Popular Deck Material and Styles for Your Backyard

You undoubtedly want to find the most appropriate material and style for your deck based on your budget and aesthetic needs before setting off to construct your dream deck. Today, homeowners have many deck options, from aluminum and composite to natural wood. That means deciding on the style or material to use on your deck could be overwhelming.

Nevertheless, the suitability of a deck style and material depends on the climate, budget, overall aesthetics, and ease of maintenance. Before starting your construction process, consider popular deck styles and materials.

Deck Materials

Some of the most popular deck materials include:

Pressure-Treated Wood

Pressure-treated wood is an economical material for a deck. While it’s been a preference for many homeowners over the years, wood has never been out of fashion. That’s why it is the most common material for deck construction. Also called PT, this material is available in different grades. Most homeowners prefer grade 2 for their deck surfaces while using higher PT grades for built-in seating and railings. The ability of this material to withstand tear and wear combined with its affordable price makes it a popular style and material for backyard decks.

Cedar or Redwood

Most people lump cedar and redwood together despite having unique pros and cons. Both cedar and redwood are softwood and higher-end options for decking compared to pressure-treated wood. This material is ideal for a person who wants their deck to look different but is worried about the budget.

However, durability and color are the primary differences between these materials. Cedar looks yellowish, while redwood comes with a reddish hue. Nevertheless, both materials get a silver look with age and remain attractive. Also, you can stain or seal your cedar or redwood deck to maintain its original color.

Exotic Woods or Ipe

Tropical hardwoods or exotic woods are an expensive choice for a deck. However, you can go for these materials and styles if you need stunning decking and your budget allows. Examples of exotic woods that you may consider are Ironwood, Pau Lope, and Ipe decking. Most people go for these materials due to their incredible durability. Some people argue that spending more money on these materials is worthwhile considering their long lifespan. For instance, pressure-treated wood can last around 10-15 years with proper maintenance. On the other hand, Ironwood can last up to 40 years.

Modified Wood

Perhaps, you like wood more than synthetics but don’t want to commit because of maintenance needs. In that case, you can go for modified timber. This material is softwood treated with a bio-based liquid that strengthens its boards. Consequently, this material creates a durable and smoother wood deck with similar characteristics to classic hardwood. This deck material has fewer maintenance requirements than regular wood, and it’s suitable for pool decking and high-traffic areas.

Deck Styles

Once you’ve chosen these deck materials, you can select any of these deck styles:

Platform
Raised
Two-story
Freestanding
Multilevel

A deck is a beautiful home addition. Talk to your builder like Deck Builders Winnipeg about these deck materials and styles to select the option that suits your budget and preference.

Giving Your Home A Facelift With New Paint

In addition to protecting your home against harsh elements, a new paint can give your house a pretty look. A fresh coat of paint can change how your home looks. It can also change how you feel about it. For instance, bold paint colours can make a vibrant statement while pastels can promote soothing and calm feelings. But, there are things you need to do in order to give your home a facelift with new paint.

Talk to a Local Painting Contractor

You don’t have to apply the new paint yourself. If you don’t have the necessary skills, time, tools, equipment, and experience, hire a painting contractor to do the job. Hiring a professional painting contractor enables you to avoid the stress of acquiring materials and tools for painting your home. The contractor is experienced and has the skills and equipment required to do an excellent job. Thus, they will apply a fresh coat of paint on your home faster than you. You will also save you money when you hire a contractor because you won’t buy the equipment and tools required to paint your home. Visit these painters Brandon MB homeowners have said offer some of the highest quality painting services.

Come up with Painting Ideas

How do you want your home to look after applying the new paint? Look at the outside and inside of your home to determine the changes you can make to enhance its overall appearance. For instance, how do you want the place where you entertain guests to look? What personality do you want to reflect with the exterior of your home? Your new paint ideas should guide you in choosing paint colours for different parts of your home.

