Dear Readers,

It is with much joy that I wish you all very merry and joyous holidays on behalf of all of us at Drummond Designs.

May your new construction or renovation projects be filled with success in the new year.  We hope to be able to support and help you in any way possible.

And above all, I wish you warmth, joy, love and good cheer in this season of gathering with your loved ones.

Regards,
Jessica

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Who would have known that everytime we flush we are actually flushing away valuable and natural fertilizer.  At least that’s what Dave claims in his article “Sustainable Sanitation“ found on the blog called “On the Level“.  It is actually on Bob Vila’s website.  Although most of us know who Bob Vila is,  I personnally remember him from a very funny family sitcom called Home Improvement.  I really enjoyed the show.  Too bad America’s more into the “reality shows” now…  But enought about that, let’s get back to the main subjet cause I could really get sidetracked!

In this day and age everyone is trying to figure out better ways to recycle and save energy.  Sometimes, little do we know that some very basic ways of re-using energy exist very close to home.  Actually, in our homes!  Who knew that urine is filled with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, three ingredients in artificial fertilizer. Feces also have these components in lesser amounts but produce methane, which can burned and used as “biogas.”  

I have often heard that if stuck in the woods with an open wound, urine can be a very powerful, effective and needed antiseptic.  But, I had no idea that it could actually help trees, grass and garden’s grow!  Nature really is intelligent.  We have much yet to learn from her (mother nature).

I’m sure this piece of information will please many men who enjoy a good outdoor “relieving” session;)  It will now be difficult for us women to complain….

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Ecoflo® is a water treatment system for residential sewage that is based on the principal of filtration. 100% natural and ecological, its organic filter functions without an electromechanical component. It treats pollutants and retains solids from the water contained in sewers originating from the septic tank.

Ecoflo® is available in two models: fibreglass and concrete. It is adaptable to all kinds of lands and soils and it discretely integrates with the landscaping without making noise and is odourless.

Ecoflo® is a very flexible solution as it can be installed under conditions that most conventional systems, presently on the market, can not. Its filter captures all pollutants and suspended matter, making it impossible for it to reject polluting matter back into the air which, in turn, ensures the longevity and proper functioning of our septic tank installation.

Recent studies have shown that the septic installation of Ecoflo®, combined with a natural soil and conforming to regulations, can reduce phosphorus contents in domestic waste water by 98%, making it a privileged protection of lakes and waterways.

Each Ecoflo® owner is bound with the manufacturer by an annual maintenance contract. Every year, Premier Tech Environment (PTE) and its network of local partners, inspect and maintain each installed Ecoflo® The purchase and complete installation of a septic system varies between 8 000$ to 10 000$ Certain conditions such as the region, the type of soil and the Ecoflo® model can influence the total of the invoice. The purchase of an Ecoflo® includes: an annual preventive maintenance at no extra charge, a 20-year warranty on the caisson and its components, a 10-year warranty on the filtering system itself. Once installed, the Ecoflo® septic system is considered to be permanent. Only the filter must be changed every 10 years in order to ensure quality treatment.

Ecoflo® successfully passed the tests of “Le Bureau de Normalisation du Québec (BNQ)“. It is certified according to norm NQ 3680-910 oriented for the protection of the environment. Its results surpass industry requirements.

Plan the Purchase of Your Septic Installation
Follow these steps
Obtain a soil analysis and elaborate plans and specifications.
Contact either a technologist or an engineer to obtain the plans and specifications *(profile of your building site, a topographic survey of the site, the level of permeability, etc.)
*Required by the “Ministère du Développement durable“, the Environment and Parks.

Obtaining a Permit
Submit the plans and specifications received either from the technologist or engineer to your municipal inspector.

Installation
Request a tender from different installers trained by Premier Tech Environment to install your septic installation. The installer is able to supply all the necessary components (septic tank, pre-filter, Ecoflo®, clean stones for the disposable field, pumping station if necessary, etc.)

Inspection and Conformity
The municipal inspector or an authorized agent will be there during the installation and will inspect the job at different stages of the work in order to assure that the work is done according to the plans and that it is conformable. Once the installation is complete, your installer will give you a folder with your owner’s manual along with your maintenance contract. Please be sure to complete your contract as quickly as possible and forward copies to the intervening parties mentioned. This way, your Ecoflo® will be registered in our data base and the following year, a technician will proceed with the prevention maintenance included in the purchase price of your system.

