The Trowel February / March 2017

The Voice of the West Coast Wall and Ceiling Industry • www.thetrowel.ca • February / March 2017

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DRYWALL DUTIES CITT Ruling Released Top Construction Apps For 2017 How to Choose a Screw Gun Fixing for a Refund On Your Tax Return The Angles of Audain Art Museum Publications Mail / Agreement # 40719512

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The Voice of the West Coast Wall and Ceiling Industry • www.thetrowel.ca • February / March 2017

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DRYWALL DUTIES CITT Ruling Released

Top Construction Apps For 2017 How to Choose a Screw Gun Fixing for a Refund On Your Tax Return The Angles of Audain Art Museum

The Trowel team Lara Perraton, Group Publisher lperraton@pointonemedia.com

© Can Stock Photo / maxxyustas

Jessica Kirby, Editor 250.816.3671 • jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com

11

Lara Perraton, Advertising Sales 877.755.2762 • lperraton@pointonemedia.com Christina Tranberg, Advertising Sales 877.755.2762 ext 1408 • ctranberg@pointonemedia.com Sharon Hawes, Advertising Sales 877.755.2762 ext 1406 • shawes@pointonemedia.com

contributing writers Mark Breslin Andrew Delmonico Canada Revenue Agency Drew Smith John Wiebe

cover photo

CONTENTS • february / march 2017 6 Drywall Duties CITT Ruling Released

The CITT rules dumping damage to the industry is apparent—how will duties be affected long term?

8

Top Construction Apps for 2017

Photo courtesy of the BCWCA.

Published bi-monthly by

12 How to Choose a Screw Gun

Point One Media, Inc. The Trowel P.O. Box 11, Station A Nanaimo, BC V9R 5K4 t: 877.755.2762 • www.thetrowel.ca While information contained in this publication has been compiled from sources deemed to be reliable, the publisher may not be held liable for omissions or errors.

Contents ©2017 by Point One Media Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the publisher.

Printed in Canada. Postage paid at Simcoe, ON.

Want to streamline productivity for free or cheap? Check out these great construction apps for Android and iPhone.

Tips on how to choose one of the most important tools on your job site.

13 Fixing for a Refund on Your Tax Return

Canada Revenue Agency lays out options to get the most out of your tax return.

15 The Angles of Audain Art Museum

Nova Systems Drywall Inc. tackles tricky angles and an innovative design at Audain Art Museum in Whistler, BC.

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Journal of Record for

Departments & Columns 04 editorial

20 contractors 101

05 drew’s rant

21 it’s the law

17 feature focus

22 industry news

19 around the world

22 advertiser index

The Trowel is a registered trademark of the BC Wall & Ceiling Association.

The Trowel is published six times per year expressly for members of the wall and ceiling industry.

In the next issue: Tradeshows & Networking • Ceilings • Acoustics

editor’s COMMENT

Technology Booms Ahead

There was a time, nearly ten years ago now, when I tried to talk to people in construction about technology and nt style: Silom innovating their practices and business models and a certain heaviness would hang in the silence over the phone line. In person, this line of questioning would cause people to stare at me as if I were on fire. Technology? Innovation?

Change? You’re barking up the wrong tree, lady.

Am I? Here we are, just a few short years later and 78 per cent of construction firms use three or more software technologies to manage their businesses, with estimating, project management, and BIM programs taking the top three popularity spots.

According to a report by Construction Executive, 77.4 per cent of contractors surveyed said they receive bids electronically, and 32 per cent use pencil and paper when performing a takeoff. Only 26 per cent use project management or collaboration tools on the majority of their projects, while 23 per cent don’t use them at all.

BIM is taking a large portion of the market, in particular for its collaborative features—according to the CE report, 65 per cent of contractors surveyed use it for collaborating across the construction phase, 50 per cent see its potential as a marketing tool, and 47 per cent use it to collaborate with the team pre-construction.

4 » The Trowel

By Jessica Kirby, Editor The report lists barriers to adoption – cost of devices, resistance to change, difficulty finding suitable programs, and cost of programs – but the natural progression of technology pricing will eventually evolve and take care of these matters, opening a whole new world of possibilities for contractors in all realms of construction. If you’ve been on the fence about technology and want a cost-free taste, take a peek at our compilation of useful construction apps, which begins on page 8.

(I even threw in a few games at the end, but don’t play them on the job site or risk contributing to the cost problem Drew Smith describes in his rant on page 5.)

I was interested to read about Michael Audain, fifth generation British columbian, home builder, philanthropist, and art collector. Audain has, over the years, created non-profit funds to help protect grizzly bears and to support the arts in BC, and is a fantastic example of someone who gets into a cause and does all he can to help. One of Audain’s most recent achievements and contributions to BC culture is the founding and development of the Audain Art Museum in Whistler, BC. The stunning 50,000-squarefoot building showcases Audain’s and his wife Yoshiko Karasawa’s BC art collection—collectively, the pair have one of Canada’s most renowned collections.

The Audain Art Museum owes its stunning interior and exterior work

to BCWCA member Nova Drywall Systems. The company’s talent, flexibility, and ingenuity as part of the construction team on that project earned it the BCWCA’s Best Interior award at the 2016 Project of the Year Awards.

Read all about the striking angles and unique location requirements of this project on page 15.

In other news, times, they are a’ changin’ around here at Point One Media, and we have brought a new editor to our team.

Blake Desaulniers will be taking over my post as editor of The Trowel, and is currently working away on the April / May issue. Blake brings a wealth of experience in publishing and trade magazine management and is excited to sink his teeth into your publication.

Please join me in helping Blake feel welcome in his new position and I can’t wait to see what new and interesting things he brings to the table.

I’ll still be kicking around, working on other magazines, and I invite you to stay in touch and drop me a line from time to time to let me know what is new in wall and ceiling world. Until then ... . ■

Are you reading a borrowed copy of The Trowel? Get your own!

Subscribe online at wallandceiling.ca

drew’s RANT FACE IT; DON’T FACEBOOK IT As the first column of the year, I’m going to rant about every employer’s pain, the cellular phone. What have we gotten ourselves into with lost time on our projects?

The cellular phone is now approximately 44 years of age. Perhaps in the last 10– 20+ years we have seen the advancement of the cellphone on our construction sites to the point that we would be hard pressed to find an employee that does not have this anchor tied to them 24/7. Is this a good thing?

