Home Improvement

The Perks of Customizing Your Deck

Ben Stephens Home Improvement

If you have always been dreaming of having a deck attached to your house, a deck where you can enjoy great weather, where you can entertain your friends and where you can have breakfast to start the day in a relaxed way, here are some of the most important benefits that you will enjoy with a custom deck.

An Affordable Extension to Add Lasting Value to Your Property

Whatever material you choose for your deck and whatever the size of the structure, your deck will not require a very substantial investment. Your overall costs will be determined by the materials and the design features that you choose for your deck, but your custom deck will add more value to your home then the investment required to build the outdoor platform.

A Larger Living Space

A well-built deck, made from high quality materials and executed to your specifications and design preferences will serve as a great, comfortable extension of your indoor living space, a place that you can use for entertaining guests, for serving meals or just for relaxing. The range of the features that you can install to really own your deck is very wide, from smaller or larger outdoor speakers that will let you enjoy your favorite tunes in the best quality to attractive and durable outdoor illumination and from an attractive fire pit in the middle of the deck to comfortable and attractive furniture.

Transforming Your Dreams into Reality

A customized deck means a space that is created to meet your tastes and requirements, which also means that the limit is just your imagination and your budget. If you have made up your mind to create the best, most beautiful and most comfortable deck ever, you can easily find some design help with the visualization and design tools available on the internet. These home design applications will let you play with features and designs until you find the design that works best for you.Deck Company

You Can Turn to Professionals or You Can Do All The Work Yourself

If you are a DIY enthusiast, you probably want to build your custom deck on your own, but if you are not that keen on building things, you can turn to professionals just as well. If you consider that you have the right tools, the time, the energy and dexterity to do a professional job, you can surely build your own deck. However, if you consider that putting together your list of requirements and needs is all the work that you want to put into your custom deck, you can easily find a professional custom design deck company who will create the detailed design of your new deck and who will also execute the platform for you.

A Quick Process

With materials readily available from numerous sources, you will probably not have to wait long for any of your materials to be delivered and the process of installing your materials to create your deck is a quick process too. Most custom decks take just a couple of days to install.

New Designs for Kitchens

Ben Stephens Home Improvement

kitchen cabinets Denver

Home improvement isn’t something that anybody can do. But sometimes you might feel the need to change things up a bit. A lot of people start various projects around the house. Some might simply change their wallpaper while others may be a bit more ambitious and choose to change the design of their kitchens. But this, like many things regarding the remodeling of a room, is easier said than done. After deciding they want to do it, people usually run into the next problem: design ideas. Luckily, the age we live in permits us to find inspiration almost instantly thanks to the internet. There are a lot of websites that can help anyone find the idea they need for their kitchen.

Design ideas range from the functional and aesthetic to the downright whimsical and crazy. A design that has stood the test of time, and has many fans all over the world, is the Scandinavian minimalist look. This one combines the coziness of wood elements with the functionality the Scandinavians are renowned for. Basically, this design idea takes out everything that isn’t necessary in a kitchen. The advantage of this design is that it creates more space by getting rid of the things that usually clutter a kitchen. Kitchen cabinets Denver custom designers affirm that the beauty of this design is that you can adapt it to both small and big kitchens. Although originally found mainly in cottages in rural areas, it is not surprising to find it being used today anywhere from mansions in the countryside all the way to apartments in New York city.

If you like the minimalist idea, but aren’t necessarily a fan of the Scandinavian approach to it, you can go with a more modern design. These usually imply using darer overall tones and the wood is usually replaced by metal. Using this design can give your kitchen a more streamlined, futuristic look. Metal accents, such as range hoods, are a very familiar element to this style. Plus, a lot of appliances nowadays come with a very wide range of colors. So it is easy to find everything you need to make your color scheme work. When doing this design, lighting is very important. Warm lights can create a more relaxed atmosphere, a thing you would want to do when having that much metal around.

The eclectic look is also one that has many fans around the world. Although it might sound strange, eclectic doesn’t mean to just throw anything you have together and hope it sticks. There is a way of doing things right. Firstly, the big advantage to this design idea is that you don’t have to invest that much as with others. Secondly, it gives you the liberty to express yourself. A lot of young designers and house owners go for this style in order to create a comforting sensation in the kitchen. This design idea definitely lets you be you without the “rules” that other styles have. Plus, it gives the kitchen a more familiar feel.

What Are the Leading Brands of Replacement Sliding Patio Doors?

Ben Stephens Home Improvement

Market Leader Door Choices Replacement Near

If you are currently considering getting your patio door replaced, you have surely come across many brands by searching for door replacement near me. Names, such as Pella, Andersen, ProVia, Simonton and Parrett, come up all the time and they are certainly the leading brands when it comes to sliding doors, but what is more important when choosing the brand to go with is the range of features and services they provide. Here are some things that only the best brands offer.

