Stay in Holiday Accommodation in Derbyshire When You Come to Britain

Derbyshire is a county that lies in the East Midlands of England, just below Yorkshire. It is one the loveliest of the eastern counties of England. A bed and breakfast or self catering stay is one of the best ways to see the attractions and sights of this lovely area. Many bed and breakfast and self catering properties are available in all regions of the county which also contains most of Peak District National Park. The County town is the city of Derby which is now a unitary authority area, so technically separate from the county but it remains part of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. The County has a population of just over 996,000 and covers 2,625 square kilometres.

Geography: Most of the Peak District National Park is in Derbyshire and the northern part also overlaps with the Pennines. It shares borders with Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.

History: Derbyshire has been settled by people for a very long time and there are neolithic burial mounds all over the area. The romans were attracted to the area because of the mineral lead that they found in abundance. They settled throughout the county with forts built near Brough in the Hope Valley and near Glossop. Later they settled around Buxton, famed for its warm springs, and set up a fort near. During Saxn times the county formed part of the Kingdom of Mercian and several kings of Mercia are buried in the Repton area. The Danes conquered the region and formed an independent earldom centred on Derby which gave the earldon its name. The West Saxon King Edward, son of Alfred the Great, retook the area from the Danes. Under the Normans much of the county was subject to the forest laws. The fast flowing streams created water power in the seventeenth century and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Industry: Coal mining was a very important part of the Derbyshire economy until the 1990s but mining has now mostly ceased and much of the industrial pollution and scarring has been eradicated although limestone quarrying still scars some areas. The region is now largely based on mixed agriculture, some heavy industrial engineering and tourism. The landscape varies from arable farming in the flat lands to the south of Derby, to the hill farming of the high moorlands of the southern Pennines, north of Derby city. Derbyshire is rich in natural resources like lead, iron, coal, and Limestone which is quarried to provide the industries of the surrounding towns with lime for building and steel making and cement manufacture.

Tourism: Derbyshire offers many attractions including the spectacular Peak District and many interesting towns and villages such as Bakewell, Buxton, and Derby. There are many castle and fine buildings such as Chatsworth House, the beautiful Dove Dale, and Matlock Bath. In the north of the county, Howden, Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs now provide an area used for leisure pursuits like walking and cycling as part of the Peak District National Park.The National Trust has many properties and a lot of land.

Accommodation is not a problem and there are a large number of Bed and Breakfast and self catering properties right across the county, although you should book well in advance if you intend to arrive in one of the more popular destinations such as Derby, in the busy season. These properties range in size from a single room in a house to a 10 to 12 bed establishment in a town centre. Prices also reflect the popularity of the location and can be quite high. In Britain, bed and breakfast and self catering places can be found in every location and they are a lot more personal and friendly than other forms of accommodation.

Tony Lucas has spent many years in the travel and tourism market, has travelled in many parts of the world. He has lectured and worked freelance for many of the major Hotel corporations. He writes extensively on all matters to do with Britain and tourism in the British Isles.

More information on http://www.stayinbritain.co.uk

How Many Bathrooms Do You Really Need? Building New Homes

When my dad was a kid, they lived in a two bedroom house with one bathroom and the family consisted of him, his two brothers and his mother and father. When I grew up, we have it a little bit better. We had the same sized family as my father did, but we lived in a three-bedroom house with two bathrooms.

How many bathrooms do you really need? Think about it. Here's what I would like to suggest, if you have more money than you know what to do with and would love to help the economy, then you should put as many bathrooms as you need in your home.

If you really need to tell your friends, that you have a 250 bedroom house with 275 bathrooms, and you have the money to pay for it, do it and knock yourself out. However, if you are building a new home, I would like you to consider, this question. How many bathrooms do you really need?

If you want each one of your children to have their own bathroom, then go for it. It will require more cleaning, more money to build these bathrooms and is it really necessary.

Here's what I would suggest as a guideline for deciding, how many bathrooms you really need. One bathroom for two or less people, two bathrooms for five or less people and three bathrooms for eight or less people. You could actually add one bathroom for every three people as a general rule of thumb.

