Nanaimo Home Inspection Checklist

/ / Business

First-time buyer or not, if you are looking for a new home to buy, then you better have a guideline to depend on so you would not end up regretting buying a home that would cost you more than what you should spend. A checklist is a very helpful way to look for when buying your first home. By now, you should probably know that there are multiple red flags along the way of checking out a home and sometimes it could be the major thing such as the foundation of the house, the electrical lines, or even worse roofing. So to help you easily spot them we will go down a checklist to make sure that you will go through each of the items that matter.

Here’s a thorough Home Inspection Checklist
Of course, during the initial house tour, you should have a note of what should matter the most to you and what areas you want your inspector to look at and examine more closely. You can also find help in this home inspection company. Meanwhile, here’s a checklist that would guide you as you inspect through the house.

Exterior:
Roof/Attic:
o Check if there are missing shingles
o Is flashing and trim already installed?
o Check any signs of leaks and a patch for this issue
o Assess if the roof needs replacing soon

Foundation:
o Check for the visible crack on the outside or foundation walls
o Scout for any trees around the foundation of the house and consider possible damage that may happen

Yard:
o Check if the drainage slope is away from the house
o Find for any soggy areas that you can identify
o Assess if the walkways and driveway in good condition

Structural Elements:
o Ask if a previous fire has happened in the home
o Notice if the cracks on the walls are vertical or horizontal
o Spot if there are any stains on the floors, walls or ceilings

Ventilation and Sub-Systems:
o Notice if there is a smell in the house, if so, try to identify the source
o Check if the AC and heating systems are working properly
o Check if the water heater produces enough water
o Check if an exhaust fan is available in the kitchen

Miscellaneous:

Electrical:
o Test if all switches work
o Inspect if outlet properly grounded
o Notice if the ceiling fan work properly (if there is any)
o Check for the electrical panel

Plumbing:
o Notice if there are any unusual noises
o Check if faucets and other fixtures have enough pressure

Garage:
o Check all of the following elements for signs of damage:
 Slab
 Walls
 Ceiling
 Vents
 Garage Door
 Lights
 Openers
 Windows
 Roof

After The House Tour
After the house tour, if you feel like buying the house, do not get too excited, especially if it looks too good to be true. The next thing that you need to do is hire for a local home inspector. Most real estate agents would recommend one for you, but it is always best to find one on your own to ensure that they will give you an honest assessment.… Read More

Making Stable Income with Landscaping in Vancouver

/ / Business

Starting a small business can be hard and scary. Everything is challenging at first. Starting a business requires rigorous effort and money. Going into a landscaping business may require a great plan and market study to thrive most especially that this type of business is seasonal as well. Considering the location and the type of geography you are in, landscaping business is a challenging one but undoubtedly one of the profitable business in the long run.

To run a successful landscaping business, you must understand the factors that could affect your success in this industry. We will give you some insights into some of these factors.

Planning. Before anything else, business planning is the most vital factor that you should give a lot of thinking. Take time to do your research. Research about your competitors and the strategies they are doing to thrive for years. Make a solid business plan, mission, vision, and goals for your business and have the discipline to follow through these. Let your staff know about these as well and work together towards one goal. Run a daily check with your procedures to avoid mistake because in this industry, a mistake will cost you a lot of money and you do not want that to happen because you missed one thing or two. So before you start your Tree service Vancouver make sure you plan things out perfectly.

Measure everything. One thing you want to do is keep track of everything - monthly activities, your clients, inquiries, your online presence, how you manage the money, loss, gross margin, etc. There is a saying “What gets measured gets done.” Always keep in mind that these records will give you insights on what needs to be improved. The record can give you an overview as to how your business is going and it would greatly help to improve your process and services.

Always seek innovative ideas. Apple is successful today because they never stopped to seek a better way of doing things. When you have a business and get results from the measures and procedure that you do, at the end of your business operation - what can we do to make this better or is there a better way of doing this? This question is very important. It can give you meaningful insights that could help you outrun your competitors in the market. Always think of something new, something better, something unique.

