?AD{TS1834810} FRIDAY, MAY 18 & SUNDAY, MAY 20 2012 Today, Find Affordable New Home Living In Mattamy's Seaton Creekside. Get Connected To Savings Of Up To $15,000. See Back Cover For Details. onthe cover Modern styling arrives in Ontario cottage country - Page 3 InSIDe Making the most of your backyard - Page 12 ...

2 NEW HOMES & CONDOS Renovation market heats up PAUL GOLINI BILD Most housing conversations these days usually touch on one of these three topics - the growth of the housing market, the cost of buying a home and the market shift towards condominiums. But here's what you don't expect to hear around the water cooler - the resurgence in the home renovation industry. While residential renovation has been overshadowed by the new home and resale headlines, it remains an integral part of the Canadian economy as a $66-billion industry that accounts for 56 per cent of all residential construction investment. How's that for attention-grabbing? Earlier this year, I wrote about the success of the ecoEnergy Retrofit program, which provided homeowners with an incentive of up to $5,000 to upgrade the existing housing stock across Canada with things like energy efficient windows, furnaces and more. The number of homeowners that took advantage of the incentive hit 250,000 nation-wide, despite the h ...

The Toronto Sun n FRIday May 18 & SUNday May 20, 2012 COVER STORY Modern movement arrives in Ontario cottage country Growing trend is to blend cool contemporary lines with warm natural finishes DiaNNE DaNiEl Special to QMI Agency Apenchant for modern design is starting to take hold in Ontario cottage country. Whereas it used to be okay to come home to dark, gabled cottages where everything is "hand-me-down" after a day spent enjoying the outdoors, today's recreational home owners are far more discerning, says Samantha Pynn, host of HGTV's Summer Home series, airing 8 p.m. on Mondays. "Design has come so far, it's in everything we do," says Pynn, who works with her team to update one cottage per episode. "So it's only natural that these 30-somethings who are inheriting the cottage - or buying their own - want a space that's their own ... They don't want it to look like an urban condo, but they still want it to have clean lines." Pynn likens the recent t ...

4 NEW HOMES & CONDOS MarCy COrNbluM Special to QMI Agency At only six-years-old, David Clemmer was already the go-to guy for his two older sisters' wardrobe and accessories questions. "It was: David what about this belt with this dress or what do you think of these shoes?" Nowadays, TV celebrity and fashion consultant Clemmer makes the style choices for Hollywood's A List and the rich and famous. His client list includes Cate Blanchett, Jude Law, and Celine Dion. Who can forget Clemmer as the fashion expert in the image makeover program Style By Jury? He would change plain Janes and Jacks from drab to fab. His read-carpet fashion commentaries on the Golden Globes or the Oscars are a must-see for viewers of ET Canada and Canada AM. Clemmer is very excited about his new makeover show Make Me Over, Make Me Under for the SLICE Network launching June 14th at 9pm. He credits his mom for his favourite bit of advice: "Whatever you choose to do with your life, be good at it, ...

AD{TS1834835} The Toronto Sun n friday May 18 & SUNday May 20, 2012 *Linkedbelowgrade.Pricesand specifications subjecttochange withoutnotice. E. &O.E.All squarefootagesare approximate.Actualusablespace varies from stated floor area. NEW HOMES & CONDOS 5 Anew release means moretolove at GreatGulf Oshawa! Newrelease of semi's and 30 ft. * singles. Homes you'll fall in love with. Now,inGreat Gulf's hugely successful Stonecrestcommunity in Oshawa.Weare releasing anew series of fabulous newsemi-detached and 30 ft. * single-family homes. Discover the GTA'sbestnew home value with all of the beautiful design features that GreatGulf is famous for. ThreeMikeNiven Design model homes nowopen! Thickson Rd. Hwy. 7/WinchesterRd. Wilson Rd. Clearbrook Taunton Rd. Hwy. 401 Harmony Rd. TauntonRoadwest of HarmonyRoad Semi's &30ft. * detached homes 1,450 -2,230 sq. ft. from $ 259 990 1-888-579-7235 Sat. &Sun.11am-6pm *Mon.-Thurs. 1 -8pm *ClosedFri. Model homes close 30 minutes prior to ...

6 NEW HOMES & CONDOS Ijust arrived home from shooting an episode of Let's Shop in Miami and I've got some great design ideas to share. One of the greatest blessings of travel is that not only can you hunt and gather fun products and pieces for your designs, but you can also gather suitcases full of inspiration. Miami is a hot bed of product, creativity and hot designers. In fact, as I was chatting up the proprietor of one of Miami's hottest design stores, Nici, in walks Juan, straight out of Paris's top 10 designer list. How fun was it for me to watch him and his client pick out and order about 12 items in less than 10 minutes. "One of these, two of these tables and eight of these rock crystal vases and one of those oversized prints..." Traditionally when we think of Miami, we think sun, sand and, of course, South Beach. But Miami is so much more. I love colour and in Miami there is no shortage of fabulous colour. It's truly a treat to see the return of colour to our room ...

AD{TS1810018} The Toronto Sun n friday May 18 & SUNday May 20, 2012 SALES SALES OFFICE 213 Harvie Road 705.719.6669 $259990 Detached from Towns $225 990 Includes Hardwood!! from NEW HOMES & CONDOS 7 where families grow FULL BRICK! Selling Fast NewModel Homes! IN BEAUTIFUL BARRIE PHASE 1 PHASE 2 5Decorated Models Underground Parking 85% SOLD OUT OPEN JUNE 2nd Forest ViewsSelling Fast SALES SALES OFFICE 40 FerndaleDriveS. 705.733.0300 $152990 Condos from pratthomes.ca ...

8 NEW HOMES & CONDOS Don't miss Grand Opening of final phase at Brooklin's Forest SITE STORY This weekend, Zancor Homes is celebrating the grand opening of The Annex, an exclusive collection of homes that marks the third and final phase at Brooklin's Forest in Olde Winchester. Festivities begin this Saturday May 19th at 11 a.m., when visitors to the sales centre can enjoy refreshments and be first to see the prime location of this cul-de- sac neighbourhood and its exciting new home designs on 40' and 43' lots. The Annex is the grand finale to this popular north Whitby community of single family homes. The neighbourhood is surrounded by protected forest and there are premium lots available, including pieshaped lots and those that back onto forest. The Annex is a private enclave, with no through streets, for child friendly streets that have very little traffic. Exquisite bungalow and two-storey home designs feature brick and brick and stone exteriors, expansive windows and large fron ...

AD{TS1834825} The Toronto Sun n friday May 18 & SUNday May 20, 2012 NEW HOMES & CONDOS 9 ...

10 NEW HOMES & CONDOS Help build the TransCanada Trail Learn carpentry as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. Rowdy Team Newfoundland and Labrador enters the opening ceremonies at the Skills Canada National Competition this week. This week in Edmonton, more than 500 young people from all over Canada gathered to compete in an Olympic-style contest for skilled trades. From robotics and aircraft maintenance to hairstyling and video production, this competition features the kids who'll become the new rich of 2020, (the year Canada will be short 1,000,000 skilled tradespeople). Every province and territory sent students and apprentices to the competition, with raucous tweets flying in support of several teams, Nova Scotia and Nunavut in particular, both strong contenders for the most spirited team award. And spectators got to play, too; organizers provided Trya-Trade booths so attendees could see what it really takes to weld a joint or produce a blown-glass vessel. Tip: it's easier to scr ...