vol4issue35 - homes

August 31, 2007

2 • Columbia Valley Homes

Cranbrook Agencies Real Estate 911 Baker Street, Cranbrook, BC V1C 1A4 admin@cranbrookagencies.com

250) 426-3355

Phone: (

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2 ~ Play ’n’ Stay • The Columbia Valley Pioneer

MAIN STREET INVERMERE (250) 342-6151 Village Arts features the handcrafted work of over 50 artisans.

Best selection of Canadian Fine Craft in the Region Open year round Monday to Saturday 10 am to 5:30 pm Summer Sundays 11 am - 4 pm

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Featuring these artisans and more… beads Sandra Arnold-Beingessner Glass Bead Artist-Designer

Collectable, Wearable Art Shop Online

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814 – 13th St. Invermere, BC

250.342.6507

Brian Hoffos Wood Designs Brian & Jenny Hoffos Unique mirrors, lamps and hand-turned wooden items.

250-342-3819

August 31, 2007

Historic Toby Theatre still delighting patrons

By Elinor Florence Pioneer Staff The Toby Theatre on Invermere’s main street is still in business and won’t close its doors as long as the summer visitors keep coming, says Ron Peters, who has owned the business with his wife Elizabeth since 1971.

A retro sign surrounded by flashing lights on the exterior of the building draws patrons into the lobby, itself a work of art with fake fireplace, aquarium and fresh popcorn dished out by the owners themselves.

The theatre provides a trip down memory lane, with star shapes cut out of red shag rug attached to the walls, old-fashioned double loveseats, and Ron’s prized model airplane collection hanging from the ceiling.

“We get people dropping by to look at the place all the time,” he says.

When the theatre was rumoured to close two years ago, the owners were overwhelmed by the support they received, both from people in the community and from Calgary.

“If it weren’t for the Calgary customers, we wouldn’t survive,” Ron says simply.

An entire generation of second homeowners and visitors has been coming to The Toby since they were children, and are now bringing their own children to see the show.

One couple even recreated The Toby—complete with neon sign—in their home entertainment centre back in Calgary.

During the winters, however, the theatre is often mostly empty. Ron says he can’t blame locals for making the trip to Cranbrook to see movies, but it still leaves The Toby scrambling to keep its doors open.

“With the increase in fuel costs, our cost of shipping a film and returning it to Calgary is now in excess of $100 per movie,” says Ron. “In the winter months when many times the attendance is only 10 to 15 people per night, as you can see the cost is more than the income.

“In the off-season, the operation of the theatre is strictly a public service to the community.”

Currently, the theatre runs a movie once each night except Sunday, which has always been a day off for the Peters. Business has been steady throughout the summer and a few times patrons were even turned away. This summer’s most popular movies so far were Ratatouille and Hair Spray, Ron said.

But the owner warns that all good things must come to an end. The Hollywood movie industry is converting all its movies to digital, and The Toby will be unable to afford the $200,000-plus to change its technology to accommodate the digital movies. Currently, The Toby still uses a reel-to-reel projector and 35-millimetre film.

Visitors are often surprised to find that there is an intermission in the middle of each movie—that’s so Ron can change reels.

“The change to digital movies will affect small theatres all over North America, all over the whole world, really,” he says. But he’s hoping the transition won’t take place for another five to seven years.

The Toby Theatre first opened its doors here in 1952 after being built by Billy Morgan and Morley Hogan, modelled after The Yoho Theatre in Golden.

They sold it in 1967 to Steve and Ray Kapowski of Radium, who operated it until 1971, when it was purchased by the Peters.

Since then, the Peters have run the theatre through good times and bad, and raised their two daughters, Tammy and Nicole.

A few years ago Ron brought The Toby into the internet age by creating its own website, and viewers can check out movie times at www.tobytheatre.com.

This week, The Simpsons Movie is showing on August 31 and September 1 at 8 p.m., followed by The Bourne Ultimatum, nightly from September 4 to 8 at 7:30 p.m.

The following week, the theatre will be closed from September 9th to 15th so the Peters can enjoy the festivites surrounding daughter Tammy’s wedding.

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Columbia Valley Homes • 3

August 31, 2007

When should you buy a water softener?

• What is hard water?

