Homeowners rush to get renovation materials before tax credit deadline

Margaret Wong’s husband, Karl, is going to install a surround tub in their bathroom — but he was blissfully unaware of it when his weekend started.

His wife raced off to a Home Depot in the Edmonton area alone to buy one before the federal Home Renovation Tax Credit program ended Sunday.

"He doesn’t know he’s doing it yet, but the house is 35 years old and the tub looks terrible. And he needs to keep busy," she said this weekend with a laugh.

Wong was among hundreds of people who flocked to home renovation stores this weekend to make sure the materials for their projects would be on-site by the deadline — a requirement of the program that allows a 15 per cent tax credit to a maximum of $1,350.

Under the scheme, homeowners who hire a renovator or buy renovation materials between Jan. 27, 2009, and Feb. 1, 2010, can claim a tax credit on their 2009 federal taxes.

Homeowners must spend between $1,000 and $10,000 to qualify.

The tax credit has been incredibly popular, and the NDP has called on the Conservative government to extend the measure.

The Wongs have already replaced the kitchen cabinets and toilets with the federal program in mind, and Margaret said that hopefully the new tub will allow them to get a little bit more money back.

Mike Ellacott, assistant manager at a Home Depot store, said most of the deadline shoppers were buying materials for smaller projects they can do themselves.

"People are going for a quick hit. Kitchens and bathrooms are big, with people replacing faucets and cabinet hardware," Ellacott said.

"The paint department has been very busy because people feel comfortable tackling that kind of a job," Ellacott said.

Flooring has also been a big item, especially laminate, because it can be a do-it-yourself project, he said.

Energy-saving projects such as toilets and windows have been popular for the duration of the program, because homeowners also get a grant from the federal government under the EcoEnergy Retrofit program, Ellacott said.

"It’s great deal because you can double-dip, so why not do it now?"

Shannon Klappstein had new stairs put into the basement of her older house, and Saturday was buying paint at Home Depot to finish the project.

"We had an electrical fire so there was a lot of work to be done in the basement. The federal program has certainly been good for us."

Rona had its own program where customers submitting projects to HRTC and signing up for a Rona Visa card got an extra 10 per cent discount in the form of a gift certificate.

Customers across Canada have spent $135 million on 17,000 projects under the Rona program, an average of $8,000 per project.

"They’ve been buying anything and everything here — toilets, cabinets, drywall. It just has to be on-site by the deadline, not installed," said Edmonton store assistant manager Jay Smith.