CREB®Now presents 'No Guff Gardener' Donna Balzer

Calgary's 35th annual Calgary Home + Garden Show has announced its full list of personalities that will be on hand for this year's show at the BMO Centre.

HGTV star and landscaping expert Carson Arthur, master craftsman André Chevigny of HGTV's Timber Kings, along with Calgary's top gardeners and design experts, will be on hand for this year's edition, as well as more than 650 exhibitors and local vendors.

Also on hand will be Calgary's "No Guff Gardener" Donna Balzer, presented by CREB®Now. A self-described farmer's daughter, army brat and university graduate in horticulture, Balzer co-hosted the award-winning "Bugs & Blooms" segment on HGTV, and answers Alberta-wide garden questions on CBC radio. She is currently a regular communist in CREB®Now.

Local real estate professional leads change for mobility-challenged Calgarians

For Dave Bonk, 2012 was a year that made him rethink his life's purpose. After building a successful real estate business specializing in rental properties and fixer-uppers, he realized he needed an outlet to help give back to the community.

"One of the things that my company does is buy dilapidated properties and renovate them," said Bonk. "We were buying properties in foreclosure and I was seeing the condition that people were living in. It was unimaginable."

After throwing a few ideas around with his business associates, contractors and other acquaintances, Hearts and Hammers was born.

32nd annual Home + Design Show returns Sept 17 – 20

From blah bathrooms to cluttered kitchens, homeowners are often encouraged to channel their inner designer.

The trouble is knowing where to start.

"There are a lot of shortcuts to make it easier," said Parker Barrow's Janette Ewen who, with co-owner Jef Hancock, will be among dozens of designer gurus on hand at the BMO Centre Sept. 17-20 for the 32nd annual Home + Design Show.

CREB®Now will be presenting Ewen and Hancock when they take the Trail Appliances Main Stage Sept. 18 at 4 p.m., Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m. and Sept. 20 at noon.

What do gardeners want? Houzz.com tells us in new survey 

Even if you are reading this column you don't actually want to garden. What you really, really want most in your garden is easy maintenance and outdoor living. I realized this after reading the new Houzz.com garden survey online (http://bit.ly/1NUnvls). Yes, it's true. Most gardeners' responding to the survey just wanted to sit in the garden and do as little as possible.

And if you bought a new home recently you are more likely than others to develop an outdoor sitting space immediately and get right to the business of lounging.

Houzz followers buying new homes plan to spend extra money buying outdoor furniture and developing colourful, low maintenance beds to surround their new sitting space. And after this space is designed and built, the top use for the renovated outdoor area is simply this: relaxing.

Scotiabank report shows renovation spending fast growing

A report from Scotiabank shows more and more Canadians are taking the renovations route when it comes to their homes.

The report, Canada's Housing Market — Transitioning to Slower Growth shows renovation spending is a fast growing segment, which is impacted by rising home prices, tight resale market conditions, attractive financing and g o v e r n m e n t
tax credits.

Despite the potential of higher costs, Canadians are more likely to choose renovations that include greener options than not when updating their homes, according to a recent Scotiabank poll.

The Scotiabank Home Renovations Poll reports two-thirds of Canadian homeowners are more likely to chose green home renovations over nongreen renovation options, making their homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Albertans considered green renovations 65 per cent of the time.

Drive down any street touched by the June floods, and it becomes obvious Calgary's renovation industry is booming. But some Calgary contractors are warning area homeowners to use caution when hiring someone to do the work.

"I think that what's happening is there's an influx of people from other places that maybe aren't as qualified and people need to be careful," said Darryl Pavlove, owner of Fit for a King Renovations.