It's National Home Improvement Month:
Time for Some
Low-Maintenance Updates
If you spent the winter thinking about all the things in your home that could use some updating, you probably have lots of ideas for changes you'd like to make now that spring has finally arrived. You'll be glad to hear that May is National Home Improvement Month. We'd love to help by offering some tips and advice to get you started on your next remodeling project!
Careful planning of your home improvement projects will let you update your home, increase the value of your investment and customize your living space – all for a lot less than the cost of a new home. Where should you start? Take a look at those to-do lists, Pinterest boards and HOUZZ idea books you have and make some decisions. What room needs help the most? What project would make the biggest difference in how well your home works for your family?
If you think ahead about your future needs, you might come to the conclusion that one of your top home improvement goals is to spend less time and money on routine home maintenance, inside and out. This is a great place to start your updates because so many options and products are available now that will help accomplish this goal.
Low-Maintenance Interiors
In the kitchen, quartz countertops are taking the place of granite and marble because composites are just as sleek and shiny, but virtually maintenance-free. Engineered surface options such as Silestone, Caesarstone, and Cambria are particularly durable. Replace the top-mounted sink with an undermount solid surface or stainless sink that's easier to keep clean because you can wipe spills and crumbs from the countertop directly into the sink and there's no crevices to catch dirt. Add a high quality faucet that won't break or peel in a year's time.
For a low-maintenance bathroom update, a solid surface surround and base that are grout-free, with frameless or semi-frameless glass doors, are the way to go. With lots of color choices and multiple finishes available (including high gloss, matte finish and even a faux tile look) you will find an option which will work with virtually any bathroom style and color scheme.
If you want the look of rustic wood floors in a high-traffic area without all the fuss, you can get the durability of porcelain tile in a finish that looks exactly like weathered wood. There are also new, low-maintenance veneers with the appearance of natural stone or exposed brick to add texture to any wall.
Low-Maintenance Exteriors
If you're tired of painting wood siding or it's time to replace vinyl siding, stone and brick can dramatically change the look of your home. Materials like these last a lifetime and require very little maintenance. If you don't want the look (or the cost) of brick or stone, there are attractive options. Fiber-cement siding is guaranteed for 50 years, insects can't bore into it, and it serves as an extra layer of insulation for your home – which can lower your heating and cooling costs.
A deck is meant to add to your enjoyment, not your workload. Decking materials have come a long way and there is no reason to build a deck now that requires lots of maintenance. Composite and engineered materials such as TREX® Decking and AZEK® Deck Boards not only eliminate annual maintenance like staining, sealing and checking for rot or loose nails, they also provide long-lasting freedom from warping, rotting, splinters, stains from spills, and damage from the sun, moisture and insects.
If you want to go one step further, a little smart home remodeling can also remodel how much time and money need to be spent maintaining the yard, by replacing some of that lawn with something you might enjoy more. Adding a porch or building a new sunroom will treat you to living space you can use throughout the year.
We can help you in your planning by outlining options and discussing the improvements you can make to make your life easier, within your budget. If you're ready to start, call us today!
Maintenance Tip: Bug Out!
Mosquitoes are not only annoying, they can also be carriers of serious diseases such as Zika or West Nile virus. The most effective way to control them is by eliminating the areas of standing water in your yard that are their breeding sites. Drain standing water from gutters and from puddles that form in buckets, watering cans, landscape planters, tarps that cover woodpiles or garden equipment, and around leaky faucets. If possible, birdbaths, fountains and ornamental ponds should be drained or flushed and refilled about once a week during warm summer months.
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See you next month!
Michael Winn
and the WINN Design+Build team |
