As one of the showcase presenter's at this year's Calgary Home + Garden Show, Paul Lafrance provides a pretty good indicator of just how important the art of transforming your living space has become.

Host of HGTV's new television show Decked Out as well as the mini-series Deck Wars, and creator, owner and CEO of his own design company, Lafrance has spent the last 15 years generating state-of-the-art custom deck designs across North America.

Part of an ongoing community investment fund that will invest $252 million from 2012 to 2016, the second round of The City of Calgary's 2012 Capital Conservation Grants saw over $1.6 million allocated to 46 community associations and social recreation organizations to support more than 80 projects around the city.

"The Capital Conservation Grant assists community associations and social recreation organizations with badly needed repairs and renovations to well-loved and well-used community spaces," said Carolyn Tooth, Planning and Partnership management lead with the City of Calgary's Community and Neighbourhood Services.

With all the trappings of the big city yet still closely tied to its country roots, Airdrie presents the best of both worlds in many ways. And judging by the regularity with which homes in the city are being sold, it would appear that the homebuying public is in agreement.

According to CREB®, MLS® sales activity in Airdrie improved by nearly 23 per cent in 2012, with an unadjusted single-family benchmark home price of $336,000 in December, slightly lower than the previous month, but higher than levels recorded in 2011. The annual average benchmark price in 2012 for Airdrie totalled $334,133, a 3.6 per cent increase over 2011.

Backed by continued expansion in the energy sector and lack of available space, rents in Calgary's downtown office market saw a massive surge in 2012.

According to commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield's Office Space Across the World 2013 report, rents in the city's central core rose by nearly a third last year, and trailed only Bogata, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo for rental growth in the Americas.

Housing starts in the Calgary Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) were trending at 11,622 units in January, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The trend is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of total housing starts.

"The trend in total housing starts has been relatively stable in Calgary over the last four months, as a rising pace of single-detached construction has offset a moderation in multi-family starts," said Richard Cho CMHC's Senior Market Analyst for Calgary.

The Calgary Home + Garden Show features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing products and tips for anything and everything pertaining to home improvement and enhancement.

One local company launching at the show — looking to both improve upon and enhance local backyards — is SigmaDek. Incorporated since 2008, SigmaDek offers low maintenance and lifetime warranty deck and patio products.