CMHC for Consumers	November 2007

Homebuying Step by Step — Interactive Version

Step through the Life-Cycle of your home

Renovation Fact Sheets

Advance planning is the key to successful renovations. These fact sheets help you plan, assess, and avoid surprises. Achieve the results you want by doing your renovation right the first time.

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Interior Renovations

Renovating Your Kitchen
Conduct a pre-renovation inspection and prioritize the most desirable features for your new kitchen.
Renovating Your Basement – Moisture Problems
Creating a clean, dry and healthy living space is a critical first step in this renovation.
Renovating Your Basement – Structural Issues
Fixing foundation problems before renovating is essential to preserve the durability and structure of the house.
Renovating your Basement for Livability
Find out about common problems that can be fixed, as part of the renovations, to make your basement a healthy living space.
Flooring Choices
Things you should think about when choosing resilient, laminate, and wood flooring, as well as carpet and ceramic tile.

Renovating Your Bathroom
Bathroom renovations offer the second highest financial payback rate and are one of the most common home improvement projects.
Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating
Radiant floor heating is a method of heating your home by applying heat underneath or within the floor
Buying a Toilet
Advice and tips on what to look for when buying a toilet.
Replacing Your Furnace
This fact sheet provides you with information on replacing your existing furnace with a new one.
Assessing the Comfort and Safety of Mechanical Systems
How the mechanical systems interact with other appliances is critical in keeping your home’s indoor environment healthy and safe.

Exterior Renovations

Garden Suites
Introductory information on garden suites for seniors or persons with disabilities.
Accessible Housing by Design — Ramps
Learn about ramp design, and other issues to consider before building a ramp for your home.
Before You Start a New Addition
Identify the features you need and inspect the current structure and mechanical systems to be sure they can support the new addition.
Repairing or Replacing Exterior Wall Materials
Repairing or replacing exterior wall finishes will protect and preserve the durability and structure of the home.

Repairing or Replacing Roof Finishes
Learn about the key factors that will determine whether you should repair or replace your roof.
The ABC's of Windows
Information to help you understand and select window performance levels appropriate for your climatic (and geographical) location and exposure conditions.
Understanding Window Terminology
Helpful guidance on buying the right type of window for your home.
Window and Door Renovations
Before repairing or replacing windows and doors, consider all of the factors outlined in this fact sheet.

General Renovations

Assesing the Renovation Project
If you plan carefully, you can renovate your home to make it look better, work better, last longer and be more comfortable.
Canada's Construction System
Understand the elements of the system of construction and operation of buildings and houses in Canada.

Hiring a Contractor
Make sure you get what you want and pay for when hiring a contractor.
Sample Renovation Contract
A detailed written contract between you and the contractor you hire is essential to any renovation or home repair project, no matter its size.

Energy-Efficiency Renovations

Energy Efficient Upgrade — Mechanical Systems
Before altering these, it is important to understand how the overall performance of the house will be affected.

Energy Efficient Upgrade — The Building Envelope
Improving the building envelope can result in a better insulated, more airtight home that is easier to heat.

Related CMHC Information

Renovation Videos

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