Don't get carried away and start installing bathrooms all over your house, it doesn't make sense. Bathrooms are expensive and I have been in the homes, where I was the only person that used at bathroom. Some bathrooms might not ever be used.

Click here if you are looking for some more Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Click Here If your looking for some great Bathroom Ideas or Bathroom Remodeling Contractors

Bathroom Layouts - Tips You Should See

So you believe that a bathroom remodel project is only about changing the vanity or repositioning the bathtub? Your much-feted remodeling project will hit a roadblock if your treat the supremely important issue of bathroom layouts flippantly. After all, isn't it the layout that has a tremendous import on the final outcome of the project and the overall costs?

Ignore the layout of the bathroom, and the results are sure to be calamitous.

Address Those Niggling Problems

If after even several feckless attempts your bathroom fails to ignite your imagination, then it's time to give the layout a fresh lease of life. Before you plunge headlong into action, make sure you consider a few rudimentary aspects earnestly.

First, you must ascertain the inherent limitations in the existing layout. Lack of storage space, no place to fit in that ornate bathtub or may improper lighting and ventilation, just to name a few. A spanking new layout is perfect to address these concerns.

It's also important that you don't mothball ideas that are closest to your heart. List out what you feel form an indispensable part of your dream space. A luxurious shower or an aesthetically crafted vanity, the choice is entirely yours.

No layout can be a winner without efficient planning. Make sure all the fittings and fixtures that you have envisioned for the space find a place in the blueprints.

Four Tips That You Cannot Gloss Over

If you are in the midst of designing the perfect layout for the bathroom, here are tips that will hold you in good stead:

• You just need a single door to access a world of opportunities.
• A rectangular or square bathroom is the best shape you can have. Make sure the length is twice as much as the breadth.
• Let there be some breathing space in the center. Fixtures like the toilet and bathtub can be safely sequestered to a corner, from away from prying eyes, I mean, the main door.
• Don't continue to remain in the dark about the illuminating radiance of natural lighting. Let windows and skylights rule the roost.

Don't be surprised if your design is already garnering rave reviews.

Learn exactly how to generate 100's or even 1000's of positively *BRILLIANT* Bathroom Remodeling Ideas ... FAST ! And here are 25 Dirt Cheap Home Improvement Ideas that could increase the value of your home by several $1000's ...

How Wide Should I Make My Carport? Planning Your Next Project

Whether you live in a home with or without a garage, you might be thinking about building a new carport. You've came to the right place and by the time you're done reading this article, you should have acquired a little more valuable information for your next home remodeling project.

Some homeowners install carports in front of their garage, on the side of their homes or even in their driveway. Car ports can be built anywhere on your property, as long as you have enough room and access to these areas for a car to be parked safely.

The most important thing to remember, when building a carports, is the width that will be required to park your vehicle underneath it. You will need to allow plenty of room, so that you will be able to access your vehicle comfortably.

There are plenty of carports, all over the country that are built right next to something, like a retaining wall, the side of your home or even another garage. I myself have parked in carports that were too small and over a period of time became an annoying inconvenience.

The minimum width that I would build any carport would be 10 foot wide, if you're going to build your carport next to a building, I would suggest that you park your car, open your door and measure the width of your car, with your door open.

This will give you a comfortable width for building your new carport. This is the best advice I could give anyone, who is planning on building a carport.

Garage Building Tips

If you're thinking about building a garage and San Diego County, we would be glad to help, for more information click on this link San Diego Garage Building

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Thanks for reading my articles.

Why Bathroom Remodeling Will Add Life to Your Home

There are many ways to remodel a bathroom and depending on how extensive of a remodel project you want, you could spend three or four times the normal amount if you are doing a lot of tile work, granite counters, new cabinetry, etc. Usually the older the bathroom the more extensive and expensive the remodel project will be.

There are so many things to consider when renovating your bathroom. Replacing the current window with a larger one will add light and also give you an opportunity to add a more energy efficient window. Maybe you can add a skylight, this is an excellent way to bring in more light and increase the feeling of spaciousness. Replacing fixtures with modern designs can make a bathroom more decorative and style that not only looks good, but is functional. There is a wide price range for light fixtures, so you can easily pick one that fits your budget. Replacing a toilet can be a simple thing if you avoid the most common mistakes made by many homeowners.

