All Things Renovation Podcast

S3E19 Michael Barillaro - PWPC Electrical Services

In today's episode, Brandy interviews Michael Barillaro, the owner and operator of PWPC Electrical Services. When renovating your home, what do you need to consider from an electrical standpoint? Does your house have enough power to accommodate all of your needs? What is the big deal around the discovery and subsequent removal of knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring in your house? And an answer to a frequently asked question - how many pot lights should you have in your kitchen?

S3E18 Heather Davidson - Landscape Architect

In today's episode, Brandy interviews Heather Davidson, a landscape architect from Heather Davidson Design in Vancouver. They discuss how her job differs from that of a landscape designer, and the concept of natural materials playgrounds. Heather also provides some ideas for which plants you could consider putting in your garden to maximize the look throughout all the seasons as well as ones that will survive better as the climate changes. 

S3E17 Four Easy Ways To Do A Renovation Facelift

Brandy goes through four easy ways to renovate your home that don't necessarily require a lot of time or money but have a big impact: 

1. Paint

2. Replace Doors and Hardware

3. Lighting

4. Flooring

S3E16 Danielle Berwick - Architect

Have you ever wondered what exactly an architect does and how they do it? In today's episode, Brandy interviews Danielle Berwick, of Berwick Architects, to find out how the role of an architect differs from that of a designer, how much input clients actually get, and what the process looks like after you have engaged an architect to help with your project.

S3E15 Graham Kawulka & Calvin Austrom - Home Elevators

A surprising number of home elevators are installed across North America this year, for a variety of reasons ranging from mobility concerns to the pure luxury of having one in your home. In this episode, Brandy interviews Graham Kawulka and Calvin Austrom from Good Gate, a company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that manufactures residential elevator carriage gates. She wants to know what things there are to consider about their design and aesthetics, how much they cost, and are they safe?

S3E14 Grant Bergman - Beatty Floors

​In this episode, Brandy and Grant discuss some of the most common types of flooring choices: engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl tile (LVT), carpet and underlay, and eco-friendly options such as cork and Marmoleum. What are the maintenance requirements of each type? Are certain types of flooring more appropriate in certain rooms than others?

S3E13 Case Study - West Vancouver Basement Suite

In this episode, Brandy discusses a recent renovation that was done to turn a basement suite in West Vancouver into a rental unit. A lot of people worry about scope creep, how that impacts the budget, and what happens when something in the house creates a problem that we have to deal with. There’s a lot of fear around the unknown, and this case study showcases that yes, sometimes things happen, but there are ways that we can address it and at the end of the day, we still get a project done.

S3E12 Susan Semeniw - Divine Intervention Matchmaking

Renovating can be a stressful process, especially if you and your partner don't agree on what you want out of your space. Brandy interviewed Susan Semeniw, a professional matchmaker and love coach at Divine Intervention Matchmaking, to find out how to advocate for yourself effectively with your contractor, and how to emerge from the renovation process with your relationship intact.

S3E11 Quinn McLaughlin - Electric Vehicle Chargers

Electric vehicles are becoming more and more common so Brandy interviewed Quinn McLaughlin from MJR Electric to find out more information about the logistics of charging one up. How do the three levels of charging work, and what do you need to do to make sure your home has the capability of taking on that kind of power draw?

S3E10 Victoria Ballantine - Home Inspector

Brandy interviews Victoria Ballantine of Allegiant Inspections to find out the circumstances under which people should engage a home inspector, what things are looked at during an inspection, and what is included in the report. They also discuss some small, inexpensive things that homeowners can do to maintain parts of their home to mitigate future damage, as well as some red flags to look for when purchasing a home.