October 19, 2014

Is an Electrical Mistake a Big Deal?

Is an Electrical Mistake a Big Deal? You bet !!! We, at Nord Alta, were doing a little blog topic research, when we came across a site of electrical Hazards in the home republished by Canadian Contractor. Real life cases of people with property loss and potential fatalities. The link […]
November 27, 2013

Applying Permits For My House Renos

The value of building permits taken out in the city of Edmonton. Each municipality, county or governing body has different rules in place on how they treat the permitting process for renovations. So how do you know what is required? The first step is to find out who you have […]
November 15, 2013

Edmonton’s Accessible Homes Bylaw Coming?

Global News posted a story a couple of months back about Vancouver’s new Accessible Homes Bylaw. The bylaw includes new requirements for buildings, such as wider hallways, lever faucets in sinks, barrier free showers, lower switches and plugs, accessible switches for stair glides and accessible door viewers. Various news sites, […]
November 7, 2013

Entryway Doors For Easy Accessibility

Here are a couple of snapshots of a front entry door, a deck, and a garden door we finished just last week. This project was special in that the doors were installed with accessibility in mind. The new garden door is wider than the old one, which allows for easier […]
September 26, 2013

Insurance Tips to Get You Reno Ready

Research from TD Insurance has found that the majority of homeowners are not considering the insurance implications of their renovations. Only 6 percent checked their policy to ensure they were covered during the upgrades and just 16 percent asked their insurer if their policy needed an update following their last […]
September 4, 2013

Why Building Renos More Expensive Vs New?

Interestingly enough there are many good reasons why it costs more to renovate vs building new. Economy of Scale  Certainly most remodels are small and compact in nature and if you had to bring in each specific trade to do their own work, that little Reno could seem to cost […]
August 2, 2013

Top Accessibility Features In Renos

A lot of accessibility features can be added to a renovation project for little or no cost. Here are some of our favourites: Install some lever style handles for your plumbing fixtures or door hardware – Lever style handles are easy to use and don’t require a lot of hand […]
August 1, 2013

DIY with Michael Breault – Carpenter Story

Have you ever tried a do-it-yourself project? I’m not talking about making jewelry out of paper clips or clothes out of recycled cereal boxes, I’m talking about fixed something old or broken in your home that requires a visit to those aisles in Home Depot where no one but a […]
July 22, 2013

Licensed Contractor For Your Renos

Without a doubt, the number one piece of advice from anyone with tips on renovations is making sure you hire a reputable contractor for your project. It’s great advice, but where do you start? And why does it matter whether they licensed or not? If they give you a great […]
July 8, 2013

Changes in Home Renovation Trends

An article I read last week on the changing trends in new home construction got me thinking about how the trends are changing on the renovation side of home construction. We’re not talking about what colours are in vogue this season, but the larger gradual changes that say, “that house […]