This wonderful device has, in the past and arguably in the future, increased the efficient organization of our project sites. Further in this column, I will present some documented findings that will or should scare the hell out of the reader. For now, however, I can reflect somewhat on the old ways.

Before cellphones showed up on our sites, if we needed to talk to the boss we would prearrange a time convenient for him to discuss the project, manpower, materials, etc. Imagine that. We managed to build buildings. We all knew that if you called the office to talk to the boss and our girl in the office (you know her… the real boss of the company) informed you so-and-so was in a meeting and couldn’t be disturbed, it was code speak for, “He’s on the golf course and doesn’t want to be disturbed.” Having no cellphones was a blessing then, I’m sure. The boss was getting his game on—but times, they are a’ changin’.

We made plans for running our jobs. We wrote things down, kept notes, journals, hard copies, and paper work. It wasn’t cyberspace. It was pen and paper. We were organized and we built buildings.

So, along comes the cellphone, social media, Candy Crush, Panda Pop, and whatever other games are out there wasting your company’s time and money.

At first, many companies jumped on board faster than others, but at this point

we seem to be all-in. Unfortunately, we may have boarded the Titanic. Did we really foresee what is quickly becoming a disastrous journey?

Although there are arguments to support both pros and cons for having new technologies on our sites, I will speak to what I feel are considerations to be discussed with our employees—perhaps sooner than later. I will back my concerns with some researched statistics.

Time Theft: Are we slaves to our phones?

According to The Business Times, many people receive 10–20 or more text messages per day. Consider this: if a single employee spends 10 minutes a day texting on company time the cumulative math starts to get scary. One may now multiply those 10 minutes a day by 260 work days per year, resulting in 2,600 minutes of lost time; 2,600 minutes divided by 60 minutes per hour equals 43.3 hours of your money out the door and into the bin.

Take a breather ... It gets worse. Let’s say your employee is at a $24 per hour rate. The math results show there is a minimum of $1,039 in overpaid wages and approximately $3,000 or more in lost productivity—a total of more than $4,000 per worker. Lost wages alone for five employees a year accounts to approximately $5,200.

Now take another breath. We don’t even want to think about our employee or a group of employees using the cellphone on company time, not work related, more than 10 minutes a day, now do we? Gets the gerbils working in the head, yes?

Consider an employee caught stealing the company’s money to this extent— would they be let go?

One way some companies have attempted to resolve cellphone use at work places is to discuss with employees the above math, and show them how it affects the company’s bottom line. If employees

By Drew Smith, BCWCA Photo courtesy of Sarah Dunlop don’t take these numbers seriously and don’t appreciate it is an employer’s concern and threatens the well-being of the company, I would suggest perhaps it’s time for them to move on.

I have heard some of our contractors have started to take a hard line on cellphone abuse on our project sites. The personal use of phones is not allowed during working hours. If it is a company policy then it is a company policy—period.

Break the rules pay the price. They can use the phone to look for another job from the sidewalk, but not on site and not on company time. Break times only.

I say, well done, gentlemen.

I will share the story of a reluctant contractor and cellphone use more than 20 years ago. When cellphones started to become the norm on construction sites, my employer was more than hesitant to disperse cellular phones to supervisors.

He would bring me a roll of quarters every Monday morning first thing.

This coin was to be used for the week’s company calls from the sites to the office. (Now that I reflect on this while writing, it just came to me that he never really wanted to contact me. Damn! If he’s reading this he will be having a good laugh. Well done, John.)

Anyhow, at the time, the money was to be used for pay phones—good luck finding one now. Although we pleaded to get a company cellphone, John and Kevin held their ground. We managed to do some great jobs and I never used my Continued on page 22 wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 5

© Can Stock Photo / mcsp22368465

DRYWALL DUTIES CITT Ruling Released By / Jessica Kirby

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ruled

in January that dumping caused harm to the domestic drywall industry in Western Canada, which means duties on American drywall imports must stay in place, at least for now.

Its longer-term recommendation to the federal government is to temporarily eliminate duties for six months to allow contractors to complete fix-priced contracts—a time frame not everyone agrees is sufficient.

The CITT’s ruling comes after an investigation into allegations of dumping made by Canada’s only Western Canadian drywall manufacturer, CertainTeed, that the underpriced imports were causing significant harm to that company’s business and market share.

The duties, which amount to as much as 276 per cent, have resulted in 30 to 50 per cent price increases that are burdening commercial and residential construction industries, particularly in areas like Fort McMurray, which is undergoing heavy reconstruction efforts after last year’s wildfires.

While the duties remain in place in the interim, the CITT’s ruling included a statement that the preliminary duty “in its full amount” did not support Canada’s trade and economic interests, in particular, in its effect on businesses and consumers.

6 » The Trowel

Contractors are still in limbo considering the far-reaching implications of the tariffs on their businesses and contracts in progress. The “temporary elimination” of duties would mean refunding them for a six-month time frame or until a certain import volume was reached, and the final duties should top off at 43 per cent of the export price, says the CITT recommendation.

The Western Canada Alliance of Wall and Ceiling Contractors (Alliance) released a statement saying the recommended stay is helpful, but not enough to allow contractors to complete their fixed-term contracts.

“The recommendation that final duties be temporarily eliminated for a six-month period is helpful, but is not long enough to allow contractors to perform their fixed price contracts going forward,” said Neal Pollock, of TDL Drywall Inc., Calgary and a member of the Alliance. “The Alliance will be seeking a longer period of temporary elimination without a volume cap.”

The ruling included recommendations to the federal government to grant a special remission that equals dumping duties on imported drywall used to rebuild Fort MacMurray.

Fort McMurray’s mayor Melissa Blake also appealed to the federal government for relief grants to offset the duty expenses.

The Alliance recognized Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s efforts to have the CITT acknowledge the downstream effects of high duties on imported drywall.

“If it were not for the creative and thoughtful efforts by the Minister and his staff, we would not have had the opportunity to be heard by the Tribunal on the downstream harm caused to our industry by the imposition of the stark and harmful price increases which took effect overnight following the imposition of preliminary duties,” said a statement by Pollock.