Hard water contains large amounts of calcium and magnesium–two minerals that cause the soapy scum on glasses and lime residue on bathroom fixtures. While suitable for drinking and gardening, hard water can cause mineral build-up in water pipes, reducing its flow. Soap and shampoo’s ability to lather is reduced.

• When should you buy a water softener?

Above 121 mg/litre, you may want to consider a water softener. Generally speaking, groundwater (well water taken from aquifers in the ground) is hard. Some municipalities in Canada use groundwater to supply water to residents. Residents, in small or rural communities, may not have municipal water service and get water from private or communal wells. The most crucial step in deciding whether your home should have a water softener is to find out if your water is hard. If you have municipal water, call your water department or utility. If you have a well, contact a water-softening company that can conduct a test and classify its hardness.

• How does a water softener work?

A water softener uses a medium that serves to exchange “ions” of calcium and magnesium with sodium and potassium.

HOMES

In-Town Lots from

Paul Glassford 341-1395 p.glassford@telus.net

and laundry. Skin feels cleaner and clothing softer.

Pipes, fixtures and appliances have less scale buildup. With less build-up, appliances can operate efficiently. Mineral-derived odours may be reduced; and, there are fewer stains on bathroom fixtures.

• Where can you buy a water softener?

Water softeners are sold by water equipment dealers, department and hardware stores. Units should be certified to the appropriate standards as outlined in the Certification section.

• What does a softener look like?

There are two basic types of water softeners.

There is a single upright cabinet style and an upright twin-tank style. Both are approximately 1.5 m in height and about 0.5 m in width.

• Where can I get more information?

You can consult Health Canada’s website which describes activities related to Canadian drinking water quality. The Canadian Water Quality Association is an industry source of information for drinking water treatment units, and can be found at www. cwqa.com.

You can talk to various retailers and dealers to discuss different approaches to softening. Your local municipal water department or utility may also be of assistance.

R2000 Envirohome Properties

119,900 + GST

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This occurs in four steps: 1. To do the ion replacement, the water in the house runs through a resin bed of small plastic beads or zeolite. The beads are covered with sodium or potassium ions. As the water flows past the ions, they swap places with the calcium and magnesium ions.

Eventually, the beads contain nothing but calcium and magnesium, and softening stops. It is then time to regenerate the beads or zeolite.

2. To regenerate, the beads regain their sodium or potassium ions by being flooded with a salty, brine solution that is rich in sodium or potassium.

3. Once completed, the calcium and magnesium, dirt and sediments are flushed from the beads and into the drain in a process called backwash.

4. The final phase rinses the mineral tank with fresh water and loads the brine tank so it’s ready for the next cycle. Automatic water softeners are usually programmed to recharge at specific times that will not disrupt the occupants. It is more water-efficient to have a metered model that will regenerate only when required.

• What are the benefits of a water softener?

A water softener reduces water hardness, making it easier to shower and clean fabrics and dishes.

With softened water, less soap is needed for bathing

One-Floor Living from

$339,000 + GST

Townhomes from

$459,000 + GST

Invermere

Independently Owned and Operated

250-341-6505

Bernie Raven 342-7415

braven@cybelink.bc.ca

4 • Columbia Valley Homes

August 31, 2007

Columbia Valley Homes • 5

August 31, 2007

Confessions of a TV home show addict

By Elinor Florence Pioneer Publisher At the risk of sounding shallow, one of my favourite occupations after a long day at work is to sink into the couch and turn on a television program about home decorating, renovating or flipping.

I’m not sure why, but it tends to restore my sense of order in the world to see an ugly home being transformed into a thing of beauty - not to mention that people make unbelievable amounts of money while they are at it.

My home show addiction started about 30 years ago when I became fascinated with This Old House, with Bob Vila.

Back then it was the only home show on the air; now there are so many of them - including Canadian, British and American - you can find something to watch at any hour of the day.

And the personalities of the hosts also play a significant role.

Here are my current favourites: • Real Estate Pros: The original Trademark Properties team with Richard and Ginger from Charleston, South Carolina who have now moved on from Flip This House to another show called Real Estate Pros.

Their goal is to make as much money as they can in the shortest possible time, and they somehow manage to do it without seeming like the shameless greedy gits that they no doubt are.

