Summer in Toronto: What is Simcoe Day?

Summer in Toronto: What is Simcoe Day?

Retail signs have started to go up announcing hours for the Civic Holiday on Monday of this upcoming long weekend.  Some people in Toronto refer to this holiday as Simcoe Day.  I love my work so long weekends don’t really get me excited but I was curious about the reason for this holiday. 

This mid-summer holiday is recognized in some but not all provinces.  In Ontario, the holiday has different names based on municipality. In Toronto, it is officially Simcoe Day.  For instance, here are some other names for the Civic Holiday:

Colonel By Day in Ottawa,

George Hamilton Day in Hamilton,

Joseph Brant Day in Burlington,

Founders' Day in Brantford,

McLaughlin Day in Oshawa,

Alexander Mackenzie Day in Sarnia,

James Cockburn Day in Cobourg,

Peter Robinson Day in Peterborough,

John Galt Day in Guelph,

So who was Simcoe and why does he merit a holiday? Simcoe Day was named in honour of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor for Upper Canada (now Ontario).  Simcoe influence on Ontario and Canada was remarkable. 

As Lieutenant Governor and British Member of Parliament, he was known to support the abolition of slavery before coming to Canada, supported the Act against Slavery in the 1793.  This meant that slavery was abolished in Ontario decades before all other colonies in the British Empire. 

Simcoe was also responsible for moving the capital of Upper Canada (now Ontario) from Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) to York (now Toronto).  At the time, Toronto was severely underdeveloped and Simcoe’s decision began the development of the city.  Two main streets were built at this time through Upper Canada – Yonge Street and Dundas Street.           

In July 1796, Simcoe return to England due to ill health and never return to Upper Canada.

So, this weekend, enjoy time with friends and family and be grateful for Simcoe for putting Canada on the forefront of slavery abolition.

David Gharat

www.housecondopro.com

Your Home, Your Investment: Low Maintenance Gardening

Your Home, Your Investment: Low Maintenance Gardening

So you want a nice garden or yard where you can relax and entertain your family and friends but you don’t want to be a slave to keeping it looking up.  While there is no such thing as a no maintenance garden, you can look at a low maintenance landscaping plan that requires minimal effort to maintain. 

What is low maintenance landscaping?

A low maintenance landscape reduces the amount and frequency gardening activities.  The type and number of features and plants will determine the amount and frequency of watering, weeding, pruning, deadheading and dividing you will need to invest. The best plan will move the frequency of maintenance activities from daily or weekly to monthly or seasonally. As you plan a low maintenance garden, you will want to consider landscaping design features, plant selection and ongoing maintenance requirements. 

Landscaping Design Features

What design features will reduce the gardening activities I need to do weekly or daily?  As you plan and continuously improve your garden, consider the following design features:

1)   Outdoor Living Areas:  Add outdoor living areas such as patios and porches, to reduce the amount of green space that needs to be maintained.  It is critical that patios and walkways be built on a solid foundation and in a proper manner.  Otherwise, you will have unwanted weeds and ultimately increase your maintenance.

2)   Plant Areas/Flowerbeds: Establish plant areas or flowerbeds with edging, landscape fabric and mulch or river stone.  Avoid over-planting flowerbeds.  Plan for the mature width and height of plants. Over-crowding can negatively impact the appearance of your garden.

3)   Ground Cover:  Do not overlook a grass lawn as part of your design as ground cover.  It takes a lot of plants to cover the same space as a grass lawn. Gardens without grasses tend to be warmer. 

Plant Selection

As you establish your garden, it will be important to understand the lot conditions and select plants are compatible with those conditions and easy to maintain. Study the information on specific plants online or on labels attached to plants. Consider the following points.

1)   Light and Soil Conditions: Consider what areas are shady, sunny or partially shady or sunny and select plants accordingly. Know whether your soil is sandy or clay-like and select plants accordingly. 

2)   Drought-Resistant Plants: Select drought-resistant plants to reduce the need to water.  Here are some to consider: Grasses, Marigolds, Portulaca, Sedum, Cricks & Hens, Daylilies, Lavender, etc.  Please note that new plants will require more water until they are established. 

3)   Slow-Growing Foundation Plants: Select slow-growing foundation plants to reduce the need to prune and trim plants.  Limit pruning to 1-2 times per year.  Here are some plants to consider: Green Mountain Boxwood, Peonies, Draft Norway Spruce, Blue Fescue Grass, etc.

4)   Perennials: Select more perennials than annuals.  Perennials are planted once and come back year after year.  Perennials, once established, will have roots deep into the soil, reducing the need to water and the need to deadhead. Annuals need to be planted each year and will require more watering. 

Ongoing Maintenance Requirements 

Once you have designed your garden to fit your taste and burden level, you will want to look at preventative maintenance as a key part of your plan.  Here are some suggestions to help make the garden maintenance so much easier.

1)   Interlocking Stone: Apply polymer sand to the crevices of interlocking patios and walkway blocks to reduce the growth of weeds. 

2)   Flowerbed Mulch or Stone:  Replenish flowerbed mulch or stone annually, as needed.  This will prevent the growth of weeds and improve moisture retention of the soil.

3)   Pruning:  Plan to prune or trim your slow-growing foundation plants in the spring and/or fall according to their specific care. 

4)   Weeds and Moss:  Spray weeds and moss with vinegar.  This will not only look after the menace but also prevent future issues.

5)   Gardening Tools: Invest in the proper gardening tools to do the minimal work you need to do.  There is an L-shaped weeding tool you could not live without.

 Happy Gardening!

David Gharat

www.housecondopro.com

Driving Around Toronto - For Sale And Open House Signs

Driving around Toronto these days, you actually see For Sale and Open House signs up in neighborhoods.  This is exciting! While the last few years have been exciting, I believe his balanced, non-frenzied market is strong with potential benefits for buyers, sellers, and investors.

