Contemporary Tree-Top Residence - Green Reno

During the past week, I've listed a new property which has gone through a substantial renovation in one of my favorite condos in Oakville, Oakridge Heights on Old Mill Road. There are three buildings which range in age from 8 to 4 years, but as buildings their are a number of special features which I like about these buildings that make them green.

The location  is literally just steps from the GO Train; you can walk to Wholefoods, Starbucks or No Frills and Tim Hortons. It is a 15 minute walk to downtown Oakville, which has all the shopping and restaurants most people would need, and about the same distance to the local Encore Theatre (new movie releases at budget prices). 

The build itself is rather eco-smart as well. It has incredible windows, which shut out most noise and temperature, and open properly to allow fresh air to flow. The hallways are pumped with fresh air which is neither cooled nor heated saving energy. The positive flow of air into the hallways also ensures that smells from each suite do not travel into the halls. There is also a recycling program.

The suite I've just listed has an unobstructed view on the 4th floor, and has been renovated from ceiling to floors. The owner took out the wall to wall carpet (a terrible dust and dirt collector) and replaced it with wide plank floors. All the appliances are energy star rated where applicable including: the the front loading  Maytag washer and dryer. The kitchen has been replaced with granite surfaces, something that will not be replaced. The ceilings have been scraped clean of the popcorn plaster creating not only a more contemporary look but also a healthier environment. All the toilets have been replaced with low flow technology.

If you want to know more about this renovation please feel free to call me at: (905) 845-4267. 

Food Additives, WHY?

The other day my wife (Laura) and I were taken aback by the flour recall of "No Name". We quickly checked to see if our batch had been included in the list, and gratefully it wasn't.  Both of us were surprised by this recall, because when you're cooking with a basic ingredient, we thought it was unadulterated. I'm not sure why we felt this way, considering we have changed our diary source to organics after we discovered that all regular products had extra ingredients to stabilize them. That might be why Organic milk and regular milk taste so different. 

So the other day, while shopping at Fortino's I went hunting through all the Flour packages. Yes, I do have a day job, though occasionally I wonder. After looking,  I noted that the only wheat flour manufacturer was Monarch, and the only other one was PC Organic. Both are more expensive then the "No Name", or the premium "Robin Hood". I'm not sure when it became extremely important to add so many chemicals to our basic foods. Also why do non-chemically products have to cost more, also is perplexing. 

The common additive for stabilizing is Amylase. Some of the effects of Amylase are: severe allergic reactions and asthma. So is it possible that all these people running around with wheat allergies, aren't actually allergic to wheat, but rather to the additives? I'm happy to that I took the time to look. We have now changed our flour supplier, only to show that the buyer must aware.