C6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesdsay June 6, 2001 Homes & Gardens Proper planning for outside renovations essential If visions of roses and peonies are dancing in your head, O ntario's Ministry o f Consumer and Business Services offers some tips to make your property more attractive this spring. There are three main options availabler · Hire a professional to do the job. · Buy the supplies from commer cial growers and home improvement stores. · Grab a handful of seeds and some patio stones and start digging. Know what you want before you begin. The planning stage is crucial because, whether you're opting for a big reno project or just planting a few posies, you must consider cost and the size and condition of the area before forging ahead. To keep your lawn in top shape, the experts say using the best quality topsoil, seed and fertilizer available from your local garden centre can make the difference between success and fail ure in the do-it-yourself approach. When you're hiring a pro If you prefer to hire a professional, consider the scope of the work you would like done and whether or not you have a particular design in mind. Gauge how much time and money you want to invest in the project before calling around to compare ser vices and prices. Always look at work samples before making a commitment to hire anyone. Contact Landscape Ontario to con duct a background check. It is a horti cultural trade organization that works with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association to set standards for highlevel landscape services, and quality plants and prod ucts. Among Landscape -· O ntario's m em bers are garden centres, lawn care companies, landscape con tractors and wholesale growers. Visit their website at www.landscapeontario.com or call toll-free at 1-800-265-5656. Read the fine print on all contracts. Lawn spray and service companies often prepare what are known as neg ative option contracts intended for consumers who will hire the same company y ear'after year. This is a viable option for those who are satis fied with the work, but if you prefer comparing prices each spring, you may want to enter into this type of contract. Negative option contracts are legal. Consumers usually receive the option to cancel the contract in the mail only once a year. If you forget to fill out the cancellation form, the company will fulfill the original agreement, spray ing the lawn and sending you the bill. Any service purchased on a negative option contract may be difficult to cancel. Also, even if your favourite lawn care company undergoes m anage ment, staff or product changes, your contract remains binding unless you decide to cancel the agreement when the renewal slip comes along. Home improvement projects Much of the appearance of your home and garden has nothing to do with the flowers, trees and bushes. Even the greenest grass w on't be attractive if the porch is sagging and the driveway's breaking up. If you're interested in sprucing up the "hardscape" of your property -- everything but the plants -- you'll probably want to hire a professional. Protect yourself by checking refer ences, looking over actual work sam ples and getting at least three esti mates before agreeing to anything. It's always best to deal with someone who has been personally recommended if it is possible. Consider a renovation case handled by the ministry last year. An Ontario contractor pocketed large sums of money from unsuspect ing customers who gave him deposits and paid him for materials for the installation of interlocking brick on their driveways. The work was never completed. The contractor is currently serving a jail term after being investi gated by the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services and, subse quently, found guilty on more than 20 counts of unfair business practice con trary to the Business Practices Act. His recent appeal for parole was turned down, when the board said it didn't want the offender to be able to victimize consumers this year. He was ordered to make restitution of over $60,000 to cover consumer losses. Consumers can learn a lot from this case: · Never sign a contract on the spot. This person would first negotiate con tracts verbally, then have a contract ready to be signed on his handy clip board. His clients ended up reading the front of the contract they signed, but not the terms of the agreement that were written on the back of the page. It is best not to rush into making a commitment; always read the fine print on the contract and ensure that you understand the warranty and con tract terms completely. Any reputable business should not object if you would