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Information About Our Recent Projects!

0900 Hours - Detailed siding quote complete, with the help of espresso. Issuing today. Now, off to work. What is a weekend? Looks as though my summer will be jammed. Full. Call, email or text today. Booking for mid June, onwards.

0545 Hours - Sunday, 26 April, '26... While it seems that most people (in this hemisphere) are asleep right now-including my cats-I am up and at it writing up a detailed quote for a large siding project. Its nice to see the sunrise this early, but a bright computer screen, not so much. Included is a screenshot of my Blog's html code. It's really easy to code things in once the styling and structure is there, which it is... This is directed to anyone interested in picking up any coding-related "slack" for me, with compensation, so I can spend my early waking hours going for a run, or making coffee, instead... I code directly from "hostinger", the hosting service, but the files can be downloaded and reuploaded so one can code remotely, from any PC, anywhere, at anytime.

42. Shed Roof - Re-doing another shed roof for a recently acquired client. All of the people I've been meeting recently have been so well-spoken, kind, and accomodating. I got rained out yesterday, and, was also rained on today. That didnt stop me from getting a good start on the shed. Will finish it all up tomorrow in order to move on to installing their storm door, recaulking a couple windows and adding some fascia/trim boards along the bottom of some deteriorating lattice! Excited to get cracking with the rest, tomorrow.

41. BMW Mechanic - For family and Friends, since I've torn my own BMW down to the frame and back, I offer mechanic services - everything from brakes to oil filter housing gaskets to driveshafts to spark plugs to prop-shafts to axles to rear differentials to basically anything besides an engine swap. Here's a few pics of my old girl...

40. John Gallagher - Thank you. Toronto Radio TV host and friend of many A-list celebrities... without you, I wouldnt be where I am today. Thank you for your faith and trust in me. During a rough period of diabetes, John Gallagher hired me to regularly mow his lawn, which eventually led to me securing a job cleaning his house. John G. was a dear friend for the short time I hung around with him and Jack Johnson-his late chocolate lab. Fun Fact - Jack Johnson, the chocolate lab, was named after the african-american HEAVYWEIGHT boxer, Jack Johnson. J.J. (the lab.) spent a night with "BOBBY ORE, #4" during a period in time in which Mr. Gallagher was very familiar with the hockey hall-of-famer, among MANY other A-List celebrities, like Brad Pitt. John Gallagher had a cornucopia of stories related to the adventures and troubles both him and Jack Johnson got into during the long 14 years Jack Johnson (the lab) lived. I loved sticking around after I mowed his lawn for a few extra minutes for plenty of very unique stories, often related to A-lister celebrities. John Gallagher originally paid me weekly to mow his unkempt lawn on Coronation Ave after I got off work from the solar/electrical/roofing company I was working for at the time. This was shortly before I was able to launch my residential contracting business. It helped spur me to self-employment. One of my first big jobs was being hired to perform a detailed but general clean of his house, as it was in disarray from his diabetes related ill-effects.
           His poor little lab was 14 and near deaths door when he called me one evening, begging me to get my wife to drive him to the hospital the following morning-my BMW was broken at the time... We dropped everything we were doing and brought him to the hospital immediately, that night. And looked after poor old jack johnson for a few days while we waited for the SPCA to bring him to John in the hospital to say his final "goodbyes"... Jack Johnson had aged quite a bit in the last few years of his life-to the point the poor old lab had ribs showing and was unable to walk properly, let alone run. John loved that dog so much he didnt have the heart to call the SPCA on him. Once John G. was admitted to the hospital, we figured it was best the SPCA allow him a final visit before euthenasia. There was no one else available to take care of Jack Johnson, and, he couldnt stand up without assitance. The night before Jack Johnson was surrendered, I went and bought $50.00 worth of Austrailian Striploin from Sobeys, seared it to blue-rare in what must of been a pound and a half of butter, and wished J.J. his farewells. He had lots of pets and ear scratches and I am not going to lie when I tell you we may have shed a tear, knowing what was coming. J.J. visitied John G. in hospital the following day via the SPCA staff, and was then carried onto greener pastures via euthenasia, whilst a crippling diabetic ketoacidosis took hold of John. We (my wife and I) brought him coffee "hagen-daaz" ice cream and a "peanut butter burger" from "Darrells" which apparently was a Halifax classic. John was in such a rough shape, he didnt even get to take a bite of the burger. I had just started a big siding job later that week, and couldnt visit as much as I wish I could have. That was early June 2025. As far as I know, John is still in the hospital, to this day, 23 April 2026. It has been almost one year. Kenzie and I wish you well. Without the cleaning job worth thousands of dollars ("deep down cleaning" quoted 3x8 hour days at $100/hour, minimum), my business would have went under-water. The first year of operation was the hardest for ERCSHalifax as I had only a few references. Now, I have a hard time keeping a free schedule. Thank you, John. Photo of the late J.J. attached.

