Barrie Home Inspector

Home Maintenance and Tips for Home Owners

Tag: commercial

Commercial Property Inspector – Barrie

Real Estate

Commercial Property Inspector – Barrie is a Certified Building Code Official. He has attained the required training and education with the Ontario Building Officials Association and is fully qualified on Large Buildings and Part 3 of the Ontario Building Code. An unknowing inspector may lead you to believe your property is code compliant when you could in fact be faced with spending thousands or tens of thousands in required building code upgrades.

Aluminum Wiring: In the late 1960′s and early 1970′s copper prices rose and contractors/electricians switched from copper to lower costing aluminum wiring. Concerns with this type of wiring have arisen, for example, when aluminum wire is connected to devices (eg. receptacles, light fixtures) which were not designed for aluminum, or, when aluminum and copper wires are attached. In these cases a reaction can occur causing the connections to fail, perhaps become disconnected, and/or, potentially overheat, spark and catch fire. Symptoms of this can sometimes be seen in the discolouration of receptacles, flickering lights, or the smell of hot plastic insulation.

Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century because of its sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability. It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement (resulting in fiber cement) or woven into fabric or mats. All types of asbestos fibers are known to cause serious health hazards in humans. Removing asbestos from a property can be expensive and time consuming. Personnel have to be licensed to perform asbestos removal.

Mould: Leaking roofs or basements can lead to an excess of moisture in your crawl space, basement or storage areas of your building or office. The best reason is to avoid the growth of fungus, mold, or mildew that may decay and destroy wood and potentially your indoor air quality. Moisture in any form provides the missing ingredient for spores to thrive and grow in its environment. Having your property or building inspected can prevent expensive clean up costs that might be incurred after you purchase a property.

Thermal imaging (infrared camera) is used on all our commercial property inspections. This amazing technology can aid in the detection of heat loss, moisture, water leaks, over-heating conditions and even mould detection. We also perform moisture checks with our up-graded digital moisture detector which allows us to detect moisture up to an inch behind most building products.

The Commercial Property Inspector has been in business for 7 years and has performed over 4,000 inspections. As a Certified Building Code Official with the Ontario Building Officials Assc he has master the Ontario Building Code by completing all the Part 9 (small buildings) and Part 3 (large buildings over 600 m2) which enables him to use this experience when inspecting your commercial real estate investment. All inspections are performed to ASTM E2018 standard and report is based on PCA format.

Looking to find Toronto Commercial Property Inspections, then visit www.commercialbuildinginspector.ca to find the best advice on GTA Commercial Property Inspections for your next investment.

Orillia Real Estate Agents Optimization

Personal Interest, Real Estate

Orillia Real Estate Agents Optimization –  Google is constantly changing what it uses to rank websites.

SEO or Search Engines Optimization is a very important part of improving visibility to Search Engines.  The higher a site is ranked typically results in more visitors which equates to more money for commercial sites.  Searches can include image search, video search, news search or any specific text search.

The acronym “SEOs” can refer to “search engine optimizers,” a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house.

Webmasters started realizing that adding keywords to site and their meta tags was increasing their visibility to search engines. Inaccurate, incomplete, and inconsistent data in meta tags could and did cause pages to rank for irrelevant searches. Web content providers also manipulated a number of attributes within the HTML source of a page in an attempt to rank well in search engines.

Webmasters who provide the content to fill the search results do not necessarily profit adequately for providing the content which allows search engines to deliver a ton of ads. Some of these same webmasters sell text links to other high margin or profitable sites. This is of course arbitrarily wrong because search engines want to be the middle man and want to profit from as many internet ad dollars as possible.

Black Hat SEO is tempting because your site can jump up in rankings quickly and the Black Practices actually do work, temporarily. They do end up getting sites higher search rankings; that is, until these same sites get banned for using unethical practices. It’s just not worth the risk. Use efficient search engine optimization techniques to get your site ranked higher, and stay away from anything that even looks like Black Hat SEO. Here’s a few articles that can get you on the road to knowing search engine optimization.

The Google Sandbox Effect is a theory used to explain why newly-registered domains or domains with frequent ownership changes rank poorly in Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). In other words new websites are put into a “sandbox” or a holding area and have their search ratings on hold until they can prove worthy of ranking.

