Scott McGillivray, Host of Income Property

The Top Five Returns on a Renovation

Scott reviewed the best ways you can modify your home to increase its value and  its appeal. Guests to his seminars benefited from his vast personal experience as a real estate expert and licensed contractor. They now know how to avoid common mistakes when renovating bathrooms and kitchens. 

Working with Contractors

Scott alleviatied concerns in knowing how to hire the right contractor for your project. Whether you were planning on refreshing your home, or renovating for a rental arrangement, Scott provided the knowledge required to move forward with  confidence.

Andrew Downward, from W Network's Divine Design

The Power of Paint

Andrew's insightful workshop  reviewed what you need to know  about changing your space with paint.  His upbeat seminar covered everything from preparation, application, choosing the right colours, to the latest trends in faux finishes.

Mary Taggart, Editor in Chief, Ottawa at Home magazine

Defining a Style Personality

To create a home that inspires and nurtures us, we must first be able to define our own personal decorating style.  Through this seminar, Mary Taggart helped us discover our individual style, and in turn, defined our decorating style.  Mary captured the crowd and left all guests with renewed confidence.

Teresa Grant, Floor Coverings International

Demystifying Flooring

If you were in the market for new flooring, Teresa was an invaluable source of  information. Topics discussed  included: the choice between hard and soft surfaces, engineered wood vs. laminate, popular styles of wood flooring, exciting advances in luxury vinyl, how to design with tile, and how to choose the right carpeting.

Chaba Sabo, Westend Bath & Kitchen Centre

Innovative, Trendy, & Functional Kitchen Design

Step by step, Chaba navigated us through the renovation process from design concepts to the selection of products and fixtures. He concluded with some practical advice on how to choose the right contractor for your project.

Sandy Kingston, president, Showpiece Staging and Design

Staging for Dating!

Sandy provided a light-hearted exploration of the parallels between home staging and dating.  She also offered valuable advice to anyone interested in learning how to prepare a home for resale.

Raivo Nommik, The Electrical & Plumbing Store

Use Lighting to Transform Your Vision into a Masterpiece

Raivo demonstrated how taking the time to create a lighting design and making informed lighting selections for your home will have an enormous influence on both the aesthetics of the physical space and the emotional response of those who enter, work, play, or relax in these rooms. Whether you were building a custom home, renovating, or looking to improve existing lighting, this presentation was benicial in revealing how innovative lighting solutions can transform your space and create a masterpiece.

Karen Sealy, owner of Sealy Design Inc.

Karen Sealy Answers Common Design and Renovation Questions

The engaging Karen Sealy presented her solutions to the winning entries from our "Ask Karen Sealy" contest. Karen provided practical advice and design solutions to transform problematic spaces into beautiful and stylish rooms. Generously, Karen also fielded questions from the audience and offered professional perspective on those sometimes frustrating spaces.

Norm Lecuyer, Just Basements

The Well-Designed Basement

Norm Lecuyer of Just Basements presented  some  inspiring designs that are possible when you make that investment to create an amazing living space in your basement.

Hugh Trueman, Reno Rescue Ottawa Ltd.

Hidden Costs of Renovations and How to Avoid Them

Renovating your living space should be an exciting experience. It is a chance to turn all of your dreams into a reality, and to enhance the day-to-day enjoyment of your home, but if costs spiral out of control those dreams can turn into nightmares.  In Hugh's seminar he talked about some of the hidden costs and necessary considerations that can help you to know what to look for, what to expect, and how to keep your reno plans on budget.

Amelia Yap, and David Dossett, Jazz Solar Solutions

Straight Talk on Solar and Energy Efficiency for Home Owners

This seminar provided  valuable knowledge on solar energy designs, the Solar FIT program, and green technology in general. Attendees acquired interesting facts about energy engineering and energy-efficient home solutions.

Mario Lalonde, Son X Plus

Home Automation

More and more, smart electronics are playing a central role in our lives. We would like to think that electronics make our lives easier, but unfortunately we often feel that our environment is growing more complicated and cluttered. Mario demonstrated how home automation can offer a simple interface that can control virtually all of our in-home devices.

Debbie Wilson, Larlyn Property Management

Evaluating Condominium Design

Debbie Wilson, of Laryln Property Management, provided us with an overview of key design criteria to be aware of when shopping for your condominium.  Renovating a condominium can present unique challenges when the restrictions of condominium agreements are considered.  Debbie encouraged potential purchasers to be aware of these limitations before acquiring a condominium property.