From YourHome.ca:

An emergency kit should include a flashlight and batteries, a first aid kit, a cellphone, candles, a lighter, toilet paper, bottled water, blankets, medication, extra car keys, cash, a whistle and playing cards.

Surviving the winter is hard enough without a major blackout, so when the power goes out, it pays to be prepared.

Some advice, in case it happens again:

Q: Can I still run my gas furnace?

A: For the most part, no. Gas furnaces generally require electricity to ignite the pilot light, said Enbridge spokesperson Lisa McCarney. There are, however, some furnaces that don’t. Either way, the furnace’s fan requires electricity to spread heat around your house.

Q: What should I keep in my emergency preparedness kit, assuming I’m the type of person who keeps an emergency preparedness kit?

A: No matter who you are, it’s best to be prepared, said Scouts Canada spokesperson Lisa Nowlan. To earn your emergency kit badge, pack a flashlight and batteries, a first aid kit, a cellphone, candles, a lighter, toilet paper, bottled water, blankets, medication, extra car keys, cash, a whistle and playing cards.

Q: Toronto Hydro said I should turn my water supply off to keep the pipes from freezing and bursting. Mayor Miller said I should keep the tap running. Who was right?

A: According to Roberto Luongo, owner of Bossco Plumbing, Toronto Hydro had the better advice.

“Miller said to (turn a tap on) downstairs, but all the water upstairs will be at a standstill at that point, and the pipes will freeze,” he said. “If you’re going to do what he’s suggesting, open up all the faucets and let them all run slowly.

“But my problem with that is if someone has a backed-up drain they’re unaware of and they go to work, they’re going to come back to a flood.”

Q: What can I do to keep my tropical pets warm?

A: Birds and lizards can be a problem. Ian McConachie of the Toronto Humane Society suggests getting them to a friend’s place as quickly as possible. Or call the Humane Society, which opened its doors to pets and owners yesterday.

Q: How long will my food keep?

A: When the temperature is —13C as it was yesterday afternoon, and your house becomes one big freezer, food storage is largely a non-issue. But during warmer months, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says to play it safe.

“Once you get to about 4C is when potential pathogens can start growing.

“Our general guidance is if food’s been left out for two hours, throw it out,” said spokesperson Marc Richard.

Toronto Hydro says food left inside a closed freezer, if undisturbed, should stay frozen for about two days.

Q: What else should I be wary of?

A: Luckily for us, there is an entire association devoted to answering this question. The Community Emergency Preparedness Association suggests keeping a battery-powered radio on hand for updates.

And another tip: When the power comes back on, it said, heat your home back up slightly warmer than normal to make sure it is completely dry.

Q: What’s the cheapest way to get out of this place and to somewhere warm?

A: According to the Flight Centre travel agency near Queen St. W. and Bathurst St., Cuba’s your best bet.

Plan to budget up to $1,000 for a round trip plane ticket and a week’s stay at a decent resort. Last-minute trips to Las Vegas lasting two nights can be as cheap as $500 a person, including airfare and accommodation.

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From YourHome.ca:

Spice up your room inexpensively by painting walls with a new colour. Light walls will play up what's against them.

Do you feel like the walls are closing in on your already limited space? Why not fight the winter blues and expand your space with colour all at the same time?

January can be a great time to update your living room or bedroom and with new shades and combinations for 2009 now available in stores, painting can be an inexpensive way to bring life to your home or apartment.

“Paint is one way to put your personality in your space in inexpensive ways. When I was living on my own for the first time the first thing I did was paint. As long as my landlord said it was OK, I did it and it always made me feel really, really good,” says Sharon Grech, colour and design manager with Benjamin Moore Canada.

And while experts generally say light colours always make a space appear larger, there are ways to use darker shades with success.

“With apartments and small condos people often feel that they can’t do dark colours. They think they have to do white or that it will make it look small, but it’s really about what’s in that space. Pick your colour according to the fixed things in that space, such as the floor, which you can’t easily change. If your floor is really light and your furniture is darker – if you put a white colour on the wall it draws so much attention to what’s against it,” says Grech.

It would seem colour trends might also be following the mood of the economy.

“With insecurity about the economy sometimes people feel better when they have neutral colours,” says Dominique Pepin of the international colour forecaster Color Marketing Group.