“Western Canadian manufacturing ‘has suffered material injury from large volumes of US drywall imports sold at low prices with huge dumping margins.’”

The Alliance took part in the Tribunal, which considered the price impact on small and medium sized contractors in Western Canada.

said. “CertainTeed Gypsum Canada does not support any temporary remission that would condone continued injurious dumping in Western Canada.”

BCWCA executive director Jeff Triggs says the association is hopeful resolution and clarity will come soon and encourages contractors to keep current duty prices under consideration.

CITT released its Statement of Reasons on January 19. These may preclude additional measures to alleviate financial pressure on contractors and consumers affected by the dumping duties.

“While the CITT did make some recommendations to the Finance Minister on potential relief for drywall contractors with fixed rate contracts, it is important to note that the higher duties are still in effect,” he said. “The Finance Department will likely wait for the CITT’s Statement of Reasons, which is due within 15 days of the January 4 decision, before making any decisions on the recommendations.”

The Alliance looks forward to reviewing the Tribunal’s reasons and strongly encourages the government to immediately implement the recommendations, said the statement. “To maintain our industry’s economic viability, Western Canada’s construction industry must be predictable and stable,” said Pollock. “We cannot be hit by significant overnight product cost increases that will put our livelihoods at risk.”

A statement from CertainTeed said the findings were a welcome validation of the company’s claim that Western Canadian manufacturing “has suffered material injury from large volumes of US drywall imports sold at low prices with huge dumping margins.”

CertainTeed “remains concerned” about permanent or longterm reduction in duty amounts in the absence of “full and complete information,” but supports short-term relief for contractors who established fixed-price contracts prior to September 6, 2016.

CertainTeed Gypsum Canada, however, “remains concerned with implementation of such relief,” said Matthew Walker, general manager, CertainTeed Gypsum Canada in a statement.

“Any Provisional Duty remission or temporary Final Duty remission should only be paid to and for the benefit of contractors, and not US importers who are dumping,” he

“The BC Wall & Ceiling Association is looking forward to the final resolution of this issue so that moving forward, our members will be able to accurately bid on jobs, and be back to business as usual,” said Triggs.

View the CITT Statement of Reasons at http://www.citt.gc.ca/ en/node/7827. ■

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wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 7

2017 TOP CONSTRUCTION APPS FOR

Š Can Stock Photo / maxxyustas

EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, contractors are spending more time implementing technology into their day-to-day operations. Though still resistant to major technological overhauls, the construction industry is taking advantage of quick, easy, and productive opportunities to streamline certain tasks and systems with free and low-cost apps. From project collaboration to where-the-heck-can-I-find-a-hammeraround-here solutions, developers are hot on the task of making apps to make builders’ lives easier. Check these out.

App Name: Construction Master 5 Developer: Calculated Industries Platform: Android / iPhone Cost: $26.85 Category: Calculator The Construction Master 5 calculator for your smartphone is built with the same features and functions, and the same core engine that powers the industry-standard advanced construction-math calculators from Calculated Industries.

App Name: AWC Span Calc Developer: American Wood Council Platform: Android / iPhone Cost: Free Category: Calculator Performs calculations for all species and grades of commercially available softwood and hardwood timber and calculates maximum horizontal spans for joists and rafters based on specific specifications and conditions.

App Name: GPS Area Calculator Developer: KBK Infosoft Platform: Android / iPhone Cost: Free Category: Calculator Easy, intuitive, few-step app manages area, distance, perimeter, and fast area/distance marking. Offers Smart Marker Mode for super accurate pin placement, measures saving and editing, measures grouping and naming, undo for all measuring actions, and GPS tracking to walk/drive around boundary/directory to auto measure.

App Name: ShareMyToolbox Developer: Viewpoint Construction Software Platform: iPhone Cost: Free Category: Inventory Enable every employee to search for tools from their own phone with a modern tool inventory app. Never waste time calling or driving around frantically looking for a tool.

Building a catalog of tools and equipment helps protect the significant investment contractors make in tools. Provide every employee with a list of the tools they are responsible for and they will lose fewer tools with our tool inventory app.

App Name: CCS Safety Developer: Capital Construction Solutions Platform: Android / iPhone Cost: $94 / month subscription Category: Safety management The Capital Construction Solutions safety mobile application (CCS Safety) is used by contractors, owners, construction managers, program managers, facility managers, owners, and government agencies to review a list of best practice safety questions (10000+) depending on the work category (175 categories) being performed. Users can review Toolbox talks and risk assessments and create custom forms, reports, and site observation tools.

App Name: Construct Developer: Construct LATAM Platform: Android / iPhone Cost: Free Category: Communication Construct is a collaborative app that allows contractor’s to document and track what’s occurring on the job-site in realtime. Construct is used to connect engineers, architects and project managers.

App Name: Bridge Construction Simulator Developer: BoomBit Games Platform: Android / iPhone Cost: Free Category: Game Put your engineering skills, intuition, and smarts to the test as a constructor who is required to improvise and – most of all – adapt to the task at hand. Use your resources to construct structures able to hold the weight of a car. Try to become a good builder as fast as you can—things will get hard. You won’t be racing against the time, so be a careful and thoughtful constructor.

App Name: Pythagorea Developer: Horis International Ltd. Platform: Android Cost: Free Category: Game / puzzle Pythagorea is a collection of geometric puzzles of different kind that can be solved without complex constructions or calculations. All objects are drawn on a grid whose cells are squares. A lot of levels can be solved using just your geometric intuition or by finding natural laws, regularity, and symmetry. ■

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wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 9

Q&A

with Angelo Castelli, New President of On Center Software

Angelo Castelli is president of On Center Software. He is only the third president in the history of the company established in 1988. He joined On Center as sales manager in 2003 after 10 years as chief estimator and project manager with a major construction company in Ohio.

You were a project manager and chief estimator with Western Reserve Interiors of Cleveland, Ohio in the 1990s, during the beginning of the digital transformation of the construction industry. Tell us about that.

