Maximizing Your Home Renovation: A Guide to Federal Government Tax Credits and Financing Programs

A person’s hands encircle a small model house with stacked coins in front of it, symbolizing home investment, savings, or protection of property and finances—perfect for illustrating the benefits of home renovations or renovation tax credits.

Maximizing Your Home Renovation: A Guide to Federal Government Tax Credits and Financing Programs Home renovations can be a thrilling yet daunting task. Between choosing the right colours, materials, and contractors, it’s easy to overlook the financial incentives available to you. Fortunately, the Government of Canada offers several programs designed to ease the financial burden…

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Designing a Home for Multi-Generational Living

Modern kitchen with grey cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and a wine rack—perfect for adaptiv home renovations or multi-generational living. Decorative items adorn the counters, and a round dining table is partially visible.

Designing a Home for Multi-Generational Living There are many reasons multiple generations of families live together, from cultural norms, to medical requirements, to economic necessity. Whatever the reason, creating a home that serves the needs of multiple generations requires thoughtful design and planning. Privacy and Shared Spaces  One of the most significant challenges in multi-generational…

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How Design Can Make a Small Home Feel Bigger

Spacious cabin living room with high vaulted ceiling, large windows, stone fireplace, gray sofa, rustic wood furniture, and an open kitchen with island lighting, overlooking a sunny outdoor deck.

How Design Can Make a Small Home Feel Bigger The 2020 CHBA Home Buyer Preference Survey, powered by Avid Ratings Canada, showed an interesting trend in the size of homes that Canadians are expecting to buy. The study asked recent buyers what size of home they’d be looking for if they were in the market again. It…

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Five Fabulous Floors for your Home Renovation

Modern open-plan interior with a floating wooden staircase, black railings, skylight, large indoor plant, hexagon tile floor, and a dining area visible through a wide doorway.

Five Fabulous Floors for your Home Renovation Nothing ties together a room better than fabulous flooring. Feel like your space needs an upgrade? Get some inspiration from these finalists of the 2019 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence. Snazzy Tile Timberworx Custom Homes incorporated high-end finishes, especially the accent floor tiles, to give this bathroom a grand…

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Greening Homes Steps in after Whole-Home Renovation Goes Wrong

A person wearing work gloves uses a hammer and crowbar to remove ceramic tiles from a wall during a renovation project.

Greening Homes Steps in after Whole-Home Renovation Goes Wrong After purchasing a 100-year-old home, the new homeowners decided to undertake a whole-home renovation. The house needed upgrading, and one of the new owners had a medical condition that made indoor air quality very important. Knowing that the renovation was going to be a long and…

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Macanta Design Build Saves an Addition Renovation

A house under renovation with new white siding and exposed plywood near the windows, along with construction materials and tape visible on the lower section.

Macanta Design Build Saves an Addition Renovation The writer is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA).   This project involved a rental property that needed renovations to an addition. The planned changes were not complex, and for most professional renovators would have been a relatively small project. There was a 2-storey addition in…

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J.A.B.A Construction Helps Family Return HomeCopy of

A room with peeling blue paint, exposed ceiling, and a blue tarp hanging down hints at a renovation issue; a broom and mop rest by the wall, an air conditioner sits in the window, while a bucket on the floor catches stray drips. The scene—completed by a screen door leading outside—suggests jaba construction or perhaps even renovation gone wrong.

J.A.B.A Construction Helps Family Return Home The writer is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA). In January 2014 a single mom with a young daughter had a problem with ice damming on their roof which caused a major leak and damage to the attic, bathroom, kitchen and dining room. Their insurance company evaluated the…

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CCR Building and Remodeling Steps in to Complete Basement Renovation Nightmare

Scaffolding surrounds the exterior of a brick house under construction or renovation, with tools and building materials on the ground nearby and a leafy tree to the right.

CCR Building and Remodeling Steps in to Complete Basement Renovation Nightmare The writer is a member of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA).    This homeowner hired a friend-of-a-friend for a basement renovation and to do some exterior refinishing. Although no contract was signed, an advance payment was made to the “contractor,” and he started work. The…

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5 facts you need to know about heating your home

A man in an orange shirt adjusts a smart thermostat on a wall, surrounded by framed pictures.

5 facts you need to know about heating your home As Canadians, we rely on heating systems more than most nations in the world. But our need doesn’t necessarily translate into knowledge. If you’re unhappy with the comfort or cost of keeping your home warm in winter, here are some things to consider.   Insulation…

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