A Wide Range of Materials

Wood, vinyl and fiberglass are the three most common materials used for manufacturing patio doors – the supplier you choose should offer products made from all three materials to allow you to pick the best solution.

A Wide Range of Standard Designs

Patio doors are more than just products used for filling in large openings on walls. The style of your patio door should be in harmony with the features of the room in which it is installed as well as with your landscape and the exterior design of your building. The best patio door companies provide a wide range of products, including traditional and modern styles and on their websites, you will find pictures with each of their products.

The Availability of Custom Doors

The best brands are not scared of challenges and they offer patio doors that feature unusual designs and they can also handle custom orders for doors that are not of standard size or that feature unusual design solutions.

Varied Performance Options to Meet Particular Challenges

Patio doors face different challenges in cold climate regions and in hot areas and the best brands are aware of the importance of offering solutions to meet such a wide range of challenging. The leading brands have product ranges designed with energy-efficiency in mind and they offer specialized products created for areas where sliding patio doors need to stand up to strong UV radiation, high heat, impact or extreme cold.

Stellar Customer Service

The process of getting a new patio door starts with the selection of the right product – a task that is not easy at all. The beast patio door brands are aware of how overwhelming the process might feel, therefore they offer assistance every step of the way. They usually provide assistance in the form of scheduled meetings over the internet and via the phone as well as design tools or a section where they provide inspiration with the help of pictures and articles.

The best brands also work with a large network of approved installation contractors, allowing customers from all over the country to benefit from professional patio door installation from technicians trained and certified by the patio door manufacturer.

Ordering the right product and getting it delivered is also a process made very easy by the best brands. Most good brands provide various means to place orders, including order placement on the company’s website and through showrooms.

A Wide Range of Warranties

All sliding patio doors come with a manufacturer’s warranty, but the best brands also give their customers the option to purchase various types of extended warranties if they need.

Are Window Screens Necessary?

Ben Stephens Home Improvement

Replacement Window Denver Screens Are Important

We all know what it is like to wake up in the middle of the night and chasing mosquitos through the room. Nothing can be more unpleasant than hearing the sound they make when dreams are so sweet, or deal with their bites on your skin. Moreover, besides ruining your sleep, the next morning you realize that killing them with a rolled newspaper was probably not the best idea, because it made your freshly painted wall look grim.

The best solution to this problem is installing window screens, or a complete replacement window Denver company do it. They are safe, modern, do not affect your health like chemical insect repellents and guarantee the protection you look for.

Window screens are made from aluminum profiles and can be of two types: classic (hinged) or modern roll-up screens that can be pulled up to their protective box or down, according to your needs.

Roll-up window screens

They can be installed even on not-so-easily-accessible windows and are equipped with a cord through which they can be operated. In the upper part there is a box where the screens can be rolled up, and on the sides there are two handles, made of aluminum or PVC. The fiber from which these screens are made is resistant to sunlight and weathering, while also being non-flammable. The operating cord has a protective mechanism to avoid accidental lifting. In winter, these widow screens can be simply pulled up in their protective box, without the need for being disassembled or stored somewhere else.

They are provided with very fine mesh, which makes them very effective against all types of insects. If you want to install shutters, it is good to know that some of them are equipped with such roll-up window screens. If you already have regular shutters, you can add roll-up window screens, this type of screens being the only one that can be installed on shutters.

Benefits:

  • These screens must not be dismantled in winter, but only rolled up in their box
  • The material is protected from weathering and wear, providing long-lasting resistance
  • Roll-up window screens can be customized even in large sizes
  • They provide a high level of protection against insects, easy operation and great versatility
  • They can be added to window shutters

 

Hinged window screens

Hinged window screens represent the classic protection against insects. You can quickly mount and disassemble them even if you are not a professional. This type of screens is ideal for both window and door protection. They can be designed to match any window size, because they have a simple structure. Also, the construction process and the strength of the materials eliminate the risk of breaking, bending or other defects. These screens have a very neat appearance, which is preserved over time, despite the use or the action of the sun and wind. The cost of acquisition is also affordable.

Other practical benefits include:

  • Easy installation and operation
  • Outwards opening, saving space in your home or office
  • Their structure allows installing them on any type of window frames, without changing them in any way.

DIY House Painting Tips – How to Refresh the Look of Your Home Inside and Outside

Ben Stephens Home Improvement

Tips on Applying Fresh Paint

Applying fresh paint is the best and most convenient way for refreshing the looks of your home inside and outside, but if you feel overwhelmed by the tasks, here are a few DIY house painting tips to help you.  If not, a good Denver construction company will tell you the importance of hiring painters who are detailed and pay close attention, so as not to get paint anywhere but on the walls and floor boards, and the same for exterior painting.