Remember, the door fixtures will be the first thing you see when you enter any room so you might want to start here! Remember, if you don't fell 100% comfortable with or confident in the possible outcome, stop and meet with your contractor immediately and discuss an alternative route. Piece of mind is priceless especially with a project of this importance. After all, it is your sanctuary.

A shower remodel is also a perfect time to experiment with shower heads. There are many types, styles and brands you can choose from. The type of concrete used for shower walls and floors is highly engineered and a must if your looking for the perfect job. Tiles are generally durable, and you won't have to worry about replacing them if you choose the right material.

Tile is also an area where you have a wide range of choices. From sheet linoleum to ceramic tile the choices are numerous. Tile mosaics are especially popular in Mediterranean style bathrooms. Tile can also be used as decorative design pieces (glazed, glass mosaic or quarry styles).

Bathroom flooring, more than anything else, can have a stunning effect on the overall look of a bathroom; choose bathroom flooring wisely and you will achieve the bathroom of your dreams? Many homeowners like to install below floor heating, which is recommended with a stone or concrete floor.

You can install hardwood floors on the floor of your Bathroom, provided that they are coated with a water-proof finish. Many people will opt for this type of flooring in this part of the house because it provides warmth and has the effect of creating a soft relaxing atmosphere.

Neutral colors are probably your best bet and will last for many years to come. Some contractors will recommend using self leveling cement but good old poured concrete screened floors is the only way to get that perfect job. Selecting a contractor by referrals is also the best way to choose the right company for the job.

DiCicco Building Company has been doing Home Additions Macomb for over 20 years. We are also leaders in Macomb Remodeling along with being an award winning custom residential home builder. We also specialize in Finished Basements and home additions.

Plumbing Problems and Solutions - Repair Manuals

If you've owned a home for over 20 years, there's a very good chance, that you've had a water pipe break, a drainpipe clogged, a toilet that wouldn't flush right, or a water leak that damaged part of the home. If you don't know, what you're looking for and you have no idea what damage can be done, over time, this could mean trouble for the homeowner.

Plumbing problems like these have been around and will be around for many years. Knowing what to do about them, how to repair them and what materials will be needed, can be found in plumbing repair manuals for books. How would you like to have a professional plumber to advise you on your plumbing repairs. What if I told you that you could have a plumbing professional on hand at all times. Is this something that you might be interested in.

Well I can't guarantee that, so let's forget about what I just said and go to the next best thing. Plumbing repair manuals are full of tips and advice that when needed can sometimes be priceless. If water is leaking from the ceiling in your home and you have no idea, where the water is coming from or how to stop it from leaking, any information could be priceless and I mean priceless.

Plumbers, usually charge over $100 an hour for emergency service. I've seen plumbers come to peoples homes, turn the water off to the house, stop the water from leaking and now it is no longer an emergency. The plumber quickly pulls out an invoice for the plumbing repairs and it could be over $1000, if you decide that this is ridiculous and choose not to pay it, the plumber can hand you a bill for stopping the water leak. Some of these bills are what I would consider quite ridiculous, for just shutting the water off.

You're not paying the plumber for the amount of time it took him, you're paying him for his knowledge. If you knew where to shut the water off, you wouldn't have an emergency situation and could contact a plumber during normal hours. This could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

With a simple home repair manual or a home plumbing book, you could prepare yourself for a situation like this and other plumbing problems. Most home repair manuals have general solutions and advice and can solve most of the problems around your home. If they can't solve all of the problems, they can probably save you from major catastrophes like a water leak.

Most of the time it's not the water leak that will cost the most money, it's the damage the water will do to your furniture, carpeting, wood flooring, walls or ceilings. A little information and preparation can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Home Plumbing Books

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Cyprus Holidays - Hotels in Ayia Napa

Island of Cyprus lies in the eastern part of Mediterranean Sea, not far away by shores of Libya. Due to its richness and pleasant climate, this land has been very disputed during the centuries and saw many bloody wars. Even today this country has two parts, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus, but the two parts live in pace and try to enjoy in harmony the fast growing development of the island. Nowadays Cyprus is member of the European Union and one of the main spots where are spent beach holidays in Europe.