The availability of cheap Mexican labour in the southern states, which we don’t have here in Canada, makes it all possible.

• Sarah’s House, with Sarah Richardson: Canadian, tasteful, elegant, understated. All these things go together.

• Canadian House and Home: Not bad, but I like the magazine better. Both are owned by host Lynda Reeves, and in the past both the show and the magazine used to focus on Toronto; now I see a lot more articles and advertising from Alberta. Last year the magazine even profiled a house on Lake Windermere.

• How Not to Decorate: Scottish hosts Colin and Justin are way O. T. T. (over the top), but they have a witty turn of phrase, if you can decipher their accent.

This is one of the few home shows that carries a Coarse Language warning. The jolly pair is coming to Canada in October to shoot a new show called Home Heist.

• HGTV’s Design Challenge: The season has just finished, but this survivor-type show had designers compete with each other to decorate rooms. The results were either stunning or just plain awful, but fascinating to watch.

• Million Dollar Listing: This show follows the obscenely-rich with their botoxed faces flipping gorgeous homes in the Los Angeles area; the ocean views and gardens would make you want to move to southern California immediately if it weren’t for the people who are already there.

• Restaurant Makeover: This adds another dimension with the makeover of the menus as well as the interiors of failing restaurants; it’s especially good for people who love both eating and decorating. And it’s Canadian.

• Designer Guys: This WAS my all-time favourite design show, with Canadian hosts Stephen and Chris.

Somehow I can’t warm up to the new guys.

The worst design show on the air, now thankfully no longer to be found on any channel, was While You Were Out. The end product was always makeshift and sloppy.

The hosts slapped paint onto walls, turned amateurs loose on a sewing machine to produce the worst seams ever, and their “crafts” looked like something my kids brought home from primary school.

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6 • Columbia Valley Homes

August 31, 2007

Canadians love to renovate their homes

This pristine new development is located in Edgewater, just a 7 minute drive north of Radium on Highway 95.

Come experience the views and the serenity.

For information call: (250) 341-5304 Em a i l : i n fo @ v a l l e ys e d g e re s o r t . c a or visit our web: w w w.valleysedgeresor t.ca

About 1.5 million households in 10 major Canadian centres surveyed indicated they completed renovations in 2006, costing an average of more than $11,000, according to the Renovation and Home Purchase Survey released by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

“More than $17.3 billion was spent on renovations last year across the 10 major centres surveyed,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist.

“As well, 46 percent of homeowners in these 10 centres surveyed indicated that they intend to spend $1,000 or more on renovations this year.”

Close to half (47 percent) of households reported that the cost of renovations was in line with what they had budgeted. More than one-third of households went over their planned budget for the renovation.

Twenty-four percent of households that undertook a renovation project were do-it-yourselfers who hired a contractor for a portion of the work. Slightly more households contracted out the renovation work (40 percent of respondents) as opposed to doing the work themselves (34 percent).

The main reason given by households for renovating in 2006 was to update, add value or to prepare to sell the residence (61 percent). Thirty percent of respondents stated that the main reason for renovating was that their home needed repairs.

The top three renovations completed last year were: remodelling of rooms (34 percent), painting or wallpapering (32 percent), and hard surface flooring and wall-to-wall carpeting (32 percent).

As for renovation intentions in 10 major centres in 2007, they are strongest in Edmonton and Winnipeg where 51 and 50 percent of consumers, respectively, indicated they planned to undertake renovations costing $1,000 or more this year. The share of potential renovators is lowest in Toronto and Vancouver with 43 percent of households intending to renovate.

On the home purchasing front, eight percent of households across the 10 major centres surveyed intend to purchase a home in 2007 that will be used as a primary residence. About half of the households that stated they intend to purchase a home in 2007 are first-time buyers, compared to 40 percent in 2006.

The majority of first-time buyers are between the ages of 25 and 34, with a household income between $80,000 to about $100,000.

Home buying intentions are strongest in Calgary, where 14 percent of households reported that they are considering buying a home this year. Purchase intentions are also strong in Edmonton where 11 percent of households plan to buy, while the share is lowest in Montréal and Québec (6 percent).

The ten major centres surveyed were: St. John’s, Halifax, Québec, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

Columbia Valley Homes • 7

August 31, 2007

Cathy’s Workshop: choose the right wood

By Cathy Dalrymple Invermere All things must come to an end and as the days of summer wane, hopefully so are your summer projects.