Google appears not to have a Sandbox anymore if they ever did have one.  This articles author created www.orilliarealestateagents.info and within one week the site was on Google’s first page when seaching for Orillia Real Estate Agents.  This quick rise in ranking would seem to disprove the Sand Box affect claimed by many SEO consultants

Alliston Real Estate Agents

Personal Interest, Real Estate

Sarah Lunn is Innovative & Dedicated Real Estate agent.  Sarah prides herself on being a highly energetic, result driven professional. The combination of her experience in customer service, together with a diploma in Business Marketing from Georgian College, has allowed her  to develop a progressive edge in today’s real estate market.  If you are looking for that dream home, let Sarah Lunn help! Tell Sarah what you are looking for and she will do the search for you! Sarah promises that she will work relentlessly for you to find that perfect home.
Jim Bartley is a Professional Real Estate Agent who specializes in Buying or Selling – Alliston, Ontario Real Estate. Jim Bartley applies his Alliston home selling system in the Alliston, Ontario Real Estate market. Selling residential, condominium, multi family and investment property. Search for MLS listings, relocation services and a referral service for relocation are also a value added for the buyer and seller moving in and out of the "Alliston Ontario real estate" market.
Britton Ronan is the second generation in real estate, Britton understands very well the importance of setting goals. Being recognized by Prudential North America since his first year in the business as a Top Producer and in the past two years awarded Chairmans Circle Gold, ranking Britton and his team amongst the top 2% of the 65,000 realtors in the Prudential network. It is clear Britton and the Experience Sold Team take their goals seriously and do this by making their #1 Goal; Professional Service and Customer Satisfaction!
Mary Doldersun is a Professional Real Estate agent with RE/MAX.  You, the client are my no. 1 priority. I have been in the business for over 30 years and become a member of your family until the transaction is complete. Personal service and total dedication is my motto.
Mary Doldersum services the Tottenham, Alliston, Albion, Adjala Mono and Beeton areas and specialize in residential and commercial real estate.
Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth. The primary downtown area is located along Highway 89, known as Victoria Street.
Alliston grew as a commercial centre for the area farmers and was best known as a potato-growing area. It is still a major industry in the town and is celebrated by the annual Alliston Potato Festival. Honda of Canada Manufacturing operates a large auto manufacturing facility southeast of Alliston, currently consisting of three major factories.