39. Photo Dump - Adding some images from last year. Included some of my favourite images from 2025. Among them are images of photos I took during trapping and hunting season. Trapping is a huge source of income for many Nova Scotian's. I, myself, trap Black Bear and Coyote. I eat Black Bears, tip to tail, and turn their hides into taxidermied rugs, hats, or chaps. Included is a picture of a black bear's taxidermied hide from last season. Harvested and eaten, legally. I still have some rendered bear fat in the freezer I use for cooking. Fun fact, Black Bear's taste like what they eat. The ones I shoot (over a friend's cornfield) taste almost indistinguishable to Beef. I have a buddy that goes to Newfoundland every year. He shot a Black Bear there (on a river, who was eating salmon) about 40 years ago. He hasnt shot one there since as the first one he shot, 40 years ago, tasted like the salmon it was eating... If they eat blueberries, their fat turns bluish purple, like the blueberries... They are literally what they eat...
Coyotes are a HUGE nuisance in Nova Scotia. If you think trapping and dispatching them humanely is cruel, please consider the fact that coyotes eat, on average, nine to 11 deer fawns... PER YEAR... EACH... Typically from the hindquarters forward. It isnt slow, or painless, for the poor little fawns... I, and many others, put in work annually to ensure deer have a safe habitat to frolic and eat flowers in. Not to mention, they are about as renewable as a resource as one can get, and the hides, once tanned, are much safer and better for the environment than the petroleum-based products and imitation fur that is being stocked nowadays! I trap under the authority of my trapping license and gladly will trap nuisance animals for you as well... everything from squirrels to raccoons to black bears.
Side note: I just dont have enough hours in a day to keep up with backend admin. Ill teach you to code my website free of charge, and pay you for your time, if you can pick up the slack I just cant find the time to reign in... this offer is open to anyone. Here are the images. More to follow, if I find the time...

38. Siding and Roofing weather - Hopefully. The past couple of weeks have given me hope that good weather is on the short term horizon, and, Ill soon be able to start booking in major siding and roofing projects. Thus far, I have one roof tentatively scheduled in for mid next week (todays date is 23 April 2025) but other than that, no major roofs or siding. I just havent advertised because the weather has been awful and I book up fast, and, dont want to jump the gun WRT weather conditions. Woke up today to snow and rain, 23 April 2026... Thinking about moving to Florida. I may hold off another few weeks before booking in the larger jobs that take a couple + weeks in good weather. But, I was requested by a recently acquired client to provide them with a quote for sidng, and, since I havent had time to create individual pages for each of my services as I have been so busy, I am including a project scope of what a typical siding job looks like for me. This is so all of you (the readers) can understand what type of work I like to put out... This was emailed to the recently acquired prospective siding client as an addition to multiple other invoices issued to them this week. Ideally, if my price is good enough and the timing fits their schedule, theyll hire me to side their house this spring or summer. I usually only have time for one or two big siding gigs a year between all the other things I do, and, this would be the first of two... Book today!

37. Invoices - I reckon I need a buddy or a friend who I can count on to write up invoices and tailor them to clients. Along with someone to clean up all my garbage for each job I do. I wish I had more legs and arms! I just cant find the time in a day sometimes to get everything done! Heres an invoice I just had to draft while eating dinner with the other hand-sensitive info has been redacted. This is only one of three for this prospective client! They are all to be delivered tomorrow. And tomorrow is already booked full! Busy busy busy. Sometimes, I take a step back and wonder how I have time to breathe! Accepting offers for an administrative assistant! Or maybe I should try and convince the wife... through flowers and chocolates and more flowers and "mozza sticks" and pizza and more flowers... And did I mention, flowers? Ha ha ha!