Planning

Choose a sunny period for your painting project. Rain increases the amount of humidity in the air, which influences the way the paint and the primer behave both inside the house and on the exterior, makes drying time longer and can ultimately give you less than perfect results.

Preparing the Space

If you are painting inside, remove the furniture from the room you want to paint or move the furnishing items to the center of the room and cover them. Cover the floors with foil, use protective tape on any surface that you want to stay paint-free and remove the covers of the electrical outlets and the light switches as well.

Exterior painting is messy as well, so make sure you protect your landscape during the process by covering the ground and the bushes in the area to be painted.

How to Prepare the Walls

Walls need to be prepared to accept the new paint, inside as well as outside. Paint does not stick evenly to uneven, dusty or greasy surfaces, so cleaning your walls is a very important step. Scrape the old paint, then ensure the smoothness of the surface by running sand paper on it. You will need to correct cracks, holes and other damage as well:

  • if you are planning to paint siding panels, inspect them for chipped or rotten parts, replace damaged components, then sand the repaired surface;
  • if you will be painting inside, inspect the wall for cracks and correct them by applying some caulk, then smoothen the wall.

When the wall is sufficiently smooth, wash it with some soap and water, then rinse the surface as well and let it dry before you paint it.

Choose the Painting Products Carefully

You need the best paint and primer that you can get. While choosing the products to be used on the outside, make sure you buy paint that is resistant to the weather, is not affected by temperature variations or by harsh direct sunshine. For the inside, also choose the best paint you can get, especially if you are planning to use a darker color because dark hues are more sensitive.

Be Careful When You Mix the Paint, too

The best way to ensure that the color is consistent on all walls is to mix a large quantity of paint in one go. The process is called boxing and it is the method used by professional painters.

Get Painting

Use a roller with a telescopic handle to make the process comfortable. Paint from the top downward to avoid drips and streaks.

If you use these DIY house painting tips, your painting project will surely be successful – who knows, maybe you will even have fun doing it all by yourself or with some help from friends.

 

What Are the Main Advantages of Granite Countertops and Their Use?

Ben Stephens Home Improvement

There are many experts who praise the advantages of granite countertops. Aside from the fact that their price is average, so you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money on them, granite countertops are highly practical, durable and aesthetically pleasing. If you’ve made up your mind to get a granite countertop for your indoor or outdoor kitchen, most granite countertops Denver experts will tell you that you made the best possible choice you can make.

Granite Countertops and Their Aesthetic Appeal

kitchen counter granite samples

Whether you want to buy them online or locally, granite countertops will stand out in every type of setting. You might find yourself stopping in front of a counter display, and you’ll be instantly drawn to an intricate and almost artistic countertop design that will inevitably turn out to be granite.

The one-of-a-kind, natural surface is what will first capture your attention. No two granite countertops are the same, and when you look closely you can find some beautifully woven shapes that mix hues of gray, black and brown with stunningly relaxing shades of light gold, white, orange and caramel.

There are both lighter and darker granite designs you can choose from, and the variations are virtually endless. You can spend days looking for the ideal granite counter, and you’ll still wonder whether better looking choices might be available – chances are the answer is yes.

Finally, the smooth, glistening surface and the beautiful colors of a granite countertop never fade away. In time, chips might appear, however, the counter is likely to last for decades before any noticeable damage shows itself. Ultimately, if properly taken care of, these products last indefinitely.

As you will see, however, granite is not all about appeal. The advantages of granite countertops stretch far beyond and into the realm of the most practical and efficient countertop designs you will find on the market.

So Here Are the Advantages…

  • As mentioned, granite countertops last for a very long time. Aside from this, they are also virtually indestructible. You can subject them to fire, heat, long term water exposure and sharp surfaces on a regular basis, and it’ll take a lot to get them to crack – literally.
  • Because of their durability and impressive resilience, granite countertops rarely need repairs or maintenance work. They just have to be cleaned regularly, and they should be fine.
  • Cleaning them will never be a problem. Mild dish detergent combined with warm water will eliminate any lingering traces of food and any stains.
  • They are extremely sanitary, so they’re a perfect choice for the kitchen. Bacteria, fungi and mould will not be a problem, and neither will any pests or insects.
  • Unlike other countertop materials, granite is entirely eco-friendly. If you throw it out, it’ll just be another piece of stone, and its presence won’t affect the surrounding environment.
  • Granite is virtually made to add value to your home. Because of its aesthetic and practical benefits, you can expect the price of your home to go up slightly if you change all your countertops to granite. Moreover, granite doesn’t depreciate its value in time, so you can expect their price to keep getting higher as inflation progresses.

As you can see, there are many advantages of granite countertops we can speak of. Buying them will effectively ensure that you get an excellent quality product that will last you a lifetime.