Whether or not to buy, sell or invest at any given time for any one individual or family depends on many factors.  The real estate market and the prices that result from the forces of supply and demand are only some factors to consider.  Your current personal, professional and financial goals and milestones will also be key in your decision. 

If you are buyer, here are some positives to consider:

· Recent requirements for 20% down payment protect prospective buyers from over-extending their debt.
· With increased supply in the housing market, prospective buyers have more choice, more time to consider different homes and review home inspections.
· Increased tax requirements for foreign buyers tempers the foreign demand somewhat and may be beneficial to buyers who reside in Canada.
· Overtime, once the forces of supply and demand set in, prices may become more stable and predictable and potentially, more affordable.
· Real estate, over time, appreciates and continues to be a very good investment.

·   Interest rates remain historically low and any anticipated increase would likely be modest.

If you are a seller, consider the following benefits:

· With more days on the open market, sellers will be in a position to consider best offers over the course of days, not hours.

· Home prices (otherwise seen as asset value) may be more stable and predictable, allowing for better financial and retirement planning.

· If you have been in your home for a while, you can use the value from your home to downsizing and fund an earlier retirement or you can leverage the value from your current home to upsize to your future home.

David Gharat

www.housecondopro.com

Your Home, Your Investment: Stay Cool with Central Air Conditioning!

Your Home, Your Investment:  Stay Cool with Central Air Conditioning!

Summers in Toronto are usually sunny, hot and humid.  Even though we love it, the high humidity, hot air temperatures and bright sunshine can sometimes combine to make an uncomfortable indoor environment. An air-conditioning system provides relief by lowering the air temperature and the humidity level your home.

There are a few options open to you and qualified HVAC Specialists can help you determine the system to cool your home.  Some options to consider include:  a room air conditioner (either window or wall-mounted), a central air conditioner or a heat pump.  A room air conditioner works if you are cooling 1-2 rooms.  A heat pump may be an option if you are looking for a new heating and cooling system. If you want to cool the entire space of 4 or more rooms and your home already has a furnace to heat your home, investing in central air conditioning may be the best option for you.

How does a central air conditioning system work?  Air conditioners, working in conjunction with your existing heating system, manufacture cool air by evaporating refrigerant such as Freon.  Basically ,there are coils both inside (for cold air) and outside (for warm air). The units contain a compressor to change Freon into hot, high-pressure gas that travels through the coils. As it does so, it loses its heat and becomes liquid; the liquid in turn goes through a valve and evaporates into cold, low-pressure gas. When it enters the coils, it absorbs the indoor heat and lowers the temperature.

What factors should you consider when selecting a Central Air Conditioning system? There are five factors you should consider when selecting a central air conditioning system: 1) Size, 2) Energy Efficiency, 3) Budget, 4) Manufacturer’s Brand and 5) Installation.  Let’s consider each factor in more detail.

1) Size: Determining the size of the system that best fits your home is key. Factors such as number of rooms, number of windows, ceiling heights external temperatures should be considered.

2) Energy Efficiency: Residential air conditioners use the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) as a measure of their efficiency. This measure shows the number of British Thermal Units (BTU) of cold air provided for each watt of electricity.  Higher EER is more efficient and more expensive units.

3) Budget: There are two costs associated with installing a central air conditioning system: equipment cost and installation labour costs. To help reduce the costs of the system, ask about Manufacturer, Installation Vendor or Government of Ontario rebate programs.

4) Manufacturer’s Brand:  There are multiple air conditioning brands and each brand manufacturers different units to meet different needs. Warranties are pretty standard at 10-year parts and labour.

5) Installation:  After you determine the size, energy efficiency and budget, selecting the installation vendor may be your most important decision.  Good equipment can be installed improperly, creating short and long-term problems.  

David Gharat 

www.housecondopro.com

Cleaning Your Eaves trough

Now that the weather is warm, there are a few things you should do to maintain your home.  Cleaning your eaves troughs is one important task.  With the rain we have seen this spring, this is even more important.

What is eaves trough? Eavestroph is the gutter that is fixed underneath your roof. As rainwater falls, it is collected in the gutters from your roof and is drained from the gutters to the ground through downspouts.  To best protect your home’s foundation, it is best that your downspouts be disconnected.   If your downspouts are connected to your drainage system, you should have them disconnected.  Over several months, debris such as leaves and twigs will accumulate in the eaves troughs.  As this builds up in the gutter or downspouts, it will prevent proper drainage and will need to be cleaned out.  The amount of debris depends on how many deciduous trees surround your home. 

How do I clean my eaves troughs?  Cleaning eaves trough for single-storey houses is fairly easy.  If you clean them regularly in the fall and in the spring, each cleaning will be easier. To get started you will need some simple tools.  You will need a sturdy ladder, heavy-duty work gloves, a garden trowel, two buckets, a yard waste bag and a garden hose. 

There are 3 steps:

1) Setup your ladder with 2 buckets, one for your tools and one in which to collect debris.  Remember to never use the top two steps on the ladder and to not over-reach when on a ladder,

2) Remove debris from the eaves troughs and downspouts using your trowel into your debris bucket,

3) Pass water through the eaves troughs using a hose to clean remaining debris and make sure your downspouts are properly draining.  

To make completing the job easier, you may want to look at some eaves troughs or gutter cleaning tools.  You can get gutter extensions for a leaf blower or for a water pressure to help with job.  You can also find special gutter cleaning trowels. 

If you are uncomfortable climbing ladders and your home has more than a single-storey, it may be in your best interest to hire this cleaning out at a cost of approximately $100-200, depending on the size of your home.  

David Gharat www.housecondopro.com