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home exterior

Difference Between Screened In Patio And Sunrooms

November 10, 2022
Chloe Taylor
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It’s no secret that outdoor living areas have been among the most popular types of home modification in recent years, and this fad shows no signs of abating. More and more homeowners are looking for ways to make the most of their backyards, including relaxing seating options. What, however, of those times when inclement weather makes patios uninviting?

A sunroom or three-season porch enclosure combines the advantages of both indoor and outdoor living. The benefits are going outside without the heat, humidity, and insects. Perfect. Want to know the differences between a screened in patio and a sunroom? Now you have the lowdown.

Screened-in porch vs. Sunroom

The primary distinction between a sunroom and a screened porch is in the materials used in its construction and insulation. However, sunrooms are more like additions to the house than screened porches, which are generally just basic enclosures added on top of an existing patio or porch.

A screened-in porch won’t keep the rain and wind out as well as an open porch would. It’s really just a porch that has been enclosed by walls. There will likely be little insulation and no suitable floor constructed over the foundation.

In addition to screens, many porches also have windows or moveable panels. For this reason, porches with screens are often referred to as “three-season porches.” You may use them as a temporary home throughout the autumn and spring. However, in really chilly winters, screens are still not very practical.

While the added fourth season is the primary selling point of sunrooms over screened porches, there are additional factors to think about before breaking ground. Your selection will be influenced by a number of factors, including the location of your house, the purpose of the space, the cost of permits and utilities, the amount of useful time, and the total cost of construction.

  • Location

Sunrooms may seem like a no-brainer in places with scorching summers, but they aren’t really the norm. A screened porch may be used year-round in climates with moderate winters. A sunroom is appropriate in colder climates, but a screened-in porch may be built for far less money.

  • Intention Of the Area

A screened-in porch may be all you need if you’re only looking for a place to relax out of the sun with loved ones in the warmer months. The porch enclosure isn’t as efficient at regulating temperature as a sunroom, but it performs a decent job and can be improved upon.

Even though they lack heating and cooling, many screened-in porches nevertheless have ceiling fans. Moreover, a little electric space heater is significantly more budget-friendly than an outside patio warmer.

  • Calculating Your Investment’s Return

Think about the return on investment you’ll receive from a sunroom or screened porch. When do you anticipate using it? Is it reasonable to build a sunroom, heat it, and use it as a year-round living space? To what extent will you get to enjoy the sunroom before moving on? Sunrooms— extremely popular in certain parts of the country, but not in others— are they sought after in yours?

The value of a sunroom or screened porch varies from one homeowner to the next in the same way as the value of an above-ground or in-ground pool does. Sunrooms and screened porches aren’t a certain strategy to boost your home’s value any more than a swimming pool is.

  • Spend on Adding a Sunroom or Screened Porch 

Prices for sunroom additions tend to be higher than those for other types of additions. The price of adding a sunroom to your home may range widely based on factors including its size, the quality of its materials, and the design of your existing structure. In all, the cost of building a sunroom that meets building codes in terms of insulation, roofing, and structural support might reach $60,000.

The cost of a screened-in porch may range from considerably less to much more than that of a sunroom. The average range is $3,500 – $7,500.

Conclusion

You might end up with something you didn’t want and a lot of extra grey hair if you go into it blind. Whether you’re interested in a screened-in porch, a sunroom addition or a DIY sunroom kit, a consultation with an expert may help you make the correct choice.

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Improve the Look of Your Home: 5 Tips to Renovate the Exterior of Your House

November 30, 2021
Mike Johnston
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Are you looking for strategies to keep your house fresh as it is inside? Would you like to make your house more attractive and have your neighbors drop their jaws? If so, you have to read out a few of the house recommendations to accomplish the task properly. You may be amazed how a little improvement may have a huge effect. Not all upgrades of the home exterior will require you to break the bank.

Beautify your front door                                                                                               

Let’s begin with your home’s front door. Usually, the door is the first thing your eyes gravitate to when you glance at the house front. Suppose your home is facing the street, the doorway is the priority you want to make your curb appeal more energetic. You need not substitute your door to boost esthetics, contrary to widespread opinion (unless you want to, of course).

By covering it up in a fresh paint coat, you may simply touch it up. Try to paint a hue that offers a friendly contrast to the side color of your house. For instance, if the siding of your home is bright, paint a dark shade of the entrance to offer a balance for your eyes. You also can switch the hardware off by substituting a modern door handle for a fresh coat. Another good idea could be installing new flooring that would best match the front door. 

your house
Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash 

Replacing the siding

Maybe you’re sick with the vinyl siding you’re currently looking at. Perhaps to improve the exterior, you wish to replace it with another material. First, you want to check the vinyl siding to see if it was placed incorrectly. Things like mold growth, water damage, holes, rodents, and many more concerns could be the issues behind the look of your siding.

