Ever wonder who is behind the name Sunlight Heritage Homes?  How did Sunlight get started?

Well over 25 years ago Manuel Ribeiro decided to build his own home in Cambridge.  Many family and friends were impressed with the quality of workmanship that he had put into his home. Knowing that he could build homes with the same quality and workmanship that he had put into his own home, he started the process to start his own building company. In 1988 he started the company that is now known today as Sunlight Heritage Homes.

We believe that being a family run business enables us to monitor and manage every aspect and process of your new home. Keeping the building of new homes in the family allows us to maintain a low overhead so the homes can be built at the best possible prices, without compromising the quality and building materials we use giving new home owners more quality for their money is important to us.

Today Manuel’s son, Wilson Ribeiro, the President of Sunlight runs the company.  His passion and dedication have been able to grow the company and successfully continue building quality custom homes for you.  His creative ideas helped create the home of Sunlight and our Design Centre now located at 419 Fountain St S, Cambridge. Chris Ribeiro, the youngest of the sons runs our sites as site supervisor.  Don’t let his young age fool you, Chris knows everything and anything you need to know when it comes to building a home.  On site, he ensures your home will be built exactly how it should be.

Although they are not family by blood, the office and site staff are definitely apart of the Sunlight Family.  With their loyalty and hard work, they all contribute to make your dream home become a reality.

Joe Braga has been with the company for 11 years.  He is our after sales customer service representative.  He brings a great energy and kind heartiness to our team.  His caring personality reflects in his work.  His contagious smile will be sure to lighten up your day.

Lilly Cordeiro has been working for the Ribeiro family for over 10 years.  She has been with Sunlight Homes for about 4 years.  Lilly is our Customer Service Coordinator, Social Media Manager and Decor Consultant. Her loyalty to the company shows in her work and treats every homeowner as if they were apart of the family.

Svetlana Taran has been with us for 5 years and is the financial account manager for Sunlight.  However she has 12 years experience in the financial field.  Svetlana moved from Russia to Canada in 2000 and has been a great asset to the company.

Philip Coelho although is quite new to the company, has been with us for a year and a half.  He moved here from Europe.  He is a great addition and perfect balance to our office atmosphere.  With a degree in spacial design, he is able to re work plans and visualize your requests and provide ideas that not everyone would typically think of.

Hopefully this helps you understand Sunlight Heritage Homes a little better.  Truly our homes are built from our family to yours.  We welcome every single home owner into the family.

Lilly Cordeiro

Sunlight Heritage Homes.

With this cold weather not wanting to go anywhere.  Vacations are being booked by the minute!   You may not know that while busy prepping yourself and family for your vacation, you should also be preparing your home as well.  If you’re lucky enough to have a good friend who will house sit for you, bonus! But if not, you should check out these tips to give you some peace of mind.

Lights On​

One way people know that there’s no one at home is the fact that the lights haven’t been turned on for days. This is an easy fix. Take a trip to your hardware store and get some timers for your lights.  Set these times to go off accord you tour schedule.  Nothing scares the bad guys away like light!

Lock It Up

​​While you may double check that you’ve locked the front door three times, did you check the back door?  And what about all of your windows? Make sure you set aside 15 minutes before you leave to check that all of the possible entry points to your home are locked up tight.  One more important tip, if you have a secret hiding place for that spare key.

Time to Unplug

Your vacation is a time to relax and unplug from the world, this is something that you should do at home before you leave as well.  If you aren’t using it, do not leave it plugged in. We’re talking about things like your toaster and other small appliances, your television and your computer. If it’s plugged in then there is a small amount of energy running to it. And that’s just a waste.

Cold Weather Situation

Winter months seem to be the most popular time to get away.  Who wouldn’t want to?  Freezing, Ice and Wind Chill or Heat, Sunshine and Mojitos! Just because you are away soaking up those ray don’t forget that back home if you don’t keep your temperature just right.  Pipes can begin to freeze and cause problems for when you return, and that’s the last thing anyone want.  Please be sure to keep your thermostat to at least 17 degrees and you will be all good.

We hope these tips will help you out the next vacation you plan on taking! Enjoy 🙂

Lilly Cordeiro

Sunlight Heritage Homes

It had completely slipped my mind to update everyone with our before and after photos of our big renovation.  Turning Historic Flower Shop G’melins Flowers to Sunlight Heritage Homes.  I had previously shared in an early post the design center reveal, however forgot about our office side.

