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T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 2 8 , 2 0 2 1
FEATURE
REGINA LEADER-POST
SOOTHING TONES ON HORIZON IN HOME DÉCOR Colour of the Year emits a sense of calm and tranquility
By Jeannie Armstrong
As the pandemic drags on, we’re all finding ourselves growing weary and anxious. One way to lift our spirits and find comfort is through colour. “Colour can have a profound impact on our moods, feelings and emotions. By strategically using colour in our everyday spaces, we can give our moods a boost and create the secure refuge we’re all seeking,” says Martin Tustin-Fuchs, senior marketing manager for SICO Paint by PPG. That desire for comfort influenced SICO’s selection of Cool Current (6199-42) as its 2022 Colour of the Year. The relaxed and enticing shade of grey-green reflects the resiliency of nature and regrowth, emitting a sense of calm and tranquility. SICO has curated a palette of complementary colours that harmonizes well with the favoured green tone: Bombay Red (6060-83), Royal Velour (6041-83), Phenomenal Grey (6212-83) and Blue Ridge (6023-73). “These colours go a long way in grounding, brightening and adding warmth, comfort and optimism to rooms, which in turn does wonders in lifting spirits,” says Tustin-Fuchs. Dulux Paints by PPG has also opted for a sage green hue for its 2022 Colour of the Year: Olive Sprig (DLX11254). Mitsu Dhawan, marketing manager for Dulux Paints by PPG, describes the colour as a grounded and tranquil sage green. “It has a calming vibe that can lower stress levels and help maintain focus.” These soothing, organic hues represent a welcome
Olive Sprig (DLX1125-4) is Dulux Paint’s 2022 Colour of the Year. “It has a calming vibe that can lower stress levels and help maintain focus,” says marketing manager Mitsu Dhawan. SUPPLIED
break from the stark white and cool grey tones that have prevailed in home design in recent years, says Dhawan. “With the right tools and techniques, paint is an easy and effective way to use these colours to update, enhance and invigorate any space — even without painting all four walls.” Tustin-Fuchs says “The new shades can be easily incorporated in one’s existing décor without having to commit to a major makeover. For example, a home’s atmosphere can be recharged simply by painting a more saturated colour, such as Cool Current, on an accent wall to create a sanctuary in a bedroom or
encourage focus in an office. Bold pops of colour can also be added throughout the home by painting the front door, a piece of furniture, a headboard or the bottom half of a wall with a more saturated shade.” Colour blocking is another creative way to use colour, pairing two or more contrasting hues to make a unique statement on a wall, ceiling or even a door. “Colour blocking can be as simple as two colours on a single wall, or as complex as geometric designs that involve multiple colours,” says Dhawan. Colour blocking can also be used to highlight distinctive visual features in a room, such as an arched door-
way. “You can also incorporate an accent colour to the back of shelves or bookcases to add a fun, decorative twist to any room,” says Dhawan. Spending so much time at home has left many homeowners yearning for more living space. If a larger house isn’t in the budget, you can create the illusion of more space with colour. “Painting a horizontal stripe around a small room makes it look deeper and wider,” says Dhawan. “If the room is narrow or short, paint thin vertical stripes in two tone-on-tone shades to achieve a similar effect. Painting a ceiling in a slightly
lighter shade than the walls will make the ceiling appear higher and serve to create an illusion of a larger space.” To make walls appear taller, paint a one-foot border around the edge of the ceiling in the same colour as the walls. “Another way to create the illusion of height is to paint the bottom half of a wall in a darker shade than the top,” says Tustin-Fuchs. Colour can also be used to define different areas within the home. “Canadians continue to spend more time in our homes than ever before and we’re using our spaces differently. No longer are homes serving solely as living spaces, but also as places for work,
exercise, entertainment and schooling for our kids,” says Tustin-Fuchs. “As a result, we’re seeing consumer preferences move away from open concept living spaces that have been popular in recent years to individual rooms that create privacy and compartmentalize working life from personal. People are realizing that it doesn’t take a big budget to make these changes. Simply using paint to visually separate one area from the next and create the illusion of space can rejuvenate a home and make it feel more functional.”