Island of Aphrodite (its ancient name) or Cyprus is the third largest Mediterranean island and one of the favorite tourist destinations, attracting over 2 million holiday makers each year. All this people choose to spend holidays on Cypriot shores due to the excellent year-round weather, splendid sandy beaches, friendly people, and great accommodation offered by most hotels in Cyprus. No matter if vacationers choose to buy holiday deals in north or south, there are resorts where everything is designed to make travelers feel good and to let them to remember whit pleasure the moments spent there. In the south of Cyprus some of the main vacation spots are Paphos, Protaras, Limassol and Larnaca, while in north destinations which attract most tourists are Kyrenia and Ayia Napa.

All accommodation units on this sunny island welcome tourists with open arms, but hotels in Ayia Napa seem to be in the top of the best resorts in Cyprus. There are all kind of hotels in Ayia Napa, from budget 2 & 3 star hotels up to 4 and 5 luxury beach resorts, where holidays come to end too fast and are remembered long time after that! High-budget holiday makers can choose between Hotel Alion Beach, Hotel Panas Holiday Village, Hotel Napa Mermaid, Hotel Atlantica Club Sungarden Beach, Hotel Napa Plaza, Hotel Olympic Lagoon Resort, Hotel Nissi Beach, Hotel Asterias Beach, or Dome Beach Resort, while budget travelers have at disposal a wide range of excellent 3 star hotels like Hotel Limanaki Beach, Hotel Nestor, Hotel Nissi Park, Senator Hotel Apartments, Hotel Vias Apartments, and Hotel Bella Napa.

Ayia Napa is located on the eastern coast of Cyprus, very close to Cape Greco, and attracts foremost vacationers interested in spending beach holidays (its sandy beaches are renowned even worldwide!) and to enjoy the warm waters of Mediterranean Sea. A great fact in this beach resort is that in Ayia Napa can spend excellent vacations both families and singles (there are a few night-bars and clubs where are organized really great parties!) because in the area are features of all kind that make everyone feel well! Of course, daytime activities such as water-skiing, windsurfing, canoe rides, scuba diving, snorkeling and speed-boating are very popular among tourists, while in the night people who love to party can do it until a new day appears on horizon! Few people know that there is located the biggest and multiple award-winning theme water park in Europe, with a great variety of slides, so kids and adults alike can enjoy unforgettable moments under the friendly shine of Mediterranean sun! When vacationers got hungry after swimming or other activities, there are many restaurants where they can enjoy the tasty Cypriot foods and wines, renowned since the ancient times.

After tourists have spent memorable vacation days in Ayia Napa , most of them will return to the island of Aphrodite to enjoy better all what this magic land has to offer. And if they want to learn more about the culture of this friendly people, they can try out some other resorts in this country. Hotels settled on splendid beaches offer everywhere great accommodation and holidays in Cyprus are excellent in any part of the island!

More information about accommodation and holidays in Cyprus can be found on Cyprus Holidays and Hotels in Cyprus. This article belongs to Victor Tuszing.

Take Pictures of Your Growing Foundation Damage Or Cracks

I champion people and try to get them to look at their house, at least once a year. One of the easiest ways to inspect your home is to use a home inspection checklist and if you really want a good home inspection checklist, there's a good chance that you are going to need to purchase one. You get what you pay for and don't ever forget that.

Foundation repairs usually start with a small crack and that's no joke. If you notice a crack, take a picture of it and save it somewhere. If you think, that the crack is actually getting a little bigger or starting to separate, you can simply take another picture and compare the two photos.

I would like to give you an example of what I'm talking about. Sometimes we look at something and we think that it's getting larger, but we don't have anything to compare it to. As time goes on, we think that the crack is still getting larger, but our mind is creating an optical illusion. This happens to a lot of people.

