Studies have shown that when the market for existing homes is hot, so is the renovation market. With the resale market booming at record levels, Canadians are expected to spend more than $23 billion on renovation this year, up from $22 billion in 2000.

In some parts of the country, there's so much demand for skilled tradespeople that just finding somebody to do a job becomes a big challenge. Inevitably, that means some homeowners settle for whoever they can get to work on their homes, and that can lead to trouble.

If you're about to embark on a renovation project, it pays to make sure you know exactly what you want before you pick up the phone and start calling contractors. The more planning you put into your renovation project, the better it's likely turn out. And there's lots of free help available on the Internet to steer you in the right direction.

The Canadian Home Builders' Association recently launched MyHomeReno.com with the help of Natural Resources Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC). The site includes The Renovation Roadmap that suggests you start with three steps to start the renovation planning process:

1. Write down your specific goals -- what you want to change in your home.

2. Think about your current and future needs, so the changes you make today will accommodate changes in your lifestyle later.

3. Put together a list of the things that must be included in the project, along with a wish list of things you would like if they are in your budget.

The CHBA says once you have a clear idea of what you want to do, you can move to the next step of deciding if you can do the work yourself or need to hire a contractor.

The site includes tips on hiring a contractor, as well as access to association members. Some local home builders' associations have renovation councils whose members specialize in renovations. The Greater Toronto Home Builders' Association (GTHBA) has developed the RenoMark. Members who use this mark promise, among other things, to follow the association's code of ethics, to return calls within two business days, and to offer a two-year warranty on all work.

The CHBA site also includes sections about how to make your home more energy efficient, and how to incorporate "healthy housing" features such as good air quality. You can also take a look at what should be included in renovation contracts.

CMHC has its own free website that deals with renovation at www.cmhc.ca.

This site has pages about renovation planning and problem solving, as well as information about some financial help that may be available through renovation and adaptation assistance programs. In addition to the wealth of information on CMHC's website, there's a long listing of the housing agency's publications that are available for a fee.

Another great free resource is the Government of Canada's Consumer Information Gateway. On this site you can search for local information about your renovation plans. It provides links to the provincial governments' websites, which provide help and contacts for local zoning and building code issues.

A quick search of the website included links to a home repairs page from the Nunavut Department of Community Government and Transportation; some information about getting a building extension permit in Prince Edward Island, and a B.C. site that offers tips about what to keep in mind when a door-to-door salesperson comes to your door to try and sell you renovation projects.

The Internet has hundreds of commercial home improvement and renovation sites as well, but these government and association sites have enough information to help plan any renovation, from the smallest repair to the grandest project.

For more articles by Jim Adair, please press here.

Published: October 25, 2001

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Jim Adair is editor of REM: Canada's Real Estate Magazine, a business publication for real estate agents and brokers. He has been writing about Canadian real estate, home building and renovation issues for more than 30 years. You can contact Jim at .