Decks, Patios, Screened-In Porches and Pergolas
When it comes to creating your ideal outdoor living space, it is important that you consider how you – and your family – like to enjoy the outdoors. Some love the heat and can’t get enough sunshine, while others wish to be shaded and comfortable. Outdoor living really is an extension of your home, and it is our goal to help you get a space you’ll actually enjoy.
Here are a few ideas for creating your ideal outdoor living space.
Treated lumber decks are a good option for those looking to define an outdoor living space, as it has low upfront cost. Lumber can be stained or painted to match (or contrast) your home, and a deck is a great place to stick a grill and outdoor table to enjoy a barbeque. One drawback to treated lumber decks, however, is that regular maintenance is required. They must be washed, stained and water-treated regularly to keep the boards from warping and splintering.
Composite decking material, such as Azek, is relatively low-maintenance and is resistant to mold and algae growth, which makes it ideal for high-moisture areas. It comes in a wide variety of color choices, which makes it an attractive option. Many homeowners choose a main decking color and then an accent color for the railing – to give their deck more character. Sometimes, acrylic glass railing is also used, particularly when the homeowner wants an unobstructed view of their backyard.
Patios can be located anywhere in your yard but are typically located adjacent to your home. Concrete, stamped concrete, pavers or bricks can all be used to create this space; however, pavers and bricks can be a bit more maintenance as they can shift out of place and become uneven. Outdoor patio areas often include fire pits, outdoor kitchens and even tranquil water gardens.
Screened-in porches and decks are a great solution if you are looking to create an outdoor space that is protected from the elements (and bugs). While some screened-in porches are rather simple, because this space is protected from the weather, homeowners can feel comfortable incorporating fireplaces, televisions and audio systems into this area -for a truly relaxing outdoor living experience. Panels come in a variety of style options, and you can also choose a partially screened panel – where the bottom is solid – to give the space a bit more privacy.
Pergolas are another option for an inviting outdoor living space. They can be built from vinyl or wood, and while wooden pergolas do require more maintenance, many homeowners prefer their classy look. Pergolas provide a partially-shaded canopy to enjoy your outdoor space, and you’ll often find interesting climbing vines, such as wisteria, planted around the pergola.
For more outdoor living inspiration, take a look at our photos on Houzz!
Weekly News Roundup – November 15th
We’d like to provide you an opportunity to browse some current home design, real estate news, and building / remodeling articles by bringing you a few each week that we think might be useful, informative and entertaining. Enjoy!
MSN Real Estate provides an insightful article into some home maintenance musts as winter approaches
A Houzz.com article gives some inspiration and direction on selecting a countertop and backsplash
This interesting Yahoo.com feature highlights a few stories of 20-somethings who debated between renting a home or buying new
Enjoy this unique picture collage of Bathrooms from Dwell.com – you’ll be sure to get some “out of the box” ideas!
A Truly Custom Experience, Sub-Contractors
When building a home or undertaking a remodeling project, you expect to have to make a variety of decisions. From design to finished detail and everything in between, the design/build process is one that comes with many selections, and from there, choices of what fits your lifestyle, tastes and budget are made.
But what might be surprising to you is that when our customers build or remodel with us, they also have an additional choice:
They have the freedom to use subcontractors that they have an existing relationship with – instead of ours.
Recommending your subs
Most people are amazed to discover that we “allow” our customers to work with subcontractors they know and recommend because many other builders and remodelers don’t. While we certainly see the rationality behind why other builders will only work with specific subcontractors, we, on the other hand, see this customized construction experience from another perspective – through our customers’ eyes.
- For starters, while we may be the builder, building or remodeling a home isn’t about us; it is about what our customers want for their home. Often, our customers have spent years dreaming about their perfect home, and they have chosen us to help facilitate that process. The people who choose to build or remodel with us are trusting us to listen to and design the home they have in mind. They are confident in our skills to be able to deliver their home in a safe and timely manner and make it an enjoyable experience.
- Secondly, by “allowing” new-to-us subcontractors to work on your home, we recognize that you are verifying that the sub is legitimate and understands his craft. We know that you would not want a subcontractor working on your home that you did not trust.
- Additionally, we fully recognize that there are many outstanding subcontractors in our area, and often we’ve even heard of these folks. We recently completed projects where one homeowner had an existing relationship with an excavator and another homeowner’s brother-in-law was a superb drywaller. And even though the subcontractors were new-to-us, both projects went just fine.
Timing is Everything
When working with a customer-recommended subcontractor, our biggest concern is timing of the project. We’ve made a commitment to you, our customer, that we will deliver your home by a particular date. What we have found is that professional subcontractors understand this, and they, too, want to adhere to the schedule and give the homeowner an amazing construction experience.
For all of these reasons, this is why we don’t shy away from using new-to-us subcontractors. In the end, our customers are the ones who need to be comfortable, and it is up to us to deliver an experience that is pleasant and memorable.
Be “Green” around your Home – Conserve Water
With all the
talk out there of “Going Green” or “Being Green” we’d like to offer you some practical tips on how to be more sustainable or “green” in your home.
Conserve water at your home – Here are a few helpful water conservation tips from the American Water Works Association.
- Use the Shower. A Five minute shower = 10-25 gallons of water; A full bathtub = 70 gallons
- Check for drips at faucets
- Only run your dishwasher when it is full
- Replace your old clothes washer with a high efficiency machine that can save up to 12-15 gallons per load
Is now a good time to build a home?