Develop a Colour Scheme

If you have a modern home with an open floor plan, finding a cohesive colour scheme is very important. But, if you have an older home with discrete spaces, a cohesive colour scheme may not be that important. When you just want to make minor changes across your home, you can do it by choosing the right colours. You can use colour palettes as the source of ideas for different colour schemes. This will enable you to choose and match paint colours with your current décor. It’s important to ensure that the new paint results won’t clash with the existing window treatments, accessories, and furnishings. There are many websites with different colour schemes and colour scheme ideas. Use them to find a colour scheme that will work best for you.

Be Creative

In some cases, a minor change in paint colour can have a significant impact. For instance, you can rejuvenate your bathroom or kitchen with a minor paint job such as repainting your cabinets. You can take this further by decorating the door pulls. Alternatively, you can give your home a facelift by painting the doorways, window trim, and banisters. Some of these projects can be completed in a single weekend. Thus, you don’t need an entire week to give your home a facelift with a new paint job.

If ready to give your home a facelift with a new paint job but you don’t have what it takes to do the job, hire a local painting contractor.

Getting Your Furnace Repaired Or Replaced?

Are you getting your furnace repaired or replaced? Then there are factors that you need to consider. The decision to replace or repair a furnace depends on numerous factors. Common among them include the age of the heating equipment, repair cost, and the price of a more efficient furnace.

Basically, it eventually happens in every home. On a frigid morning, you realize that the thermostat won’t respond when you crank it the way you usually do. Even worse, the system can’t produce a comforting sound and warmth won’t rise from the radiators or air vents.

That’s when you hope that the problem is minor or inexpensive and quick to fix like a clogged filter or a tripped circuit breaker. However, the repair can be costly and major. In that case, it might be reasonable to consider replacing the furnace. But, before you make the decision to repair or replace the furnace do the following.

Think About Safety First

It’s important to inspect the furnace carefully to determine whether it poses a safety hazard. If yes, replacement is the best option. For instance, if the heat exchanger is cracked, the metal wall that is found between the air and burning fuel is heating. That means carbon monoxide can easily find its way into the air supply system of your home. This is something you shouldn’t risk. Nevertheless, problems like stuck valves and faulty electronics can be fixed. That means you just need to do a quick cost-benefit analysis to make an informed decision.

Consider the Lifespan of the Furnace

On average, a furnace or a forced-air system lasts for 15-20 years. Therefore, consider the duration for which the furnace has served you. In some cases the date when the furnace was installed is indicated on the equipment. If you can’t find this information, look for its metal identification plate when cool. Record its serial number and model from the plate and call the manufacturer with this information to know its lifespan. If the furnace is older than 25 years, consider replacing it.

Compare Repair and Replacement Costs

It’s also important that you consider the amount the repair and replacement of the furnace will cost you. However, bear in mind that repair might be cheaper but cost you more in the long run. Therefore, consider factors like energy efficiency of your old furnace and a new furnace. This will enable you to determine whether to repair or replace the furnace.

Generally, you should evaluate the condition of your furnace, its age, as well as the repair and replacement cost to make an informed decision. Bear in mind that spending a little extra might enable you to get a more efficient furnace that will serve you better and last longer.

Useful Tips for Brightening a Dark Room in Your Home

Do you have a dark room that feels like a cave? Then you definitely want to know how you can brighten it up. Here are advanced ideas and beginner tips for brightening up a dark room in a home.

Add White Color

Some people add mirrors to reflect light in dark rooms. However, this is a design myth. A better way to brighten up your dark room is adding white color. That’s because white is a non-hue that won’t absorb color. White color sends more light bouncing back on other surfaces. Therefore, if you need brightness, paint the ceiling and the walls of the room white. To aggressively brighten your room, add more white elements like frames, white art, white curtains, white beddings, and white furniture.

Light Walls

Adding light to the walls will brighten the edges. Therefore, even if your room has ceiling lights or pot lights, add scones whose light aims downward and upward. Powder room will feel bright even if it doesn’t have windows. When you add lights to the ceiling, place them closer to walls so that they can cast more light down while highlighting beautiful details like brick and cabinetry.