The transformation is pretty amazing.  The thought that went into this was immaculately designed.  Combining Owner/Builder Wilson Ribeiro’s years of experience and keen eye for envisioning the end result and Philip Coelho’s creative design background.  They managed to create a pretty amazing structure, that flows from the moment you enter the building to the moment you exit.  With my passion for design and decorating, choosing paint colors, window treatments and accessories was my favorite part of it all.

Breaking down walls was a must to accomplish an open concept look.  With space being limited, incorporating glass walls really helped with the open concept feel.  Wanting to keep with Sunlight’s roots we incorporated wood elements throughout the office, bringing the outdoors in.  Home Building is where our passion is and you can see that its included throughout the design.  From design elements to wall accessories.  Custom appliques were designed for some privacy for each individual office.  This doesn’t make anything soundproof but we are fine with that, here at Sunlight Homes we are one small happy family and couldn’t be happier with the turnout.

BEFORE RENO

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DURING RENO   

AFTER RENO

I hope you enjoyed the reveal as much as we love it!!

Lilly Cordeiro- Sunlight Heritage Homes

As the temperatures rise during these summer months remember that energy efficiency can keep you cool while saving money!

Did you know that the average Canadian household will spend about $2500 on home energy this year.

Here are some money saving tips.

1. Wash Clothes in cold water, this can save you $75 a year.

2. Install a programmable thermostat this can save you up to 10% on cooling and heating costs.

3. Use your window coverings, Closing your blinds or drapes on the sunny side in the summer to keep out the hot sun and open them in the winter to bring in the warmer rays.

4. Turn off all lights, when your not using them turning off the lights and electronics.

5. Change your lightbulbs, replacing your bulbs to energy-efficient ones you can help reduce energy use as much as 80%.

6. Look for the energy star label.  This symbol of energy efficiency are on a wide range of products that can save you up to 30% on related electricity bills.

7. Low flow faucets and shower heads- this will help you save on your water bills.

8. Change your filters, having a dirty furnace or A/C filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you cool or warm.

9. Reduce your water heater temperature to 130 F- this will save you money on heating water.  You can also wrap the water storage tank in a specially designed ‘ blanket’ to retain the heat.

10. Seal air leaks- to save you up to 20% on heating and cooling bills.

We hope you enjoyed this months blog on Home Energy Saving Tips!

Lilly Cordeiro

Sunlight Heritage Homes

There are tons of options when it comes to these elements.  Depending on your climate, a fireplace might be a great way to add warmth and interest to your living space.  There are many options to choose from, so be sure to check all of your options before purchasing.  A wood-burning fireplace gives an authentic experience, with enhancing your senses of smell and hearing with the natural soothing crackling.  Though a gas fireplace still provides heat without the mess and or smell.  A double-sided or corner unit can differentiate from the everyday fireplace.  You can also go with a wood stove fireplace if you’re looking for a piece of art. If you want a contemporary touch, veer away from the traditional wood or tile mantel by going with stone, concrete or metal instead.

You can also update a dated brick fireplace very easily, with some fresh paint.  It’s inexpensive and can transform a space tremendously.  You can also add a fresh new mantle, this can also update a fireplace that you aren’t quite sure what to do with.

Take a look at some of my favorite fireplace looks below.  Let me know if you are thinking of updating a dated brick fireplace.  Or installing a fresh new one, to update your space.  Photos of how your DIY Projects turn out, before and after pics are great too!  We love to see all of your ideas.

Contemporary Family Room by Alexandria Interior Designers & Decorators InDesign / Lori Ludwick

Farmhouse Family Room by Brooklyn Architects & Designers Paul Rice Architecturehttp://

Craftsman Living Room by Austin General Contractors Avenue B Developmenthttp://

Contemporary Living Room by Dallas Interior Designers & Decorators Carolina V. Gentry, RIDhttp://

Traditional Living Room by Nashville Interior Designers & Decorators Kristie Barnett, The Decorologisthttp://

Traditional Living Room by Dallas Media & Bloggers Sarah Greenmanhttp://

Contemporary Dining Room by Portland Interior Designers & Decorators Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Traditional Living Room by Beaufort Architects & Designers Allison Ramsey Architectshttp://

Traditional Family Room by Frederick Interior Designers & Decorators Meredith Ericksenhttp://

Traditional Living Room by Newport Beach Interior Designers & Decorators Kim Woodshttp://