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Our month of June feels more like mid-July with the tremendous heat and clammy humidity, doesn’t it? Like barbecues, air conditioners must be selling like hot-cakes! 

As it’s usually the custom, when a subject such as air conditioning becomes a hot subject, you usually tend to hear comments of all kinds.  The ones who own an air conditioning device often complain about the performance.  Others wish to purchase one but simply do not know where to start.

Now, if you are anything  like me, you may have no idea of what size to buy or how many BTU’s you need your unit to have in order for it to be profitable.  I honestly thought the term BTU was strictly used in the barbecue business!

I recently found out through Energy Star that many elements can be taken into consideration to help you choose the correct air conditioning.   For instance, did you know that the total square footage of the area you wish to cool is essential?

Also, here are some elements you may need to consider to help you make the smartest choice:

If the room is heavily shaded, reduce capacity by 10 percent.
If the room is very sunny, increase capacity by 10 percent.
If more than two people regularly occupy the room, add 600 BTUs for each additional person.
If the unit is used in a kitchen, increase capacity by 4,000 BTUs.
Consider where you install the unit. If you are mounting an air conditioner near the corner of a room, look for a unit that can send the airflow in the right direction. 

I also encourage you to visit the following site in order to view the chart that will give you a better indication of what type of strength your unit should be in order to be effective.
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roomac.pr_properly_sized

Happy shopping and may your summer be a little less sticky!

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Colours again?  Who can blame me especially on a day like this?  Ice pellets, snow, wind!  Gray and white are the only colours I’m seeing through my window today…..  Even the parked cars this morning are all grey and black in colour.

But what are the colour trends this year? Is there any pizzazz to look forward to? Perhaps the following can help you to get started in some choices you may want to make should you have chosen to remodel.

 Benjamin Moore has a nice way of presenting the 2008 trends on their website naming them Modern Tranquility, Organic Comfort and Pure Opulence.  Of course, it’s not because it’s trendy that it’s necessarily tasteful…

Sico on the other hand speaks of Mysterious, dark looks, Punch colours, Sico’s mushroom collection, and also Sico neutrals.  I particularly like Sico’s website for all the other sections.  For example, they have a Feng Shui colours section with precious information and other links.  Some of you will also delight with their  Colour Fan Club.  

There is much out there to give good ideas and uplift the spirits.  I for one am seriously looking forward to giving a little red touch to my kitchen!

Enjoy!

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February can be a long and sometimes depressing month for some people.  It can be quite a grim month where as in March, we finally get a glimpse of milder weather and temperature.  Thank God February has only 29 days this year!

Using one’s creativity has long been proven to be a method that is helpful in chasing away the blues.  And speaking of  creativity, why not start that remodelling project you’ve been thinking of for so long?  Or why not start looking at colors you may want to change in your home?

This exercise can be very beneficial and healthy.  It is even said to be healing.  Here is what Cricket Demarais states in an article written about “Letting Color heal you“:

Lack of Color Causes Depression

How we “feel” about color is more than psychological. The last decade has proven that lack of color, or more specifically, light, causes millions to suffer each winter from a mild depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Because of the complex way in which exposure to various colors acts via the brain upon the autonomic nervous system, exposure to a specific color can even alter physiological measurements such as blood pressure, electrical skin resistance and glandular functions in your body. And they most certainly can affect how you feel on a day-to-day basis. Learning about color’s qualities and putting it to use can enhance your spirit, improve your health, and quite ultimately, expand your consciousness.

 You may also get a glimpse on the different meanings and symbolisms of colours.  Here is relatively good web site that talks about it: http://www.squidoo.com/colorexpert.

 Finally, another handy way to sweep away the winter blues is to surf the net in search of ideas and inspiration for remodelling projects, ideas and tips.  Here are  just a few I found:

www.hgtv.com/hgtv/remodeling
www.getdecorating.com/
www.homefixpro.com/home_remodeling_and_renovating_article.php?artID=19
www.superkitchens.com

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It’s really amazing how every winter is different.  Some years we have truck loads of snow and some years like last year, we hardly had any snow left for family sugar shacks in March!