Update Your Light Bulbs

Apart from adding the actual blue, update light bulb to a cooler color tone and a brighter output. Yellow, warmer lights create an intimate, beautiful atmosphere. However, you can try true white lights if you prefer a fresher and brighter look.

Add Black

This may seem counterintuitive. However, adding hits of charcoal and stark black will bring in contrast and create an even pop of light areas. Some of the places to add black color include those with linear, thin elements like where there are long lamps, chairs, patterned fabrics and sharp frames of pictures. You can also add black and blue to your room to create an impressive beach vibe.

Use Blue to Cool the Room

Blue is a cool natural light. Adding this color to your dark room will introduce a pleasing crispness and remind you of the beautiful sky. Cool blue color is neutral and it works with almost any color accent that you like.

Introduce Blond Woods

Pale woods work great in lighting up living spaces. What’s more, wood will create a natural sunny feeling in a room even before you introduce new light.

Invest in Area Rugs

Laminate floors or dark hardwood floors are popular in contemporary homes. Although these floors are staple and beautiful, they drain light from some rooms in a home. To brighten a room that has any of these floors, add runner rugs with a lighter tone. This will break up the flooring and create a better mix of airiness and richness. A patterned, traditional rug incorporates lightness off-white without revealing every dirt speck.

Create a Balance

It is very important that a room has natural interplay of shadow and light. That’s because lowlights and highlights appeal to the human eye. Naturally, humans don’t like super-bright, big-box store look with even lighting of harsh fluorescents. Therefore, avoid going overboard when brightening dark corners with lights. Adding shadows will give the room depth and a life sense. This will make it feel more like a real home.

Follow these tips to brighten up any dark room in your home.

5 Outdoor Home Improvements that Boost Curb Appeal

Everybody loves a home with an impressive curb appeal. Even when selling a house, a home with an impressive curb appeal attracts more buyers. But, how do you boost the exterior appearance of your home? Here are 5 outdoor home improvements that will boost curb appeal.

Proper Landscaping

Planting trees, flowers, and shrubs will boost the curb appeal of your home. In fact, a well-maintained and attractive landscape will add the sale value of your home. Therefore, if you haven’t given the landscape in your home a thought, this might be the time to do so. A well trained tree & lawn maintenance service would be a great investment for this. Visit Tree Service Regina to see how they improve your landscape.

Window Cleaning and Power Washing

If your house has a good looking paint but you haven’t power washed it for years, get a referral or quote today. Also do the same for windows. Both window cleaning and power washing will boost curb value.

Front Door and Shutter Replacement

Replacing the front door of a home can have the greatest return on investment when compared to other remodeling projects. An old, bad looking front door will give your home a cheap look. A worn out front door will make your home look old or uncared for. Therefore, consider replacing your front door and shutters if they are old to boost the curb appeal of your home.

Driveway Resurfacing

A paved driveway appeals to more buyers when selling a home. Therefore, smooth out the blacktop or the asphalt to give it a sleek look.

Sand or Clean the Deck

When considering the basic residential space arithmetic, bigger always sells more. Although square footage may not be reflected on the listing, prospective buyers remember it when it comes to open houses and showings. Essentially, buyers prefer homes with expansive decks. However, you must keep your deck in shape and clean to attract more buyers. A deck with a shabby look can ratchet down a prospective buyer’s interest.

If you are remodeling your home with the hope of selling it, consider these outdoor home improvements that boost curb appeal. Some of these investments may seem minor but they go a long way towards attracting more buyers and increasing the resale value of a home.

Water damage – the great disaster

Water damage repairs are necessary to ensure that the structure of the house is safeguarded and protected from deterioration. As we all know, Water damage is a big concern for many homeowners. It is a form of loss that results from the intrusion of water across specific areas or an entire level of the property. The damage can be minor and progressive and it could also be catastrophic with instant results. The damage is a big contributor to the loss of property value. Flooding, rainfall and stagnant water can result to a number of risks like the weakening of the soil foundation, damage to home interiors, electrical devices, rotting and others. Any homeowner should aim to minimize the risks and prevent future damage. This is critical to keep the home safe and maintain its market value.

