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Part of being a homeowner means staying on top of your home’s maintenance. After a long cold winter, spring is the perfect time to do a deep clean and get your home ready for any summer projects you have in mind. Winter can be hard on our homes, and spring is an opportunity to give your home the attention it needs to recover! When you take the time to inspect your home at the beginning of the season you can then budget time and money to make any changes, improvements or repairs that are necessary. Here is our Homestead spring cleaning checklist to make sure your home is functioning optimally and to get it renovation ready for your next project!

Outdoor Home Maintenance

Winter can really wear on your home, particularly in our Red Deer climate. Use this list and take the opportunity to inspect the exterior of your home for any damage or areas that need improvement.

Roof

Using binoculars from the ground, or climbing up a ladder, check your shingles for damage. Look for popped nails, missing or shifted shingles and any other signs of wear and tear. If your home was recently built or worked on by a certified builder, your roof may still be under warranty under the Alberta New Home Warranty program.

Exterior Walls

Take a careful look under eaves and near gutter downspouts for water stains. Water stains could indicate your gutters are not adequately containing roof run-off from rain and snow.

Windows

Inspect the exterior of your windows to make sure that all the weather stripping has remained intact. You want to be sure there is no leakage around windows so you’re not losing warm air in the winter and cold air in the summer.

Deck and Patio

Check your deck for warped, loose or splintered boards. Look to see if you need to restain it, expand it or fix it up. Also, take the opportunity to consider if you want to improve your outdoor space for entertaining or a play area for your kids.

Indoor Home Maintenance

Before you start inspecting your interior for damage, we recommend you do some spring cleaning. Move through your home room by room as you clean and keep an eye out for problems like cracks in the walls, mildew deposits and damage to the flooring or ceiling.

Basement and Attic

These areas of your home require frequent inspection. As the uppermost and lowermost areas of your home, they have the most potential for moisture, animal or insect issues. Be sure to take a careful look at the insulation and ventilation to make sure they functioning optimally. In your basement, look carefully to ensure there are no foundation issues.

Plumbing and Leaks

Check all of your kitchen and bathroom sinks to make sure all the connections to pipes and hoses are properly sealed. Also, look at your dishwasher, washing machine and hot water heater for any sign of corrosion or leaks. Catching leaks early can save you huge amounts of money in the long run.

HVAC

It’s important to have your furnace checked in the fall to make sure it’s in working order. Similarly, if you have an air conditioning system it’s a good idea to have inspected early in the season. The more efficiently your furnace and air conditioning work the more reliable they will be when you need them most. Also, this helps you make sure you’re not overpaying on your utilities.

Whether your home is new, old or somewhere in between – taking an active stance in your homecare and maintenance helps ensure you and your family can enjoy it for years to come. Good luck in your spring cleaning this season, we hope our checklist made the task seem a little more manageable!

Check out some of our home improvement projects in our gallery.

Have a home renovation project in mind? Contact us!

According to recent data from the Pew Research Centre, young people today are more likely to rent than ever before. In 2016, 74% of millennials were living in rental properties and only 22% owned a home. With millennials dominating the workforce and the real estate market, developing your basement ideas into your rental property has never been more lucrative.

Before committing to a basement renovation and to opening your home to a young stronger, it’s important to consider your potential ROI. ROI for a rental property can be measured in a few different ways: the equity you build into it, the type of tenants you attract and the cash flow you generate. With the right renovations and finishing touches you can add value to your basement and increase your overall ROI. Our basement ideas focus on the right finishes, durable materials and features that add value to the renter. Put these basement ideas into practice and you’ll have a profitable rental property in no time!

Adding the Right Finishes to Your Basement Suite

New Hardware & Lighting

This simple change can have a huge impact. By switching out the original or builder-grade hardware and light fixtures to something more stylish and modern you instantly make your basement feel more current and valuable. Also, as ceiling height can be an issue in basements, pot lights are a good option to get uniform lighting that doesn’t lower the sightline.

Fresh Paint

When painting your basement the least expensive option is to make everything white or a light neutral colour. Also, white or light neutral colours make the space feel bigger and brighter. This is especially important for a basement suite.

Use Durable Products & Materials

Cabinets

When developing or renovating the kitchen in your basement suite, we recommend going for mid-grade cabinet materials. By selecting cabinets that are slightly nicer you are ensuring they last. Keep in mind the general wear and tear they will experience and the fact that renters are less likely to pay the same attention to the care of materials and appliances as you would.

Counter-Tops

When it comes to countertops for your basement kitchen, quartz is the way to go. Compared to natural stone materials, quartz needs far less maintenance. Compared to other synthetic materials it is much more resilient, durable and expensive-looking.

Value-Adding Basement Ideas

Dishwasher

One key basement idea for renting is making room for a dishwasher – no matter how small the space is. This addition can give you a competitive edge against other basements for rent. It also weeds out the renters who are looking for the cheapest option out there.

Insulation

This value-adding basement idea is the only one without an aesthetic impact. It’s one of the most practical changes you can make. By topping up the insulation in your basement suite, you add value to the renter by making the space more soundproof. You also make your home more energy efficient. It’s win-win for you and them!

Developing or renovating your basement for renting is one most cost-effective home improvement projects. Hopefully these basement ideas have shown you the benefit of having a rentable space in your home and the ways to increase the value and your ROI.

Keep in mind, there are a lot of details you need to consider when developing your basement into a rental property that you don’t have to worry about with other renovation projects.

First of all, legal basement suites are required to meet Alberta safety codes which are designed to protect tenants in emergencies. The three mandatory safety features are:

There must be at least one window in each bedroom that you can open from the inside.
Each unit (bedroom and common areas) must have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors that are connected.
Each unit must have one exit leading to the outside.

Further, to build a legal basement suite in your home you need to apply for a building permit.

Make sure you have prepared the items set out in the building permit complete application requirement checklist.
Book an appointment online.
Fill out the application forms and submit it for review at the Municipal Building.
After completing the steps, you may begin construction on your legal basement suite. Make sure the suite is built according to the legal requirements outlined in the building regulations assessment checklist.

We’ve provided a few key things to consider, but before you start a basement suite development project, be sure to do your research to make sure your potential ROI is worth the initial investment.

Check out some of our basement renovation projects and services.
Have a project in mind? Contact us!

Get Renovation Ready With Our Spring Cleaning Checklist