If you had a picture, from a few years ago, you could refresh your memory and this could be very helpful in reducing your anxiety or jumping to conclusions about foundation damage. Trust me, sometimes, I'm like a medical emergency crew, going to visit a homeowner to relieve their foundations stress. People panic over foundation cracks and I'm the doctor they call for any one of their home emergencies.

I would also advise you to take pictures of the rest of your home. How hard would it be to take about 300 pictures of your home each year and store them on your computer or on a disk, for easy access later? A picture is worth a thousand words and don't ever forget that.

Click Here for Some More Great Foundation Repair Solutions.

Greg Vandenberge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link Home Repair Problems. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

Budget Bathroom Remodeling

New York has been dubbed 'The City that Never Sleeps' for a good reason and that is the never ceasing hustle and bustle of traffic and even people. This gives us a very good idea on how stressful living in NYC could be. What better way to avoid and fight off stress than starting off and ending your day in the utter comforts of your very own bathrooms? When thinking of just any home improvement project, a thought that often makes homeowners cringe is the cost. But you can be able to spruce things up with the least cost through budget bathroom remodeling.

One of the best budget bathroom remodeling ideas that you could ever put into work would be having a qualified and skilled New York contractor do the job for you. When considering the money to be spent, do not just think about the present costs. With professional help, you would be able to avoid the risk of having to re-do the job in case you committed some mistake while undertaking it. Another benefit which would considerably save you more in the long-run would be lesser trouble and costs in maintenance.

When bathroom remodeling on a budget, you should prioritize minor renovation works. To help you out, here are several ideas that you can use to considerably change the look of your bathroom with less the cost:

. Lighting. To set the mood and add more spark of interest, lighting is another budget bathroom remodeling project to undertake. You can start off with replacing light fixtures that can offer brighter illumination and add more to areas which may lack some light. To maximize the results, you can have mirrors strategically installed on the walls or ceiling..

. The walls are among the major contributor to the ambiance of any room as wells as the first to get noticed. With this area, you can choose to have them freshly painted or wallpapered depending on your personal preference and style.

Painting is a great budget bathroom remodeling project to invest in as it is not only cheap but quick as well. When choosing a color, it is recommended to go for light hues, especially if you also have issues with space as this can help brighten up the place and make it seem more spacious. Other than the color, other important considerations would be the product to use as well as the finish. An eggshell finish helps the walls resist moisture and makes it easier to clean.

Wallpaper is another creative way to spruce up your bathroom which offers more flexibility in terms of accents and designs. While selecting, make sure that the style complements the toilet, tub and sink. Another important thing to take not of is the wall preparation process that goes before actually applying the wallpaper.

. Update cabinetry. If your cabinets are still in good condition, you need not replace them. A great and cost-effective way to enhance their look is through refacing the existing cabinet doors with new ones to match with the rest of the design.

And after you are done with the budget bathroom remodeling, you can spruce up the area more through bathroom accessories.

Eugene Makeev has been in the home improvement industry for a while. His skills and expertise, which have been polished through time, are now used to help New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls in home improvements by matching their needs with the right, prescreened New York Bathroom Remodeling Contractor. Feel free to use our Bathrooms Calculator

Home Purchasing Checklists Provide Protection

Home purchasing checklists provide protection for consumers with useful information for future home repairs or current home repairs that will need to be done before the home is sold. Home inspectors often use checklists like these, while they're inspecting the home.

If more home shoppers used home inspection checklist while shopping for houses, we would probably have more satisfied homebuyers than dissatisfied ones. Recently just purchasing a home, we had our real estate professional, the previous homeowner's real estate professional and a mortgage lender, involved in the purchase of the property.

There was a home inspection report from the current homeowners, available for us to look at. It provided us with the damaged parts of the home that were repaired or replaced. Some of these repairs were from termite damage and it was stated so on the report. This was helpful information for us as we walked around the home inspecting it for damage.

The work that was repaired to look satisfactory and the rest of the home had minor damage. Listening to one of the real estate sales people that were involved in the transaction, you would've thought we would get in the deal of a lifetime and they had nothing but good news to say about the product they were representing. I easily understood that, this person could have influenced some one into believing that the home was in great shape, if they didn't have a home inspection checklist with them.