If you are in the home stretch and need only to put a finish on your project, the following chart should help. It covers a good range of species and if yours is not on the list you can probably decipher from the list what you may need to do.

Hardness: Relating to the density of the wood and those best suited for heavy traffic or items such as countertops.

Strength: Generally hardwoods have greater strength, but, increased size or thickness of softwoods can obtain the same strength.

Cutting Quality: This refers to how

well the wood cuts without collapsing or splintering. Sharp tools are a must when cutting wood in order to reduce tear-out or ragged edges.

Planing Quality: An even grained wood planes better than a well-figured wood or a porous wood species.

Gluing Quality: Most woods glue up well but oily woods and tight pore woods don’t take glue as well.

Stain Recommended: This refers to the best end result from the wood species used. Although experimenting with your wood and stains is always a good practice, do not use an oil based finish over an oil based stain as this will cause clouding. Use shellac or lacquer over oil based stain.

Suitable for painting: Prepare open pored wood with filler. All woods should be sanded well and sealed with sealer or primer before painting.

WOODS FOR FINISHED CARPENTRY WOOD SPECIES Douglas Fir Yellow Pine Ponderosa Pine Hemlock Spruce Cedar (W. Red) Redwood Cypress Basswood Elm Mahogany Gum Ash Beech Birch Cherry Hard Maple Soft maple White oak Red Oak Walnut Hickory Teak

HARDNESS Medium Medium Poor Medium Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor Medium Medium Medium Medium Good Good Medium Good Medium Good Good Medium Good Good

STRENGTH Medium Good Poor Medium Poor Poor Medium Medium Poor Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Good Medium Good Medium Good Good Good Good Good

CUTTING QUALITY Medium Medium Good Medium Good Good Good Medium Good Medium Medium Good Poor Medium Medium Good Poor Medium Poor Poor Good Poor Dulls tools

I have referred to this chart on many occasions in my early days after furniture design school. It was part of my reference material and I hope it serves as a good aid to your future projects. Have a wonderful fall and let’s pray for a great ski season!

PLANING QUALITY Poor Good Good Poor Good Medium Medium Medium Good Poor Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium Good Medium Poor Medium Medium Good Medium Good

GLUING QUALITY Good Medium Good Good Good Good Good Medium Good Medium Good Good Poor Medium Poor Medium Poor Medium Medium Medium Good Medium Poor

STAIN RECOMMENDED Oil Any Any Oil Any Oil Oil Water/oil Water Water Water Any Any Water Any Water Any Any Water Water Water Water Any

Cathy Dalrymple owns Toby Creek Custom Woodworking in Invermere.

She also writes regularly for Canadian Home Workshop magazine.

Call her at 342-3022 or e-mail cathy_tobycreekwood@hotmail.com.

Your Local

COLUMBIA VALLEY REAL ESTATE

Professionals

INVERMERE 1022B-7th Ave.

INVERMERE

1022B-7th Ave.

Independently Owned and Operated Paul Glassford Representative

(250) 341-1395 pglassford@telus.net

Ofce: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611

Bernie Raven Representative

(250) 342-7415 braven@cyberlink.bc.ca

PAUL ROGGEMAN 341-5300

Fax (250) 345-4001 www.rockymtnrealty.com paul@rockymtnrealty.com

Dedicated to all your real estate needs.

It’s the Experience!

Ofce: (250) 342-6505 Fax: (250) 342-9611

Ed English

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(250) 342-1194 edenglish@telus.net

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For professional management of your strata corporation or rental property, overseen by a CertiÀed Property Manager®, please contact Bill Weissig CPM®, CPRPM, CLO, SMA, CRES. Our property managers are licensed under the Real Estate Services Act of B.C. For more information regarding their extensive qualications and experience, please visit our web site at http://www.mountaincreek.ca.

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INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED 230 Laurier Street Invermere, B.C. V0A 1K0

Ron Maciborski SALES REPRESENTATIVE

(250) 342-5704 (Cell) (250) 342-5599 (Office) (250) 342-5559 (Fax) e-mail: ronmac@rockieswest.com

August 31, 2007 8 • Columbia Valley Homes

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