Find the right people. The number 1 reason why customers will be coming back to you is that they liked your people. This is one of the most important factors when running a business - picking the right people. People will remember how you did the service but most importantly they will remember how you treat them and how you responded to their needs even before or after the service. So make sure that you hire the correct people and you train them to achieve the company’s vision and mission. Hiring the perfect staff can take your business to a long run.

Lead your crew. While you pick and train the right people it is also crucial to listen to them. Sometimes, they know the customers better and they have brilliant ideas we should take into consideration.… Read More

Welcome

/ / City Information

4.jpgMaple Ridge

Maple Ridge is a city in British Columbia, a nest for natural scenes and scenic landscape. It located in northeast part of Metro Vancouver found in between the Fraser River and Golden Ears; a mountainous place at the southernmost of the Garibaldi Ranges of the Coast Mountains. In 2011, the total population of the area is counted as 76,052. Haney is the downtown of Maple Ridge.

Background of Maple Ridge

On the 12th of September 1874, Maple Ridge is known to be a district municipality covering an area with a total of 33,000 acres and said to be a home for 50 families. Maple Ridge is the fifth oldest municipality in British Columbia. On the 26th of March 2014, the residents in Maple Ridge voted to make a change in the district’s status thus it became a city from district municipality.

Recreation

Maple Ridge is known for its rural features. Arts Centre and Theatre (ACT) is also founded in Maple Ridge where people with a heart for arts and acting collides. The theater is known to accommodate about 486 people with large main stage. More than acting, ACT also holds conference events, pottery and painting activities, and much more. An art gallery is also found in ACT; a home of local artists and aspiring artists.

There are various local and tourist attractions in the area. Take a trip into the city and experience one of the Vancouver whale watching tours. If you wish to know more about Maple Ridge, browse through Events and Attractions section and get a taste of what Maple Ridge can offer best.

Pitt Meadows

Pitt Meadows is part of British Columbia in the southwest also one of the localities in Metro Vancouver. With a population of 18,200 in 1914 it is said that the city could achieve a population of 21,000 by 2021 and approximately having 8,000 housing units in the city area.

Background of Pitt Meadows

At least 1,000 years ago the native aboriginal inhabited Pitt Meadows. It was later explored by James McMillan in 1874 wherein the Europeans also started their settlement in the area. Anglo-Saxon were mostly the settlers in Pitt Meadows until the year of 1910. Maple Ridge included the area of Pitt Meadows in 1874 but was s later on incorporated as a municipality in 1914. In the following year, Pacific Railway was built in Pitt Meadows going to Port Moody in British Columbia.

Like Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows is also a haven for natural resources and landscape owing the two rivers Pitt and Fraser river surrounding the area. For questions and inquiries head over to the contact page.

Local Businesses in Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows and Beyond

Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows are both known to be one of the best cities in Lower Mainland. Maple Ridge had dramatic historical stories with despite having over 75,000 people still continues to emerge alongside other well-known cities in Canada. Thousands of tourists and immigrants are welcomed in Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows each gathering to join the city’s festive celebrations and delighting in its natural abundance. Recently there has been a demand for bartenders in the city. Fine Art Bartending is giving $100 their top rated bartending course Vancouver to the first 100 applicants.

The rising population and constructions in the city also open new opportunities for both private and public businesses. Some of the growing industries in Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows include fashion and souvenir shops, restaurants, and services including real estate, plumbing services, agri-businesses and much more. Annually, we organize an event to … Read More

5 Horseback Riding Vacations in BC

/ / Tour

There’s something special about horse riding holidays: Whether it’s your very first time on a horse or the latest in a long line of horseback riding vacations, horse riding holidays are like nothing else. Here are the top five horseback riding vacations in BC:

  1. Chilko Explorer Ride

The faraway wilderness lodge and base for this trip is located at the north end of Chilko Lake, British Columbia, the gateway to Tsylos Park Lodge. The area offers exceptional riding country that it is the most perfect place to enjoy some riding adventures with its undeniably beautiful horses and extremely great leather, with the addition of the spectacular nature consisting of the wonderful scent of pine trees, the touch of the cool breeze, the cracking of the leaves beneath your feet, bird-chirpingpings, and the horses snorting making you feel the true atmosphere of a rider and his horse like they are really connected and talking. Chilko Explorer Ride was designed for the intermediate to advanced rider looking for a thrilling horseback riding in an awe-inspiring country while enjoying the comforts of a wilderness lodge at night. The daily rides from the lodge offer a variety of riding experiences - ride up Mount Tulin and enjoy some of the most breathtaking views over Chilko Lake - then explore the Chilcotin Plateau with its open grasslands, rolling hills, numerous small lakes, adjacent mountain peaks with unmatched vistas and a couple hundred miles of riding trails.

  1. Chilcotin Ranch

It is located in the heart of the Chilcotin Plateau in Canada’s British Columbia, this working guest ranch, set on a panoramic plateau at 1300m, offers soothing all-inclusive ranch stays. At the ranch there are some stunning trails to be discovered whether on a horse or by foot. You may surely spot some wild horses who live around the ranch, a true testament to the history of the surrounding mountains. The atmosphere is personal and friendly with hosts who are just waiting to show you the highlights of their home in stunning British Columbia, away from civilisation and amongst the beautiful Chilcotin Mountains. The flawless mountain lakes, meadows of flowers, boundless rangelands and extremely breathtaking snow-capped mountains await you as you navigate your way through the trails.

  1. Beautiful BC on Icelandics

Visit beautiful British Columbia and stay in a very comfortable log cabin and explore the wilderness by Icelandic horse. Situated on 300 acres and bordering Provincial Crown land, the facility offers riding treks on numerous trails of the glorious surrounding countryside. You may discover dazzling views and an abundant wildlife habitat on horseback. Riders have the opportunity to experience the splendid smooth gait and gentle nature of our much loved horses.

  1. South Chilcotin Getaway

Descend into meadows of wild alpine flowers, bursting with color from June to September and along the way you may spot some of the local inhabitants like bears, moose, marmots, deer, wolves, and mountain goats. You can visit some of the base camp locations in the wilderness and even go further into the back country were few people wander. Staying overnight there, wake each morning to a blazing campfire, the soothing smell of cowboy coffee, and a full breakfast. There will be many photo opportunities on this trip as well as unforgettable memories to remember, so make sure to bring your camera with you to not miss those wonderful moments. This pack trip heads above the tree line into the meadows of wildflowers and when the sun casts long shadows over the lake, the fresh caught rainbow trout are baked over the campfire. On a unclouded night, a breeze filled with … Read More

Things to Expect at Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest 2017

/ / City Information

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Expectation and reality are two very different things, for instance, remember suicide squad? The trailer promised us something revolutionary, some of us even thought that Jared Leto could outdo the legend heath ledger as “the Joker, ” but none of that happened. In my opinion, the only good thing about the movie was Harley Quinn, anyways, I am here to tell you about what to expect in the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest 2017. Kind of excited about the fest starving myself already to make space for the food I will consume on that day, so forgive me if I end up pulling a Zack Snyder on you.

Let’s get to the most important thing, parking. Next year you will have to part with $2 for parking and the admission is free, now that we have that covered let’s talk about what you will do there.

Generally you have ten things that you must check out when you get to the festival next year, the first are the food and vendors for obvious reasons, you also have to check out the open horse show, 4-H festival, midway rides and attractions, fun ‘Till you’re done barn, backyard farming demonstration, cat show, open poultry show and rabbit agility and most importantly live entertainment on two stages.

That’s going by what happened this year, next year it means that all of those events mentioned above will be bigger and better. Oh, and did I mention that’s just half of what will be going down in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows country fest.

That means that in 2017 you should expect more Ridge Meadows got talents, home arts, and exhibits, cops for cancer, prime timers lounge races, and even rabbits. For those of us who enjoy “walking on the moon,” you should know that there will be lots of beer and spirits, for the ladies, there will be wine. Oh well, you can drink whatever you like, the important thing is that you have fun.