Some surprising colour combinations are also emerging, such as peach with fuchsia, mustard with teal blue and electric navy with deep slate. Pepin suggests choosing one wall and repainting it with a punchy colour. Add other colour through accessories, pillows, bedding or throw rugs.

Colour blocking is also emerging as a vibrant way to add interest to a room. This involves taping a pattern on a wall – stripes or rectangles work well – and then painting different colours or shades.

Black is also emerging as a trend colour that previously was only the domain of Goth teenagers. “I’ve been seeing it replacing brown,” says Grech, noting Benjamin Moore has a colour this year called Black Satin. “It used to be a taboo colour – you wouldn’t use it on walls, but it’s more an accent wall colour this year.”

In a room Grech created for Benjamin Moore recently, she did the trim in high gloss and the wall in matte but it was all in black. “It’s a beautiful dining room. We painted the ceiling with a light Gossamer Blue – most people will use black as an accent wall but it can be amazing in a powder room if you have good lighting.”

That said, colour trends are really all over the map. “When we’re talking about trends there are levels of trends. With neutrals – some are infused with other colours but a rich beige can be the right colour for a canvas when you’re in an apartment because you can change your cushions and other decor items,” says Pepin.

“Colour is stronger and more sophisticated with neutrals that are chalky colours – lots of off-whites on their own or paired with a strong colour,” says Shaun Noble, marketing manager with CIL Paints.

Other colours CIL is highlighting for 2009 include opal silk – a shade of green she says is inspired by jade. Other tones such as willow and aloe represent nature with marine blues and Palm Springs Tan, which is a soft wheat colour. And in the purple family a mauve colour has emerged called Rose Stone.

“Violets are very dusty and have a subtle feel that exhibits a sophisticated feel of luxury and refinement,” she says. “So you could pair a strong mauve colour with very pale neutrals and the accents could be off-whites.”

Also, warm neutrals such as Eldorado Tan, from CIL, which could be paired with a chocolate brown – or a mint green. “Neutrals this year are nurturing, naturalistic and balanced,” says Noble. “This combination creates an atmosphere of comfort and security – colours you can wrap yourself in.”

And of course the standard rules apply when it comes to using colour to maximize the feeling of space.

“Painting ceilings white or lighter tones makes ceiling and walls appear higher and conversely, if you want to create a warm space in a powder room, paint the walls and ceiling a dark colour and that creates a feeling of opulence and luxury,” says Noble.

If you’re unsure about taking a risk with a colour, try a tester. It is worth spending $5 on a tester pot, even if you’re just doing an accent wall. Tester pots are available at most paint and do-it-yourself stores, and Benjamin Moore will be offering them for order on its website in February.

And don’t forget the trim and ceiling. It may look OK to the naked eye, but be sure to examine it in good light because once the wall is done the defects in the trim and ceiling will be drawn out. In many cases the trim gets beat up more.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR DECORATING

• A paint job is only as good as its surface, so clean the walls. Wash them down with a damp cloth, check for any nail holes, fix any other dings or notches with spackle and sand down for a smooth surface.

• Get the right equipment: You will need drop sheets, painter’s tape, brushes and rollers, as well as a painting pole, if you are painting a ceiling or high walls so you don’t have to step on a ladder. To paint a stucco ceiling you need a high-pile roller – the fluffier the better.

• Try out your chosen colour on a tester spot and leave for 24 hours so you can see how the colour dries and how the light plays on it at different times.

• Make sure you have enough paint. Paint company websites offer calculators to help you determine how much paint you will need according to your square footage.

• Paint trim and ceiling first and the walls afterwards. It may seem counter-intuitive but when you paint the trim first you can make more mistakes and it’s easier to cut in the wall than the other way around.

• In a small space, paint trim and doors the same colour as your walls. This will make the wall look continuous and the room will appear a lot larger than it is.

• You may only need to do one coat, but 90 per cent of the time you will need to do more than one coat.

• For ceilings, CIL has a product that rolls on pink but dries white and you can see exactly where you painted and won’t miss any spots.

• If painting in a room with a window, start at the window and work with the light source behind you. It also allows you to follow where you have painted.