Traditional Living Room by Millbrook Architects & Designers Crisp Architects

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Contemporary Living Room by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators NICOLEHOLLIS

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Modern Living Room by Tucson Architects & Designers Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

Rustic Bedroom

Contemporary Living Room by Boston Interior Designers & Decorators Terrat Elms Interior Design

Modern Living Room by Vernon General Contractors Sunterra Custom Homes

Transitional Dining Room by San Francisco Architects & Designers John Lum Architecture, Inc. AIA

Traditional Family Room by Delta Design-Build Firms Kenorah Construction & Design Ltd

Eclectic Living Room by Nashville Interior Designers & Decorators Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist

Lilly Cordeiro

Sunlight Heritage Homes

We often have several questions when it comes to water heaters.  Which is better buying VS renting? This weeks blog posting we had a guest blogger, Chris Bruer from Priority Mechanical Services Ltd.   He came up with great valid tips and points to help you decide what the best decision is for you.

Water Heaters – Rent vs Own (the pros and cons)

When it comes to water heaters, home owners often ask us the question, “which is better, rent or own?”.  This question is tough to answer definitively as there are valid arguments on both sides. However, as we install and service both, we can outline the pros and cons to help prospective buyers make their decision.

First, let’s look at renting.

The main reason most people go with a rental unit is to avoid paying the entire cost of the water heater and install up front. Instead, the cost gets spread out over years. The second reason people rent is because if there are issues with the unit, in most cases there are no charges for service calls.

However, many home owners have had very bad experiences with other water heater rental companies for some of the following reasons. Firstly, and most commonly, many people do not like being locked in to the “lifetime” contract that requires monthly payments that increase 6-8%/year. These contracts can be difficult to get out of, and if you do, the price is often so high that it makes more sense to stay with the rental. Although recent actions by Canada’s Competition Bureau may have changed some of these companies’ practices, their history of making it difficult to exit contracts has included:

• a requirement to call to obtain authorization to return a rented water heater;
• aggressive retention tactics during these calls;
• restrictions on when and where water heaters can be returned; and
• unwarranted fees and charges.

Add to this that purchasing a home with a rented water heater assumes the new home owner has agreed to the contract upon payment of the first bill, and, overseas call centres, and you have some unhappy customers.

On average, the cost of renting a water heater over its’ lifetime is 33% more than owning.

Now let’s look at owning.

The cost of purchasing and installing a new water heater with a licensed professional, ranges from approximately $1,000 (electric) through $2,500 (high-efficiency, power-vented gas), to $3,500 (high-efficiency tankless). The home owner has the option to shop around for the lowest unit and install price.

In many cases, the break-even point, in comparison with rental units, is around 6 years. Assuming there are no issues during this time, the purchase and install cost would equal what would have been paid for a rental unit. Since the average lifespan of a water heater is around 10 years (though they can sometimes last as long as 20), at this point home owners could consider themselves “home free”.

The down side, of course, is that on top of the unit and install cost, should anything go wrong with the water heater, the home owner is now responsible for paying to fix it. In general, most water heaters have a six-year limited warranty that covers parts. This does not, however, cover the $100-$300 (min.) labour that the average service call costs.

The bottom line is that there will always be people who prefer one method over the other. Either way, be sure you have done your due diligence and researched your options fully. Whichever way you decide to go, Rent, Own, Tank, Tankless, Gas, Electric, you can be sure that Priority Mechanical Services will be there to help you.

Water Heaters – Rent vs Own (Pros/Cons)

When it comes to water heaters, home owners often ask us the question, “which is better, rent or own?”.  This question is tough to answer definitively as there are valid arguments on both sides. However, as we install and service both, we can outline the pros and cons to help prospective buyers make their decision.

Renting

Pros

• No up-front costs (Low Monthly       charges)
• Rental company responsible to       cover most maintenance and repair costs

Cons

• Locked in to contract
• Monthly payments increase       yearly
• Difficult to break out of       contract
• 33% more than owning over       water heater life

Owning

Pros

• No contract
• No monthly charges
• Greater choice of units and       service providers
• 33% less than renting over water       heater life

Cons

• High up-front cost for unit       and install
• Owner responsible to cover all       maintenance and repair costs

The bottom line is that there will always be people who prefer one method over the other. Either way, be sure you have done your due diligence and researched your options fully. Whichever way you decide to go, Rent, Own, Tank, Tankless, Gas, Electric, you can be sure that Priority Mechanical Services will be there to help you.