What’s a party without music? This year we had performances from VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir, Bhangra Academy, Rumba Calzada, the Appaloosa band, the devil in the wood shack and many more surprises. Next year you should expect more, more diversity, more music, and more performances.

Shaking your booty is one of those things in life that help you forget your problems, motivate you and sometimes bring you closer to God. Whichever way you look at it music is a very important part of the Maple Ridge and Pitt County country fest.

Education

I know school sucks, but without it, humanity would still be living in caves somewhere in the forest, when you get to next year’s Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows county fest you should take it as an opportunity to learn new things. The festival will be filled with people who have lots of experience in farming. Thus if you want to try your hand at farming, you should make connections and learn things.

And don’t forget to carry your notebook and a pocket full of change to buy stuff that interests you.… Read More

Reasons to join Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Events

/ / City Information, Tour

Don’t you just hate getting event invites on Facebook? I mean come on if I had an interest in it I’d simply go not tell half the planet about it.

Have you heard the story about a guy who updated his location on Facebook and got robbed? If you haven’t let me tell you about it, this guy went on a trip to Europe the mistake he made was he updated his home’s address. Burglars figured out that he was not at home and went ahead and robbed his home, so why should you join Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Events?

Get new ideas and experience something new

The thing is as a species we live very short lives, look at it this way, in 150 years every person on the planet today will be dead. This means that this is your moment in the sun, if you spend your life behind the screen of a computer working all the time you won’t live a full life.

You may think that people who attend events in Maple ridge-Pitt meadows are only the sociable types, truth is most events are attended by people from all walks of life, you will meet shy ones, fun loving ones, introverts etc.

The awesome thing about events is they bring us together, thus you get to meet people maybe even you soul mate. For instance, if you have a soft spot for animals you should attend Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Country fest where you will meet people who have the same interests as you.

The event happens in July so you still have time to prepare, there you will get to see llamas, goats, pigs, sheep and other animals. This is a good thing if you want to try animal farming, the event is educational thus you will learn new things and be able to make better decisions.

Another event that you should attend is the Haney farmer’s market, the event only happens on Saturdays from May to October. What makes this event worth your time is diversity; you will find food, baked products, beer wines, spirits, and many other things only found here.

Make connections

Some opportunities only happen once in a lifetime, for instance, meeting a soul mate or a business partner. Believe it or not most people make connections outside the office.

If you can join the Multicultural Women’s group events every Wednesday or if you are unemployed you can attend Work BC employment service center events every Monday to Friday from 4pm. There you will get to make connections that can help you to secure your future.

If you are looking to volunteer you can attend Cythera Transition House society events, volunteering helps you build your CV thus you will make it easy on yourself to find work in future.

4Meet new vendors

If you are looking for vendors you can attend farmers, markets such as Haney farmers markets, air shows such as Pitt meadows Air show. There you will meet vendors who deal in food, beverage, cars, antiques and anything else you after.

Have fun

At the end of the day the point of going to an event is to let loose and have fun, therefore pick an event you like, go there and have fun. Remember you sabotage yourself by telling yourself that something sucks, what you should do is look at everything in positive light.… Read More

Joining Geocaching in Maple Ridge

/ / City Information, Tour

In the past hunting was about survival, if you didn’t catch something your village, clan and family slept hungry. Today thanks to malls, food vendors and supermarkets we no longer have need to hunt. The only issue is hunting is an instinct that’s deep inside us all, think about it, remember when you were young and you used to hunt grasshoppers and other weird animals? Being that hunting today is prohibited in most parts of the world because it’s cruel there are alternatives to hunting that won’t put you behind bars or in the crosshairs of animal rights activists.

Geocaching, fancy word I know. Geocaching refers to a treasure hunting game that allows you to become a “pirate”, what could be better than that? Wait I know, you get to do it with your family, spouse or friends. Geocaching in Maple Ridge is quickly becoming one of the most popular games in North America. If you check the numbers you will find that today there are over six million geocaches on the planet.