I learned the ropes of estimating using paper blueprints, markers, and rulers. The president and chief estimator at Western Reserve used a DOS-based estimating system with a scroll wheel to measure plans. While I was being trained he upgraded to a Windows platform and digitizer board, which calculated and counted the measurements between point A and B. We made an incredible investment for the system. It wasn’t much later when we were asked to review On Center Software’s solution by our software provider. When I first saw how OnScreen Takeoff was able to measure the plan directly on the screen without a digitizer board and just a click and drag of a mouse, I knew it would change the industry. The ability to quickly change labour production on the fly within Quick Bid and instantly see the impact on the price made the system very efficient and flexible. The system was so advanced; we were able to quadruple the number of projects we could bid.

We doubled our revenue and increased our profitability in the first year using the software.

You quickly became a power user of OnScreen Takeoff and have an impressive success story. Tell us more.

There was a renovation project I had bid that required quite a bit of plaster repair. We used On-Screen Takeoff to quantify and display where we figured the plaster repair work was needed. We provided colour-coded plans showing exactly where we identified the plaster 10 » The Trowel

patching to occur as part of our scope review with the contractor, owner, and architect.

Our bid for the project was $1,400,000, the low bidder was at $1,000,000 along with another bid at $1,100,000. The owner and architect determined that our estimate was less risk for costly change orders since they could identify what we included for plaster patching compared to our competitors. In the end, we didn’t have any issues for approval of additional plaster patching that was required and we completed the job 10 per cent less than the estimated labour budget.

What motivated you to leave a major construction business for a software startup? On the surface, that appeared to be a risky move.

I have always been interested in technology. Over time, I had built a relationship with Leonard Buzz, the founder of On Center. I contributed quite a few feature requests over time and I was a huge fan. It’s always great to see a feature request that you personally submitted implemented into On-Screen Takeoff and/or Quick Bid. Leonard had pursued me to come to work for On Center multiple times over the years. I decided to leave a comfortable position because I saw a great opportunity to help advance the way contractors estimate and manage projects.

What are the innovative technology trends you see coming online to construction?

I see great advances in construction software, mobility, and data sharing through the cloud. Cloud computing removes most of the IT burden on small- to medium-size companies. With cloud computing, companies no longer

have to maintain their own servers and pay for IT security and expensive equipment replacement for systems they use only a fraction of the time.

Their plans, project data, applications, and email systems are in the cloud, available virtually everywhere, including job sites. Contractors use the cloud to link job sites and the office with applications and real-time data.

Two or three team members can look at the same digital plans at the same time.

The construction industry is slow to adopt new technology. The market is very busy and contractors are having issues finding labour. We have construction startups that are investing in our software solutions, but we have slower growth with existing clients since they have plenty of backlog. They are too busy to automate, if that makes sense.

Do you have advice for the millennials entering the industry?

Never stop learning, growing, and expanding your knowledge. The future is bright for construction management.

Our software is used in construction management curriculum in over 300 institutions. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Follow your passion and keep up with technology.

You worked with both On Center’s founder, Leonard Buzz and Cecilia Padilla. What advice did they give you to prepare you for your role as president?

Always remember, the client comes first. Our focus remains to listen to and take care of our customers. We get tremendous satisfaction from hearing how we have helped their businesses and we gain real-world advice from them to improve our software. We are on the same team. ■

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Missing a Small Detail Can Cost You Big Time Searching through drawings for revisions is a contractor’s version of “Where’s Waldo?” Your profit depends on diligently tracking plan revisions or your crew gets walloped with days of rework on your dime, simply because a wall went from 20’ x 10’ to 10’ x 12’.

It’s time to go digital with the industry’s No. 1 solution, On-Screen Takeoff®. Instantly spot conflicts and details of changes with On-Screen Takeoff’s powerful color-coded overlay feature. The digital plans show you exactly what is new in blue and what is old in red. Hours of comparing paper plans are eliminated with this advanced, easy-to-use software.

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How to Choose a

Screw Gun By / Jessica Kirby

© Can Stock Photo / Photoexpert

WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING SCREWS you are balancing productivity, efficiency, ergonomics, and noise safety so you want to get it right. The Trowel investigated product manufacturers, contractors, and building experts to get the goods on what features are most important in picking the right rig. Choosing the right screw gun is as much about preference as it is about the correct materials and conditions—use these handy tips to make sure you are getting the most out of your most important tool on the job.

Features – Tools these days are pretty high-tech and address just about every variable there is for setting the screw straight and getting the job done. A screw gun is definitely a more productive choice than a drill with the appropriate bit, and consider a collated screw gun with an automated feed to set your rows at rocket speed. A lock-on button is a great feature to have when using an auto-feed screw gun, especially on larger jobs.

I know drywallers who would lose their minds at the idea of using an uncorded screw gun, but newer 18-volt lithium-ion

batteries are decent and will get the job done. Consider this option for overhead work where not having a cord to trip over is an excellent benefit.

For maximized power and control, consider higher engine speeds in the 2,500-4,000 rpm range. Although variable speed isn’t a must-have practical feature for installing drywall, it can increase a tool’s motor life. If you have the option, grab this feature, especially if you prefer not to use a lock-on feature and are constantly turning the unit on and off.

Ergonomics – Your health is a prime concern, so be sure to choose a model that is comfortable, sits well in your hand, and is the correct weight for your arm and wrist. Cushioned rubber grips reduce vibration irritation and the thickness and angle of the handle should feel right in your hand. Finger grooves take the pressure off your grip strength, providing natural leverage for a relaxed hold. Although its hard to get an old clunker these days, even a pound will make a difference after all-day use so pick the lightest rig for your hand and arm strength. And don’t forget nose control: again, most modern screw guns are built to buzz rather than roar, but if you have the choice, select lower volume and frequency to avoid excessive noise irritation.

Nose Sense – Since most adjustments you will make to your screw gun involve the nose piece, this area should be easy and intuitive to use. An adjustable nose piece should offer precise options for setting the screw depth, which, if done correctly, can prevent tears in the paper surface of the board. (Pro tip: is the depth adjustment dial located some place you can reach in use and while wearing gloves?) Consider whether adjusting the depth just a matter of a slight turn or requires a squeeze, pull, and turn motion—how important is that to your work?

Some come with spring-loaded holders you pull to remove the bit and again to lock in a new one—beautiful. Most models come standard with a magnetic bit holder, which is a small but handy feature.

Warranty & Price – The standard warranty on screw guns is one-year limited, and various stores will offer optional purchase end-to-end replacement warrantees to cover everything from overuse to dropping off of a building.