City of Barrie Pool and Spa Fencing Requirements

Exterior, Personal Interest, Real Estate

City of Barrie Pool and Spa Fencing Requirements

By-Law 94-59
To regulate the protective
enclosure of privately owned
outdoor swimming pools and to
repeal By-law 77-104.
This By-law is printed under and by
authority of the Council of the City of
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Disclaimer:
The following consolidation is an electronic reproduction made available for information
only. It is not an official version of the By-law. The format may be different, and plans,
pictures, other graphics or text may be missing or altered. The City of Barrie does not
warrant the accuracy of this electronic version.
This consolidation can not be distributed or used for commercial purposes. It may be used
for other purposes, only if you repeat this disclaimer and the notice of copyright. Official
versions of all By-laws can be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office by calling (705) 739-4204.
Bill # 73
BY-LAW NUMBER 94-59
A By-law of the Corporation of the City
of Barrie to regulate the protective
enclosure of privately owned outdoor
swimming pools and to repeal By-law
77-104
WHEREAS, Subsection 23 of Section 210 of the
Municipal Act, 1990, (Chapter 302 of R.S.O.) permits a
by-law to be passed by a municipal council to regulate
fences and gates that enclose privately owned outdoor
swimming pools and other related matters,
AND WHEREAS, the Council of The Corporation of the
City of Barrie deems it expedient to provide such
regulations,
AND WHEREAS, the Council of The Corporation of the
City of Barrie adopted By-law 77-104,
AND WHEREAS, by resolution 94-G-124, the Council of
The Corporation of the City of Barrie deems it expedient
to amend the by-law to regulate the protective enclosure
of privately owned outdoor swimming pools.
NOW THEREFORE, the Council of the Corporation of the
City of Barrie enacts as follows:
1. SHORT TITLE
This By-law may be cited as the “Pool Enclosure
By-law”.
2. DEFINITIONS
In this By-law:
(1) “Authority having jurisdiction” means the Chief
Building Official and any Building Inspector or
Property Standards Officer authorized by the
Chief Building Official to administer this bylaw.
(2) “Building Inspector” means an inspector
appointed by the Council of the Corporation to
inspect buildings and structures pursuant to
the Building Code Act.
(3) “Chief Building Official” means the person
appointed by the Council of the Corporation to
administer the Building Code pursuant to the
Building Code Act.
(4) “Corporation” means the Corporation of the City
of Barrie.
(5) “Enclosure” means a fence, wall or other
structure or thing, including gates and doors,
which surrounds the perimeter of a pool which
would discourage the entry of a person into the
enclosed area.
– 2 –
(6) “Pool” means a privately-owned outdoor body of
water,
(a) contained in a container that is,
(i)artificial, manufactured or assembled;
(ii)capable of retaining <a href=”http://www.napoleon.cc/cottage/”target=”_blank”rel=”external”title=”Midland Cottage Inspections” >water measuring
more than 460mm (18.1 inches) in depth
at any point, and
(iii)capable of being used for swimming,
bathing, diving or wading,
(6) (b) and includes,
(i)manufactured swimming pools, both
above-ground and in-ground;
(ii)custom built pools; and
(iii)hot tubs and spas,
(c) but does not include,
(i)irrigation ponds on farms used for
watering livestock or for irrigation;
(ii)naturally formed depressions in the
ground surfaces
(iii)garden or fish ponds used as
landscaping features with plant
materials grown in and around the
pond; and
(iv)public swimming pools as defined and
regulated by the Ontario Building
Code.
(7) “Property Standards Officer” means an inspector
appointed by the Council of the Corporation
assigned the duties of enforcing the
Corporation’s Minimum Property Maintenance and
Occupancy Standards By-law.
3. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT
The Chief Building Official shall be responsible for
the administration and enforcement of this by-law.
4. POOL ENCLOSURE PERMIT
(1) No person shall excavate for, erect or install
a pool, or cause the excavation for, erection
of or installation of a pool unless a permit
for the pool enclosure has been issued by the
Chief Building Official.
(2) To obtain a pool enclosure permit, an applicant
shall file an application in writing on forms
prescribed by and available from the Chief
Building Official, and shall supply any other
information relating to the application as
required by the Chief Building Official.
– 3 –
(3)Every pool enclosure permit application shall:
(a) describe the land on which the work is to
be done, by a description that will
readily identify and locate the site on
which the pool will exist;
(b) be accompanied by plans, sketches and
specifications about the pool enclosure as
described in this by-law;
(c) be accompanied by the required fees as
determined in accordance with Schedule
“A”;
(d) state the names, addresses and telephone
numbers of the owner, applicant and the
constructor;
(e) be signed by the applicant who shall
certify as to the truth of the contents of
the application.
(4) The Chief Building Official shall, where the
conditions in Subsection 4(3) above have been
fulfilled, issue a pool enclosure permit to the
applicant unless,
(a)the proposed pool or pool enclosure will
contravene this by-law or any other
applicable law;
(b)the application for it is incomplete; or
(c)any fees due are unpaid.
(5) Where an application for a permit remains
incomplete or inactive for 30 days after it is
made, the application may be deemed by the
Chief Building Official to have been abandoned,
without further notice to the applicant.
5. PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS
(1) Every applicant shall furnish,
(a) sufficient plans, specifications,
documents and other information to enable
the Chief Building Official to determine
whether the proposed pool enclosure
conforms to this by-law and any other
applicable laws;
(b) a site plan referenced to a current plan
of survey certified by a registered
Ontario Land Surveyor and a copy of such a
survey shall be filed with the
municipality unless this requirement is
waived because the Chief Building Official
is able, without having a current plan of
survey, to determine whether the proposed
pool and pool enclosure conforms to this
by-law and any other applicable laws. The
site plan shall include,
– 4 –
(i)lot size and dimensions of the
property;
(ii)setbacks of the pool and pool
enclosure from existing and proposed
buildings and property lines;
(iii)existing and finished ground levels
or grades, and
(iv)existing rights of way, easements and
municipal services.
(2) Plans submitted shall be legible and be drawn
to scale upon paper or other suitable and
durable material to the satisfaction of the
Chief Building Official.
(3) Plans and specifications furnished according to
this by-law become the property of the
municipality and will be disposed of or
retained in accordance with relevant
legislation.
6. FEES
(1) The Chief Building Official shall determine the
required fees calculated in accordance with
Schedule “A” for the proposed pool enclosure
