It's that time of year when Canadians retreat to the great outdoors to enjoy everyday activities like cooking, eating, and entertaining. Nowadays many homeowners are demanding more comfort and convenience when connecting with nature, and that's why "outdoor rooms" are growing in popularity. An outdoor room makes use of an exterior space such as a yard, deck, patio or balcony to extend the living area outside the home. Its purpose is to mix the luxury of indoor living with the fresh air, ambiance, and natural setting of the outdoors.
Whether you're creating a new outdoor room or simply updating an existing space, you may want to try and mirror your home's interior design, extending its comfort and aesthetic appeal to the outside. Think of the project as being two sides of the same door. A consistent design theme allows for a harmonious transition between the interior and exterior of your home and can even make your living space appear bigger. Achieve this flow by using similar colour schemes, flooring types, area rugs, and mats.
Heat, cooking facilities, seating, and lighting are just some of the indoor comforts you might consider bringing to your outdoor room. Start with a hearth product such as a fireplace, fire pit or chimney as your focal point, and position your seating and cooking areas accordingly. For those who love to cook there are a variety of options available ranging from all season stainless steel BBQs to complete outdoor kitchens with dual burner cook top grills, refrigerator, and expansive counter space for food preparation. Check with your local municipality to determine what products are safe and allowable for your specific set-up.
When it comes to furniture and accessories, think outside the box. Instead of the standard table, umbrella, and patio chairs, consider things like coffee tables, settees, and sofas with stylish, stain and mildew-resistant fabrics. Many manufacturers build furniture and recreational products specifically designed to be used inside and out, such as outdoor speakers, game tables, and cocktail bars. For added privacy and sound absorption use large potted plants, such as pyramidal cedars, to act as natural walls.
At the end of the day, your outdoor room will be more than a deck or patio; it will be a cozy, comfortable place to retreat, relax, and have fun. You'll never want to go inside again!

The Ontario Home Energy Savings Program is an energy conservation program from the Government of Ontario. A Home Energy Audit shows you how your home uses energy and where it is being leaked. It identifies improvements you can make to your home’s heating, cooling, hot water heating and other energy uses that could result in hundreds of dollars in energy savings each year.

The Government of Ontario will pay 50% of your Home Energy Audit, up to $150.

The audit will explain your home's energy use — attic to basement. A typical audit involves the following steps:

• A walk-through assessment of your home’s insulation, heating and cooling systems and other energy uses

• A “blower door” depressurization test to identify leaks and drafts

• A personalized Energy Efficiency Evaluation Report

Many of the energy-saving upgrades identified by your Home Energy Audit will qualify you for rebates under the Home Energy Retrofit Program. These rebates from the Governments of Ontario and Canada can reimburse you up to $10,000* when you complete improvements identified by your audit.

Need a new furnace or water heater? Caulking around your windows and doors? Make some or all the upgrades suggested in your Energy Efficiency Report to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Your report will show you the most important changes to maximize your energy savings.

After your first audit, you have 18 months to complete some or all of the upgrades suggested in your audit to qualify for government rebates. After completing your retrofit, book a post-retrofit audit. Your auditor will
perform another audit that shows how much your home’s energy efficiency has improved.

After your post-retrofit audit, the Governments of Ontario and Canada will rebate up to $10,000 for your upgrades.

The more energy-saving upgrades you make, the more money you’ll get back. You’ll save money and increase your home’s comfort and value.

Example of rebates available

Upgrade Incentive

Install an ENERGY STAR qualified gas furnace $600

Insulate your attic up to $1,200

Insulate your crawl space up to $1,600

Install a solar domestic hot water system $1,000

See a full list of rebates at HomeEnergyOntario.ca

For general inquiries about the Ontario Home Energy Savings Program please call us at 1-888-668-4636

Or visit http://www.homeenergyontario.ca/

If you don't know what you want, you won't recognize it when you get it. Author unknown

He who graduates today, and stops learning tomorrow, is uneducated the day after. Newton d. Baker

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel. Author unknown

May the luck of the Irish be always at hand.
And good friends always near you.
May each and every coming day.
Bring some special joy to cheer you. Authur unknown

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by
inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

.....Abraham Lincoln