Mitigate the need for a longer-term warrantee by shelling out a little extra dough up front for the fit you need, features you like, and the quality your work requires. Like everything else, you get what you pay for when it comes to most power tools and screw guns are no exception. ■

12 » The Trowel

FIXING FOR A REFUND on your tax return As a skilled tradesperson, you build the houses where families live, skyscrapers where people work, and the roads and bridges that get everyone where they need to go. The work that you do benefits all Canadians. But did you know the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) wants you to benefit too when you do your taxes?

No matter what your trade is, you need to make sure you have the right tools for the job.

If you bought new ones for work this year, you may be able to claim the tradesperson’s tools deduction, a deduction of up to $500. To claim the deduction, you will need your employer to certify the tools were bought by you,

for you, to be used directly in your work.

You may also be able to get a rebate on the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) you paid. For more information on deducting the cost of eligible tools, go to cra.gc.ca/trades.

Are you part of a trade union?

If you pay dues for your membership, hold on to your receipt. You may be able to deduct the amount paid on your tax return, including any GST/ HST you paid as part of your dues. For more information, go to cra.gc.ca and search for “Line 212 - Annual union, professional, or like dues.”

When someone questions “Who’s the boss?” you take pride in responding, because well…it’s you!

words and photo by / Canada Revenue Agency If you’re self-employed, you may be able to deduct other reasonable expenses you paid to earn income, such as vehicle costs, supplies needed to complete a job, and office space expenses. Have you converted part of your garage from a storage room into a workspace for your business? When you use part of your home for business, you may be able to deduct a portion of your maintenance costs such as heat, home insurance, electricity, cleaning materials, and more. To find out more, go to cra.gc.ca/selfemployed and select “Report business or professional income and expenses.”

No one has to tell you that the demand for skilled tradespersons never seems to slow down. You recognize that every day. As your project schedule starts wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 13

■

Fixing for a Refund

“If you hire a qualified apprentice working in an approved Red Seal trade, you may be able to claim the apprenticeship job creation tax credit.” filling up, it might be time to consider registering for a GST/HST account.

Generally, you are required to register for the GST/HST once your business income exceeds $30,000 in four consecutive calendar quarters. Even if you aren’t required to, registering could let you claim input tax credits on the GST/HST you paid on your business purchases and expenses. This is an important benefit of owning a business and could put more money in your pocket to re-invest for the future.

For more information, go to cra.gc.ca/ gsthst. If your business is located in Quebec, go to revenuquebec.ca.

go to cra.gc.ca/smallbusiness and select “Investment tax credit.”

You learned (almost) everything you know about your trade spending countless hours as an apprentice. Now you want to pass that knowledge on to the next generation of tradespersons. If you hire a qualified apprentice working in an approved Red Seal trade, you may be able to claim the apprenticeship job creation tax credit. For each eligible apprentice, you can claim $2,000 or 10% of the eligible apprentice’s salary and wages payable in the year, whichever is less. Don’t need to use the whole credit amount this year? Carry the unused amount back 3 years or forward up to 20 years! For more information on the apprenticeship job creation tax credit and other investment tax credits,

This year, you can file online as early as February 20, 2017. Last year, more than 84% of individuals filed their returns online. To file your personal return online, you can prepare it using certified tax preparation software or a certified web application. The CRA has a list of certified tax preparation software on its website, including some that are free. To find out more, go to cra.gc.ca/netfile.

Tax returns for most Canadians are due on April 30, 2017. However, since this date is a Sunday, the CRA will consider your return as filed on time and your payment to be made on time if it receives your submission or it is postmarked the next business day.

Self-employed individuals and their spouses or common-law partners have until June 15, 2017, to file their returns.

But if they have a balance owing to the CRA, the amount is still due no later than April 30, 2017.

Unfortunately, not every year can be a winning year. If your business is facing cash flow problems, you may be able to pay off your tax debt in more than one payment. You can set up a payment arrangement by making a pre-

authorized debit agreement through the CRA’s My Business Account or My Account service or by calling 1-888-863-8657. To learn more about your payment options, go to cra.gc.ca/ payments.

Even with all of your training and credentials, it’s still important to be vigilant and not find yourself swayed into participating in the underground economy. If your clients suggest you do a job “under the table,” know that by avoiding taxes, you are putting yourself at risk. If you are caught evading taxes, you could face penalties and jail time, and you could even lose your business.

It’s that simple.

Under-the-table deals undermine the integrity of Canada’s tax system and deprive Canadians of funds for vital programs that benefit everyone, including children and seniors. On the other hand, as the boss, if you pay your employees under the table, you are robbing them of the benefits they are eligible for, like employment insurance, Canada Pension Plan payments, and workers’ compensation coverage. For more about the underground economy, go to cra.gc.ca/undergroundeconomy.

If you have ever made a mistake or an omission and would like to correct your tax affairs, you can find more information about the CRA’s Voluntary Disclosures Program at cra.gc.ca/ voluntarydisclosures.

You can also stay on top of the latest CRA news and tax tips by following @ CanRevAgency on Twitter. ■

Are you working on an interesting or challenging project? Tell us about it. Contact our editor, Jessica Kirby, at jkirby@pointonemedia.com or by phone at 250.816.3671.

14 » The Trowel

THE ANGLES OF

AUDAIN ART MUSEUM Best Interior Project: Nova Drywall Systems – Audain Art Museum Award accepted by: Ken Campbell and Dave Crofton Architect: Patkau Architects Material suppliers: Bailey Metals, CertainTeed, Johns Manville, Roxul, Winroc, Hilti, E-fasteners By / Jessica Kirby Photos courtesy of the BCWCA

THE AUDAIN ART MUSEUM in Whistler, BC is a stunning

showcase of British Columbia art, offering breathtaking works from the province’s First Peoples through to its contemporary masters. It was established by Vancouver home builder and philanthropist Michael Audain over four years, beginning with an agreement in 2012 to construct a 25,000-squarefoot museum to house Michael and Yoshiko Audain’s BC art collection—the area doubled to 56,000 square feet later in 2013.

The building’s interior and exterior steel stud framing, insulation, and interior and exterior drywall were completed

by BCWCA member Nova Drywall Systems Inc., and earned the company the association’s 2016 Best Interior Project award.