There are several revealing signals to those of you who are considering replacing your vinyl siding. When you see the siding begin to distort, the first indicator is their availability to sunlight may be extreme or an enormous amount of heat, such as adjacent to a grill. If evidence of mold is present or the color of the vinyl starts to decay in certain spots, you should also replace the siding by applying the service of professionals. Remember that discoloration makes your whole house seem much older than it is.

Apply window shutters

Did you ever think your windows missed something? Perhaps it feels like a bit of definition is missing? If so, add shutters to your windows to make them pop a little longer. This might aid to increase the excitement and comfort of your appeal for curbing. The shutters can be painted to fit the emphasis on the door frame, window frame, roof trim, etc.

You’ll want to use a color like painting your front door to contrast the color of your siding. Thus, when people drive past your property, shutters are definitive. Also, make sure that mattress disposal services will quickly arrive so there is nothing blocking the front door. If you are worried that they might block the sun and your flowers might be negatively affected, you can use LED grow lights that can substitute sunlight and help your flowers thrive.  

Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash 

Repair damaged sewer line

Soil movement is a common cause of broken urban tap links. A sewage line is damaged when individuals dig in their backyard (move the dirt). This can be tough to mend because correcting one end usually implies digging the other.

You don’t have to replace the whole sewage line; the work is done for you by mending the afflicted portion. In addition, repair of the sewer line could be complex work and professionals should be the best choice. Once you repair the sewer line, build a small garden or instead build a treehouse, you can be creative in many ways since there are a lot of things to do with your backyard. 

It’s time for a new roof

With an outdated roof, your home might look older and potentially damage your moisture. You want new architectural shingles to replace an existing roof. There are more dimensions to architectural roofs than traditional asphalt bars. They are meant to help reflect UV rays so that your house is also cooler.

When you think of all the things you need to do to improve the look of your home, you might think there is too much work involved. You may feel overwhelmed and decide to give it up. However, you must know there are other options for you to get the home of your dreams. One of these options would be to build a custom home. This would be a project where you work directly with the home builders to design, plan, and select every single detail regarding your new home.

Conclusion

When you asked us how to get the most out of your external renovation, we would respond that we are concentrating on one region of your home with a certain objective in mind. To beautify your home, you do not have to get crazy with costly remodeling. 

Some thorough thinking can help you pick the most useful adjustments and you should first focus on those areas. We are certain that the advice in this post will allow you to ace your house refurbishment game!

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Four Tips To Enhance Your Property’s Curb Appeal

February 26, 2021
Chloe Taylor
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One of the most significant joys in life is owning your own house. A place to call your own serves a sense of comfort like no other. Owning your own home means you can do just about anything you want with the area. If you are looking to make your home space as unique as possible, it would be best to express yourself through your surroundings. You might want to consider remodeling it to your liking from the inside out, so the house radiates a sense of comfort and refuge.

Not only does remodeling your house make it a better living space for you, but it also bumps up its resale value. And one of the best ways to do that is to remodel the exterior, especially the curb walk-up.

Your home’s curb appeal is the first thing you or anyone else notice while driving up the front. And trust us when we say this, regardless of how good or bad it is, the curb appeal has a lasting impact on what people think about you or the property in general. Whether it’s a group of guests or potential buyers, the curb acts as the first exposure to outsiders. Thus, it should have a certain appeal to it.

With that said, here are four tips to enhance your property’s curb appeal!

Fix the driveway

A nice, smooth, and clean driveway is always a big plus! It certainly looks better than a cracked one full of dirt and loose soil. In fact, some towns and counties slap you with a hefty fine if you have a damaged pavement as it is a potential health hazard.

And if you live in a state where it snows like crazy, such as Connecticut, bad pavement can become quite a nuisance. Imagine having to shovel snow and mud early in the morning.

So here’s our first tip: consider fixing your driveway paving in Stamford CT, or any place for that matter, to keep your property looking sleek from the front. Not only will re-doing the asphalt increase your house’s curb appeal, but it will also make life a lot easier for you during challenging seasons. Besides, who doesn’t like driving up to a smooth pavement after a tiring day of work?

Remodel the front of the house

One of the best ways to increase the houses’ initial appeal is to work on the house’s frontal structure. Imagine yourself walking down the road in front of your home. What would impress you if you were a passerby?

Consider both minor adjustments that add to the house’s charm. Add a patio, install a fancy door, or paint the house’s front for a fresh look. Changing things up and working with aesthetics can drastically alter your house’s appearance from rags to riches and make for a much more appealing property.

You can’t go wrong with landscaping

Everyone likes seeing greenery. Psychologically, being exposed to nature and natural vegetation can increase one’s mood and create a calming effect.