and the applicant shall pay such fees at the
time of making an application.
(2) Upon written request, the Chief Building
Official shall determine the amount of fees, if
any, that may be refunded in accordance with
Schedule “A” in the case of,
(a) withdrawal of an application,
(b) abandonment of an application,
(c) denial of a permit, or
(d) revoking of a permit.
7. POOL ENCLOSURE COMPLIANCE
(1) No person shall erect or install or cause to be
erected or installed any pool enclosure except
in accordance with this by-law.
(2) No person shall make a material change or cause
a material change to be made to a plan,
specification, document or other information on
the basis of which a permit was issued without
notifying, filing details with and obtaining
the authorization of the Chief Building
Official.
(3) No person shall erect or install or cause to be
erected or installed any pool enclosure except
in accordance with the plans, specifications,
documents and any other information on the
basis of which a permit was issued and any
changes to them authorized by the Chief
Building Official.
– 5 –
(4) No person shall place water or allow water to
be placed in any pool to a depth of more than
460mm unless the pool is safely enclosed by a
pool enclosure that complies with the standards
set out in this by-law.
(5) Every pool shall continue to be enclosed by a
pool enclosure that complies with the standards
set out in this by-law so long as water
remains, or is capable of remaining in the pool
to a depth of more than 460mm.
8. POOL ENCLOSURE STANDARDS
(1) Every pool enclosure shall be designed,
constructed and maintained so as to discourage
the entry of small children into the pool area.
(2) The following standards are deemed by the
Corporation to satisfy the intent of Article
8.(1) above.
(a)HEIGHT:Every pool enclosure shall be not
less than 1.2 metres (47.23 inches)
in height measured from the finished
grade and any climbable fixture or
feature on the exterior side of the
pool enclosure, to the top of the
pool enclosure, as determined at the
time of the initial pool enclosure
approval.
(b)RIGIDITY:Every pool enclosure shall be
constructed and maintained to be
rigid and secure, able to resist any
reasonable lateral forces that may be
applied to the enclosure material
within its minimum required height.
(c)OPENINGS:No openings, spaces or gaps in the
enclosure material shall allow the
passage of a spherical object having
a diameter of 100mm (3.94 inches)
within the enclosure’s minimum
required height.
(d)NON-CLIMBABLE:Within the enclosure’s minimum
required height, no horizontal or
diagonal components shall be located
so as to facilitate the climbing of
the enclosure. Horizontal or
diagonal members shall be spaced not
less than 900mm (35.42 inches)
measured between the top edge of
adjacent members.
(e)GATES AND DOORS:All gates and doors of the
pool enclosure other than from the
property’s dwelling unit, shall be
kept in a closed, secure and latched
position whenever the pool area is
unattended by a supervisory adult.
All gates shall be of equivalent construction
and height as the minimum requirements of the
pool enclosure and shall be supported on
substantial hinges.
– 6 –
(3) Without limiting the generality of the above
noted principles, the following situations
shall be further regulated within the minimum
required height of the enclosure as follows.
(a) BOARD FENCES
(i) All board material shall be of
minimum 19mm thickness (1 inch
nominal thickness).
(ii) All horizontal support rails
shall be of minimum 39mm x 89mm
(nominal 2″ x 4″) material.
(iii)All support posts shall be of
minimum 89mm x 89mm (nominal 4″
x 4″) material spaced not more
than 2.5m (8.2 feet) apart.
(b) LATTICE FENCES
(i) The openings of any lattice
material shall be not greater
than 51mm x 51mm (2″ x 2″) in
size.
(ii) All lattice material shall be
laterally supported at all edges
and at horizontal and vertical
spacing of not more than 1.2
metres (3.94 ft).
(c) CHAIN LINK FENCES
(i) All chain link fences, posts and
rails shall be of galvanized or
vinyl coated material.
(ii) All chain link mesh material
shall be a minimum of No. 14
gauge wire.
(iii)The openings of any chain link
fencing material shall be not
greater than 51mm x 51mm (2 inch
x 2 inch) in size.
(iv) The chain link mesh material
shall be supported at the top
and bottom by an approved
reinforcing cable or a rail.
(v) Every chain link pool enclosure
shall be supported by posts that
are not less than 38mm (1.5
inches) in diameter, spaced not
more than 2.5 metres (8.20 ft.)
apart.
(d) ABOVE GROUND POOLS
Only the ladders or stairs providing
access to an above ground pool need
be enclosed in accordance with this
by-law provided the following
conditions are maintained:
– 7 –
(i) The sides of an above ground pool
shall be not less than 1.2 metres
(3.94 ft.) in height measured from
the finished grade and any climbable
fixture or feature on the exterior
face of the pool wall to the top rail
of the pool wall, as determined at
the time of the initial pool
enclosure approval.
(ii) Pumps, air conditioners, heaters,
filters or other appliances or
equipment shall be located not less
than 1.2 metres (3.94 ft.) from the
top rail of the pool walls or shall
be enclosed in accordance with this
by-law.
(e) SPAS
Outdoor spas need not be enclosed by
a pool enclosure provided they are
enclosed by a solid, locked cover
that is secured over the entire water
surface when the area surrounding the
spa is unattended by a supervisory
adult.
(f) OTHER MATERIALS
(i) Other fencing materials may be
approved by the Chief Building
Official where it can be
demonstrated that the material
will perform with an equivalent
degree of safety as outlined in
Section 8 (2) of this by-law.
(g) TEMPORARY FENCING
For a period of not more than two
weeks, sections of a pool enclosure
can be replaced with temporary
fencing material such as plastic mesh
to facilitate maintenance or access
to the pool area, provided the
temporary fence material is;
(i) at least 1.2 metres (3.94 ft.)
in height
(ii) securely supported by posts
spaced not more than 2.0 metres
(6.56 ft.) apart, and
(iii) securely fastened to the
remaining sections of the pool
enclosure.
– 8 –
(h) PROHIBITED MATERIALS
(i) No barbed wire or anything
having similar dangerous
characteristics are permitted as
a component of a pool enclosure.
(ii) No electrical current is
permitted to be connected to or
conducted through any part of a
pool enclosure.
9. PENALTIES
(1) Any person who contravenes any provision of
this by-law is guilty of an offence.
(2) A person who is convicted of an offence is
liable to a ,000 fine as setout in the
Provincial Offences Act and in By-law 90-268.
10.BY-LAW REPEALED
(1)That By-law 77-104 is hereby repealed.
(2)This by-law comes into force and has effect on the
date of its enactment.
READ a first and second time this 18th day of April,
1994.
READ a third time and finally passed this 18th day of
April, 1994.
THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF BARRIE
____________________________________
MAYOR
____________________________________
CITY CLERK
BY-LAW NUMBER 94-
SCHEDULE “A”
1. FEES
The following fees shall be collected by the Chief
Building Official.
(a) Pool Enclosure Permit $ 50
