It's patio season—that time of year when your backyard becomes another living space. A lot of people will be building decks this over the next few months, so here are some helpful tips we came across to help you pick the right materials for the job.

Whether you plan to do it yourself or hire a pro, the key to success is factoring in all the critical design issues, picking the right material for your budget, climate, and lifestyle, and building a structure that will stand the test of time. [This Old House]

CREATE THE BASE

  • The footings for your deck must meet local codes and be installed properly. The depth of your footings, which will be set in concrete.

CHOOSING THE WOOD

  • Cedar resists moisture, rot and insect infestations.
    • …

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Mount Pleasant is a beautifully treed community in Northwest Calgary that is very popular with home buyers. Confederation Park, a crescent shape park consisting of over 160 hectares, runs along the neighbourhood's north side. There is a wide variety of homes available in the area, including condos, townhomes, new infill homes, and war-time bungalows. The neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant offers an active community association which publishes a monthly newsletter and maintains a variety of community amenities and programs including the Sportsplex, sports and childrens' programs. The Sportsplex has an indoor ice rink popular for hockey and skating. There is an outdoor pool which offers swimming lessons and can be rented for private parties as well. Other…

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Starting for the 2016 tax year, which is generally due late this month, there are changes in place in regards to principal residences. Now, Canadian homeowners are required to report the sale of principal residences on their income tax returns, in order to claim the full principal residence exemption. 

In the past, many Canadians assumed that every sale of a residence was tax-free because of the Principal-Residence Exemption (PRE), and up until now the CRA has not required Canadians to report their sales. The result has been that many have sold residences, have not reported the sale, have paid no tax, even in situations where tax should have been owing. So finally the CRA decided to crack down.

When you sell your principal residence or when you…

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