Home renovation courses

BY ALBERT KRAMBERGER

editor@transcontinental.ca

Heritage Montreal is offering a series of home renovation courses in English at Dawson College in Westmount.

The series of seven thematic English-language courses will be held Wednesday nights starting March 26, with David Hanna discussing residential architecture, to May 7, when Fernando Pellicer will talk about walls, roofs and insulation. The lecturers range from architects and engineers to other housing professionals

Home renovation expert Jon Eakes, who will be discussing home mechanical and electrical systems April 23, said the courses are well worth attending.

"These courses are a good basic primer on homes, whether you just bought one or are thinking of fixing one up," he said in a phone interview on his way to a home show in Toronto last Thursday.

“This gives real good knowledge to homeowners even if they are just planning to hire a contractor," he added. "It'll help you talk to a contractor. How do you know which one knows what he's talking about? These courses give you the foundation of how the house work."

Homeowners need to better inform themselves of potential problems or hazards before they start a costly renovation project, such as a basement family room. Eakes warns of "decorative storage" rooms, adding people may spend $15,000 for a family room in the basement, but because they didn't take into consideration humidity or mould concerns, "they will never use it."

Heritage Montreal has been offering the renovation courses since 1981 with the aim of arming homeowners with the information needed to deal with routine problems. Eakes, who has participated in these courses for several years, said about 150 people are expected to enrol.

The fee for the courses is $299. They run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. There are also courses given in French, running from April 1 to May 13, which will be given Tuesday nights at Collège Maisonneuve. For more information, check www.heritagemontreal.org or call 514-286-2662.