(b) Pool Enclosure Permit when project
is combined with a deck permit or
changehouse permit issued concurrently $ 25
(c) Reinspections pursuant to an
Order to Comply $ 20
(d) Letters confirming compliance $ 30
2. PERMIT FEE REFUNDS
Upon receipt of a written request, the Chief Building
Official shall refund 60% of the permit fee where the
permit is being cancelled or has been revoked,
provided the request is received not more than 30 days
after the permit has been cancelled or revoked and no
inspections have been performed.
POLICY & PROCEDURE
FOR
POOL FENCE ENCLOSURES
1. REGULATION
The requirement to safely enclose a pool is a regulatory
matter of the City of Barrie administered by the Chief
Building Official. The regulations are contained in a
municipal by-law.
2. PERMIT APPLICATIONS
(a)Applications for a pool enclosure permit shall be
submitted by the owner or his agent, on prescribed
forms, to the office of the Chief Building
Official.
(b)The applications shall be reviewed and discussed
with the applicant to confirm thoroughness of
information. Fees shall be collected and a
receipt issued.
(c)The application shall be entered into the computer
filing system, and a permit number assigned to the
application.
(d)A file folder shall be prepared with supplementary
forms and a permit placard.
(e)The file shall be reviewed for compliance with the
municipal zoning by-law and signed by the zoning
inspector.
(f)The file shall be reviewed by any other municipal
staff as deemed necessary to confirm compliance of
the project with any other municipal regulations.
(i)The owner shall be notified of any other agency
approvals that may be required to be submitted, as
soon as they become known.
(j)Plans describing the type of pool enclosure shall
be reviewed for compliance with the pool enclosure
by-law.
(k)The owner shall be notified of any issues that may
affect the issuance of a permit forthwith as they
arise.
3. PERMIT ISSUANCE
(a)The permit shall be issued when the application has
been reviewed thoroughly and found to be in
compliance with all regulatory requirements.
(b)The applicant shall be notified of the permit
issuance and asked to come to the office to pick
up the permit documents. The applicant shall be
advised of the required inspection notification.
4. INSPECTIONS
(a)An inspection shall be carried out as soon as
possible after receiving notification of the
readiness to inspect.
(b)Notwithstanding the requirement to be notified, an
inspection shall be carried out of a property when
the permit is more than 4 weeks old and no
notification has been received.
(c)When inspecting, the pool enclosure shall be
thoroughly inspected to confirm compliance of the
enclosure with the requirements of the pool
enclosure by-law and of the approved permit
drawings.
4. (d)If the pool enclosure is complete and satisfactory,
the owner shall be advised that the pool can be
filled and that no further inspections will be
required.
(e)If the pool enclosure includes any sections of
temporary fencing, and such enclosure meets the
requirements of the pool enclosure by-law, the
owner shall be advised that the pool can be
filled, but that the enclosure must be completed
with permanent fencing within two weeks, and
notification given for a re-inspection.
(f)When reinspection of a pool enclosure is required
due to temporary fencing, the inspector shall
schedule to return to the property in two weeks
time, even if notification is not received.
5. CLOSING FILES
(a)The inspection file for a pool enclosure permit
shall be closed as soon as possible following a
satisfactory inspection of the completed pool
enclosure.
6. ENFORCEMENT
(a)If, during an inspection pursuant to a pool
enclosure permit, it is found that the pool
enclosure does not meet any item of the by-law
regulation, the owner shall be notified of the
deficiency and the options available to correct
same. The owner shall be asked to notify the
office for a re-inspection prior to the placing of
any water in the pool.
(b)Notwithstanding the requirement to notify, the
inspector shall schedule to return to the property
1 week following the last inspection.
(c)If, upon reinspection, it is found the deficiency
has not been satisfactorily resolved, the
inspector shall provide the owner with a written
order, specifying the deficiency, and requiring
compliance and a reinspection of the pool
enclosure prior to filling the pool. A maximum of
1 week shall be granted to comply with the by-law.
(d)Unless notified earlier, the inspector shall return
to the property 1 week from the last inspection to
determine compliance of the pool enclosure. An
inspection fee is charged for this inspection.
(e)If, upon reinspection, the pool enclosure remains
incomplete, the inspector shall prepare for court
charges as per the Provincial Offences Act.
DANGEROUS CONDITIONS
(f)If, at any time, the inspector discovers any
dangerous, unsafe conditions, such conditions
shall be brought to the attention of the Chief
Building Official to determine what emergency
measures are to be taken to protect the public.
WATER IN BEFORE AUTHORIZED
(g)If, upon inspection of a property, water has been
placed in a pool and the pool enclosure does not
meet the requirements of the by-law, the inspector
shall issue an order to the owner requiring
compliance with at least temporary fencing within
24 hours, after which the inspector shall prepare
for court charges if the matter is not corrected.
6. NO PERMIT
(h)If, during the normal course of duties, an
inspector finds a pool installed and there is no
record of a permit issued for the pool enclosure,
the inspector shall notify the owner in writing of
the violation of the by-law. The pool enclosure
shall be inspected thoroughly forthwith to
determine compliance. Any deficiencies found
shall be identified in writing to the owner, who
shall be given 24 hours to correct any
deficiencies with at least temporary fencing,
after which the inspector shall prepare for court
charges if the matter of the deficiencies are not
corrected. The owner shall be granted one week to
submit an application for a permit, with
appropriate follow up by the inspector.
COMPLAINTS
(i)Upon receipt of a bona fide complaint, an inspector
shall attend to a property where it is alleged
that a pool enclosure has not been provided or
maintained.
(j)If, upon inspection, it is found that the pool
enclosure does not meet the requirements of the
pool enclosure by-law, such deficiencies shall be
identified in writing to the owner, who shall be
given no more than 1 week to correct the matter.
(k)Unless notified earlier, the inspector shall return
to the property after 1 week to confirm
satisfactory compliance of the pool fence
enclosure. If the enclosure remains incomplete,
the inspector shall prepare for court charges as
per the Provincial Offences Act.
PERFORMING WORK
(l)If for any reason, a pool enclosure is not
adequately secured, the inspector may, after
reasonable notice, enter upon the lands with a
contractor to perform such work as necessary to
restore or complete the requirements for a safe
pool enclosure. All charges shall be invoiced to
the property owner or collected in a like-manner
as taxes, as authorized by Section 325 of the
Municipal Act.

