General Home Improvement and Repair

Time Line for Building Materials
http://www.cish.vt.edu/img/timeline.pdf
Did you know that by 1800, 16 major cities had central water? Or that gaslight piping was introduced around 1869? That around 1919 ducted hot-air furnaces replaced the ductless type? This is just some of the things you’ll learn visiting this page.

Glossary of Home Improvement Terms – from homestore.com

Building Permit Info – from the City of Toronto
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/building/building_permits.htm

Municipal Codes and Bylaws – from the City of Toronto
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/municode/index.htm

Just Ask Jon Eakes
http://www.joneakes.com/
Just Ask Jon Eakes is a popular TV show on home improvements, repairs, and maintenance. This site has an extensive database on just about everything to do with the home. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, you can also email Jon with a question. Jon’s TV show can be seen on Home & Garden Television (HGTV).

Home & Garden Television
http://www.hgtv.ca/
If you enjoy Home & Garden Television, you’ll love this site. It’s full of great information on everything from… well your home to your garden. You can also sign up for their free bi-weekly email newsletter.

Canoe.ca – Home & Garden
http://www.canoe.ca/HomeGarden/home.html
Canoe, which is an abbreviation for Canadian Online Explorer, claims to be Canada’s leading news and information site. Their Home & Garden section features four main categories: “Gardening”, “Decorating”, “Renovations”, “Home”, where you’ll find lots of useful information. They have a site search engine and also offer a free email newsletter.

Handyman Wire.com
http://www.handymanwire.com/
Handymanwire.com is an excellent site full of articles on everything from wet basements to how to build a deck. The site also features and “ask the expert” page, a huge library of previously asked questions, a growing collection of hints and tips, and several active forums.

Construction Canada.com
http://www.constructioncanada.com/
Construction Canada.com is Canada's largest online directory of its kind. They offer easy access to a continually updated database of construction, home renovation, building, supply, contractors, maintenance, manufacturing and design build professionals. Under their “Tips” section they have a great article on how to hire a contractor.

Canadian Home Workshop Magazine
http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/
Canadian Home Workshop is full of great information. They also feature an article index, ask the expert page, discussion forum, shop for plans and books, info on tools, a list of woodworking clubs, a woodworking photo gallery, a free email newsletter and much more.

Canadian Gardening Magazine
http://www.canadiangardening.com/
Canadian Gardening Magazine has all kinds of information on gardening, including books, articles, a discussion forum, a list of community gardens, an email newsletter and much more.

Canadian Homes & Cottages
http://www.homesandcottages.com/
Canadian Homes & Cottages has lots of great information on homes and cottages. The site also features a site search engine, an “ask the expert” page, featured books, and past articles.

Ontario Contractors
http://www.ontariocontractors.com
OntarioContractors.com is a nonbiased/non-affiliated database directory of contractors, builders, construction suppliers and anything or anyone that is related to renovation, contracting, construction, building or the home building industry.
Check out their building costs page where you can get approximate costs for anything from roofing to electrical to insulation: http://www.ontariocontractors.com/costs.htm

Ask The Builder.com
http://www.askbuild.com/
This is an excellent site with tons of answers to a wide range of questions about the home. You can also peruse the column or project archives, or check out a lengthy list of building tips. One neat feature is the site has an extensive listing of companies that manufacture products for the home. There’s also streaming video and a site search engine.

Living Home.com
http://www.livinghome.com/
Living Home.com features a lot of information on kitchens, interiors, remodelling, gardens and more. They also have a message board where you can get your questions answered by the experts, and a cool tools section with some nifty online calculators, such as a tile estimator, grass seed calculator, fence calculator, paint estimator, wallpaper estimator and more.

Do It Yourself.com
http://www.doityourself.com/sitemap.htm
This page is their sitemap to all their how-to and home improvement articles. A truly outstanding resource of information that will keep you busy for days.

Easy 2 diy.com
http://www.easy2diy.com/home_improvement.asp
This is a home improvements page full of do it yourself projects and repairs. Their step-by-step instructions are very well done and include lots of pictures.

Start Remodeling.com
http://www.startremodeling.com/
This site offers lots of great information on home improvement and do-it-yourself projects. They also have a remodelling tip sheet, an “Ask The Pros” page, info on mould and sick building syndrome, Tub/tile/counter refinishing tips, home plans, a building terms glossary, an extensive remodelling links page and more.

Lawn and Landscape Magazine
http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/archives/
Lawn and Landscape has an extensive list of information on, well, lawns and landscaping. They also feature a message forum where you can ask questions or review past questions and answers.

Buildfind.com
http://www.abuildnet.com/
Buildfind.com is a huge directory for home construction, improvement, repair, do-it-yourself, products, contractors and more. They also have an extensive selection of newsgroups you can participate and they offer a free email newsletter. You could easily get lost on this site – fortunately, they have a site search engine.

Buildscape.com
https://www.buildscape.com/resources/
Buildscape.com’s “resources” page features an in-depth library of articles, how-to primers, products reviews and more. They also offer a site search engine to help you find what you’re looking for.

Fine Homebuilding Magazine Online
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/index.asp
Fine Homebuilding Magazine is located on the Taunton Press.com site and has a great selection of articles and video clips on home building, remodelling, maintenance and more. They also feature on online catalogue of books and videos. While there don’t forget to check out their Fine Gardening Magazine and Fine Woodworking Magazine sites.

Home Tips.com
http://www.hometips.com/
HomeTips.com is your one-stop resource for help with home improvement, remodelling,
home repair, decorating, and major purchases of appliances and other home products. They feature home improvement advice, impartial buyers’ guides, and do-it-yourself tips. Be sure to check out the “how your house works” section, it’s excellent.

Home Repair & Etc
http://www.repair-home.com/
Home Repair & Etc.com provides useful information on routine maintenance and simple home repairs you can do yourself. Their constantly expanding “homeowner resource” section provides you with information on just about everything under your roof. You can buy home repair videos and software, ask questions on their discussion forum, review their remodelling glossary, and subscribe to their email newsletter.

DIYonline.com
http://www.diyonline.com/
This site features lots of great how-to articles. They also have an “Ask the Expert” section, a message board, online calculators, design tools, a dictionary, a membership program and much more.

How Stuff Works.com
http://www.howstuffworks.com/house.htm
This is an excellent site with information on how all kinds of things work. The recommended link takes you to: How House Construction Works. It takes you step by step through the process of constructing a house, from the foundation to the roof. But don’t stop there; there is a lot more on this site worth finding.

Sound Home Resource Centre
http://www.soundhome.com/topics/topic.shtml
Sound Home carries an extensive list of questions and answers on home improvements.

Old Houses.com
http://www.oldhouses.com.au/
Whether you are restoring, renovating, remodelling or maintaining an old house, heritage building or traditional architecture, this site has something for you. They offer information, advice & assistance as well as all the bits and pieces you need: castings, decorative glass, fireplaces, fabrics, hardware, joinery, lighting, plumbing, plaster, tiles as well as colour schemes, decoration, bathrooms & kitchens - absolutely everything for old houses.

All About Home.com
http://www.allabouthome.com/
This site features: a great how-to library, homeowner tips, and “ask the expert” page, a search function, and an interactive virtual home tour that lets you click on different components of a house to get expert tips on how to repair or maintain them. Try the interactive tour; it’s surprisingly well done.