(NC)—Planning some major home renovations this summer or fall? As a homeowner, you have some important insurance–related things to remember before you get started. We asked Tara Lessard–Webb, an underwriter with Desjardins General Insurance Group, to share her do's and don'ts about home insurance and renovations:

What's the first thing that homeowners should do?

Before starting any renovation project, the homeowners should notify their insurance company because some renovations could impact their insurance coverage. For example, if the homeowners vacated the house for more than 30 days while the work was being done and didn't inform their insurance company, it would be a violation of their policy. If the house was burglarized while it was e... Read More Click Here

(NC)—The modern family home is not usually quiet. Whether it's the sound of the TV, stereo, computer or video game, finding a quiet space away from the noise can be a challenge, and now that temperatures are beginning to drop, your family will be spending more time indoors. Thankfully, there's a way to reduce your home's noise level.

“Household noise can become overwhelming and cause strain on a family, especially for those families with parents that work from home and need peace and quiet to concentrate,” says David Flood, insulation expert at Owens Corning. “To help reduce overall noise levels and contain sounds to a single room, try using insulation that is specifically engineered to help with noise control.”

De... Read More Click Here

(NC)—Due to demand, builders today are constantly learning about the new and advanced technologies for home construction. Owner–clients want to be assured of living in the healthiest, most durable, least wasteful house possible—and therefore, building a home from the ground up is the best opportunity to get it right.

“In addition to fixtures and materials, be sure to ask for the most advanced construction methods,” says Todd Blyth at Nudura, a leading name in building system technology. “For example, more and more builders, on request, are discarding the traditional wood–framing method—now seen as inefficient and wasteful—in favour of concrete walls.”

Why concrete?

This Canadian–advanced technology consists of pre–assembled, interlocking forms delivered to the construction site. The specialized panels consist of two, stay in place forms of expanded polystyrene (EPS) connected with a hinged, folding web. The forms are stacked, reinforced, and then filled with concrete, creating a sol... Read More Click Here