“NOW…is a great time to build” – Dan Metzler, President of Metzler Home Builders.
We have already seen some positive signs in the home building industry in the early weeks of 2012. Many in the industry could be described as “cautiously optimistic” regarding this slow recovery in new home construction. There are some definite signs of increased activity, and with that comes reason to believe that some of the best advantages of building a new home now could be changing in the near future. Here are 4 reasons that NOW is a great time to build.
- Interest Rates – Rates for a 30 year fixed mortgage are currently around 4.0%, and for a 15 year fixed are under 3.5%. Interest rates seem to keep drop-
ping lower and lower…but eventually they will come back up. If you are waiting to see if they drop even lower, you are better off taking advantage of these historically low rates now and eliminating the risk of waiting too long. - Cost of Construction Labor & Materials – The prices we are seeing from sub-contractors and suppliers are extremely competitive. Many contractors are willing to bid their services very competitively so they can keep their crews busy. The cost of building materials has been low also, but we are starting to see price increases. As our industry continues to recover (which we are already seeing signs in early 2012) the pricing on labor and materials will gradually creep up. Now is a great time to build your dream home and take advantage of these competitive prices in labor & materials that are sure to increase.
- Quality of Contractors – Builders and sub-contractors who have made it through the recession must be doing something right. A recession will weed out those businesses that are not providing a quality product or service no matter what the industry; the construction industry is no different. You can be assured, now more than ever, that most contractors out there are providing a quality product at a fair price, and have been for a long time.
- Building New vs. Buying Existing – You might be aware that in our current real estate market, you can purchase an existing home for noticeably cheaper than a new home with similar features and comparable size. Is this the only factor that matters when comparing building a new home to buying an existing one? As a builder of new custom homes we might be a little biased, but here are a few things to consider.
*New homes are more energy efficient; they will save you money by using less energy, sometimes significantly less than older existing homes.
*A new custom home will be exactly what you want! You may find an existing house that has most of what you are looking for, but you will still have to make some changes to get things exactly the way you want it. You can save the money of renovating or updating, and put it toward building your new home.
*New homes have warranties. Even if the builder does not provide a warranty, many products have homeowner warranties. At Metzler Home Builders, we provide a full 1 year warranty and service your home at your convenience for things that may come up during that first year and beyond.
These are just a few things to consider if you are considering building in the near future but are unsure of the best timing. NOW, really is a great time to build!
Fall Home Maintenance #3
Turning off your outdoor faucets sounds simple enough, but each fall many homeowners forget or neglect to winterize the faucets on the outside of their homes. This can be a costly mistake, potentially costing hundreds of dollars in repairs. Water can stay trapped in the pipe behind the faucet and freeze in the cold weather, causing pipes to crack or burst.
The first step to prevent this from happening is to locate each outdoor faucet on your home. Next, you will want to determine the style of your faucet(s). Newer models are generally frost proof. If this is the style of faucet on your home, winterizing is as easy as disconnecting any hoses and turning the water off. In these frost proof models, the valve is located well behind the faucet itself so the flow of water is stopped on the inside of your home. (See picture below)
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f you determine that your faucet is not a frost proof model, you will need to locate shut-off valves that should be installed in your basement leading to your outdoor faucets. You will need to turn these valves off to cut off the water supply to the faucet. Next, you should open the faucet outside and allow the water between the shut-off valve and the faucet to drain out. It is important to note that although all the water may not drain out, as long as the pipe is not full, the remaining water should have enough room to expand without breaking the pipe.
Fall Home Maintenance #2
Sitting in front of your fireplace is most likely one of your favorite places to be as the cold weather sets in. Now is a great time to be thinking about the maintenance of your fireplace and chimney so it is giving off that heat and creating the warmth you need this winter.
Here is a recommended maintenance list for your wood burning fireplace:
1. Clean out any old ashes and soot left from previous burning. Go green and use the ashes in your compost. They are a welcome addition to any compost pile.
2. Clean stains off the glass doors of your fireplace. Only clean the glass when it is cool. One option is to use a cup of vinegar in a gallon of water, apply the solution with a sponge, and wipe clean with newspaper.
3. Be sure to do a chimney sweep and cleaning as necessary. Hire a certified chimney sweep. It is recommended to have this done annually to catch problems before they create a need for expensive repairs.
4. While thinking of fireplaces, it’s a great time of year to make sure your smoke detectors are in working order. Make it a habit to change the batteries on your smoke detectors as you turn back the clocks for daylight savings time every year. (This Saturday, November 5, don’t forget!) Also remember to clean around your smoke detectors as excess dust can cause the alarm to go off. Using a soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner should do the trick.
Fall Home Maintenance
Home ownership is a great thing; with it, however, comes lots of responsibility. Often these responsibilities, such as regular maintenance of your home, can be overwhelming and un-exciting. Metzler Home Builders would like to help you by providing some tips and guidelines to follow this fall as you consider your home’s maintenance needs. We will post a series of these maintenance guidelines over the next few weeks. Here is the first one.
Check your Gutters and downspouts
Leaves, sticks, and other debris can be a major nuisance to your gutters and downspouts. If clogged with these, rainwater can run off the roof missing your gutters and cause water to pond around your foundation during heavy rains. Take the time to inspect your gutters and clear the debris if needed. Also make sure that your downspouts are allowing the collected rainwater to drain away from the foundation of your home. If this is not the case, be sure to re-grade these areas so the water runs away from your home.