Risks levels caused by water damage

Water damage repairs can address a number of risks. There are several kinds of damage caused by water. The first level is due to clear water. It could be broken pipes or water spots. The second level is caused by gray water that could be filled with contaminants. It could be sewage water, or failure of water dependent devices to discharge the water out. Lastly, there is damage caused by black water that could be caused by catastrophic events and could be difficult to fix.

Is it safe to go DIY?

When considering water damage repairs, there are some conditions that can be addressed simply by DIY methods. If the damage has not seeped through various systems across the home and can be mitigated by simple repairs, then it might be relevant to do it yourself. However, most water damage shows symptoms when the condition it is already widespread. Plywood and other wooden structures that have been moistened by leaking pipes, ice dams or broken roofs can lead to build up of mold and mildew, causing illness. Such problems can lead to multiple structural and health concerns. Therefore, fast and immediate action is necessary for any homeowner.

Getting a restoration contractor

A restoration service is most beneficial for homes with massive and instantaneous damage like plumbing issues, sewage problems, flooding, hurricane damage and other events that could last more than 24 hours. These particular damages can make the home uninhabitable. It could also lead to health risks due to the growth of microorganisms. Such damages need to be addressed by experts since it is not just on the surface where the problem can settle. The foundation of the house can experience damage as well. Hence, for most damage cause by water, it would be best to have the help of an expert in dealing with them.

Water-related damage has always been a big concern for many homeowners and to address both mild and severe issues, getting the help from restoration services can be critical to:

– find out the extent of the risk using state of the art equipment

– make the room/home habitable again

– protect your family from microorganisms that are present in stagnant, dirty water

– safeguard the goods such as furniture or electronics from risks

– Keep interiors and exteriors in top shape after the damage.

Damages incurred from water can be devastating. It is important to do something about it fast and effectively. With minor or large scale damage, it would be best to get advice from expert doing water damage repairs to ensure a home that is dry and safe from future risks that could happen. Investing on quality restoration service is then necessary for any homeowner as it will make sure that their homes are secure at all times. Read more about water damage here.

How to choose the best local home service company

No matter what size your home, cleaning it is going to be time consuming. Between bathrooms, the kitchen, carpets, floors, and clutter that collects dust, every home has significant cleaning needs. Worse, cleaning isn’t something that can wait until you have free time to do it-health and safety require a home that is clean to live in. Most likely, your schedule can’t handle the amount of time required to keep your home as neat as you would like it to be.

Hiring a cleaning service is an extremely prevalent purchase in American households-this explains the thousands of choices of cleaning service available across the nation. You should look for a company that is experienced, insured and bonded, and works with only legally authorized cleaning professionals that have been fully background checked. You can find a cleaning company that offers upfront pricing so as to avoid companies that provide you with an estimate just to test you for how much you are willing to pay. For instance, most local cleaning service prices are calculated based on the time required to clean the home. Some companies will even be willing to laundry, so if you are looking for a total package of cleaning services, ask around to see which company is right for you.

Having a clean home isn’t something you can afford to skimp on. If you don’t have the time or the energy to keep your home free of disease-causing germs and sneeze-causing dust, purchasing a cleaning service is an obvious choice. Working with the chemicals used to keep your home clean can be unpleasant and dangerous-you should leave it up to the professionals. That way, you can come home from work to a clean, safe and happy home.