I’ve recently heard many people discussing the amount of snow on their roof tops and the complications related to removing some of it by necessity.  Is it really necessary to remove it?  Well apparently in some cases it may be recommended, but how to go about it? Well, while surfing different web sites I met with the Roof Rake which seems to be quite the tool to do the job.  I found the following quite interesting for people eager to remove excess snow on their roof tops!  Here’s what they had to say;

If you live in an area where you get a lot of snow, you probably give a great deal of thought to getting rid of the snow that accumulates on your sidewalks and in your driveway. But that’s a relatively easy task - get out the old shovel or snow blower and have at it.

But a simple task as shoveling one’s sidewalk is not always as easy as its cracked up to be. Snow is very heavy, and if you go at the process of its removal too enthusiastically with a shovel you can get a back-ache or blisters on your hands. And at least a handful of people a year lose a finger to a snow blower blade because they reach in with their hand to clear a jam, rather than using a long-handled broom handle.

Sidewalks are flat - there’s no way to get around shoveling them after a heavy snowfall. But what about your roof? Most houses in areas that get a lot of snow have inclined roofs so that the snow just slides off. However, there are occasions when snow accumulate on your roof, and because snow is so heavy it simply must be removed before it does serious damage to that roof. Even if you know that your roof was built to withstand all that weight - there’s another reason why it should be removed. Melting snow can cause icedams in your gutters…so that as more snow melts the water has nowhere to go except into your ceilings.

Don’t Climb On Your Roof

Even if you’re able to get out onto your roof during the middle of winter - it would be best if you didn’t do it. Climbing around a dry roof is hard enough - trying to walk up and down a sloping roof covered with snow - which might be obscuring the ice below it - is the height of folly…and falling.

The solution is a roof rake, which you operate from the ground.

Safety first

Whatever roof rake you use - do not use it near power lines. Let me repeat that - do not use it anywhere near power lines. Even if you’re a dozen feet away from a power line, if you lose control of the rake for any reason, it’s length is such that it could quite easily tilt over those dozen feet, hit the power line, and give the operator quite an unpleasant shock, to say the least.

Various Models

There are quite a few snow rakes on the market. The Minnesnowta Roof Razor is one design that is built and sold out of the state of Minnesota - and what native Minnesotans don’t know about protecting their homes from snow isn’t worth knowing.

The RoofRake enables the operator to reach up over 26 feet, which should be more than enough to get most of the snow off one’s roof.

Like the other designs, the Philips Snowcutter cuts through ice and snow, but protects the roof shingles by not allowing the rake to actually touch the roof itself. Philips claims that their snowcutter can clear a roof in half the time it takes a roof rake.

So check out the web, check out your local stores, and then get yourself a tool well-suited to ensuring that your roof and house suffer no damage during the next winter storm.

Though pretty funny, seems to me like a good alternative to other costly solutions… Here’s a web site that sells the tool in the US and in Canada, www.roofrake.com   I even saw one for sale on  amazon.com!

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You’re about to build the home of your dreams?    Take advantage and give it a touch of blue to improve your comfort and quality of life.

Known for its comfort and effectiveness, natural gas is present in more than 200 residential projects in Quebec.  The advantages are numerous:

Wall to wall comfort

Not only is it energy, it is the peak of comfort and peace of mind you dream of.  The blue flame enlivens your home and adds a plus in each room: more heat, more pleasure, less work.

A reliable resource

Natural gas is delivered to you by continuous subterranean lines; you’ll never have to worry about the whims of Mother Nature for your deliveries.  And, in case of power failure, many appliances can still function.  Practical and reassuring, isn’t it?

Gaz Métro has different offers available to facilitate integration of the blue in your home.  Here is a glance of financial aid granted:

• $1750 for the purchase and installation of a hot air high-efficiency heating unit (Energy Star rated) and a water heater;
• $100 per outlet for each natural gas appliance, such as a range, dryer, fireplace, barbecue, pool warmer
• $30 for a programmable thermostat.

A friendly word of advice

The integration of natural gas into your new home should be done as soon as your choice of architectural plans is made.  From the beginning of your project, you should have a representative for new construction from Gaz Métro involved.  The consultant can guide you through the steps as your project advances.

Good to know

In order to integrate natural gas into your home, it is of utmost importance to choose a central heating system.  As you draw up your home plans, plan openings for heating and the location of the mechanical room in the basement.