Inspecting Commercial Buildings and Their Power Supply

Home Inspection

Inspecting Commercial Buildings and Their Power Supply –  Sharing a Transformer with neighbor  check with local hydro authority before planning any upgrades.

Electrical Power

In electrical engineering, single-phase electric power refers to the distribution of alternating current electric power using a system in which all the voltages of the supply vary in unison. Single-phase distribution is used when loads are mostly lighting and heating, with few large electric motors. A single-phase supply connected to an alternating current electric motor does not produce a revolving magnetic field; single-phase motors need additional circuits for starting, and such motors are uncommon above 10 or 20 kW in rating.
In contrast, in a three-phase system, the currents in each conductor reach their peak instantaneous values sequentially, not simultaneously; in each cycle of the power frequency, first one, then the second, then the third current reaches its maximum value. The waveforms of the three supply conductors are offset from one another in time (delayed in phase) by one-third of their period.

Defining the Terms

Amps vs. Volts:
Think of electricity as water flowing through a pipe. The amperage is analogous to the amount of water flowing through the pipe. Amperage is also called current. Larger diameter wires can handle more current, just as larger pipes can handle more flow.

Voltage is analogous to pressure, the force which moves the water through the pipe. A small pump (low voltage) would produce less pressure than a big pump (high voltage).

In most buildings the voltage will either be 208 volt (low voltage) or 600 volt (high voltage). The critical question is how much voltage and amperage the system is rated at, or in other words, how much equipment can I use in the building?

208 Volt vs. 600 Volt:
Most modern buildings are equipped with 600 volt services. Equipment such as air conditioning units (over 5 tons), larger exhaust fans, electric heaters, and some lighting will utilize 600 volts. However, standard outlets and most lighting operate at 208 volts.

In North America, individual residences and small commercial buildings with services up to about 100 kV·A (417 amperes at 240 volts) will usually have three-wire single-phase distribution, often with only one customer per distribution transformer. In exceptional cases larger single-phase three-wire services can be provided, usually only in remote areas where poly-phase distribution is not available. In rural areas farmers who wish to use three-phase motors may install a phase converter if only a single-phase supply is available. Larger consumers such as large buildings, shopping centers, factories, office blocks, and multiple-unit apartment blocks will have three-phase service. In densely populated areas of cities, network power distribution is used with many customers and many supply transformers connected to provide hundreds or thousands of kV·A, a load concentrated over a few hundred square meters.

Buildings equipped with 600 volt services will always have a transformer to reduce the 600 volts to 208 volts for the main building panels. These transformers are generally located near the main electrical service entrance.

When comparing the amount of power available for different voltages, a 200 amp, 600 volt service has nearly three times the power of a 200 amp, 208 volt service.

This is of less importance. All 208 volt and 600 volt services are three phase. This means there are three power wires coming into the building.