The home had been re-carpeted, painted and was in generally good shape. The problems with the home, were the old windows that were hard to open, the heating unit leaked gas, the tile flooring that ran through the kitchen and a large room addition looked great, except for one thing, they installed the tile over linoleum.

This eventually will have to be replaced as the tile starts to separate from the linoleum. While I'm writing this article, there's about 40 square feet of tile that needs to be replaced, because it's popping up and cracking.

A home purchasing checklist does not guarantee that you will find everything but can't eliminate some of the things that homeowners have the biggest problems with. If you could just eliminate one of these problems, the small price of purchasing, one of these checklists would be worth it.

Home purchasing checklists provide protection for the shopper and I would recommend, never shopping for a home without one.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas.

By Greg Vandenberge

Pebble Tile Shower Floor - Quick Guide For Beginners!

A Pebble Tile Shower Floor enables you to redecorate your home by using the same techniques and style used by the Greeks and the Romans. If you look for a quick way to redecorate any surface at home, you should try these natural stone panels. If you are interested about Easy do-it-yourself tiling techniques - read the following article.

Short overview

A Pebble Tile Shower Floor is about gathering the same small flat stones that are manually and carefully attached onto a mesh backing of 12" by 12" size. The seashores of S. East Asia are rich with these flat pebbles, and indeed most of these tiles are originated from that part of the world. It seems like no other tiling technique enables you to redecorate practically anywhere inside and outside your house: Bathroom flooring and wall coating (including showers), kitchen surfaces such as countertops & backsplashes, patios, pools and even fireplaces.

Main advantages

Using this simple tiling solution definitely brings various redecoration advantages:

* Durable to most common home detergents.

* Considered inexpensive compared to other tiling solutions.

* Installation process is quick and takes only a few hours.

Useful tips!

* Upon completion, it is important to wait the adhesive's recommended drying time before you begin on grouting.

* Use a tile saw in order to cut stones to fit edges or corners.

* Make sure the surface you are about to tile is flat, clean, dry and free of contaminants.

Conclusion

Pebble Tile Shower Floor remodeling is highly effective for any home-maker as it requires minimal effort, knowledge, and resources. We could easily find many other benefits provided by this fun & easy remodeling option, simply because any average and unprofessional home-maker can do it easily by him/herself. If you wish to succeed with your first installation it is recommended to use the following tips & advices just as you decide on using these natural panels.

Get creative! - Learn more about how you can easily decorate your bathroom with Pebble Tile Shower Floor.

Renovate With EIFS - Home Tips

Ontario's Home Energy Audit provides rebates to home owners who improve their home in some way to reduce energy consumption and waste. The program provides rebates from $60.00 per energy-star qualified window, to $1,000.00 for a high efficiency furnace, to $3,000.00 for insulating the exterior of your home. Why is the largest grant (by category) given to Exterior Wall Insulation? One of the reasons is it can have the largest impact on keeping the heat inside your home as home owners typically see a 20-30% reduction in their heating and cooling bills after renovating the exterior of their walls with EIFS (synthetic stucco).

First Thing is First

In order to qualify for the rebates, you need to first have someone do the Ontario Home Energy Audit. This involves contacting the Government's ecoENERGY program to have an inspector come to your house and evaluate your eligibility. You will fall into various categories ranging from not eligible (because there is nothing that needs to be done), to partial benefits to improve certain aspects, to the full grant for adding something that is not currently there. The majority of homes do not have insulation on the exterior of their homes (from the sheating substrate and outward), which makes most home owners eligible for the full $3,000.00 rebate. From the day of the inspection, you have exactly 18 months to complete all your retrofits and get the auditor back.