Ceilings.  The most often forgotten surface of a room.  There are so many options that you can incorporate into your home when it comes to ceiling treatments.  Beams, metallic metal tiles, moldings, wood paneling and even wallpaper or paint for a less expensive option.

Below are a variety of different looks and impacts you can add to a space by working with the ceiling of a room.

Traditional Dining Room by Nashville Interior Designers & Decorators Jason Arnold Interiorshttp://

Eclectic Kitchen by Tampa Photographers Mina Brinkey

Transitional Living Room by Los Angeles Interior Designers & Decorators Elizabeth Gordon

Eclectic Dining Room by San Francisco Photographers Ed Ritger Photographyhttp://

Traditional Home Office by Albertson General Contractors Prestige Custom Building & Construction, Inc.

Modern Basement by Cincinnati Architects & Designers Ryan Duebber Architect, LLC

Contemporary Bedroom by Littleton Interior Designers & Decorators Shawna Jaramillo

Traditional Family Room by Madison Interior Designers & Decorators Julians Interiors

Eclectic Bathroom by Boise Interior Designers & Decorators Simply Grove

Traditional Kitchen by Denver Kitchen & Bath Designers Angela Otten; WmOhs Showrooms Inc

Traditional Dining Room by Minneapolis Photographers Spacecrafting / Architectural Photography

Rustic Kitchen by Danbury General Contractors Blansfield Builders, Inc.

Eclectic Dining Room by Miami Interior Designers & Decorators DKOR Interiors Inc.- Interior Designers http://

Traditional Kitchen by Indianapolis Tile, Stone & Countertops SANTAROSSA MOSAIC & TILE CO INChttp://

Traditional Kids by Blacksburg Kitchen & Bath Remodelers Ewing Cabinet Companyhttp://

Contemporary Bedroom by Naples Interior Designers & Decorators Romanza Interior Design

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 Eclectic Bedroom by Los Angeles Photographers Alex Amend Photographyhttp://

 

 

Traditional Dining Room by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Twist Interior Design

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Contemporary Living Room by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Green Couch Interior Design

 

Lilly Cordeiro, Sunlight Heritage Homes

Décor Consultant

This weeks posting I decided to talk about crown molding and trim.  There are 8 must know elements when it comes to interior trim.  Base, Chair Rail, Wainscot, Window Casing, Door Casing, Picture Rail, Plate Rail, Crown Molding.  Each is designed for a specific purpose—framing a door, for example, or providing a visual transition at the junction of walls and flooring.  So many types of molding decorate our homes today, it’s often difficult to distinguish them.  The options are endless and by incorporating paint you can achieve multiple different looks.  Here at Sunlight Homes we offer all sorts of decorative trim that is available to you.  You can create very bold and unique rooms with these options.  Incorporating trim into a space can help you achieve the custom look you want for your homes.  Also, it adds loads of character to a space.

Below are my favorite ways that crown moldings, wall moldings trims were used.  Let us know which look is your favorite.  There are far too many for me to choose.

Contemporary Living Room by Mill Valley Architects & Designers Sutton Suzuki Architects

Contemporary Living Room by London Interior Designers & Decorators The Room Company

Contemporary Bedroom

Traditional Living Room by San Francisco Architects & Designers Sutro Architects

Contemporary Home Office by Miami Architects & Designers Lighthouse Interiors

Contemporary Spaces by Austin Architects & Designers Linfield Design Associates

Traditional Dining Room by Weston Interior Designers & Decorators Myriam Payne

Contemporary Bedroom by Saskatoon Interior Designers & Decorators Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.http://

Eclectic Living Room by Bethesda Photographers Maxine Schnitzer Photography

Transitional Bedroom by Chicago Interior Designers & Decorators Mary Cook

Traditional Kids by Cleveland Interior Designers & Decorators Reflections Interior Designhttp://

Contemporary Living Room by Boston Photographers Mary Prince

Contemporary Kids by Dallas Interior Designers & Decorators RN Interior Design

Traditional Staircase by Knoxville Interior Designers & Decorators Stacy Jacobi

Traditional Bedroom by Montreal Photographers Leona Mozes Photography

Eclectic Dining Room by Cambridge Architects & Designers LDa Architecture & Interiors

Contemporary Dining Room by Wappingers Falls Interior Designers & Decorators Helen Piteo Interiors,

Lilly Cordeiro, Décor Consultant—Sunlight Heritage Homes