Why? Maple ridge

Picture this, a location that sits between Golden Ear Mountains and the Fraser River, if you head down town Maple Ridge you will find what can only be described as the perfect spot to go Geocaching, and the best part is all you need is your Smartphone. To participate in a Geocaching exercise you will have to download a Geocaching app.

Maple ridge is a blend of urban and country living meaning that there is diversity; this translates to fresh air and beautiful locations. Geocaching requires you to walk meaning that it is a good way to keep yourself and your family fit; you should encourage your kids to start because they will exercise without knowing it. Remember, walking is one of the best ways to stay fit.

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The theory behind Geocaching in Maple Ridge

The theory is simple a Geocacher picks a location in Maple ridge, when he or she gets there he/she hides “treasure” in a waterproof container. It could be anything, the Geocacher then logs the existence of the treasure on a Geocaching app, when another Geocacher sees the listing he/she goes out to find it.

The important thing to know is that, when you take something you leave something for someone else to find, and that’s how it goes.

Important things to know about Geocaching in Maple Ridge

Geocaching is an activity that is designed to make you want to go outdoors; it takes you to places that you normally don’t go. This means that you need a sense of adventure in order to enjoy it, remember when you go outdoors safety should always come first.

As a consequence of that you should only rely on reputable Geocaching websites especially if you are taking your kids with you. My advice is:

  1. Be aware and look out for warnings from law enforcement
  2. Bring a first aid kit
  3. Bring a cell phone, preferably a satellite phone
  4. Wear sunscreen and bug repellant
  5. Carry water
  6. Trust your gut, if it tells you something is wrong back off
… Read More

Best Shops to Visit in Pitt Meadows

/ / Tour

The truth is we work long and hard in order to have money to buy things. To understand the importance of money, you should walk by a taco stand when broke. What will happen is, your body will want the tacos, but at the back of the mind you will know that you don’t have enough money for that big delicious taco.

The real issue here is most of us don’t know what to do with money when we get it, that’s why we end up buying things that sometimes make us question our own sanity. For instance do you know that back in 2009 people bought something known as the DVD rewinder? People also bought the gold fish walker, shoe umbrella and the pet rock. Why I’m I telling you this? The reason why you are broke most of the time is because you buy silly things.

Don’t get me wrong, you deserve to buy silly things once in a while but make sure that you have cash to waste. If you are visiting Pitt Meadows or Maple Ridge there are shops that sell things that you need. The question is what do you need?


Sports supplies2

If you are going mountain biking, trekking or camping you will have to visit a sports store or two. If you need a bike or anything related to bikes you should go to Wentings, Cap’s Westwood Cycle, or the local ride bike shop. You can find the addresses and contacts online, these businesses have been in operation for a long time meaning that they know what you need.

If you are out to do some fishing in one of the many water bodies in the region, you should get your supplies from Wanstalls, red sports, Gone Fish’n and tackle or from belle sports. There you will get high quality fishing gear.

Furniture

If you need furniture in Pitt Meadows I recommend that you visit homestead furniture, the company was established back in 2003 and has the largest reclaimed timber furniture showroom. Reclaimed simply means that they are not the guys who screw Mother Nature by chopping down forests in the middle of the night, instead they use recycled timber.

2aTourists

If you are visiting and want to carry something home with you, I recommend that you visit a museum or two and check out the gifts shops, if you are looking for something a bit modern you should visit Tomes &Tales Books, Gifts, &Tea. As the name suggests you get to have tea as you look around for something you fancy. Items on offer here are gift cards, jewelry and books.

If you want to make your girl or wife happy you should visit Meadows flowers, you know because girls like flowers. Also if you want to get plants for your home or garden this is the place to be.

Before I forget if you are looking for something a bit different you should visit Little Cricket Gift Gallery, trust me you will never leave empty handed when you enter this store.… Read More

Amazing Art Museums in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows

/ / City Information, Tour

1There is saying that goes “our past makes us who we are” every day thousands if not millions are born worldwide; the issue here is most people live their lives without leaving a mark on the planet. Look at it this way; we can’t all be Barrack Obama, Abraham Lincoln or anyone else who will go down in history as being good at something or for an achievement. The one thing that we all have in common is we share our cultures, beliefs and time.