like to take a day or two to make your decision. · Never rely solely on work sam ples to convince you. The contractor paid to have someone pretend that he had installed the interlocking on the driveway to fool potential clients. In this case, even checking references was not good enough because he had a personal contact pose as a satisfied customer. Getting word-of-mouth tes timonials from people you trust who have actually hired the contractor is the best way to determine reputation. · Verify the business' address, tele phone number and basic contact infor mation. The contractor was not run ning a business that was registered under the Business Names Act. His so-called business address led nowhere and his business telephone number was really his home telephone number. Always conduct a back ground check to make sure you are dealing with a real and true business before engaging in anything further. · Never pay in cash. Business transactions should ideally be done in a form o f payment other than cash. If you are paying by cheque, ensure that you make it payable to the business name party, not the individual. The individual in this case, when not paid in cash, directed his clients to make cheques payable in his name instead of his business' names. · Do not be fooled by appearances or personal charm. Time and time again, the contractor's clients claimed they were taken in by his appearance -- more than one person insisted that he simply "looked the worker type." One of the ways he convinced unsus pecting consumers was by looking and acting the part. Rely on the quali ty of the work itself from personal contacts before believing anything. · Be aware of the low-balling tech nique. When you are fielding esti mates, question any quotes that seem unbelievably lower than the rest. For example, this contractor once offered to do a job generally quoted in the $28,000 to $35,000 range for halfprice. This is known as low-balling and consumers can protect themselves by follow ing the old adage: If it sounds too good to be true, it general ly is. For further information on this sub ject or other issues of consumer inter est, contact the m inistry's General Inquiry Unit at 416-326-8555 in the Toronto area or toll-free at 1-800-2681142. Special electronic equipment for use by people who have hearing and speech difficulties is available at 416-326-8566. Visit the ministry web site at www.ccr.gov.on.ca. L O O K FOR P a r t y P a c k a g e rs STOCK-UP ~ E I C 's Q u a lity 4 P a g e F lyer in this W ed n esd a y 's FIREWOOD ·Topson. ALL N ATU R AL· BAGGED OR BULK TOP QUALITY · PICK-UP OR DELIVERY · Econo Mulch Triple Mix 1 Cattle Manure (No Bedding) · Sheep Manure · Sand Compost/Manure Mix Oakville Beaver d e live re d to se le ct h o m e s 351 Dundas St. E. at -n-afaigar Rd., Oakville Open 7 Days 2 5 7 -S O IL (7 6 4 5 ) The Oakville Beaver M y name is Connor. I a m 14 y e a rs o ld . I a tte n d St. T h o m a s A q u a n ia s H ig h S c h o o l a n d I a m in g ra d e n in e . M y h o b b ie s in c lu d e d ra w in g , s w im m in g a n d s k iin g . I w o u ld lik e to th a n k m y fa m ily fo r th e ir h e lp a n d to the p e o p le o n m y street fo r b e in g so k in d , a n d I w o u ld a ls o lik e to th a n k The O a k v ille B ea ver fo r this o p p o rtu n ity . Winning Carriers receive a large 3 topping pizza courtesy of: C233 Look fo r more Great Specials in our Flyer in today's newspaper. OHja y io 's #7 P iz z a ,; To join our delivery team call 905-845-9742 F a b r ltla n tl's A n n u a l H U G E BLOW -OUT SALES EXTEN DED Inventory Clearance! THURS. a FRI. 12PM -9PM , SAT. 10AM -6PM , SUN. 10AM -5PM Location: S O U T H C O M M O N M ALL SAVE ON BASICS! Special Selection! KNIT EXTRAVAGANZA 125-150cm Prints, stripes & solids. Our Reg. 3.98-14.98 m ALL NOW 2 ,22 m Special Selection! CAPRI COLLECTION 115cm Polyester/cotton blend. 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ALL ATHLETIC SHOES AT 50% OFF , ALL ATHLETIC CLOTHING FROM 50% TO 70% OFF EVER POPULAR CANDIES BRAND SHOES AT $19.00 NOW Not valid with any other discount offers. Offer valid Saturday June 9 ,1 6 ,2 3 ,3 0 , 2001 only. 33 % OFF Our Reg. Price Sale in effect June 4-30/01, on selected in-stock merchandise. Sorry, no special orders. Most items available in most stores. Look for the red sale tags. Sale goods sold as-is. All sales final. Please note: the term regular price' refers to Fabricland's regular chain-store price. m r Columbia SporTsTOarCompanVd O P E N S U N D A Y S 1 2 -5 140 Rebecca St. O a k v ille 8 4 4 -7 7 2 8 T A B W C L Jm ) C A N A D A 'S L A R G E S T ^ F A S H IO N F A B R I C D IS T R IB U T O R The Best in Selection and Price Anywhere