Fish Tank Re-pipe By Vancouver’s Papa Plumbing

Dale had a project on his hands a few weeks ago.. here are the pictures of how he fixed up this fish tank.. a behind the scenes look !

A Behind the Scene's Look

Dale's project

Home Renovation Tax Credit

We are getting a lot of questions about what qualifies under the Home Renovation Tax Credit. Here is what I found out from the Government Website:

Examples of eligible expenses

• Renovating a kitchen, bathroom, or basement
• Windows and doors
• New flooring – carpet, linoleum, hardwood, floating laminate, etc.
• New furnace, woodstove, boiler, fireplace, water softener, water heater, or oil tank
• Permanent home ventilation systems
• Central air conditioner
• Permanent reverse osmosis systems
• Septic systems
• Wells
• Electrical wiring in the home (e.g., changing from 100 amp to 200 amp service)
• Home security system (monthly fees do not qualify)
• Solar panels and solar panel trackers
• Painting the interior or exterior of a house
• Building an addition, garage, deck, garden/storage shed, or fence
• Re-shingling a roof
• A new driveway or resurfacing a driveway
• Exterior shutters and awnings
• Permanent swimming pools (in ground and above ground)
• Permanent hot tub and installation costs
• Pool liners
• Solar heaters and heat pumps for pools (does not include solar blankets)
• Landscaping: new sod, perennial shrubs and flowers, trees, large rocks, permanent garden lighting, permanent water fountain, permanent ponds, large permanent garden ornaments
• Retaining wall
• Associated costs such as installation, building plans, permits, professional services, equipment rentals, and incidental expenses
• Fixtures – blinds, shades, shutters, lights, ceiling fans, etc.

Note
Window coverings, such as blinds, shutters and shades, that are directly attached to the window frame and whose removal would alter the nature of the dwelling are generally considered to be fixtures (i.e. have become part of the home) and therefore would qualify for the HRTC. In some circumstances, draperies and curtains may qualify for the HRTC, if they would not keep their value or usefulness if installed in another dwelling. If these qualifying criteria are not met, it is likely that draperies and curtains would not qualify for the HRTC.

Examples of ineligible expenses

• Furniture, household appliances, and electronic home-entertainment devices
• Purchasing of tools
• Carpet cleaning
• House cleaning
• Maintenance contracts (e.g., furnace cleaning, snow removal, lawn care, and pool cleaning)
• Financing costs
• Amount paid as part of the purchase of your new house, including “upgrades”
• Expenses to acquire goods that have been previously used or leased by you or an eligible family member (e.g., hot water tank)
• Expenses incurred to the rental and/or business part of an eligible dwelling

Do it yourself

If you do the work yourself, the eligible expenses include expenses for building materials, fixtures, equipment rentals, building plans and permits. However, eligible expenses would not include the value of your labour or tools.

Work performed by electricians, plumbers, carpenters, architects

Generally, work performed by electricians, plumbers, carpenters, architects, etc. in respect of an eligible expense qualifies for the HRTC.

Family member hired for renovations

Expenses are not eligible if the goods or services are provided by a person related to you, unless that person is registered for the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) under the Excise Tax Act. If your family member is registered for the GST/HST and if all other conditions are met, the expenses are eligible for the HRTC.

ENERGY STAR® heating system upgrade offer – Terasen Gas

Papa Plumbing on The News

So here we are.. Papa Plumbing on CTV News… it was so exciting when it actually aired !

Papa Plumbing Cheers for Vancouver Canucks

All our technicians are loyal fans of the Canucks.. Once the season begins, Mike will be posting his comments and highlights about the games. Here he is on the front cover of “24″ last year…He made Papa truly proud !

Gas Fitter Mike (on the right) cheers for the Canucks

Meet Vancouver’s Most Demanded Plumber Dale

Meet Dale, technician by day & artist at night !

How talented !

Yogi Dale, his state of zen on job site is reflected in this picture.

much like his attitude on job site, very calm and very efficient.