PREPARE YOUR HOME’S HVAC SYSTEM FOR WINTER
It’s time to shut down the air conditioner and crank up the furnace. But while this can be as simple as flipping a switch from “Cool” to “Heat,” that is not advised. Like any other pieces of equipment, your home’s HVAC system needs regular maintenance and upkeep to ensure that is not only operating efficiently, but is also operating safely. The folks at Napoleon offer their tips to aid your transition from the hot summer
through the cooler autumn and into the cold winter: Get an inspection — Have a professional come into your home and ensure everything is in working order. A professional can flag any potential problems, and could also advise on a replacement. If your furnace is on the verge of requiring an upgrade, now is the time to do it, not when it dies in the middle of a blizzard. Improve your home’s air quality — If a replacement is
on the horizon, and with the world still battling through the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be wise to upgrade to a furnace that is the ultimate in keeping the air you breath clean and free of pathogens. Napoleon 9700 Series furnaces include a unique virus-killing sanitization system that kills all viruses and pathogens quickly. Utilizing the same technology as is used in hospitals, Napoleon’s HOMESHIELD™ system uses germicidal UV-C light to ster-
ilize the air passing through the furnace, killing a viruses, bacteria and pathogens and stopping their spread throughout the home. Change the furnace filter — The filter keeps dust and allergens from spreading around the house. They should ideally be swapped out every three months. The start of each new season is a great reminder to pull the dustcaked filter out and replace it with something new. Clean your ducts — This
should be an annual task. Your home’s ducts are filled with dust and irritants, and every time air passes through the duct work, it spreads these particles throughout your home. Clear the vents — Head outside and check where your furnace vents to the outside. These are likely PVC pipes coming from the area where your HVAC system is installed. Make sure they are clear of obstructions and that no critters have nested inside.
A blockage here could cause a carbon monoxide scare in your home. Check the batteries — Ensure you have fresh batteries in any carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms in your home. It is also a good time to put fresh batteries in your thermostat; you don’t want that conking out on you in the middle of a cold snap. For more information, visit napoleon.com.
THIS SECTION WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION.
BASEMENT & FOUNDATION REPAIR SPECIALISTS (LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED)
HOW STRUCTURALLY SOUND IS YOUR HOME? The foundation of every home is its basement. Your basement has the vital job of supporting the entire house – from floors, walls, doors and windows, right up to the rafters and roof. When that support system is damaged or flawed, big problems can occur. DON’T IGNORE THESE EARLY WARNING SIGNS Homeowners should be on the alert for signs of foundation damage: • Structural damage: Foundation problems can cause structural damage within your home, including warped or sagging flooring. Soil movement under the foundation can also cause walls to crack and bow. RSR TO THE RESCUE If your foundation is showing signs of damage, the basement and foundation repair specialists at RSR Construction will come to the rescue.
We have the solutions to your foundation problems, including: QUALIFIES FOR THE
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Locally owned and family operated, RSR Construction has over 35 plus years of construction experience in repairing foundations and waterproofing basements in the Regina area. Providing hands-on expertise, the RSR team will handle the job from start to finish. Fully licensed and insured, we’ve worked hard to attain our reputation for quality service. That’s why we’re confident in providing our customers with a fifteen-year warranty on workmanship.
