year (at spring). Spikes will sink into the ground allowing lawn to receive a sufficient quantity of air.

Scarification

For lawn over 2 years, use a scarifier or a scarification blade on your lawn mower in order to eliminate dead lawn that lies on the ground.  Do it every year and grass will grow faster. After this operation is done, rake to remove residue.

Weeds

If you want to, you can use fertilizer with an herbicide that attacks these undesirables. You will also find selective products that only attack to dandelions, clovers or quackgrass for instance.

Parasites

An insecticide will help you to get rid of ants leaving little mounds of earth. Therefore, they are not dangerous for your grass. You will also need insecticide to get rid of true bugs or white worms.

Animals

Having a domestic animal is nice but it’s an undesirable on your grass… Animal urine is particularly damaging. If your pet relieves itself on the grass, pour over enough water to dilute this high-ammonia liquid.

Get rid of rodents. They have a bad habit: de-rooting blade of grass, making it yellow.

Everything you need to know about moving

If you want the optimal moving experience, it goes without saying that good planning is vital. Here are a few tips to help you out.

Book your mover in advance…

The first step is to book your moving company in advance. For that, you will need a criteria list as it can change the price a lot, especially for July 1st! Make a list with and ask yourself questions like “Are the boxes finished?”, “Are you moving outside the city?”, “Are there stairs?”, “How many rooms?”, etc. Then send a few bids with that information and choose the best.

Should you rent a truck and ask for help?

If you think you can move without professional help, you will still need a truck and, hopefully, people. Ask early for both, but especially your friends and family to make sure you have help when the day comes. Your children might sincerely want to help you, but it might be a good idea to have them and your pets looked after. Don’t forget there’s no better way to thank everyone than with good food and a drink afterwards!

Make a list

It is very important to make a checklist of everything that needs to be done and to check whatever has been done as time passes. You can find good complete and useful ready-made lists and calendars on most moving companies websites.

Change your address

Don’t forget to tell the owner before the date mentioned on your lease. Also, don’t forget to go to the post office at least a month before the big moving day to fill out an address change form, contact all your providers with the date and the new address and the service update. Here is a quick list to make sure you don’t forget anyone: Your electric, phone, internet, TV and insurance companies, financial and school institutions, employers, doctors, various subscriptions, etc. Do all that and go on the government website and send the information to 6 Québec departments and organisms all at once.

What to pack with

Avoid garbage bags, as it might snap or tear easily. Instead, it is recommended you buy reusable moving boxes. Start by packing what will not be of any use before moving day. One thing that is often overlooked: Identifying is key to an easy moving. Write the content of the box on it and where it should go, and don’t forget to put a number on it to make sure you will not forget any. As you wrote the room on the boxes, you might as well write its name on your new home’s doors so that your movers know what they are. You don’t want your bedroom and your office to switch places, don’t you?

Don’t forget the car

On moving day, you can use your car for a few boxes having your very important papers and your valuables. And just like any car trip, have some luggage with clothes and whatever you will need on moving day, and now you’re ready!

5 ways to keep an eye on your house construction

The contract was initiated and, in a few months, you will enter in your new house, which is not totally built yet.  Meanwhile, you would like to keep track on the operations. There are 5 ways to follow the project with us.

Have your plan on hand

After establishing, with you contractor,  the best moments to visit your future property, have your building plan on hand  and make sure that everything signed on the contract and which you discussed are all there. In brief, that everything is in accordance with the building plan as approved.

Visit before the walls are closed

Once the building frame and the installation of the plumbing, the electricity and heating system are done, you must visit the construction site. So, every important work has been executed and you still can see it, so it is easier to proceed to the necessary adjustments.

Feel free to ask questions

“ I often contacted  the contractor, I called him every week to ask questions or just to catch up and to know if everything was moving forward .” Affirmed Eric Boucher. So, we cannot be shy! We suggest you to ask many questions and ideally, to surround yourself with people who has a good knowledge in the building field .

Keep in mind the model homes

You probably visited one of our model homes or condo before throwing yourself into the adventure. So examine if the execution quality is the same as the one you saw in the model houses  that you visited before and the same price range.

Inspect again before the delivery

L’Association des consommateurs pour la qualité dans la construction (ACQC), strongly recommend the inspection before the post delivery. It is usually made during the office opening hours and when the construction site is not in unsafe conditions. It can be made by a building inspector, an architect,  an engineer or a professional technologist. However, it is recommended to do business with a member of a professional corporation  because it gives a better protection. The range is between $1,000 and $2,000.

Where should I build my new house? How to choose?

In Outaouais, the differences between the city and the suburb are increasingly weakening. When the outskirts of the city keep modernizing, the major centres are turning green. So, how to choose between the city and the suburb?

If your choice is in accordance with the price, the proximity, the surrounding areas or the lifestyle, it is important to establish your priorities and your needs. The Constructions MCL team is at your disposal to help you taking the right decisions for you and your family.

The Price

To have more space, at a reasonable price, sometime buyers choose the suburb when others will prefer it for its peaceful environment and its natural identity. It is also possible that the cost of living is more affordable.

With a difference, it is not surprising to see couples buying their next home in a new development in Thurso. They find a house in range of prices with a bigger square footage and wonderful decoration in addition.

See the table of comparison below.

The proximity

To be in proximity of the services and activities, buyers often prefer the city. They can find everything that they need and they have access to different and efficient modes of transportation. For some people, it will be pleasing to take the subway or the bicycle to get to work.

However, if the transportation is not a factor of discouragement, the urban villages can be very adequate to workers in the city who would like to come back in the suburb after an intensive day of work

The environs

Sometimes, it is a good idea to live in proximity to its family and its entourage, especially when there are children in the family. So, we cannot neglect this aspect when you’re choosing your home.

Either in city or suburb, the youngest will often need to be accompanied by the grandparents and the plants will always need to be watering by a close friend during a trip. This could present a challenge if daddy is in Gatineau and its son in Val-des-Monts.

The lifestyle

Finally, it is very important to consider your lifestyle when you’re choosing a community and a type of residence. You need to know your needs and your preferences in order to feel comfortable where you live.

The person who is energizing the movement of the city that never sleep, could quickly be bored in a peaceful neighbourhood at Cantley. On the other side, those who need contact with wildlife to feel good won’t be at their best by living in a duplex in Hull.