The building was unique because it is a 56,000-square-foot, two-storey art museum built on the Fitzsimmons Creek food plain, said Ken Campbell, project manager for Nova Drywall Systems. The building is designed to withstand a 500-year flood of Fitzsimmons Creek by being build 15 feet off the ground.

“This meant that a significant amount of structural design was required to assure the performance of the exterior steel stud framing to ensure protection from not only flood and seismic events, but the extreme weather conditions that occur at a ski resort,” said Campbell.

To achieve this, the foundation is concrete and the lower floor is suspended on five concrete piers. “All of the work to the wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 15

■

Audian Art Museum along with maintaining structural integrity for wind and snow loads and conform to the seismic codes was not easy,” he said. “Our site superintendent and engineering firm deserve the credit for solving this puzzle.”

On the interior in the same location, the challenge was the same, compounded by people looking for straight lines and finished surfaces. “Again our supervisory team deserves all the credit here,” said Newsham.

exterior and underside of the project had to be performed on scissor and boom lifts,” said Richard Newsham, chief estimator with Nova Drywall Systems. “When it rained this was not an easy task. The builder was also required to remove the fewest number of trees possible, so working between the trees and building was often a challenge.

Most of the interior steel stud and drywall work was completed on angles with walls reaching heights of 17 feet.

The location where two off angles met was the location of the most challenge, said Newsham.

“On the exterior, having to work together with the engineer and the architect to provide the profiles that were expected

“Nearly all areas are of a non-typical design and required skilled supervision and workers to create the off angles and sloped walls,” said Campbell. “All walls are to a level 5 finish.”

“Getting it right the first time” was the key to completing a level 5 finish in such a challenging environment, said Newsham. “Light checking 18’ high walls is the only way to make sure you have a flat surface. Our tradesmen gave us the finish that was demanded by the designer.”

“You can see the skill of the layout and framing crews, and the precision drywall required to create the high end product requirements of a museum that truly stands out among the world class buildings and architecture found in Whistler,” added Campbell.

Visit Nova Drywall Systems online at novasystems.ca. ■

Manufacturer of Specialty Aluminum Trims Flannery is the only manufacturer of aluminum trims with a full line of products for application in each of the following wall systems: • Drywall • Plaster & Stucco • Fiber Cement Panels • Millwork Panels • Composite Siding Systems

Check out our updated website flannerytrim.com to view our expanded trim lines or to download our current catalog.

Tel: 818-837-7585 • Fax: 818-837-1155 • www.flannerytrim.com • info@flannerytrim.com 16 » The Trowel

feature FOCUS STAY COMPETITIVE WITH GRACO’S TOUGHTEK MORTAR PUMPS Whether you need one piece of equipment that pumps mortar, stucco, EIFS, and fireproofing materials, or a single machine to pump self-levelling underlayment, Graco has you covered.

To stay competitive and get the job done faster at a lower cost, it’s critical to have the right tools from a company you know and trust.

Introducing a line of mortar pumps designed to keep your business running As job sites get more demanding, mixing or applying by hand simply won’t cut it. You need a machine that will get the same job done with fewer labour hours, saving your business time and money. Choose between Graco’s patented piston pump for a low maintenance machine that pumps at a higher output than competing products, or our simple, dependable rotor stator pumps that deliver a consistent flow of materials. With Graco’s ToughTek mortar line, double your production rate with equipment that can take on the most demanding jobs.

Big performance from a small stucco pump Engineered with Graco’s proprietary piston pump technology, the ToughTek S340e portable stucco pump can easily handle everything from heavy, abrasive scratch and brown stucco base coats to EIFS base and finish coats. The S340e can also deliver all materials through long hose lengths, allowing you to spray farther distances and get the job done sooner.

Benefits • Designed for simple, intuitive operation, your crew will be up and running in no time

• Variable speed control – dial in the exact speed needed to get precise control for the material used • Optional remote control on/off switch – lets you start or stop the pump from the applicator

Experience the difference of pumping at your next job Visit graco.com/ToughTek to sign up to have our demo specialist bring a ToughTek Mortar Pump to your next job. ■

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• Plug and play – the ToughTek S340e pump plugs into a standard 120V wall outlet or an appropriately-sized generator

349828A.2_AD_ToughTek_1/3pg_Print.indd 1

wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 17 2/8/17 1:38 PM

feature FOCUS NEW TRIAD TRIDENT BRIDGE Triad has long been the leader in the wall building industry and has again taken wall panelization to the next level. The Trident Panel Nailer/Stapler Bridge is a perfect upgrade to your wall panel line.

The builders spoke and we listened.

The Trident Bridge was engineered with customer input. The new bridge incorporates a nimble three-tool carriage that gives builders flexibility without compromising speed and efficiency, while at the same time significantly reducing tool cost over traditional bridges.

The Trident Bridge is easily controlled with a joystick or hand crank, as well as a touchscreen for on-center spacing.

The carriage is lined up with a laser and goes across each stud, utilizing all three tools as it does. The bridge can detect openings and does not fire the tools as it glides over the top. The Trident Bridge

is more efficient than single-tool bar bridges with its unique bidirectional nailing, and always-at-the-ready carriage system.

The innovative design of the Trident Bridge is a direct result of a cooperative effort from engineers to

production level and avoids the fallacy of automation for automation’s sake.

The Trident Bridge will fit existing Gen II Sheathing Stations and Diamond Quad Tables, as well as our new Generation 3 Tables.

More than just machinery, it’s a tuned, integrated bridge that helps wall panel manufacturers have flexibility with tool spacing, selections of tool types, and speed for production.

Triad has come up with yet another product the industry has been looking for. Precise, square walls with reduced tool and labour costs, increased productivity, and increased profits— Triad, the front runner in the wall panel industry, understands what your business needs.

For over 50 years Triad has been the leading manufacturer of automated, semi-automated, and manual wall panel equipment. No matter whether you are a high-volume or a low-volume operation, Triad has the experience you need and the answers to help you grow. Remember: “Keep Calm and Take Control” with Triad. If you are interested in increasing production and decreasing costs please call 800-5687423 (ext. 126). ■

18 » The Trowel

around the WORLD MODULAR DESIGN-BUILD SCHOOL NEARS COMPLETION Design-build construction firm Ramtech Building Systems of Mansfield, Texas has announced the company is nearing completion of the interior and exterior finish-out phase on the construction of a new 37,329-squarefoot modular school building for Arlington Classics Academy. Located on the charter school’s 11-acre campus in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas, the design-build project is being built using Ramtech’s Accelerated Building System (ABS) permanent modular construction method. Once completed, the facility will provide 24 standard classrooms to accommodate up to 192 elementary school students in the school’s third through fifth grades.