Landscaping can do wonders for your home’s curb appeal. A lovely sheet of freshly manicured lawn with clean cut edges and perhaps a row of flowers will spruce up the exterior charm. Coupled with ground lights in the garden and voila! You have all the makings for beautiful evenings in the garden with friends and family!

Work with the roof

Naturally, one’s line of sight moves from the bottom to the top areas of the building. And you wouldn’t want your roof looking like a broken shack while everything below it is spick and span, would you?

Once you’re done with all the groundwork, consider looking at the higher side of one’s line of sight to seal the deal on the curb appeal! Look at the roofing situation. Whether you have shingles on a sloping roof of a dead angle, it would be wise to make the top look as presentable as possible. Fixing up the roof includes changing the shingles, repainting the pipes, and cleaning up the house’s upper half to create a more charming and presentable impression.

Conclusion

If you are thinking about whether enhancing or remodeling your house is worth it or not, the answer is a hard YES! Not only do the aesthetics increase the property’s value, but a neat and tidy place is more enjoyable to live in. Consider these incremental changes as a boost in your living standard and personal satisfaction while at the same time adding more to your property’s longevity and lifetime value.

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5 Easy Ways to Spruce Up Your Front Yard

October 24, 2017
Lana Hawkins
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Like clothes and accessories for a human, the different elements that make up a front yard help enhance its appearance. Since this is often the first thing people see when arriving, be it a visitor or the homeowner themselves, it is normal to want to make sure that the front yard looks its best. Luckily, in most cases not much is needed to make this part of the property look good. Here are 5 front yard renovation projects that are budget-friendly and easy to complete.

1) Painting the fence

This job is a perfect weekend DIY project! Fence painting doesn’t require as much skill as other painting projects, unless you are an absolute perfectionist. Of course, not all fence materials can receive paint in their current state. Some will need to be sanded and primed beforehand. However, do know that paint is a great way to add a dash of colour to the front of your home.

White is a classic and timeless colour for fences, as is black. For a more daring look, reds, blues, yellows, greens and other bright shades can be great options, depending on the colour scheme of the rest of the front yard.

2) Installing paver stones

A friendly and welcoming stone path makes for a great way to come home! Paver stones are easy to install, and they add a nice Zen touch to a front yard. These elements come in a variety of shapes, materials, and sizes, adapting to your needs and preferences. The most common stones are travertine, slate, and granite. Concrete and porcelain are other options for paver materials, but they are not as durable as the latter.

 

3) Cleaning the home’s facade

This may seem simple, even trivial, but cleaning the home’s facade can make an enormous difference. Perhaps you bought the house and have never taken the time to remove the accumulated dirt and grime? This means that you may be in for a surprise once you’ve finished with the cleaning process.

For this action, the tools and techniques you employ will depend on the type of cladding material that is installed on your home. A pressure washer will be extremely efficient on plastic-based materials. Other types such as wood paneling need special treatment, and hand-washing may be best to ensure good results. Do proper research regarding the most recommended techniques and go to the effort of doing things properly. In the end, you may realize that your beige facade is actually mustard yellow!

4) Doing minor landscaping

Large-scale landscaping jobs are not accessible to everyone, and thankfully, smaller ones can also have a major impact. Although gardens are usually set up behind a home, flowerbeds and even small herb gardens are a great way to add life to a front yard. It’s all a question of space and personal preferences. Searching for privacy, some will even decide to create an oasis in front of their home, with trees, plants, and flowers. This little corner of heaven can become a nice spot to relax if you set up a few lawn chairs or hang a swing from a tree.

5) Installing or transforming a carport

This last project is the most onerous of those described in this list. If you don’t yet have a carport and are currently parking your car in a yard, with no roof, setting up this structure can be a great option, both for esthetical and practical purposes. In cold and snowy climates, carports can be extremely useful as they protect the car and keep the snow away, ensuring that you save time in the morning. In terms of appearance, are also carports interesting architectural elements, making the home more unique.

If your home is already equipped with a carport but you feel that you aren’t using it to its fullest, consider transforming it into a patio. This area which spills into the front yard can be turned into a wonderful getaway spot or a place to entertain guests under a roof but outdoors at the same time.

Transforming a front yard: endless possibilities

Other, bigger renovation projects are also possible if you have more money and feel that your home’s exterior needs major changes. For example, people often opt to replace the exterior cladding that covers and protects the home. However, as stated in the previous paragraphs, there is often no need to spend a fortune to make a front yard look nice. Simply set aside a weekend, head to the hardware store and let your imagination run wild. Otherwise, if you have no manual skills whatsoever, hire a trustworthy contractor!

Article was written by Léa Noémie Plourde-Archer from Renoquotes.com

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