On August 17, 2023, when wildfire took hold in McDougall Creek near West Kelowna, exceptionally high winds sent embers flying across the lake to rain down on buildings in the Kelowna area. An amazed homeowner who lives six kilometers away from the fire shared a photo of a two-centimeter, burnt piece of bark in her yard. She was grateful it had not landed on her asphalt roof. By late August of the summer of 2023, wildfires had already burned 150,504 square kilometers or about four percent of the entire forest area ... read more

Most people now know that asbestos is hazardous. What may not be well known however, is that severe illness can develop even twenty years after exposure and despite the dangers, asbestos continues to be used in many products for our homes. According to the American Lung Association, there are more than 3,000 products in use today which contain asbestos. Most of these are products or component materials used for fire proofing, roofing, flooring, heat and acoustic insulation.Asbestos refers to a group of naturally oc... read more

In the three-month period from December 21, 2016 to March 21, 2017, there were nearly 9,000 hospitalizations due to falls on ice in Canada, making it the number one cause of winter injuries, according to the latest statistics from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Data reveals that the average length of a hospital stay after a fall was 14.3 days, compared to 7.5 days for other medical reasons.   In an effort to reduce these numbers, most Canadian municipalities require homeowners or their tenants ... read more

Your perfect home has one flaw: the previous owners put up garish wallpaper in the kitchen. Will you learn to live with it? Or try painting over it? Neither are ideal solutions. Instead, with a little effort and time, you can safely and successfully remove the wallpaper to customize your own beautiful space.  First, consider the age of the wallpaper. Prior to the late 1980s, manufacturers added asbestos (a silicate mineral) as a fire retardant to ceiling tiles, insulation, carpets, wallpaper and more. Asbesto... read more

Sizzling steaks and hamburgers hot off the grill are a great summer tradition. There is nothing quite like the flavour of barbequed food and cooking outdoors also helps to keep your home cool. Not surprisingly, more than half of all homeowners own a grill. With all this cooking, come many accidents. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that there are more than 8,000 house fires started by grill use each year in theUnited Statesalone. Consider these important safety tips:Check EquipmentCheck hoses... read more