Get Quotes For an EIFS Retrofit

It may even be a good idea to do this first so you don't waste time trying to find contractors and prices. It is important to get multiple quotes, from different contractors to get a feel for what the price should be. They can be found via the internet, yellowpages, referrals, or preferably by the EIFS manufacturer who will recommend you to a few contractors they know that do quality work. Speaking with different contractors will open your eyes to aspects others may not mention, such as decorative items or things you need to consider like temporarily removing your soffit. Things that may affect your quotes include:

• Time of year will affect price, which is higher during the winter and busy season
• Not requiring a weather barrier (only if going over brick, concrete or CMU) will save money
• Small portions (such as dormers) often cost extra
• Decorative elements such as mouldings and cornices cost extra

Let's say you understand what your options and prices are after getting 5 quotes, which do you choose? To start, if one is far below the others, toss it immediately. Any money you will save will come back to bite you down the road, and the repair can be more expensive than your synthetic stucco retrofit in the first place. Most of the time you want to go with quote #3 or #4 in terms of price. Don't forget that you can add decorative elements (like window sills, quoins, trim) at a later date -- one of the great benefits of EIFS.

Thickness of Styrofoam

Though this will affect the price and is up to your discretion, a minimum of 2.5" of "Type 1 Expanded PolyStyrene" (the white styrofoam) is required to qualify for the full $3,000.00 rebate. Typical styrofoam thickness is 2", which would get you the $1,800.00 rebate, however the additional 1/2" will not (or rather, should not) run you an additional $1,200.00, which means you will actually save money.

For the technically inclined, a total of R-3.8 to R-9 will qualify you for $1,800.00, while an R-value of 9 or above qualifies for the full $3,000.00 rebate. Type 1 Expanded PolyStyrene (the type of white styrofoam EIFS manufacturers carry and specify) is rated at R-3.71(per inch). This means adding 1" of styrofoam qualifies you for no rebate (yes, they are serious about that 0.09 of R value missing), while 2.5" will qualify you for the whole $3,000.00 (2.5 x 3.71 = 9.275). The other layers of EIFS do provide some R-value (arguable enough that 1" would qualify you for the rebate), however the government stipulates that the R-value is calculated solely on what is added to the wall via styrofoam.

Plan All Your Retrofits, Then Proceed

You want to consider other renovations at the same time as your Synthetic Stucco retrofit. If you intend to add Energy Star qualified windows, they must be installed prior to adding Synthetic Stucco so that they can be properly "tied in" to the wall, that is, to prevent moisture intrusion. You will want to cover these windows while the EIFS is being installed to lessen the chances of them getting dirty. Again, soffits need to be removed during installation to avoid unsightly gaps at the top of your wall which double as a point for water to penetrate. A little bit of planning goes a long way in saving you money and head aches.

Get The Auditor Back

Once everything is finished it's time to have the inspector come back to re-evaluate your home. You will need to show him copies of the bills with the specifications (for example, the EIFS contractor would specify "2.5" insulation added" on his invoice), and pictures of the product being installed may help -- make sure to find out exactly what the auditor is looking for during the first visit. Remember also, that you only have 18 months from the first inspection to get him back, otherwise you forfeit any claim you have to rebates. You may only do this once (ever!) so make sure you do all your retrofits at one time for the rebates, or be prepared to pay for future retrofits out of your pocket.

Upon verification that a minimum of 2.5" of insulation has been applied to all wall surfaces on the exterior of your home, the auditor will check to see if you qualify for any additional rebates for retrofits which may have been undertaken, then electronically submit the result to "Natural Resource Canada" and the "Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure". From the time your auditor performs the final evaluation, you can expect to wait anywhere from 5-9 weeks for the audit to be processed another 1-2 weeks for the cheque to arrive.

Don't forget that on top of the rebate, renovating your home with Synthetic Stucco increases the value of your home (you recoup up to 88% of the renovation cost via increased home value) and can reduce your heating bill anywhere from 20%-30%, saving you over $500 per year.

Jim Schwarznoff is a Construction Project Management student with an emphasis on the building envelope and exterior design. For more information on EIFS (Synthetic Stucco) and to get quotes from Stucco Contractors visit http://www.TorontoStuccoContractor.com/. For more details on the Ontario Home Energy program, visit: http://torontostuccocontractor.com/blog/2009/01/the-ontario-home-energy-audit-provides-3000-towards-an-eifs-retrofit/