A special two-part series on tips to renovate your home's kitchen and bathrooms. Today's installment is focused on getting a newly renovated kitchen. Given how long you will be without a kitchen, and the extent of the work that will need to be done, it's important you make the proper preparations in advance. Here's an overview of some of the steps you can take to prepare for your kitchen renovation, after you've got a contractor and design all settled. Make sure you...

Technology weighs heavily in this year's top plumbing industry trends, from growing demand for smart homes to pipes that tell on themselves when they spring a leak. Consumers increasingly ask the plumbing industry for green living products, ways to reduce water usage and recycle water, and for touchless plumbing fixtures. Here's a quick overview of some current trends in the field you should be aware of before taking on any plumbing work. Smart fixtures: As younger generation...

This week, part two in our series of the most common plumbing issues you run into as a homeowner: Clogs / partial clogs: Another major source of frustration among homeowners are clogged pipes. Clogged toilets are pretty straightforward. The worst clogs may call for a pipe snake or professional, but otherwise, it's plunge away. Clogged sinks and drains can be a whole different story. When these get really bad, it can be tempting to reach for drain cleaners. Please, avoid pouring thes...

In this two-part series, we'll highlight the most common plumbing issues you run into as a homeowner. Plumbing problems can be an annoying bane to homeownership. You might be tempted to try to resolve the problems yourself. After all, fixing the problem yourself rather than calling in a plumber can save you a lot of money IF you know what you're doing. Unfortunately, most homeowners don't know what they're doing, and might only make matters worse. A professional plumber is...

The spigot you use on the exterior of your house likely gets a lot of use during the summer for watering plants or running sprinklers. But once the winter weather hits, that faucet could be vulnerable to cold weather, leading to potential pipe freezes. While there are some strategies you can employ to winterize these outdoor spigots, you can also significantly reduce the risk of problems with your pipes during the winter by installing a frost-free faucet on the outside of your home. This ...

Backed up sewers can cause thousands of dollars in damage to floors, electrical systems, walls, furniture and other belongings. Today we'll cover causes of sewer backups, what you as a homeowner are responsible for maintaining and steps you can take to protect your home against sewer problems. One sign of problems might be when you notice foul smells coming from your drains. In most areas you, the homeowner, are responsible for the maintenance and repair of the pipe from your house to...

Picking the right plumber may not be as simple as it sounds. Pick the wrong one and you could be paying way more than needed. Be it a large or small problem, it's important you hire an honest and skilled plumber who can be trusted to complete the job efficiently and satisfactorily. Going with an inexperienced handyman you found off Kijiji, for example, could result in low-quality work that might cost you even more in the long run due to additional repairs or damages. Here are a few fa...

Plumbing issues come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from minor, such as a dripping faucet or running toilet, to a sewer system backup or a major pipe leak capable of causing severe structural damage to property, as well as destroying the contents of a home or business or no hot water troubles. Today we'll focus on the most common issues that need some sort of plumbing work. Prevention is better than cure, of course, and you can minimize problems from occurring, or getting much wors...

Frozen pipes aren't something any homeowner wants to discover in the dead of winter. But, if you turn on the tap during subzero weather and nothing happens or you get a slow, sad trickle, that's probably what you're dealing with. You need to know how to act quickly before this inconvenience becomes a costly problem. Most homeowners assume that if they simply wait and do nothing, the problem will eventually resolve itself. This is often not the case. Frozen pipes are a ticking ...

If you've lived with hard water everyday for most of your life, you probably don't notice it anymore. It's not until someone else drinks from your tap and makes a face at the metallic taste that you remember you live in an area with an excess of magnesium or calcium in the water. Even if it doesn't bother you, hard water is still important to correct. Unchecked, it'll take a toll on your plumbing, your home and your quality of lifeall without you realizing it. Thankful...