36. Coding from an iphone - If you've never written HTML or CSS code from an iPhone, dont start. It's awful. Spent half an hour yesterday (20 Apr 2026) adding number 35 and its respective images. Forgot my laptop and was away from home for the evening. Definitely wont forget my laptop ever again, as that should've only taken five minutes-not thirty

35. Shed Roof - Re-doing a shed roof as part of a larger project for an existing, hospitable and kind couple/client. Just re-did the sheathing and decking on the first half of the shed last week. That warranted the replacement of the other, larger half as well! It was 35+ years old, and despite having no drip edge on the gables, and no underlayment, along with a very low slope, the decking was in GREAT condition, all considering. There was some moisture along the ends where it met the fascia and rake, but not enough exposure to justify decking replacement. I was honestly shocked when tearing up the shingles to find absolutely no major wood decay, especially where the smaller portion of the shed was rotted right through. Weird! Anyways, crunched out the low slope in a day! Full ice guard, new fascia on one side along gable, and, roofing paper all over. Charcoal shingles to match the small side, and matching ridge cap. This was a good project!

34. Maple Mosaic Parquet Floor Refinishing - I had the pleasure of working with one of the most beautiful five finger mosaic maple parquet floors. But first, dust containment; Using heavy tarps and "easy off" tape, I ensured that the parts of the house not being refinished were safely and properly sectioned off, allowing the home owner to continue to use ammenities that werent part of the refinishing process. The scope was to sand and refinish. Some of it was previously stained, after sanding, its safe to say I myself much prefer the look of the maple without stain. Maple has to be my favourite wood species.

33. Partial Shed rebuild - reusing the existing vinyl siding, I had to replace some water-damaged sheetwood on the floors, roof, and walls of an existing shed. Included new drip edge, shingleS, underlayment, ply flooring, and sheathing basically everywhere. We added tyvek and flashing tape to all walls to ensure a much more watertight seal for future prevention of any leaks or water intrusion.

32. Sink Plumbing - Recently installed a vanity, and, being slightly larger than the one removed, I needed to extend the piping past the p trap to accomodate the new outflow location from the sink. I was then able to install the new brass faucet and braided stainless supply lines. April 2026

31. Re-listed my property for sale as the previous prospective buyer turned out to be blatently disrepsectful and I would rather him keep the $11,000.00 and brand new CFMoto 600cc Four wheeler ($8000.00 value) he offered to trade in return for the property. After shaking on a deal in person and having it in writing, he made ludicrous demands and showed no willingness to verbally respect me. I refuted the sale on these grounds as I wouldnt want to live or build next to someone like that. My build is happening 2 lots away from the one I am selling, and Id rather not sell at all if the buyer is as disrespectful as he was.

    Here is a link to the new advertisement... CLICK HERE TO VIEW NEW AD
        I will accept 17,750.00CAD ($750.00 less than asking price) if APS is arranged and signed before 15 Apr 2026

30. Finishing up my building plan submission for the house build I am undertaking this year. Only "subbing" out plumbing and electrical/solar... just have to include updated R values for my floor, walls and ceiling, and, need an engineer to approve my pier foundation. Excited to get the machine rented to get in there and excavate!

29. Re-hung some cabinets for a client - they were quoted $8000.00 to rebuild by one local business owner, and $4000+tax by another. My quote to rebuild came in at just under $3000.00, taxes in - I dont know how they came up with $8000.00... The materials (3/4 maple plywood) fell just short of $1100.00.. and the job was not labour intensive. The cabinets had fallen, and we have temporarily supported them with three way corner brackets (client supplied) as we determine whether or not the rebuild is necessary, as the corner brackets have given them the strength they need to not spontaneously fall, again.