That’s why museums are created; museums are there to preserve the way we live today or how we lived in the past, five hundred years from now if the apocalypse doesn’t happen or if we don’t nuke each other out of existence. Museums will be there to tell people about how we all lived in the 21st century.

When you visit a new location it is important to give museums a visit; sure some might try to convince you that our ancestor was an ape named ‘Lucy’ but whatever you choose to believe museums are still a big part of our lives.

Art and museums

Art and museums go together like bread and butter, look at it this way, most works of art are shown at museums. If you are in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows, I recommend that you visit Haney House Museum, if you Google the museum you will find an image that looks like any other home. The area where the museum is located will teach you a lot about the history of the first nations, how families lived back then and everything you might want to learn about the railway.

This is a very different type of museum because it is a home that is “stuck in history,” even the staff there dress in costumes and serve you “old fashioned tea” thus you will learn the differences between back the and right now.

The ACT Arts Center

If you are visiting Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows, the Act Arts Center should be top on your agenda.

The good thing about this destination is that apart from the gallery the center also has a comfortable modern theater where you can watch a show or two when you visit. The center’s gallery features work from regional, international and local artists.

Pitt Meadows Museum

The museum is housed in a general store that was constructed 127 years ago; this means that there is a lot of history here. If you want to learn the history of the entire region including Maple Ridge, this is the place to be. You will have to make a small donation to gain admission. If you are looking for something a bit modern, you should visit the Maple Ridge Museum.

The museum features works from local artist and also displays artifacts from the First Nations, Japanese work and Finnish works of art. So, what are you waiting for? Get in your car or a bus and visit one or two museums in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows today.… Read More

Choosing The Best Metro Vancouver Plumbing Services

/ / Business

Every now and then the plumbing in your home may start being problematic. It could be a small problem you can manage on your own, or one that needs professional plumbing services. It is advisable to call plumbing services if you have no idea how to deal with the problem. Here are tips on how to get a good plumbing service in Metro Vancouver.

Availability

A plumbing emergency can happen at any time of the day. It is important to get a service that has services available at any time so that you will not have to wait hours before a matter is dealt with. It’s best to check the location. Check their website to see if they specify the hours they are available. If not call and ask before hiring them.

Experience
Experience is important when dealing with a plumbing service. Their experience will help when there is a complex problem. They will be able to deal with it fast and efficiently. An inexperienced plumber can cause the problem to get worse forcing you to spend more money getting another plumber to do the repairs.

 

Licensed
A licensed plumbing service confirms that the business is legit and that the staff is trained to handle any plumbing jobs. You should also ask for certificates that show the plumbers working with this service have received training. This will be essential in ensuring you receive the best results. An unlicensed plumbing service could end up being a scam that costs you money so it always pays to ensure the legitimacy of the service.

Proper Tools
A good plumbing service will have the right tools for the job. They should not do their job poorly due to lack of tools. Check that they are able to perform any tasks that are needed.

Transportation
If you choose a plumbing service that is a short distance from you then this will not be a problem. However, if they are located far, you have to check that the service has the right means of transport for personnel as well as their equipment. So if you are from Vancouver, better yet call Vancouver garburator repair company. This will ensure that they get to you in good time to fix your problem. If they do not have reliable means of transport then it is best to choose a different service.

Reasonable Pricing
Keep in mind that reasonable pricing does not refer to cheap services. You should compare different prices and settle for one that is in your budget. Avoid cheap plumbing especially if it is not on offer. Cheap plumbing may end up costing you later on. The reason the plumbing is cheap may be because the quality of the tools is poor. If you see very cheap prices, check if that service is having an offer for customers.

Insurance
Damage to property may occur especially when the plumbing job is complicated. This is why it is advisable to go for plumbing services that are insured. This ensures that you do not have to pay for any damage that may occur when the personnel is doing the job.… Read More