Single phase services may be found in older, smaller buildings and are found exclusively in houses.

In some older buildings you can find a single phase and a three phase service. This is usually identifiable, on the outside, by two separate services leading to the building.

Determining Amperage of Service

When you are inspecting the electrical room, the two items of information you are looking for; the are amperage and voltage. The presence of a transformer in the electrical room is usually indicative that it is 600 volts. They do make transformers that can used to step up a 208 volt service to 600 volts, for a specific piece of equipment.

What you should typically see is a small conduit (high voltage, low current) going into the transformer and a larger conduit (low voltage, high current) coming out and leading to a breaker panel or a splitter panel.

The ratings on the switches and splitter panel are not to be relied on; they only tell you the maximum amount of current or voltage the equipment can handle. Do not rely on the rating of the hydro meter(s), for the same reason.

The best way to verify the amperage is to open the door of the main power switch and read the rating of the main fuses. This is sometimes impossible to do without turning the power off, but is always dangerous, unless you know what you are doing. Even with the power off, half the box is live. You can end your real estate career, right there in somebody’s electrical room.

Reading the gauge (size) of the main power wires (in the meter cabinet or main splitter panel) can also help to determine the amperage of the service. The gauge number is typically printed on the wire sheathing. Common wire gauge sizes, for copper conductors and the allowable amperages are as follows:

Wire Gauge Allowable Amperage
3 100 amps
000 200 amps
350MCM 300 amps
500MCM 400 amps

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Small landlords feeling squeezed out of rental market

Real Estate

Small landlords feeling squeezed out of rental market

March 4, 2011
Jennifer Brown
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

If you ask April Stewart whether she’d recommend the life of a small landlord, she’d probably try and discourage you, at least in Ontario.

A former property owner herself and a paralegal based in <a href=”http://www.barriehomeinspector.com”target=”_blank”rel=”external”title=”Barrie Home Inspector” >Barrie, who represents landlords trying to evict bad tenants, Stewart is also a member of the Ontario Landlords Association, a group representing small landlords who says they are feeling the pinch thanks to landlord/tenant laws that favour tenants.

“When I see someone, usually the problem has gotten pretty out of hand,” she says. “We’re actually encouraging people who are thinking about becoming landlords to spend their money in another province; it’s too scary here,” says Stewart. “I tell folks who call me and say they’re thinking about becoming a landlord that unless you can afford to carry that house and that tenant for a minimum of six months without it affecting your finances at all, do not do it. “

Stewart and other members of the OLA recently met with MPP Mike Colle and senior members of the Ministry of Housing to present their concerns. Primarily, they say, the current Residential Tenancies Act and Landlord and Tenant Board are prejudiced against landlords and favour tenants’ rights.

The OLA, which is a province-wide educational and networking group for landlords with six or less units, presented Colle and the ministry representatives with a top 10 list of issues of most concern to small landlords on Feb. 17.

“We shared with the Ministry of Housing the items that came from some polling we did on the Ontario Landlords Association website ( www.ontariolandlord.ca). Where do they feel they are getting burned?” she says. “One glaring example is that it’s for a tenant to take a landlord to court but it’s 0 for a landlord to take a tenant to court. Why? The prejudice is right at the counter when you’re filing. There’s a built-in assumption that landlords have all the money and tenants have none.”

Other issues include the OLA’s request for a return to damage deposits, a firm no pets clause in leases, the ability for landlords to search a prospective tenant’s history at the Landlord Tenant Board and the fact prior evictions are not admissible in current eviction proceedings. The OLA has also asked for the nine regional Landlord Tenant Board offices that closed in 2008 be re-opened.

The OLA’s website demonstrates the frustration of small landlords — it’s help forum has had over 40,000 posts in 18 months.

“I think the government and the ministry need to understand that we’re not interested in taking rights away from anybody; we just want some equity in this legislation and before the board. If there are this many stories, and if I’m this busy in my practice, it suggests there is a problem here and landlords aren’t getting a fair shake,” she says.

An area the OLA is studying is the number of evictions and failure to pay related to tenants receiving assistance from Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program.

“I went through my 2010 eviction cases and separated what were tenants on support and 8,000 of rent arrears were with landlords who will never recover that money because they were folks on assistance who you can’t collect from them,” says Stewart.

Stewart, who is a single mother and a renter herself, says small landlords can’t afford to go through the appeal process with tenants who default on their rent. The process can often drag on in court for six to eight months, even longer.

“The small landlords can’t afford this happening to them. By the time they get through the eviction process and pay for someone to help them and not have the rent come in, it’s not a financially viable system. A landlord with fewer than 10 units can’t afford it and emotionally they can’t afford it,” says Stewart.

