DIY
 

As we know the UK lives on its DIY thanks to countless home improvement shows and designers telling you painting your chest of drawers white will add 10k to your house price.

Well, I fall into that trap. I'm no builder (IT Manager) but I do love to renovate houses, I do my own plumbing, blockwork, woodwork, electrics, (I know..) pretty much the only thing I don't attempt is plastering as I find its a definite art form. Its for hobby and building the home I want, certainly not in any way a professional, though I've done a few houses.

My Canadian wife and I are very keen to continue this in Canada when we relocate early next year (subject to PR) and will be looking for houses in Toronto.

My point...I spent a lot of time on here but not seen much about DIY/building. I've done some work on her downtown condo and the building materials seem very different.

So, any DIYers out there with stories? Any guidelines like building regs, electrical regulations that I should read up - are they as strict as UK? I'm not even allowed to wire a light in now.

We'd love to come out there and find an old property to renovate but its a little daunting for me as it seems very different build styles. We may end up concentrating on a cottage as its called out there, funds allowing.

Thanks!

Re: DIY
 

Hi,

Both myself and my husband are avaid DIY'ers. If you are going to be doing a full reno on a place for resale / large structural changes - you will need building permits. Canada is very big on permits and inspections for everything. However if it's just a case of 'doing it up' for yourselves with just cosmetic changes you should be ok.

However I would suggest reading up on the local codes (easily found online) just to double check.

Also elecrical work is done a bit differently out here so that side may be left to a proffessional, as i've said many a time, electricians are the only trade that work with sh1t you can't see ;)

Any specific questions please feel free to ask :thumbup:

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=mandymoochops;10717872]
Also elecrical work is done a bit differently out here so that side may be left to a proffessional, as i've said many a time, electricians are the only trade that work with sh1t you can't see ;)

QUOTE]

What about heating engineers afterall you can't see gas ;)

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=Mikeypm;10717931]
Yeah yeah yeah ;)

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=mandymoochops;10718030]:p I know I'm very cheeky, there must be something in the water

Re: DIY
 

We're in Ontario and just built new or better had a builder built new. He had all the permits (quite a few) hung up in the garage and at every stage they needed to get an inspector in to check structure, electrics etc. Also if you plan on reselling then be aware that at least in Ontario as soon as you find something that is not right you have to fix it and can't just put drywall over. That can get costly when buying a fixer upper where you don't know what has been messed up in the past, hidden behind drywall or flooring or what was up to code once but is not anymore.

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=Mikeypm;10717931]Ah but you can smell it and hear it. Now ionising radiation......

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=bats;10718064]Ah but you can only smell it because the powers that be decided to add a smell to it. gas in its natural form has no smell. Plus you can not always here you have a gas escape point in case here http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/ma...on-second-body

;)

Re: DIY
 

We had our last house for two years, we sold in April. It was in Guelph, not Toronto, as we couldn't find a suitable property in the Toronto areas I know.
In that house some of the things we did were:

- it had been a bungalow with an attic extension using dormer windows. We cut it off back to being a bungalow and had a contractor frame another floor.
This meant that we lived in the house with no roof for several weeks in winter.

- we drove to Buffalo and brought back all the fixtures and fittings, 100+ sheets of drywall, a bathtub, etc.

- we hung, taped and mudded the drywall, painted all walls and ceilings, hung doors, installed hardwood flooring, tiled the bathroom.

- downstairs we replaced the hardwood in one room, painted everything, insulated the basement.

Now we've moved on and, in the six weeks in the new house, we've:

- insulated the basement, replacing the framing which we suppose the previous occupants burned to keep warm

- built a wall to divide the basement

- built a pantry

- built planter boxes to beautify the outside

- hauled more junk than can be imagined

- started work on a fence to keep the dogs from runing off, we've set 30 or so posts so far.

My advice? Buy a minivan.

Re: DIY
 

Just be aware, it is really hard to find nice stuff to diy with, i.e. vanities, lights, kitchens. Everything here, especially in Alberta is so old fashioned, home depot is a nightmare with never anything in stock. For example the display kitchens in hd are still the same ones they had when we first arrived 8 years ago, they took the bathroom displays out about three years ago and they still haven't replaced them. Just makes it really hard to reproduce an idea or something you have seen on telly.

Re: DIY
 

Canada may be big on permits, but the standards aren’t that high

It is worth getting your local building code because some local best practices are just weird, some defy logic and some are just quirky

Personally I bought a Electrical guide form the local Home Depot, just so I had some form of reference when I was doing some wiring...

Ontario proves a nice pictorial guide to its electrical regulations

Re: DIY
 

I'd agree with DBD about travelling south for the building supplies, middle of the road items costwise (ie ones around the thousand dollar mark) are half price down there.

Our current project is a shop build, post frame construction apparently. Posts are set and rafters going on in a couple weeks when hid gets home.

I'll make the food and bring out the beer, this one is nothing to do with me ;)

Re: DIY
 

That wouldn't be a problem from Toronto, Buffalo has several Home Depots and a huge Lowes, so if you're looking for hardware it's readily available. I think the only thing people routinely bring from Europe is the kitchen sink, if you want a draining board, the choice is, pretty much, IKEA or fetch it.

Re: DIY
 

Isn't that just some parts of Alberta?

