Woodworking & DIY Blog

You might have thought the federal government was done trying to encourage you to work around the house. Today, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, announced that grants under the ecoENERGY—Retrofit Homes program will increase by 25 per cent.

Credit: m.gifford/Flickr

As regular readers of this site know, the ecoENERGY program involves an energy assessment of your home, which then makes you eligible for grants through the Ministry of Natural Resources for energy-efficient upgrades. The maximum grant available to a household is $5,000.

Now, the maximum grant isn’t changing, but the $300 million going into the program is supposed to get 200,000 homeowners participating in ecoENERGY over the next two years. The plan is also to generate $2.4 billion in economic activity: producing financial green for Canadians as they go eco-green. While the maximum grant stays the same, there will still be more money available to eligible applicants, or as the MNR explains on its site:

With the 25 percent increase in grants, the program will cover a larger share of the cost incurred by homeowners who carry out retrofits that improve energy efficiency. For example, the eligible grant for a high-efficiency gas furnace will increase to $625 from $500.

Remember, the ecoENERGY program can be combined with the new Home Renovation Tax Credit for further rebates. And don’t delay. With classic infomercial-speak, the ministry says this is a “limited-time offer.”

To qualify, homeowners must first have a pre-retrofit energy evaluation by a certified evaluator and a post evaluation following the renovations. Funds are available for a limited time (to March 31, 2011) and are subject to availability. Homeowners are encouraged to apply early.

For more information, visit the ecoENERGY website.

There you have it. What are you waiting for?

Drywall, it’s fussy and it’s dusty, but your rooms won’t have walls without those gypsum-and-paper sandwiches fastened to the framework. If you are feeling daunted by the hanging, fastening, taping, mudding and sanding you have to do, fear not. There are plenty of resources out there for you.

Credit: Velo Steve/Flickr

The right tools are key. Our own DIY expert, Michel Roy, says, “There’s nothing like a stainless-steel corner trowel for making crisp inside corners. A surform-type plane, normally used for auto-body compound, is great for trimming a tiny smidgen off an oversize piece of drywall.” He also has tested some innovative products that can help you with your project by raising sheets up and keeping dust down.

For a good introduction to the art of drywalling, The Washington Post (of all places) has a good primer. For a little more on the how-to side, Hometime has text and video instruction. Tim Carter over at Ask the Builder, also has some good videos that cover applying joint compound and finishing. CHW contributing editor Barb Siddiqui recommends the drywall tips collected at WoodCentral.

As for tips, here are some more bits of wisdom from Michel:

“Ready-mixed mud is convenient, but setting compound is stronger and faster. To mix it effectively, invest in a powerful 1/2″ spade-handled drill (under $150).”

“To distinguish one coat of mud from another, when nearing the finishing stage, some installers like to add a little blue line chalk to the mud. That way you won’t miss a spot you have to sand.

“Don’t recycle your empty cat litter buckets untill you’ve used them a few times for mud.”

What are some of your drywall tips? Let us know in the comments section.

Hitachi C18DLX 18V HXP Li-ion 3.0 Ah 6-1/2" Circular Saw

Recently, Hitachi announced that its warranty for HXP Li-ion tools is now 10 years. The coverage includes driver drills, hammer drills, impact drivers, impact wrenches, circular saws, jigsaws, reciprocating saws and blowers going back to the launch of the HXP line in August 2006. The exceptions are grinders, rotary hammers and gas nailers, which are covered by a one-year warranty. Not bad.

So how does this compare to warranties by other power-tool manufacturers? Well, Milwaukee has a solid five-year warranty. DeWalt: three-year limited. Ridgid: same. Bosch: one-year unconditional. The warranties are for the tools themselves; batteries and chargers usually have different conditions.

Remember, always read the fine print for details. You can find Hitachi’s on its site.

In what seems like a flash, the show is over. I’m exhausted but I had a great time. Thanks to all the exhibitors, you are the heart of our show. Thanks to all of the volunteers who made the interactive areas possible. Thanks to all the guest speakers. Thanks to our contributors who came out, some from far away. (This feels a bit like an Oscar’s speech!)

And a special thanks to you, the showgoers. We do this all for you and we’d love to hear what you think. Please let us know. Two random comment writers on this post will get a prize each. One is a DeWalt backpack and the other a DeWalt foam football. So you know, I’m not looking reward flattery. I’m hoping to hear honest feedback.

Hope to see you next year at the 2010 edition of the Canadian Home Workshop Show.

Elaine at Moxie Trades with her wearable wares

One booth that’s been generating a lot of buzz this weekend is the one by Moxie Trades. They have all the gear a DIY/woodworking woman needs. They have boots, hard hats and tool belts that come in pink, blue, tan, black and red. I asked Elaine what the most popular colour is.

“Pink, by 5 to 1,” she said.

In fact, they had completely sold out of their pink boots Friday and had to get more in.

(We also had everyone in our Media Challenge wear a Moxie tool belt as they built their projects. Pink, of course.)

If you couldn’t make it to the show and want to get a hold of some Moxie  gear, check out the site.

I swung by the Habitat for Humanity Toronto booth at the show today and spoke with JB about the organization he volunteers for.

Habitat is at the show to get the word out about their project: promoting and providing opportunities for home ownership as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty. It seems Habitat is doing a good job of promoting themselves. As JB approaches people with “Have you heard of us?” he often gets “Yeah, I’ve heard of you, and you are doing a great job.”

Right now, Habitat for Humanity Toronto is looking for crew leaders. JB, a retiree who volunteers as a crew leader himself two days a week, says people are often intimidated by the title or don’t think they have enough experience. JB himself became a crew leader after three weeks. Really, a team leader is someone who makes sure the volunteers have what they need to get things done on a build site. Those interested in helping Habitat Toronto should check out the site.

Those not living in Toronto and wanting to get involved should check out the Habitat for Humanity Canada page for their local affiliate.

And don’t forget the draw for Ryan Shervill’s tool chest, which is packed with great tools. The proceeds for the draw go to Habitat.

Ryan shares some tips with a showgoer. His Habitat Chest is in the background