Call or email for FREE QUOTE 306 520-7280 | rsrconstructionsk@gmail.com | rsrconstruction.net
FEATURE
T H U R S D A Y, O C T O B E R 2 8 , 2 0 2 1
REGINA LEADER-POST
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Ensure that home improvements
ACTUALLY DO IMPROVE YOUR HOME By Wendy Livingstone
The more time we spend at home, it seems, the more we dream of enhancing our familiar surroundings. During the past year-and-a-half, the world-wide pandemic has resulted in many people working — and even enjoying their recreation activities at — at home. This has resulted in a huge surge in the popularity of renovations. A well-executed renovation can modernize a home, make it more comfortable, improve energy-efficiency and functionality, help to reduce the required upkeep and maintenance, and increase its value. A poor-quality renovation can have quite the opposite effect. Many cosmetic enhancements and small projects can be easily and safely tackled by the homeowner themselves — possibly with a little help from a credible YouTube video — since they do not require a deep knowledge of construction principles. But, for larger renos, it typically pays to hire experts who have experience in such matters, says Stu Niebergall, president & CEO of the Regina & Region Home Builders’ Association (RRHBA). “When you hire a renovator, you really are buying a service rather than a product, so the quality of the service that the renovator provides will determine the quality of the finished product and your satisfaction,” he said. “Light demolition is certainly doable on your own, which means taking down things like unwanted cab-
inets, appliances, fixtures, tile work and moulding or pulling up floor boards or carpeting. But one thing you shouldn’t do is take a sledge hammer or a chain saw to the walls of your home by yourself. And, things like structural repairs, asbestos removal, gas, electricity and plumbing, are examples of when you really should hire a professional.” A high quality renovator will ensure that although your home will be turned into a construction zone during renovation, steps will be taken to safeguard you and your family. If you plan to take on the work as a DIY project, be sure to wear the proper clothing and shoes, protect your ears and eyes, be particularly careful when working at heights and on ladders, and follow up-to-date building codes and regulations. If you decide to hire a professional renovator, some research will help you determine whether the company has experience in the type of work you are having done and, if so, how many years. You may want to know their supplier and what grade of materials will be used. Does the renovation company give a written warranty? If it’s an extensive project, does the warranty include timelines for each stage of work? “Warranty is an important part of protecting your investment on more significant projects,” says Niebergall, “and a renovator who does not provide extensive warranty in writing or doesn’t provide a third-party warranty — that can be an early red flag that consumers should pay atten-
www.customwaterregina.com
Home improvement projects seldom proceed without unexpected problems, but an experienced contractor can often foresee issues that a homeowner might not.. GETTY IMAGES
tion to.” Through the RRHBA’s RenoMark program, renovators are required to offer a minimum two-year warranty on all work. Third-party warranties are also now available through companies such as Saskatchewan New Home Warranty and Progressive Warranty. Planning your renovation begins with firmly establishing the goal of your renovation and prioritizing your requirements. Clearly communicate these needs and wants to your professional renovator, who can help to determine a reasonable budget.
Niebergall said that it can be difficult for an inexperienced homeowner to estimate the cost of a project. “There’s a little bit of a chicken and an egg that happens there,” he says, as homeowners ask themselves, “What can I get done for this budget? And how do I budget when I don’t know what things cost?” This is exacerbated by the fact that home improvement projects seldom proceed without unexpected problems, but an experienced contractor can often foresee issues that a homeowner might not. “You can almost guarantee that there are going to be sur-
prises, no matter how carefully you plan,” says Niebergall. “There is a myriad of scenarios, like unexpected water or mould problems. Nobody wants to find asbestos, but if your home was built before 1990, it tends to pop up, and it needs to be dealt with before any other work can proceed. There is also fixing previous work-arounds from DYI or previous contractors. You may also need to bring items up to code and obtain permits. If it’s an outdoor project, it might change your landscaping and, for some projects, figuring out property lines can also add additional costs.”
The RRHBA has developed a website to help consumers through the renovation process. Renovateregina.com includes answers to common renovation questions and information on concerns such as financing your renovation, including available grants and tax credits; finding, choosing, hiring and working with a professional renovator; evaluating references; and getting quotes and estimates. Also included is a room-by-room guide to renovations, tips on energy efficiency and how to incorporate sustainable, durable, and healthy design into your home.
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