I believe that you would be hard pressed to be unable to obtain what you wanted in Calgary. There are all manner of hardware stores from Home Depot to more upmarket stores and bespoke manufacturers. Cost may be an issue but then I suspect the same would apply in the UK if you wanted something not provided in B&Q:p

A former client of mine manufactures bespoke kitchens in Calgary. He has them produced in Vietnam, ships them over and has local installers install them. He tells me that they cost about 20% more than what is available in Home Depot.

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=mandymoochops;10718030]Right. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-22600294

Re: DIY
 

this is exactly the kind of thing we'll want to do. Just get in and get our hands dirty. Money will be tight and I hate paying someone to do something that I can perfectly well mess up on my own.

Re: DIY
 

Can someone please tell me where I can get bone-coloured silicone caulk? It seems to be available in the USA but I'm buggered if I can find it here.

Re: DIY
 

I dont know if this is the US or Canadian site but Home Depot sells it
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Swan-Sili...6#.UZuab5WaBz8

Re: DIY
 

That's the US one.

Re: DIY
 

OK try this one then I think Amazon.ca is the Canadian site :lol:
http://www.amazon.ca/Swanstone-SI-10.../dp/B0039YONRK

Re: DIY
 

Didn't I solve this problem for you already? See post #5 http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ighlight=caulk

Re: DIY
 

I find it easier in Canada than the UK. Wood and plasterboard are much more forgiving than brick and plaster. It is worth getting some "how to" books that explain the basic techniques you use. Home Depot do good ones that have lots of pictures and are light on jargon.

The best thing is to find a friend you don't mind losing and offer to help their renovation. Make your mistakes on their home.

Re: DIY
 

[QUOTE=Mikeypm;10718074]Gas in it's refined/processed retail form has no smell.

I work offshore.
I can assure you that gas in it's 'natural form' (as it 'naturally' comes out of the ground) is an entirely different beast! H2S springs to mind for a kick off. First you smell it (rotten eggs) then you don't. By then it's too late!

Re: DIY
 

Jesus (as Novo would say). That was six years ago.

Re: DIY
 

Quite. There must be a shop that sells it but I can't find one.

Re: DIY
 

And you still aint caulked your tub?

Re: DIY
 

I seem to think we bought a bunch in Canadian Tire. They had different colours.... not sure about 'bone' colour though.

Re: DIY
 

Not able to. We started work on the bathroom two years ago. Then she got bored. I had to wait for her to tile it and for the tub to be re-enamelled. The tile colour requires bone caulk.

I did an interesting project at the weekend. My stepsons rental apartment (his first own pad) needed a curtain rail and curtains in the sitting room. The wall is curved; very art deco.

We sorted that one with a trip to the plumbing department at Rona. 20 feet of copper pipe, a blowtorch and some brute force worked wonders.

Re: DIY
 

It's not in any store we've been to. I may well have to buy it online.

Re: DIY
 

Very artful. We drilled holes and stuck posts in them. That's not very exciting but it is barbecue compliant, stand up a post, throw on some coals, stand up ...

Re: DIY
 

Sorry, post #8 had the link you need. And yes, it was 6 years ago. Time flies when you're wasting time on the internet.

Re: DIY
 

Souv try Cloverdale paint. They sell an Almond colour silicone caulk, that might do the trick

Re: DIY
 

OK some parts of Alberta, we have however done the Edmonton and Calgary thing looking for stuff and unless you want to pay mega money of fittings, be it taps or lights the choices you have are really crap. We had to redo our kitchen, because of the wall sizes, a custom one was in order, I didn't want to spend $50k on a custom kitchen, especially seeing the quality of work tradesmen do, in our area and yes its a sweeping statement is pretty crap we decided to paint the existing cupboards. I still hate Home Depot, Rona bought Totem, which was a real shame as now we have two crap Rona's in town...

Re: DIY
 

What's to hate? They sell pretty bland stuff, drywall, cement, wheelbarrows, washing machines, I wouldn't have thought there was anything in their shops to spark emotion. They're a big box store, of course, but so, I suppose, was Totem.

Re: DIY
 

The Rona in Peterborough has gorn, closed down, is no more, an ex Rona.

Re: DIY
 

They never have staff that know anything, if you can find someone that is. Theyare always out of stock on stuff you need and what they do have is circa 1980 as that is when everything was brilliant, so it doesn't need to be improved upon. This us the place that couldn't sell us a shed in october as it was the wrong season even though they are still on display etc

If it was anything like either red deer store, it really is no loss.:blink:

Re: DIY
 

Yep, I imagine it was.

Now all I need to find are some modern, simple, wall sconces. Not as easy as you might think.

Re: DIY
 

Mapei sell all colours and types of silicone caulking, including bone as its a very popular colour. Any flooring/ceramic trade supplier will have it, also builders merchants, Laticrete is another manufacture to look for.

Re: DIY
 

Lots available online

Lowes have some

Home Depot

Sears

Canada Lighting

Build.ca

(I don't know what kind you like, so just posting a few links)

:)

Re: DIY
 

The Canadian inlaws visited a few weeks back and stayed in our UK home that we are renovating, they were amazed by our freshly plastered walls. It was almost a mirror finish (we have a superb plasterer) and they hadn't seen the like in Canada, not the finish - the material.

I'm guess a lot of internal construction in Canada is either metal framed plaster board that people just fill and paint?