Small landlords represent about 40 per cent of the affordable <a href=”http://www.commercialbuildinginspector.ca”target=”_blank”rel=”external”title=”Commercial Building Inspector” >rental housing stock in Ontario. But that is starting to diminish, says Stewart, as property owners find it increasingly difficult to find good tenants. As someone who represents landlords when they’re having a problem evicting a tenant, she admits she sees the worst. The economy has also played a role in changing the landscape for property owners, she notes.

“I was a landlord in the 1990s in Barrie when the vacancy rate was next to nothing, but things have changed. The economy has changed, interest rates have driven good tenants, who have their financial act together, into home ownership. We’re often left with a less than savory pool of tenants to choose from,” she says.

Stewart says the OLA was “unofficially invited back” to speak to the Ministry of Housing in six months. At the same time, tenant groups are pushing for the province to provide greater rights to tenants over issues regarding repairs to buildings and the problem of bed bugs. But the OLA says the current laws in Ontario were created to protect tenants from large corporate landlords running huge buildings, not small business people renting a few units with few resources behind them.

Relevant Facts And Items To Know About A Drain Field Septic System

Plumbing

Relevant Facts And Items To Know About A Drain Field Septic System.  Sometimes known as a leach drain or leach field, a drain field septic system can be quite a process. The components of this system are basically three pieces. These pieces are a septic tank, the septic field drain, and the pipes for the flow. The purpose of this system is to filter the liquid that comes from the tank, removing any contamination that might be included.

The most useful reason to have one of these systems is to breakdown and get rid of organic waste in a special microbe environment. The setup of this product uses a series of drains that have pipes placed in them. These pipes have various holes placed in them and they are placed in the trench with gravel or some other type of porous substance.

The top of the trench is covered with some type of soil to keep surface water or animals from interacting with the wastewater for the trenches. Within this type of system there are two major designs that can be used. The hydraulic design is best when used to dispose of a large amount of wastewater and catabolic can be used for long term demand of the water.

The first step before starting on your hydraulic design is to perform a percolation test in the sewage treatment systems. This test gives the designer the ability to see the rate of flow within the soil and determine if the area is proper enough to be used. In many locations it is mandatory to administer the test by the local health department.

The reason that such procedures are in place is to stop disease plagued viruses or bacteria from reaching the surface water. This septic system is best because disinfectants would kill the microbes in the tank and stop the catabolizing of the wastewater. A field drain holds the pathogens long enough to deactivate them.

The type of soil is very important to the effectiveness of the field lines. If you have a sand or gravel mixture the filtration would not take enough time to kill the harmful bacteria before it made it to the surface water. A silt and clay mixture works best holding the bacteria long enough to assure it is dead.

The design is appropriately for the support of microbes that are aerobic in the soil environment. This type of microbe has the chance to decompose the material that is anaerobic in the tank that contains aerobic water.

A biofilter used in conjunction with a septic tank can drastically reduce the area of the drain field. This device allows for many positive things to come out of its function. Residential construction can be increased in an area with a minimal disturbance of the site. There is much more usable land in the area for trees, landscaping, swimming pools, or other types of gardens. Even though it does not reduce the amount of liquid into the soil, it does cut down on oxygen demand.

Even with such an efficient process there are still things that you need to keep out of your tank. Cleaning supplies will start to kill the helpful microbes causing a slow down in your production. Petroleum based products and dissolved metals also put a strain on the environment.

When doing research for the drain field septic system, consider Pinnacle Environmental Technologies INC for the best outcomes. The Canada grease interceptors company offers environmentally friendly septic tank systems for commercial, residential or mobile use.

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CREA LAUNCHES NEW FALL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

Real Estate

CREA LAUNCHES NEW FALL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN.  OTTAWA (August 23, 2010) – The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) debuts a new national television commercial today featuring production and editing techniques developed specifically for this project and never before used in Canadian television advertising.

Shot in HD, the new commercial is called “Faces”, and it highlights the value REALTORS® bring to one of life’s biggest financial decisions – home buying and selling.

“REALTORS® help meet the unique needs of people who are buying or selling their home,” says CREA President Georges Pahud. “Just as peoples’ requirements are diverse, so too is the knowledge, expertise and services of the REALTOR® working to meet them. Whatever your needs, a REALTOR® can help.”

In the 30 second ad, viewers see and hear testimonials from several individuals about their experience with their REALTOR®. Women and men representing people from all walks of life talk about their unique needs when buying and selling a home. While they talk, their faces continually change, eventually becoming another person with another positive story. The commercial was created for CREA by Toronto ad agency CP+B Canada and uses special effects to bring traditional portraiture to life. The end result is a memorable and visually arresting spot for the digital age.

The television commercial is part of CREA’s 2010 fall advertising campaign, which runs from August 23rd through the week of October 18th.

CREA’s national ad campaign program started in 2006 and runs twice a year, in the spring and fall. Last fall’s ad, entitled “Never-ending Negotiations”, won a bronze award at this year’s national Marketing Awards.

To view CREA’s latest television commercial, please visit howrealtorshelp.ca.

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