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We would like to welcome two new faces who have joined us in the past month. We welcome Josh Grassick to the Lawn and Garden teams and Michael Terry to house maintenance and renovation.

The students have now returned to their studies and we would like to thank them for their hard work this summer. Thank you Jaime, Scott, Morgan, Lesley and Geoff for another great year!

Our new grub control program using beneficial nematodes will begin soon. If you have grub control in you contract look for us in the first few weeks of September.

We welcome Jaime, Scott, Lesley, Morgan and Geoff back to Grieve Home Maintenance. All of our students are returning from previous years so look for familiar faces!

Ontario's new pesticide ban is now in full effect and Grieve Home Maintenance will be in full compliance. Lawn weeds will now be pulled by hand, when possible, for those with weed service. We will be using horticultural vinegar in extreme cases to deal with interlock/patio weeds. This is a legal, less effective, spray that will kill plants non-selectively. If you spot poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak or giant hogweed, we are still legally able to spray this for you.

We would like to welcome Allison Rogers and Katherine Lomas to our team this year. They both bring experienced hands to our gardening staff and we look forward to working with them.

The recent 2009 Budget has allowed for a tax credit on renovations. According to their website "The 15-per-cent credit may be claimed on the portion of eligible expenditures exceeding $1,000, but not more than $10,000, meaning that the maximum tax credit that can be received is $1,350." This credit is only available on renovations that are done before February 1, 2010, making 2009 the perfect time to renovate. Contact the office to book your renovation now!  Further information can be found in a memo in our documents section.

In response to the large number of calls we have received regarding clarifications in our snow policy, we have sent out a letter to all of our snow clients detailing what we do and do not offer as part of the package. A copy of this letter can be found in the documents section of our website.

In order to continually improve our service and to work towards a green society we are now offering E-MAIL INVOICES and accepting VISA and MASTERCARD. Register today for e-mail invoices by calling the office, 905 336 0088, or e-mail us at office@grievehome.com.

Now that September has come, school has begun and our students have returned to their studies. On behalf of all the staff, we would like to thank the students who were with us this summer. So thank you Geoff, Jamie, Josh, Lesley, Michael, Morgan and Zak for all your hard work and good luck in your studies.

Grieve Home Maintenance was featured in the January edition of Turf Revolution's newsletter Revolution Review. The article can be found at http://www.turfrevolution.com/images/newsletters/tr_review2.jpg or in our documents section.  For more information on our organic program, please contact the office.

Whether it is fixing a leaking ceiling, making the home more energy efficient or simply making a change, everyone has a different reason for wanting to renovate. But whatever the reason retailers are well advised to tell their customers that renovations can be a great way to enhance the quality of life of the family, improve their home and increase its resale value.

Once a homeowner factors in the money they can save on heat, electricity and water, many renovations also offer a great return on investment - up to and including paying for themselves!

To help homeowners decide which renovations are right for their home, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Appraisal Institute of Canada offer the potential "payback range" that some of the most common home improvement projects will typically have on the resale value of a home.

The best returns on renovation investments are projects that target your kitchen and bathroom. They recover between 75-100 percent of investment when overhauled. your next best investment is interior/exterior painting which has a return of between 50-100 percent.

The lowest payback range involves renovation projects like swimming pools or skylights. The recovery for a pool is about 10-40 percent and up to 25 percent for a skylight. Other payback ranges include:

Roof shingle replacement: 50-80%
Furnace & heating systems: 50-80%
Basement: 50-75%
Adding a recreation room: 50-75%
Installing a fireplace: 50-75%
Flooring: 50-75%
Constructing a garage: 50-75%
Window & door replacement: 50-75%
Building a deck: 50-75%
Central air conditioning: 25-75%
Landscaping: 25-50%
Interlocking paving: 25-50%
Building a fence: 25-50%
Asphalt paving: 20-50%

Reference: "Hardware & Home Centre Magazine"