28. Demolished an attached deck for a new client - we had originally intended to re-use the ledger board for the new build, but, that will have to go as well as it is quite decayed. It hasnt done poorly, though, as the deck was over three decades old. Client breathed a sigh of relief after the demo was complete, as previously, they were worried it would take part of the house with it-if it fell during a big gust of wind. March 2026

27. ATV Shed Planning and Framing - began framing a shed for a 1000lb atv using 2x8" @ 16" oc and 3/4" treated ply for subfloor. Approx total load will be 1500lbs including gear and tools and fuel, and approx load of the vehicle itself is 250lbs per tire/sqft) March 2026

26. Vanity removal + new install - Old vanity to be removed along with sink and faucet. Upon removal and inspection of plumbing, hose clamps holding the piping past the p-trap were determined to be improperly fastnened, so, that was ammended. New vanity to be installed, and sink added. New fitment incorrect for old plumbing, pipe to be reamed and re glued at correct length to match the new vanity drain. March 2026

25. Custom Shelves - Custom Shelves with wooden hangers as part of a larger project I am working on. March, 2026

24. Land Clearing - cutting a few trees and clearing some area of scrub and vegetation on a property in order to build a shed. Next, the excavator rental-when the spring thaw is through. March, 2026

23. Bathroom Ceiling Remodel - After some light demo, and additions to the framing, I can hang and finish the newly installed moisture resistant drywall. I will also be re-painting the walls as well! March, 2026

22. Property for Sale - Owing to recent developments-in the lives of my wife and I-we have decided to list one of our properties for sale. Click here to view the posted listing on Facebook 28 Feb 2026

21. New Drywall - Drywalling a room. Some light demo, and, all new walls and paint! 15 Feb 2025

20. Entryway Tiles - Cutting some entryway tiles for a new marble-style, tile landing inside a front door. Approximately 6x6'. 12 Feb 2026

19. Bench - In between stints of work at the computer trying to get the woodworking page ecommerce up and running, I have found the time to be able to cut, paint, and stain a simple, small, hallway bench! Its gonna have to dry overnight in the paint studio-our livingroom. 10 Feb 2026

18. End Tables - Making three end tables today. Cutting all the wood outside is for sure "BRRRR!" 09 Feb 2026

17. Fascia - Replaced a fascia board for a recently-new client. In doing so, discovered the soffit was rotted and replaced that as well. 07 Feb 2026

16. Website Fixes - A few, small additions were made. Also, some fixes for mobile devices integrated... to be continued... an ongoing battle! 06 Feb 2026

15. Door Knocking - Big jobs are hard to find in the winter. I would absolutely LOVE to find someone who needs a lot of tiles, drywall or paint in their house right now!!! 05 Feb 2026

14. Business Cards - YES! Ready by tomorrow eve. It has taken a while! (04 Feb 2026)

13. Taxes - Did my taxes early. Lets just say I will be working overtime and weekends for the time being. (04 Feb 2026)

12. Follow-Ups - Following up with some leads. Looking to start my next project immediately! (04 Feb 2026)

11. Website Additions - Figuring out how to implement payment processor and shopping cart. Bug fixes. (04 Feb 2026)

10. Flush Mount Live Edge Table - Flush-mount live edge table was requested and completed, exceeding client standards! (31 Jan 2026)

9. Full Website Launch - We are now indefinitely live at ercshalifax.com (21 Jan 2026)

8. Follow-Ups and Lead Generation - It's that time of year! Winter has been great for building leads and meeting new people! (16 Jan 2026)

7. Web Hosting, Domain, and Launch - Purchase webhosting with "Hostinger" and the experience is great. Soft launching the website in order to ensure functionality, first. (16 Jan 2026)

6. Tile Job - Small tile patch job for an awesome new person I met this winter! (16 Jan 2026)

5. Website Bug Fixes before launch - New Code Added! (12 Jan 2026)

4, Lead Generation - I need some work for February so its time to source some leads. Inside work is definitely preferred in the winter...(06 Jan 2026)

3. Custom Dining Table - Contracted to create a custom dining room table for a friend of my wife. (06 Jan 2026)

2. Custom bench(es) - The rains yesterday impeded construction. Back at it today! (06 Jan 2026)

1. Website Created - The basis and bulk of the website was coded, with images and styling added. Now, final touches and confirmation of PHP and Javascript function with software developing engine. (06 Jan 2026)