Cousin Larry & Balki

I was on Twitter today and a fellow follower mentioned the show Perfect Strangers . 

http://bubble-cast.com

I remember watching all the episodes and the re-runs for it when I was growing up. Fond memories of Balki’s “Dance of Joy” come to mind.

http://bubble-cast.com

I havent watched T.V. in a really long time. I miss those days of  family sitcoms, like “Family Matters” – Steve Urkel, “Full House”, “Who’s the Boss”, “Family Ties”, “The Facts of Life” and the list goes on and on…I guess  TV now is more reality show oriented. Seeing that post today was a total blast from the past ! My experience entering the foreign world of plumbing  is like Balki Bartakamous coming to America. Its funny that now after so many years, I feel a kinship with Balki.. what parallel lives we lead !! I wonder who my Cousin Larry is? haha !

Perfect Strangers

www.mypapaplumbing.com/blog

ahhh got a new URL for our blog ! This is my first post using this.

Fab Indian Restaurant in Surrey “Bombay Se” by Papa Plumbing

So Papa Plumbing actually ventured out last night and had a great time at this restaurant Bombay Se. The food was excellent and the service.. unbeatable (totally Papa Style.. hehe).. I have been to many many restaurants… and the service was just amazing here.. The staff was very attentive to our needs, the chefs kept asking if we were okay. It was great.. and the Naan was soo buttery and hot..

so yuumy.. well everything was really. !! You will have to come and check out Bombay Se !!

Vancouver Matcha Sightings by Papa Plumbing

A popular drink at the office is Matcha..Here are some facts about it.. I love getting it from Starbucks (Extra Hot Green Tea latte, extra matcha and no syrup) and there are various places on the west side that make a great cup of Matcha  Latte ! I found this great article on the web and wanted to share it with you all:

Mmmm Matcha

Matcha is the vibrant green powdered tea used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. It is made from the leaves of shade grown tea trees. When the leaves are harvested they are steamed, dried and then further processed to remove the veins, stems and impurities. Only about 10% of the original harvest remains, and this is called the “tencha”. The tencha is then ground to a fine powder often in a stone mill. It takes about one hour to produce an ounce of matcha, because grinding any faster would result in a burnt tasting tea. Today the highest grades of matcha usually remain in Japan for use in their tea ceremonies and the price can be as high as $100 an ounce. The majority of matcha available in the general market today is now ground by sophisticated machines, which make it affordable to the average tea drinker. Regardless of the grinding technique used, the production of matcha requires a great deal of hand labour, skill and time.

Matcha is becoming increasingly popular in the Japanese and international beverage and food market because of its versatility and health benefits. Matcha’s flavour blends well in dairy-based recipes and its powder form makes it easy to work with. Matcha is being used in ice cream, cheese -cakes, cream cheese spreads, white chocolate, latte beverages, hot chocolate etc. There is no limit to the recipes that matcha can be added to.

Matcha and Caffeine: Matcha does contain a small amount of caffeine, but like all green teas also contains L-theanine. L-theanine increases the alpha waveactivities in the brain, which creates a feeling of relaxation. L-theanine is associated with increasing the ability to focus and concentrate, but not agitate the nervous system. Researchers believe that this maybe on of the reasons that drinking tea tends to have a calming, refreshing effect, rather than the jittery effects of coffee. It has been noted that Buddist monks frequently drink matcha, green teas, oolongs ETC and rarely appear agitated or nervous. It could be the L-theanine!

The following are some of the benefits of Matcha:

Matcha on W 4th Ave

• Vitamins A,B6, B-complex, C, E, K, niacin, folate, riboflavin, thiamin
• Trace minerals calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, sodium
• Rich source of L-theanine & amino acids which improve calmness, mental alertness
• Strong blood detoxifer and alkalyzer due to high chlorophyll conten
• 70 times the antioxidants of orange juice,
• Nine times the beta carotene of spinach and 4 times the beta carotene of carrots
• Extremely rich in polyphenols (antioxidants) and catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate ( EGCG )
• Boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% in regular drinkers, thus assisting in weight loss

How to Make a Matcha Latte..