Eco Friendly Kitchen Renovation

I recently moved into my first home which happens to be a very charming, but slightly dated 1990s condo in James Bay. The first thing I planned on renovating was kitchen, as I was just not a fan of the salmon colored counter tops.

As I started researching different eco renovation products I once again realized the huge amount of green-washing that is currently taking place. I visited a variety of home renovation stores and looked at ton of different eco options, but all the recycled countertop materials were made of 20, 30 or 40% recycled material which just didn't sit right. I thought that there had to be a product that offered more.

After meeting Des Carpenter at a local green networking event I was totally excited. His company is called Environite and their mission is to "provides an attractive, sustainable building product using recycled waste materials typically destined for the landfill." The best part about his product is that its made from approximately 90% recycled material and is produced locally in the Pacific Northwest. They offer a variety of different color options and the product is custom fit and designed.


After careful contemplation, and much indecision I selected a counter made from recycled beer bottles. So step one was to remove all the counters:

Step two was to install the new counters:

Final step was to reinstall the sink and get everything cleaned up:

I am totally pleased with the final product. For more information on Environite please visit http://www.environite.com/ and for more information about green real estate please visit http://www.ChristinaCarrick.com

What Does It Mean to Buy a 'GREEN' Home?

What is a green building?

In my definition they are energy efficient, water efficient, designed for healthy living, constructed with low impact materials, and is easily accessible to amenities.

There are more than 12 million dwellings in Canada and 17% of all energy used in Canada goes towards operating our homes.

Thermal energy plants use over 63% of our water supplies. So reducing electricity consumption in our homes helps reduce water use.

As Green Realtors we have 4 directives:

1.       Educate the public about the benefits of buying green or green renovation

2.       To marketing green homes

3.       To locate green properties

4.       To run a socially responsible business model and give back to the community

If your interested in learning more about how to buy green, or what that means exactly please get in touch via email, facebook. twitter or phone. More information is coming about GREEN financing options and more so stay tuned.

Insight on Future Trends in Victoria Housing: CMHC Conference Notes 2010

This year’s CMHC conference was very interesting. The topics of discussion included: BC Market Outlook, Victoria Market Outlook, Facilitating Affordable Housing, and a Strata Industry Update.

Travis Archibald, a Senior Market Analyst presented CMHC’s Victoria Outlook. Overall the message was positive. Sales volumes are projected to increase, prices are expected to stay steady, and interest rates are projected to remain low until 2012. These conditions will provide opportunity for first time buyers.

Carol Frketich, a BC Regional Economist presented CMHC’s Provincial Outlook. The outlook for the province was quite similar to the outlook for Victoria. The BC economy is expanding, the labour markets are improving with an average wage growth of 3% in BC, key mortgage interest rates are to remain favourable, and therefore it is projected that the resale markets will stabilize. In BC the average MLS sales price is $492,500 as compared to $339,800 for Canada, and prices are expected to rise by 0.1% in BC during 2011.

I walked away from the conference feeling cautiously optimistic. It seems like the economic recovery is in full swing, and that resale markets have stabilized. We may not experience double digit appreciation, but the low interest rates and stable prices make home ownership more accessible than ever. As home buyers our capacity to purchase has increased, and the CMHC analysts commented on the fact that Canadian’s mortgage debt is ‘good quality debt’. If you have any other questions, or want a more details on market projections please get in contact – we’d be happy to chat further. 

Introducing Gentle Earth Products

We're planning on introducing you to some great GREEN businesses in Victoria. We wanted to sit down with Scott Kelly from Gentle Earth Products to hear more about his healthy cleaning products. Check out our 2 minute interview with Scott

Click for video

Going GREEN Doesn't Have To Be Expensive

Green real estate doesn’t mean you have to break the bank to buy top of the line green gadgets that aren't affordable.  In fact, going green will put money back in your pocket!

Check out these tools and programs available right here in Victoria to encourage sustainable real estate solutions.  If you have any questions give us a call:

1.      Energy Mortgage

An energy mortgage is a mortgage that credits a home's energy efficiency in the home loan. For an energy efficient home, for example, it could mean giving the home buyer the ability to buy a higher quality home because of the lower monthly costs of heating and cooling the home. For homes in which the energy efficiency can be improved, this concept allows the money saved in monthly utility bills to finance energy improvements making the home more eco-friendly.  

Increases Purchasing Power

Simply put, you could qualify for a higher mortgage because you’re paying less in utility bills every month. A recent analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that energy efficient mortgages can have a dramatic impact on increasing the opportunities for home ownership. The analysis found that an average of 6.8% more families would be able to qualify for a mortgage through an energy efficient mortgage.

There are Two Types of Energy Mortgages:

• Energy Improvement Mortgage - Finances the energy upgrades of an existing home in the mortgage loan using monthly energy savings.
• Energy Efficient Mortgage - Uses the energy savings from a new energy efficient home to increase your home buying power.

2.      CMHC            

Help the Planet, Help Your Wallet- Make the eco-friendly choice!

CMHC has added environmentally friendly features to the Mortgage Loan Insurance it offers. If you use CMHC insured financing to buy an energy-efficient home, purchase a house and make energy-saving renovations or renovate your existing home to make it more energy-efficient, a 10% refund on the Mortgage Loan Insurance premium may be available. You could also have the added flexibility of an extended amortization (up to a maximum of 35 years) without a premium surcharge.

Simply put, if your down payment is less than 20% then you pay CMHC premiums when you get your mortgage. If you buy an energy efficient property then CMHC will cut you a check for a portion of that back.

3.      Insurance

Build Green Coverage

Every home can be rated on a scale of 0 to 100. A rating of 0 represents a home with major air leaks, no insulation and high energy consumption. A rating of 100 represents a house that is air tight, well insulated and requires no purchased energy. For a brand new house a rating of 80 or higher is considered excellent. In the unfortunate event of a major loss to your house, the new Green House Program will rebuild your home to this rating.

Simply put, if you get this option for $30 a year BCAA will pay to rebuild your house to an EnerGuide rating of 80 in the event of a total or major loss.  Also  any appliances damaged as a result of a claim (regardless of the extent of the claim) will be replaced with energy efficient ones.

Green Rewards

Receive $10 in savings for every ENERGY STAR^® qualified furnace or qualified major appliance you install as well as any energy-efficient hot water heaters or toilets you have. You can redeem these savings up to a maximum of $50 on your BCAA home insurance policy. This one time discount can be applied to any policy upon renewal as long as the appliances have been purchased in the last 12 months.

For more information get in contact!!