Home maintenance is important for everyone's home value

This post comes from Kim Fraser on Humphrey's Gate:

As I look around our neighbourhood it is obvious that our stairs/landings are in sad shape and have been for a while. We are all hoping that homes selling in our neighbourhood will soon consistently sell over the $800,000 mark and yet the first thing a prospective buyer see’s is a crumbling and falling apart front entrance. That just sets them up to be looking for other problems. And for those of us who have no intention of selling just yet, house pride is important for ourselves and our neighbourhood. I recently had the really good fortune to hire an honest and fantastic company to do my repair: Verdant. Here are some words below from the owner Caleb with respect to the job he did for me. I am thrilled with my repair so feel free to stop by and take a look at 7 Humphrey Gate. Keep in mind that the price Caleb quotes should be shared between the two households. I have also added some before and after pictures.

We were recently given the chance to repair a step at a residence within your neighborhood. As many of you are aware the steps have been greatly deteriorating causing concern for safety and appearance. During my repair of the step I came across a few alarming issues with the installation of these steps:
1. Incorrect base material. Much of the interlocking stones have been laid on what is known as limestone screenings. The issue with
this material is that it retains moisture therefore creating freeze thaw issues which in turn promotes movement and separation throughout the steps. The second issue which stems from the first is that when limestone reacts with water a highly acidic environment is create which will then in turn corrode the concrete material.
2. Improper compaction of base material. Upon visual inspection it is clear to see most steps are settling closest to the house due to improper compaction in this region. Also with such a small space to work with many of the gravel lifts likely did not see a correct compaction as the compaction equipment would have likely moved the stone if used in such a tight space.
3. Improper Construction of Interlocking stone. Upon deconstruction it was evident that an adhesive was not used to secure the stones together.

Repair process by Verdant:
1. Disassemble & clean all stones.
2. Remove old gravel base and install new base with “A” Gravel to a minimum of 6” thick. Base installed & compacted with equipment to assist water drainage with sloping directed to rear (closest to house).
3. Install drainage pipe to direct all water out from within steps.
4. All wall blocks are installed on a poured concrete foundation 3” thick to turn the units into one solid mass.
5. All stones are installed with a slight 2% slope to allow water to drain off and away from the house avoiding ice buildup.
6. After the first tier is installed we use HPB (High Performance Bedding) which compacts to 98% upon installation without the use of compaction equipment. This material is also highly porous which does not retain any moisture allowing all water to drain to the tile drainage. With the use of this material we eliminate all future issues of compaction, freeze thaw action and moisture damage.
7. Steps are completed with polymeric jointing sand installed to reduce insect and weed infestation.

If you are reading this and have the same issue we can provide a repair service starting at $1,175.00 plus taxes which includes warranty. This is a base price as damaged interlocking stone requiring replacement will increase costs.

For more information call or email us at:
cell: (226) 238-0591
email: verdant.dbm@gmail.com

We're planning the neighbourhood BBQ - Sept 13

Sept 13, 12 pm to 4 pm - weather permitting
Mark your calendars and plan the menu. Everybody bring a picnic for the family and one dish to share. Like last year, everyone is welcome. Tell your friends and neighbours - make sure everyone knows.

Lawn signs will go up on the Sunday of the long weekend. We want everyone to know about our little picnic. This is a great opportunity to meet the new neighbours that have moved in over the last year.

What we need:
ideas for games for children
portable picnic tables for the community pot luck
GREAT WEATHER

You're invited to a pancake breakfast

Everyone is invited to a neighbourhood breakfast. Read on to find out more.

My daughter Sophia and I were making breakfast this past Saturday (well....actually she was!) and came up with a brilliant idea as we were talking about how fun it was to be in the kitchen together.

She talked about how cool it would be to turn our house into a restaurant for a morning and serve breakfast to anyone that wants to come. We'd have all different kinds of pancakes (blueberry, banana, chocolate chip...and maybe even something a little funky like pumpkin). We'd serve orange juice, eggs if people want, and some fruit and have lots of whip cream and syrup! She also said she'd make menus. We talked about how many people we could seat at a time, what the hours would be, what we would we charge and what the money would be for.....and well....as it was all coming together, she had my buy in to help make it happen, so in honour of this morning's manifestation....

If you're craving pancakes on Saturday, then there is no better place to come get them than from our masterful chef Sophia who whips up every batch with a special dose of love. Come on your own, bring a friend, or come with the whole family. We'd love to see you. We can sit 20 people at a time and it's super casual (because we want you to feel right at home when you're here!)

SOPHIA'S PANCAKE HOUSE RESTAURANT
DATE: SATURDAY AUGUST 15, 2015
TIME: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION: 41D GREEN BELT DRIVE
COST: $7 per person (includes unlimited pancakes, orange juice, coffee and tea and fruit - scrambled egg option add $3.00)

Proceeds will be going towards GirlLeadership.org, an organization that teaches girls the skills to know who they are, what they believe, how to express it, empowering them to create change in the world!

We will do seatings at 10:00 am, 11:00 am and 12:00 pm. If you'd like to make a reservation if you're a bigger group, please email me back to make an e-transfer to hold your spot or call 416-735-7044.

And once you are done your breakfast, there are some great trails just around the corner to take in a good dose of nature!!

Please come join us!! AND don't forget to tell your friends!

Tia and Sophia

Tree lined streets make for desirable properties

"Leafy tree lined streets" is one of the most sought after elements when people look for a new home. They speak to established neighbourhoods with roots in the community as deep as the roots of the trees. We have trees lining our streets, but they will continue to be small if they do not receive water during these summer months.

Trees need water... a lot of water.

How much you ask, a general rule of thumb is to apply 10 gallons of water for every inch of trunk diameter when you water. Measure the trunk diameter at knee height. You can eyeball the diameter or hold up a ruler or yardstick to get the inches. The general watering formula is: Tree Diameter x 5 minutes = Total Watering Time.

It takes about 5 minutes to produce 10 gallons of water at a medium pressure. A 4" diameter tree will need 20 minutes of watering time to supply the 40 gallons it needs. Most trees will need to be watered each week, May through September.

Although there are many ways to water your tree, a soaker hose is probably one of the best ways. Just remember, to get that grand leafy treed look, we need to water our trees.