The building will have five special use classrooms for the art, music, speech, and special education programs, a cafeteria with a warming kitchen, administrative offices, a library annex with a tutoring center and learning lab, and a 3,000-square-foot multipurpose exercise room with its own dedicated heating and cooling. The requirements for the new facility called for full site development including two acres of additional paving, which will help ease the amount of vehicular traffic on the main feeder road during student dropoff and pickup times. To enhance the landscaping, an existing legacy grove of pecan trees was integrated into the site’s design to maintain the aesthetics of the area’s original rural appearance.

The manufacturing of the building sections began concurrently with the site work at the end of April. The crane setting of the 45 modular sections that make up the wood frame structure began in September and were done in three phases to allow for the installation and concrete pouring to take place simultaneously in order to speed up the project timeline. The building has a masonry exterior using brick and splitfaced block along with stucco applied accent several areas. The parapet wall

design ranges in height from 13 to 18 feet and will help to enhance the buildings aesthetics while also meeting the design requirements stipulated by the city. The project has an anticipated completion date of the middle of February 2017.

Since 1982 Ramtech Building Systems has been providing innovative permanent modular buildings for educational institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, and Fortune 500 companies throughout the Southern United States. As a design-build construction company, Ramtech offers full in-house design, a manufacturer direct product, and complete site construction services all within a single-source solution.

Ramtech’s ABS process combines the best of off-site prefabrication and onsite construction techniques in order

to produce a building faster and with less cost but identical in the look, functionality and life expectancy of a completely site-built structure. Ramtech accomplishes this by setting factory assembled modular sections complete with attached ceilings and walls – but no floors – directly onto a conventional concrete slab foundation. This allows the concrete slab to become the floor of the structure just like a site-built building.

They will then site-apply all of the exterior and interior finishes, enabling them to provide their clients with a new facility faster and with less design and construction costs. By emphasizing a value engineering approach, Ramtech has successfully completed over 3,000 diverse projects of all sizes. For more information, visit the company’s website at ramtecheducation.com. ■

Are you starting to work on your marketing plans for 2017? Consider The Trowel for reaching the wall and ceiling industry on the West Coast. Contact Christina or Sharon to request your copy of our 2017 media guide and to reserve space.

Christina Tranberg 1.877.755.2762 ext 1408 ctranberg@pointonemedia.com Sharon Hawes • 1.877.755.2762 ext 1406 shawes@pointonemedia.com wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 19

contractors 101 SAFETY AS A MIRROR OF ENGAGEMENT AND FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS What is safety? A set of rules and practices? An organizational value? An individual responsibility? A set of metrics that indicate performance? Risk management and the costs and benefits? Probably all of those, but something a little less visible, I think. Safety is a reflection of the level of engagement your employees from top to bottom bring to the organization.

It is, without question, the most common rallying cry that bonds and unites people in the construction workplace. But it is also the foundation upon which engagement is built. And the effort has some unusual roots based in the following case study.

In 1987 Alcoa Aluminum was in trouble. It was an organization that was underperforming at every level internally and suffering in the marketplace. Productivity was poor. Quality was poor. Clients were not happy. And the answers that had been enacted to date were ineffective. Along came a leader with a new set of ideas based on the idea that if you could find a rallying point for everyone, that intersection of belief and buy-in could serve as a cornerstone for progress in all other areas. The CEO Paul O’Neil sifted through recommendations of the many senior level executives and came away headed in a totally different direction. Instead of focusing on manufacturing processes, quality initiatives, or productivity enhancement, he decided the starting place would be safety.

When he announced this, the market punished him and major brokerages all went to a Sell recommendation.

He had a vision of unifying everyone. Something that everyone could believe in. Something everyone could get behind. Something that benefited everyone and the company.

Many were left scratching their heads wondering if this leader was crazy—a broken company is starting with safety to rebuild itself? But he was on to something powerful. One year after he made that speech to investors, the company hit record profits. By the time he retired 13 years later the company had increased profits 500 per cent. (See his YouTube presentation on Safety as the Keystone Habit.)

It turns out, having that common vision and objective was exactly what the company needed. It was the thing that bonded labour and management. It was a clear indicator by the company that they cared about their employees’ health and welfare. It was a brilliant, simple, and effective foundation upon which to build. And build they did.

Alcoa, in a relatively short time, built a culture of safety, but also a culture of unity and belief. Most importantly though, it build a culture of engagement. Engagement in the workplace is what leads to buy-in and commitment. It is the door you have to open for your employees to voluntarily walk through.

20 » The Trowel

By / Mark Breslin Breslin Strategies, Inc.

It is the opportunity to participate and, more importantly, contribute. It is this that we are achieving at a remarkable pace in our industry today.

Many safety award winners are firms that maintain flawless records. Many of my clients will work millions of man-hours without lost time incidents. These at face value are strong indicators of vigorous and effective safety programs and training. But what they really reflect, most of all, is the level of committed engagement evident in the workplace.

This lesson is vitally important as we continue our efforts to attract young people to our industry. Generation X and especially the Millennials are seeking engagement as a primary element of their workplace experience. Engagement, even more than money, is the currency of retention. It is the effort made by companies today to show they care and that they want and need input and participation by everyone in the workplace.

I think there are lessons to be learned and applied here. There are many other areas of jobsite focus in which we can use our “safety engagement” expertise for great dividends. But those are secondary to asking the questions over and over again: “how do we engage our people? How do we obtain their buy-in and commitment? How do we tap their talent and discretionary effort? How do we build off of safety, precisely how Alcoa did, to reap long-term rewards?

Take a big picture look at safety, engagement, and culture.

