• Useful Resources Links

    Improving your Knowledge on your house
     

    Home Inspector M.D. YouTube Channel
    Our own new YouTube Channel will have useful videos on helping the new homeowner understand their home better. We will have useful short tips, guides, and a feature on what's in the home inspector's tool bag.

    The Ontario Building Code Online | BuildingCode.Online
    Make sure your renovations are done correctly by ensuring it is done according to the Ontario building code. A useful resource for you is THE ONTARIO BUILDING CODE ONLINE website. This is a resource of building codes that covers everything from electrical, insulation, wall cladding, HVAC, and plumbing, to health and safety issues from radon and fire alarms.

    InspectAPedia
    FREE Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Construction, Diagnosis, Maintenance & Repair. This site is an enormous source of information on how things work in your house. If a system is not working, this site can help you diagnose the problem.

    Building Intelligence Center 
    Your #1 resource for determining the date of manufacture or age of HVAC & Water Heater equipment. This is a valuable resource for home inspectors to find details such as the year of manufacture of HVAC devices. Just retrieve the serial number of the HVAC system and with the manufacturing source you can find the year of manufacture. 

    InterNACHI® - International Association of Certified Home Inspectors
    You don't have to enrol or be a home inspector to use this site's vast information of systems of the home. This site has information on every aspect of the home systems as well as health and safety issues.

    Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
    For a resource on fire extinguishers, visit the Government of Canada website on health and safety. Get a detail description of the different classes of fires, type of fire extinguishers, and how to read the label on your fire extinguisher. 

    Finding a Contractor Help
     

    Better Business Bureau for General Contractor near Mississauga
    There are hundreds of contractors out there. You can vet out the better ones by viewing their status rating on the Better Business Bureau.

    General Contractors Cost Guide for Toronto (homestars.com)
    This site will give you an estimate of the job you are seeking. I would recommend this site just to give you a “ballpark” figure of the job.

  • Retail Stores

    There are ubiquitous retail outlets for home renovations such as Home Depot, Rona, and Home Hardware. You can find electrical, plumbing, flooring, appliances, kitchen projects, roofing materials, and even decks.

    Can't find that accessory at the general hardware stores? A retail store such as Grainger has a wider selection of smaller accessories and products aimed at the HVAC, electrical, plumbing systems.

    Distributors

    Contractors may buy some of their materials from retail outlets above, but many buy in bulk from distributors. They buy in bulk and save a significant amount from paying at retail. Distributors also offer a wider variety of materials not found at the retail level.

    In the electrical industry, there are several distributors in the Mississauga area and beyond. Nedco, Gescan and Gerrie Electric are some examples of distributors with a focus on electrical. It may be possible to obtains parts or accessories from a distributor instead of retail. They carry brands such as Siemens, Leviton, Lutron, ABB, and Schneider Electric (Square D, Homeline).