An entrance treatment on a historic home

 It was many years ago, and I was a young carpenter. I didn't take a before shot, but if you can imagine just the finial and the shape of the turning within, capping off a door casing with buttons in the corner, that was pretty much it. This would be about 20 years ago.

I had just finished off framing and trimming a glass roofed guest house, including mantles and kitchen, as well as a tennis court fence that took a crew of 50 nearly 3 months to build and now the main entrance to the house was looking a little shabby for it's new neighboring guest house.

The house is in the Barrie Ontario area, and if you can believe it, the owner received a gift from a friend just as I finished the headpiece... the 5 birds on a branch concrete casting you see in the middle. It was finished and I was packing up the tools when the owner walked up with the casting saying... "Just work this in ok?".

How it was done?  Just nested and built up trim, with a proper roof flashing tucked into the siding. It is sort of like a mantle, however everything needs to be sealed as you go, and you certainly cannot use Poplar... that would rot within a couple of years. Believe it or not I salvaged the old lead flashing from the original installation and used that to seal the turned finial and lower part of the curve after making it deeper.

By Lawrence Winterburn

Basements in the Toronto Area -( Step by Step part 1 )

Here is a basement done by Luke Simonovski--Our Builder in East Toronto Ontario. He renovates basements all over the GTA Toronto area. We are going to walk you through the entire process of professional basement refinishing using this Toronto home's basement as an example.

When you are hiring people to finish basement space you need to keep in mind that they will all use different specifications for the build...and some leave important issues at substandard levels. This will illustrate why you are often better off using a more experienced contractor to finish your basement--since you will have a more functional finished product that won't need repairs for decades.

Any functional basement renovation starts with a layout that takes into account what the space needs to be used for, as well as obstructions and plumbing tie in locations.

 Luke starts out by insulating all the exterior walls using Blue Styrofoam SM rigid insulation. Here you can see the plumbing stack left open until the tie in. We will show you how that is done in a later post.

 Code dictates that the fuse panel can be closed in, but only in an approved enclosure. It has to provide clearance. Circuits need to be added for receptacles and lighting in the basement as well. Luke brings in qualified tradesmen for all plumbing and electrical work.

 It is always a good idea to fire proof the furnace room just in case of a malfunction. Furnaces have been known to explode on occasion and closing it in with a double layer of fire rated drywall can buy the homeowners time to escape.

 Luke likes to use steel stud for framing basements because nearly every piece of framing needs to be a different length. Steel stud costs more...however you save money in the end because it is more efficient. He always uses wood around the openings so that the doors don't work loose over time.

Posts need to be factored into the design so that it doesn't obstruct. There are many ways of decorating or hiding posts within walls. Often posts can be moved, however that is a labor intensive and often cost prohibitive thing to do. Stay tuned... more photos of this project to come!

L

A Restaurant Makeover on Bloor West in Toronto

 A modern diner on Bloor West Toronto--

 Here's a restaurant makeover on Bloor West in Toronto by Luke Simonovski-- Skl Group. Working with a designer friend of Luke's, they had the booths refinished, walls updated and these gorgeous dineresque porcelain patterned floor tiles.

 In the 50's they used asbestos floor tiles--and in commercial applications they would only last a few years. These new floor tiles last far longer. In Restaurant use, good quality porcelain tiles will last 20-30 years.

 The key to renovating restaurants is that everything you do needs to be durable and cleanable. Plastic laminent, ceramic and metal are often materials of choice when it comes to the lower 4' of restaurants. Things get dropped--kids splash juice and food everywhere. I am not a fan of carpet in restaurants--it just traps dirt and bacteria.

If you are looking to do Restaurant Renovations anywhere in the Toronto area you can speak to Luke or Lawrence at 416-951-9998

Carpentry Contractors in Brampton - Bolton Ontario

Carpenter, Contractor in Brampton and Bolton


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When you look for a carpenter in the Brampton - Woodbridge area you want an eager and reliable builder with a bit of a design flair.

Interior trim and framing takes a little creativity to do well.

We put pride in everything he does. From your first phone call about a skylight or hardwood flooring, we put your needs and desires first. A good contractor keeps you advised of scheduling and tries to organize the job to be the least disruption possible.
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Mantles and built in cabinetry are one of our specialties.
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We will help you design these kind of woodwork features and build in a timely way. Much of the work happens off site in a workshop which means less mess for you.
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WE have skilled frame carpenters, Trim Carpenters and Stone and Tile installation Experts. Skylights are one of the most challenging tasks for any builder. This one was done the hard way, with a coffered opening. Centering this kind of skylight is not an easy task.
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Our Crews will also do the drywall, taping and painting if required.
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French doors should be hung with enough space at the top for a nickel, and space at the side for a dime.
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Crown moulding can also be installed so that expansion and contraction is not obvious.
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There are numerous grades of french door, and they range from particle core, to ply core, to finger jointed and solid.
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Ask us to explain these things when you meet to discuss your project.
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Hardwood flooring is also a specialty. We can install pre-finished hardwood, like shown in this photo--or you can have traditional wide plank that gets finished in place if you like.
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We buy that product directly from the mill and it is gorgeous.
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click to visit the Wide Plank Flooring blog to learn about wide plank flooring.

Get in touch with us at 888 293 8938
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