16 — Friday, April 13, 1990 - North Shore News Consider moving, renovating costs EVERYONE SEEMS to have renovation fever these days as they look for ways to make room for a growing family, stay close to work, or, more likely, to avoid the high cost of new housing. By ANNE DROZD Contributing, Writer With housing costs rising rapid- ly, renovating often appeals as a more cost-effective alternative. But before jumping into a major renovation project or deciding to buy a new home, you should weigh financial costs along with a factor many overlook, the psychological costs. Let’s look at the positive side of selling first: your house is probably worth more than you paid for it; you may save taxes by moving more than 15 miles cleser to your job. — The minuses are: cost of paint- ing and repairing to ready the old house for sale, legal fees, cost of the new house or condo, including mortgage, appraisal costs, in- Visit garden THE SCENT of rhododendrons is filling the air in the David C. Lam Asian Garden at the UBC Botanicai Garden. The Botanical Garden is now open every day from 10 a.m. to as late as 7 p.m., so that visitors can. . stroll the gardens in the evenings. Admission to the garden is free on Wednesdays. For more infor- mation call 228-4208. Heritage discussed THE DISTRICT of North Van- couver Heritage Advisory Com- mittee is inviting all owners of homes listed in the DNV Heritage Inventory to a Heritage Home Restoration Workshop conducted by Don Luxton and Valda Vidners of The Foundation Group Ltd. The workshop is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 20, at the Church Hall of St. Martin’s Anglican Church, 195 Windsor Rd. East, North Vancouver. Refreshments will be served. Heritage homeowners are invited to bring along any information about the history of their homes not already contained in the DNV Heritage Inventory. Events scheduled THE FOLLOWING are April events at VanDusen Gardens: Sunday, April 15 — Easter Sun- day enjoy the parade of spring flowers with VanDusen Garden Guide. 2 p.m. Regular garden ad- mission. Sunday, April 22 — Sugar maple planting and celebration in the Heritage Garden. A multicultural event. Regular garden admission. Sunday, April 29 — The 13th Annual Plant Sale. Choose from 35,000 unusual and hard to find plants for your garden. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is free admission to VanDusen Gardens all day. INTERFORM || EUROPEAN FURNITURE 110 - 7771 Alderbridge Way Richmond, 8.C. V6X 2A4 Tel: (604) 276-9876 Fax: (604) 531-6475 vestigator fees, land transfer tax, etc., cost of moving company or van rental, and the cost of spruc- ing up the new home before you move the family in. Renovating costs at first just appear to be the cost of the plans, labor, materials and permits. But other costs will likely arise along the way that should be taken into account when making your deci- sion. For one, the original estimate for the job almost always changes half way through — usually up. Kitchen renovation means there will be extra costs for take-out food or eating out while cooking is not possible. For bathrooms it usually means expensive weekends in a hotel while the work is under way. Even simple additions to liv- ing space can mean extra costs for cleaning furniture, rugs or drapes soiled with the dust raised from hammering and sawing. Major remodelling jobs could mean the cost of an apartment and storing your furniture for the duration. These are some of the costs that should be included in your calculations to avoid money worries in the middle of the job. Once you have weighed the eco- nomic impacts of whether to reno- vate or sell and make your deci- sion, you can be sure of one thing — whichever you choose, that’s when the real ‘‘fun’’ begins. Moneycare is general financial advice by Canada’s chartered ac- countants. Anne Drozd is with ACHOS. KEROVATIONS _ BATFZROOMS and Serving You Since ’69 CABINETS eFIXTURES eTILES & FLOORING m ° VANITY CABINETS gn stocw A 153 West 3rd St., NVancouver 4th ANNUAL SUMMER INSTALL SALE Gas log sets BC Hydro Finacing & at 12%. Take advantage of our off season LABOR SALE April 15 to June 15. D fireplaces by | 1298 Marine Drive, (—o—| 987-1293 *SHOWROOM eCUSTOM DESIGN *COMPLETE INSTALLATION & RENOVATION *CULTURED MARBLE® COUNTER TOPS *SHOWER DOORS FREE ESTIMATES 987-3055 Waterford & Pacific Energy Woodstoves Custom glass doors Avoid the rush and tax! North Vancouver ‘aa L™ | PACK GF COKE FOR oF cour ron GS with the purchase of any 2 1 custom made ror L PIZZA OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 30/90 No coupon necessary. Drivers carry less than $20.00. i «» Limited delivery area. ~P 984-0300 116A W. 15th St., N.Van. Huge selection of Bedding Plants & Perennials. DYKHOF NURSERIES 98 460 Mountain Hwy. 5-19 14 (Visit us for all your gardening needs)