Think about how Alcoa bridged the safety focus to company performance. Ask yourself what are we doing that works amazing well and how can we leverage it in other areas of our business? Engagement, once gained, is a powerful tool. Let’s be visionary about how we build the industry of the future based on the hard lessons learned on our way to today’s safety excellence. ■

it’s the LAW GIMME SHELTER: STAYING BEHIND THE CORPORATE VEIL Incorporating your construction business has many clear advantages, one of which is personal liability protection under the “corporate veil”.

The so-called corporate veil refers to the shelter one receives in their personal capacity when their company is being sued; essentially, they are shielded from personal liability. There are exceptions to the corporate veil, and certain requirements that need to be followed to take advantage of this legal protection. One of these requirements is the need for businesspersons to identify the name of the company with which they are associated, and its status as a corporation. In the Saskatchewan case of Hill v. Kronberg, a court ruled that a contractor (the “Contractor”) was personally liable for deficient workmanship because he did not inform a homeowner (the “Homeowner”) that his business, Common Sense Renovations Inc. (“Common Sense Inc.”) was incorporated.

Facts The Homeowner required restoration and renovation work to be done in her home. Upon the recommendation of a third party, the Homeowner hired the Contractor for this work. In all of her dealings with the Contractor, the Homeowner claimed that she was unaware that the Contractor was operating as an incorporated business. Dissatisfied with his work, the Homeowner sued the Contractor in his personal capacity for deficient workmanship. At trial, the Contractor argued that he should not be held personally liable because it should have been clear to the Homeowner that he

was operating under a corporate entity (i.e. Common Sense Inc.).

The Decision Ultimately, the Court found the work of the Contractor to be deficient, and disagreed with him regarding personal liability. While the Contractor used his trade name, “Common Sense Renovations,” in emails and invoices to the Homeowner, the trade name and style did not contain an “Incorporated” or “Inc.” indicator. The Court ruled that the Homeowner should not be presumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, to know that she was dealing with a distinct corporate entity.

There is a clear legislative requirement in British Columbia, under the Business Corporations Act, for a corporation to use its full name in all contracts, invoices, and orders for goods or services made on behalf of the corporation. The inclusion of “Inc.” or “Ltd.” is important, and while its absence will not automatically create personally liability, in some circumstances it can. The court in this case ruled that the Contractor did not provide the Homeowner with a clear indication that she was dealing with a corporate entity, and he was subsequently unable to seek the protection of the corporate veil. The Contractor was found personally liable for the deficient workmanship.

By / Andrew Delmonico and John Wiebe

Lessons Learned 1.

When operating an incorporated business, always include in your business name the words “incorporated” or “limited” or the interchangeable abbreviations “Inc.” or “Ltd.,” whichever matches your business designation.

2.

Include your full company name on business correspondence and invoices. Even if you use a different trade name, be sure to let clients, businesses, and other entities know that you are incorporated.

3. If your business is not incorporated and you would like to know more about the benefits of incorporation and the corporate veil, ask your lawyer for more information. ■ This article was written by Andrew D. Delmonico, a lawyer, and John A. Wiebe, an articled student, who practice in construction law with the law firm of Kuhn LLP. This article is only intended as a guide and cannot cover every situation. It is important to get legal advice for specific situations. If you have any questions or comments about this case or other construction law matters, please contact us at 604.864.8877 (Abbotsford) or 604.684.8668 (Vancouver).

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wallandceiling.ca » February / March 2017 » 21

advertiser INDEX DREW’S RANT Continued from page 05

own money to buy coffee. I miss those quarters now.

A study by Career Builders shows that smartphones, the Internet, social media, and emails are among the 10 biggest workplace productivity killers.

Specifically, more than half the employers surveyed say the biggest distraction at work comes from employees using their cellphones for non-work related communications.

I understand the benefits of having all of our employees connected via electronic communication devices; however, I feel we need to take serious consideration of the non-work related abuse of this valuable tool while on our construction sites. Not only is it wasting our time and money, the cellphone can be a danger on site. Distracted driving is now more prominently responsible for vehicular accidents than alcohol and drug impairment.

So, in the words of General James “Mad Dog” Mattis: “If you jump into the back seat of your car, you will go nowhere until you move to the driver’s seat and turn over the key.”

On average, Canadians budgeted fairly accurately for home improvement projects this year. However, Canadians had impractical budgets for floor installation, kitchen renovation, and fence construction projects.

kitchen renovations. Alberta and British Columbia homeowners had the most realistic budgets ($20,338 and $22,774 respectively), whilst Nova Scotia and PEI had unreasonably low budgets ($9,333 and $7,750 respectively).

I suggest we take control of cellphone abuse on our sites and collectively come up with a standard our workers can follow from site to site. Discussions need to take place.

Until next time. Cheers. ■

INDUSTRY NEWS Canadian Home Improvement Industry Findings for 2016 TrustedPros has discovered that bathroom renovations are the most desired project of the year. They comprised 19 per cent of all renovation projects that were submitted to the website’s Post a Project tool.

Basement renovations closely followed.

They comprised 15 per cent of all projects submitted in 2016.

Fence construction was a significant home improvement priority in 2016.

It was the 4th most popular project in Canada, and made it’s first ever appearance on the TrustedPros top ten list.

Finally, TrustedPros found that several provinces had unrealistically low budgets for top-rated home improvement projects including bathroom and kitchen renovations.

On average, Canadians were willing to spend $7,905.80 on bathroom renovations.

However, industry professionals recommend homeowners to spend roughly $4,600-$10,000 in addition to this budget.

These findings suggest that homeowners may be misinformed about industry standards.

Homeowners may be influenced by industry professionals and other thought leaders across Canada who misrepresent project pricing, the cost of labour, and the cost of materials.

For more information, please see https:// trustedpros.ca/articles/general/top-10home-renovations-in-canada-for-2016 ■

Homeowners in some provinces had more realistic average budgets for

Advertiser Index Company

Phone Page

Bailey Metals Products Demand Products Flannery Trim Grabber Construction Products (Canada) Inc. Graco Inc. New West Gypsum Recycling On Center Software SCAFCO Steel Stud Company Steeler Ltd (Delta BC) Triad

800.818.2666 800.325.7540 818.837.7585 800.567.8876 612-623-6000 604.534.9925 888.627.6246 403.265.9005 877.678.6565 800.568.7423 ext 133

22 » The Trowel

OBC 12 16 21 17 16 10-11 IFC 9 18

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it’s simple.

enough said.