Lauren La Rose, The Canadian Press Published Wednesday, January 15, 2014 10:27AM EST

TORONTO -- You may have selected paint colours, tiles and finishes, but plans to gear up for a home renovation can quickly grind to a halt if you haven't ensured key health and safety measures are in place.

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control report released earlier this month focused on a case in Quebec where 14 people fell ill with a pneumonia-like infection after the exterior brick of a century-old house was removed as part of a renovation.

Workers, residents of the home and neighbours have recovered after developing symptoms of a fungal disease called histoplasmosis, which is carried in the droppings of bats and birds. Infection symptoms include high fever, coughing, chest pain and shortness of breath.

Cases of histoplasmosis infection are rare in Canada and usually involve construction work that stirs up clouds of dried-up aerosolized spores that people end up inhaling. In the Quebec case, workers had been given masks to wear but didn't do so continuously due to hot weather.

Whether homeowners are embarking on a do-it-yourself project or enlisting a professional, here are tips from experts for making health and safety a top priority throughout the home renovation process.

Conduct a thorough assessment

Cory Norris, chief project estimator at Greater Toronto Contractors, said the No. 1 determining factor as to whether there will be problems with the home is its age. They also look at the state of the home, with visible damage among the red flags.

"If you can see water damage, if paint is peeling off walls here and there ... if it hasn't been maintained well, they probably have ignored any kind of problems that have been going on as well: rodents, bats, for example, mice ..."

Norris said workers will go into the attic and lift up some insulation where mice, rodents and squirrels "love to make their home."

Read the original here:
Key home reno safety tips include pre-assessments, proper gear, sealing spaces

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Outdoor Spaces
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

By: PrullSFNM

More here:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Outdoor Spaces - Video

January 14, 2014

The number of home building permits issued in Pike County in 2013 was the lowest in 31 years.

Just 74 were issued, making 2013 the only year since at least 1982 that fewer than 100 permits were issued.

That is compared to 1988, Pike's peak year, when 1,782 home building permits were issued. There was also another peak in 2004, when 1,121 permits were issued.

"This has been the worst home building recession we've been through," said Ed Nikles, founder of Milford-based Ed Nikles Custom Builder, which has been in business since 1963. "This has been the longest and worst downturn we have seen in our history."

Nikles says remodeling work has carried his business in lean years.

"When things were going gangbusters here in '06, '07, and '08, we were building 40 to 60 homes a year. Now we are trying to build six to 10 a year," Nikles said.

Nikles, 71, says the building market has cycles and builders must have financial reserves for when building slows.

"There are boom times and then it drops down. I've seen it at least three times before: in the early '90s; the early '80s and once in the '70s. It's almost a 10-year cycle," he said.

Nikles noted that the last boom cycle lasted longer than previous ones and the recovery is also taking longer than past recoveries. "We know it doesn't last forever," Nikles said.

Go here to read the rest:
Home building permits plunge in Pike County

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Bishop #39;s Lodge Home
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico Custom Home built near Bishop #39;s Lodge, high above the Tesuque hills.

By: PrullSFNM

Read more from the original source:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Bishop's Lodge Home - Video

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Las Campanas
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Home built in Las Campanas near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

By: PrullSFNM

Link:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Las Campanas - Video

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Monte Sereno Home
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

By: PrullSFNM

Read more:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Monte Sereno Home - Video

East Lyme CT Custom Home Builders - Best Home Builders
Custom Home Builders East Lyme CT, CT Valley Homes, is the premier home builder in the area. We #39;re experienced home builders that put a custom touch to any design you #39;re looking for. Visit...

By: Local Leads 911

See the article here:
East Lyme CT Custom Home Builders - Best Home Builders - Video

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Eastside Remodel
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico Beautiful portfolio of Santa Fe eastside remodel by Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, ...

By: PrullSFNM

See the original post here:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Eastside Remodel - Video

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Contemporary Homes
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

By: PrullSFNM

View post:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Contemporary Homes - Video

Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Green Building in Santa Fe
Award-Winning Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico Beautiful portfolio of green building by Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

By: PrullSFNM

Excerpt from:
Prull Custom Home Builders in Santa Fe, New Mexico - Green Building in Santa Fe - Video