By Chase
At home, these past few months have seen a lot of renovation projects start and finish from painting, new light fixtures, appliances and now the biggest project is wrapping up in preparation of the cooler nights. The big project involved new concrete floor in garage, new concrete pad at the back of the garage and electrical upgrades all done to create a nice place for our hot tub.
The other added benefits of the projects were to also expand our out-door living space (easy to do with over an acre or property), create an area for our teenage boys to hang out with friends and set up a nice spot for the parents to unwind at the end of a long day. Budget for the project was reasonable at $10,000, some items we used were reclaimed (two 16-foot beams for added support to the second floor or the garage), repurposed shelves and other items like outdoor rugs bought new.
Much of the hard labour was done by my sons and I which included digging a two-foot deep trench for 25 feet, clearing brush and the daunting task of cleaning out the garage top to bottom. These jobs saved me $5,000 in direct costs and only took me two months to complete this summer as preparation.
Now I am in the final stage of hurrying up and waiting for hot tub to arrive in another week and the electrician to come by for the final electrical run to be completed. These projects make me appreciate the people of Ontario’s construction industry even more based on all the challenges they face from design to substantial completion. The only person I have to answer to is my Almost-Wife (Wedding date is set for May 30 2020) and making sure I stay in budget and she likes the finished project.
Chase is the director of marketing and client relations for the Construction News and Report Group as well as the associate publisher for the GTA Construction Report, Ontario Construction Report and the Canadian Design & Construction Report as well as several US magazines. If you have any recommendations or suggestions, please contact him at 905-341-8686 or email chase@gtaconstructionreport.com.
