Quartermaster Blog

The bad news: Toronto's in for a wet, storm-interrupted summer. Most years your big worry is keeping cool, but this year it's keeping water out. Here's how to tell if your basement is at higher risk for flooding or mould, what it costs if you ignore it, and the mostly cheap fixes that head off the damage.

In Toronto, you usually need a City permit to cut down a tree, even your own tree on your own property, once the trunk hits 30 cm across. Most homeowners don't find that out until they're mid-project, when the mistakes turn expensive: fines, months of delay, a neighbour who stops speaking to you. Three Toronto arborists walk through the four assumptions that cause the most grief, the permit process nobody warns you about, and the one job you can still do without a permit.

Rain you can mostly plan for. Wind is the part that catches people out, and around here the first casualty is usually a tree. Most of what protects your house costs very little and takes an afternoon, the trick is doing it at the right time.

Scratching above the bedroom ceiling at five in the morning, or the heavier shuffle of something pacing the eaves at dusk. Two common assumptions about getting rid of squirrels or raccoons in an attic can both lead you wrong. A Toronto wildlife removal guide to timing, DIY pitfalls, and the part most homeowners underestimate.

Door-to-door home service scams ramp up every spring, and they follow a familiar playbook. Pressure tactics, cash-first demands, and urgent safety claims are designed to get you to act before you think. Here's what to watch for, how to vet anyone you hire, and what Ontario law lets you do if you've already signed something.

Another stretch of heat is coming, and your air conditioner may not be ready. Two GTA contractors break down the simple maintenance any homeowner can do, the DIY mistakes that end up costing far more than a service call, and the warning signs that mean you should pick up the phone today.