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From the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC):

During winter months, it is important to follow routine maintenance procedures, by checking your home carefully for any problems arising and taking corrective action as soon as possible.

Regular Maintenance is the Key

Inspecting your home on a regular basis and following good maintenance practices is the best way to protect your investment in your home. Whether you take care of a few tasks at a time or several all at once, it is important to get into the habit of doing them. Establish a routine for yourself and you will find the work is easy to accomplish and not very time consuming. A regular schedule of seasonal maintenance can put a stop to the most common — and costly — problems, before they occur. If necessary, use a camera to take pictures of anything you might want to share with an expert for advice or to monitor or remind you of a situation later.

By following the information noted here, you will learn about protecting your investment and how to help keep your home a safe and healthy place to live.

If you do not feel comfortable performing some of the home maintenance tasks listed below, or do not have the necessary equipment, for example a ladder, you may want to consider hiring a qualified handy person to help you.

Seasonal Home Maintenance

Most home maintenance activities are seasonal. Fall is the time to get your home ready for the coming winter, which can be the most grueling season for your home. During winter months, it is important to follow routine maintenance procedures, by checking your home carefully for any problems arising and taking corrective action as soon as possible. Spring is the time to assess winter damage, start repairs and prepare for warmer months. Over the summer, there are a number of indoor and outdoor maintenance tasks to look after, such as repairing walkways and steps, painting and checking your chimney and roof.

While most maintenance is seasonal, there are some things you should do on a frequent basis year round:

• Make sure air vents indoors and outdoors (intake, exhaust and forced air) are not blocked by snow or debris.

• Check and clean range hood filters on a monthly basis.

• Test the ground fault circuit interrupter(s) monthly by pushing the test button, which should then cause the reset button to pop up.

• If there are young children in the house, make sure electrical outlets are equipped with safety plugs.

• Regularly check the house for safety hazards such as a loose handrail, lifting or buckling carpet, etc.

Timing of the seasons varies not only from one area of Canada to another, but also from year to year in a given area. For this reason, we have not identified the months for each season. The maintenance schedule presented here, instead, is a general guide for you to follow. The actual timing is left for you to decide, and you may want to further divide the list of items for each season into months.

Winter Home Maintenance

• Check and clean or replace furnace air filters each month during the heating season. Ventilation system, such as heat recovery ventilator, filters should be checked every two months.

• After consulting your hot water tank owner’s manual, drain off a dishpan full of water from the clean-out valve at the bottom of your hot water tank to control sediment and maintain efficiency.

• Clean humidifier two or three times during the winter season.

• Vacuum bathroom fan grille.

• Vacuum fire and smoke detectors, as dust or spider webs can prevent them from functioning.

• Vacuum radiator grilles on back of refrigerators and freezers, and empty and clean drip trays.

• Check gauge on all fire extinguishers; recharge or replace if necessary.

• Check fire escape routes, door and window locks and hardware, and lighting around outside of house; ensure family has good security habits.

• Check the basement floor drain to ensure the trap contains water. Refill with water if necessary.

• Monitor your home for excessive moisture levels—for example, condensation on your windows, which can cause significant damage over time and pose serious health problems—and take corrective action. Refer to the About Your House fact sheet: Measuring Humidity in Your Home.

• Check all faucets for signs of dripping and change washers as needed. Faucets requiring frequent replacement of washers may be in need of repair.

• If you have a plumbing fixture that is not used frequently, such as a laundry tub or spare bathroom sink, tub or shower stall, run some water briefly to keep water in the trap.

• Clean drains in dishwasher, sinks, bathtubs and shower stalls.

• Test plumbing shut-off valves to ensure they are working and to prevent them from seizing.

• Examine windows and doors for ice accumulation or cold air leaks. If found, make a note to repair or replace in the spring.

• Examine attic for frost accumulation. Check roof for ice dams or icicles. If there is excessive frost or staining of the underside of the roof, or ice dams on the roof surface, consult the CMHC About Your House fact sheet: Attic Venting, Attic Moisture and Ice Dams for advice.

• Check electrical cords, plugs and outlets for all indoor and outdoor seasonal lights to ensure fire safety: if worn, or if plugs or cords feel warm to the touch, replace immediately.

Source: CMHC