Here is a glance of steps to follow for a blue home:

1. Access to gas lines:  The first step consists in ensuring that natural gas lines pass at less than 30 meters of your future home.  Contact Gaz Métro customer service at 1 800 567-1313 for more information.

2. Implicate Gaz Métro :  Your representative for new construction at Gaz Métro can refer you to a heating professional who is a Certified Gaz Métro Partner.  These professionals are independent contractors, members of the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec, and are subject to most rigorous quality controls.

3. Connecting your home:  Construction is coming along well, your heating system is installed and connection of gas lines to your appliances is complete (water heater, range, dryer, fireplace, barbecue, pool heater)  Expect about 6 weeks for Gaz Métro to proceed with connection of your home to the main gas lines.  Once this is completed, gas will be brought into your home by your Gaz Métro Authorized Partner jointly with a Gaz Métro technician.

All that is left to do is take advantage of the soft comfort provided by natural gas.  For more information, visit www.gazmetro.com

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As with music and films, house plans are protected by the Canadian Copyright Law, as specified in a section reserved for this at http://www.drummonddesigns.com/copyrights.html  Not many people are aware of this fact and this is why I wanted to make this the subject of my first communiqué.

To sum up, when you make the purchase of a home plan you cannot photocopy or resell it.  A construction contractor cannot build more than one home from a home plan and he cannot modify it without first obtaining a licence authorizing such modifications.  Moreover, no one can consult a designer, architectural technician or architect with a photo or an image of one of Drummond Designs’ models to have it reproduced or have a similar model drawn up, even with slight modifications.  I invite you to consult the PDF document included in the Copyrights section via this link.

Through our blog, I wish to address construction contractors as well as designers, architectural technicians and residential architects, who are numerous in visiting our Internet site; how can our firm enforce respect of its copyrights and allow you to legally serve your customers?  As you know, plagiarism is an immense grey zone in our line of work and copyrights are not well known in this industry.  Some will say that misreading copyright laws suits certain businesses, but we make it our duty to educate our customers on this subject.

I invite you to send me your comments and propose ideas which will make life easier for all parties involved who want to work honestly at improving our architectural heritage.  We have excellent lawyers who presently have several plagiarism pursuits in hand, but we are more inclined towards finding practical solutions with our eventual customers rather than to pursue each offender.

Thank you for your attention and I am eager to hear from you !

Yves Carignan
President and General Manager
Drummond Designs Inc.

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Homeowners with hardwood floors are often concerned about damaging their floors during the winter season. Without proper care, winter’s harsh elements? slush, snow and salt? can dull the varnish of hardwood floors and even cause warping and gapping. Most movement or shifting that occurs in wood flooring is due to moisture and will realistically happen with all wood floors.

Trying to avoid winter elements is almost impossible. After all, what would the season be without building a snow man or sledding until you’re soaked? Rather than missing out on winter fun, here are a couple of simple steps you can take to prevent and protect your floors this winter.

Install floor mats.

Catching slush and snow at the door is the best way to avoid damage. It is important to keep these mats as clean and dry as possible - you may even consider investing in an additional mat that you can alternate while drying the other. If your kids enjoy playing outside, encourage them to remove their wet snow apparel as soon as they come back inside to avoid trekking snow all over the house.

Get creative with everyday, household materials.

Placing a dish-drainer tray mat by the door with a towel underneath can be a nice place for shoes and boots to dry off. Kindly ask your guests to remove their shoes as they enter. Buy inexpensive or disposable slippers to make your guests feel more comfortable.

Train your pets. Pets are the number one offender of tracking snow and slush into the house. Train your pets to patiently wait by the door while you dry their paws with a towel, and then reward them with a treat. Consider placing a bowl of treats by the door as a reminder.

Be Prepared.

Always keep soft towels or a wet/dry vacuum on hand in case you need to get rid of water right away. While towels can clean up most of the mess, it’s best to invest in a quality floor care kit.

Check the Warranty.

Some companies offer warranties, should snow or other harmful elements damage your floors. Make sure to find out before you purchase your hardwood floors what type of product warranties the company offers.
While winter can be a difficult time for hardwood floors, there is one benefit to this season: It’s one of the best times to install hardwood flooring, according to Sullivan, because indoor moisture levels are at their lowest which helps to prevent gapping.

So enjoy winter this year, and have fun taking care of your floors.

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