How to Improve the efficiency of your home

Basic hоmе improvement allows уоu tо enjoy hоmе ownership еvеn mоrе. Вut whаt іs hоmе improvement? Іt іs improving thе features оf уоur hоmе, increasing іts economic аnd aesthetic vаluе. Іt requires big decisions аnd mау еvеn involve а huge amount оf money аlоng wіth vеrу high-personal involvement аs уоu hаvе tо contend wіth workers, suppliers, аnd аlsо mаkе оn thе spot decisions іn order tо mаkе surе thаt thе workflow gоеs smooth. А lot оf people hаvе а lot оf bad experiences wіth previous DIY tasks but іt dоеsn’t hаvе tо bе thіs wау wіth уоur home

Consider thіs hоmе improvement tips аnd mаkе іt аn enjoyable experience. Also work оn уоur outdoor areas. Тhе backyard соuld bе а beautiful extension tо thе indoor area. Тhіs іs аlsо а perfect place fоr relaxing оr hаvіng а cooking оut wіth thе family. If уоu аrе planning tо set uр lighting (external) аgаіnst уоur building, tаkе а lооk аt motion sensor kinds. Іt іs аn excellent choice. Іt аlsо helps іn thе safety аnd security оf уоur hоmе. Іn addition, іt will аlsо help reduce уоur energy bills.

It’s nо secret thаt thе real estate market hаs bееn tough оvеr thе lаst fеw years, аnd improving thе vаluе оf а hоmе саn mаkе thе property sell sooner аnd fоr а higher vаluе. Ноmе improvements саn mаkе а big difference іn thе resale vаluе, hоwеvеr nоt аll hоmе improvements аrе equal. Beware; sоmе renovations mау mаkе lіttlе оr nо difference raising hоmе values, whіlе оthеrs hаvе а major еffесt оn thе final sale price. Let’s tаkе а lооk аt 5 hоmе improvements thаt саn hаvе а major impact оn property values. Ву shopping аrоund уоu will find attarctive pricing аnd contractors wіllіng tо provide competitive pricing.

Home Improvement Loans:-

Home Improvement Loan is a loan that is granted to borrowers to make changes or improvements in their home. A home improvement loan is good if you don’t want to use your savings or don’t have sufficient savings for the home improvement project. A Home Improvement Loans can be used to purchase fitted bedroom furniture or to develop unused spaces in your home. You can use Home Improvement Loan for improving your garden such as landscaping. Home Improvement Loan is also available for double-glazing, new conservatory, heating system, new kitchen, rewiring and plumbing or any home remodelling that you can think of. Making improvements in your home helps in improving your lifestyle as well as may add value to your home.

Home Improvement Loan can be classified as secured and unsecured Home Improvement Loan. A Secured Home Improvement Loan is a loan secured by borrower’s collateral such as house, car or bonds. You can borrow any amount between £5,000 to £75,000 A Secured Home Improvement Loan can be repaid at any term between 5 to 25 years depending on income available with you and the amount of equity in the property kept as a security with the lender. You can get Home Improvement Loan up to 125% of property value. A secured loan offers flexible repayment options with low rate of interest.

Unsecured Home Improvement Loan is a loan that requires no collateral to be kept as a security with the lender. The rate of interest on loan is higher as compared to that in secured loan, as there is no security attached to this loan. You can get a Home Improvement Loan from banks and financial institutions. Now, you can also get a Home Improvement Loan online. You can collect loan quotes from various lenders which is available free of cost. Make a comparison among the various quotes and shortlist the few you find suitable. Try to find out more details about the short listed loan options and choose the one that you find the best. But don’t haste, relax and shop around make some efforts. Your efforts will definitely repay you in future by saving your money.

You can also tie your home improvement loan into the existing mortgage package, which will benefit you with lower rate of interest and help in releasing the money you needed for the home improvement project. You can get a secured Home Improvement Loan even if you have bad credit rating, poor credit history, CCJs, defaults or arrears. Your bad credit history can’t stop you from making desired improvements in your home. You can avail a bad credit home improvement loan that is designed especially for you.

Home Improvement Loan is the loan granted for making changes or improvements in the home such as new kitchen or decoration. It helps in making your home a better place to live for your whole family. Home Improvement loan may help in add value to your home by the significant improvements you intend to make. When searching for a home improvement loan, Shop around and compare the quotes of various lenders, your these efforts will help you find the best deal.