Add economical living space with an outdoor room

(BPT) - Adding living space to your home can be an expensive prospect. However, creating an outdoor room is a budget-friendly option that gives you more square footage, as well as additional opportunities to enjoy the season. As an extension of the home, outdoor rooms with decks or pergolas can be personalized to truly bring indoor comforts outside for relaxation and entertaining.

Prepare your outdoor space

Before embarking on designing an outdoor room, start with a clean slate by making necessary repairs. Jason Ringling, director of marketing for Red Devil, says outdoor fix-ups are on the agenda because of the unusual weather the country has experienced, including wind and flood damage. Outdoor structures have particularly taken a beating, with damage to wood structures and cracked concrete.

"Homeowners can tackle these jobs with long-lasting quality adhesives and sealants," says Ringling. "There are new, environmentally friendly construction adhesives on the market, which can help repair damaged decks, concrete, outdoor furniture, play sets and more."

Stand up to Mother Nature

If you start with cellular PVC as a wood replacement, you can add longevity and low-maintenance to pergolas and other outdoor structures. Those that come in easy-to-assemble kits make it even easier to have a stylish extension to your home. According to the experts at Walpole Outdoors, to match your home's style, look for variations in pergola design such as straight or arched tops, and round or square columns in many sizes.

"For a true 'outdoor room' feeling, a retractable, weather-resistant fabric canopy can provide shade and shelter whenever the weather changes, so homeowners can always plan outdoor occasions with confidence," says Walpole president Lou Maglio.

Affordable, natural looks that endure

Decks are another easy way to extend living space and with new alternative materials, it's easy to save on maintenance without sacrificing style. One advancement in composite decking technology features a "cap" or protective outer layer that looks like real hardwood.

"Today's deck trends show that homeowners are looking for deck styles and colors that strongly resemble the earthy tones found in nature," says Carey Walley, vice president of marketing for TimberTech, a leading composite decking manufacturer. As an example, the company's new Earthwood Evolutions Terrain is an affordable hardwood-look composite that is durable, moisture-resistant and accepts concealed fasteners. Walley also notes that a new interactive Q&A forum called Straight Talk is a great place to investigate common deck topics and to ask any deck question that will be answered by experts.

De-clutter your deck space

When designing that special outdoor space, start by de-cluttering the deck. Look for the latest clever, space-saving solutions that help make the most of your deck space. One way to cut costs and improve the view is to use fewer posts, according to Mike Gori, director of product management, AZEK Building Products.

"We've engineered a durable railing system that spans 10 feet between posts, which requires fewer posts. This creates a less cluttered look, clearer views and substantial cost savings," he says. In addition, he suggests hide-away storage bins that make use of the space under the deck to store items like umbrellas and pool toys. "The lid is discreetly flush with the deck surface, eliminating those large plastic bins that obscure the view and take up valuable deck space."

With these tips, it's easy to find functional, beautiful and affordable options for making your outdoor space your very own.

Courtesy of BPT

Be patient while looking for deals with best mortgage rates

Mortgaging is kind of like a collectivized loan that can affect you and your family for a long time if it is not worked out properly. People generally fall for deceptive advertisements boasting about best mortgage rates, so you need to be cautious.


Many people who have fallen into the trap of companies offering the best mortgage rates have experienced problems down the road. It is very important to go through each and every piece of the mortgage deal that you are making. Do not get carried away by those deceptive advertisements that would make your life a disaster. A small mistake, or one wrong signature, and you could end up paying installments for your mortgaged property for the rest of your life. 


A thorough study of the entire plan, and all its terms and conditions, is  necessary if you want to go for a safe mortgage plan with the best mortgage rates. Buying a home is the biggest investment that you will make in your life, and you would not want anyone to fiddle around with it. Mortgaging is an option for  people who cannot afford to pay entire amount in a single go, and thus they look for deals with mortgage rates suitable for their pockets.


Always try to understand the power of credit limits that you can impose on yourself. There have been many examples from the market where people have actually gotten deals with great mortgage rates, but due to their negligence and insufficient funds, they have created traps for themselves and fallen in.


If your relations with your bank are good, then they would also offer you some interesting deals with a good mortgage rate. If you are one of their privileged clients, then you might be entitled for special discounts on mortgage rates. If you go into your loan search with a high credit score and a clean credit record, you would also have better bargaining power.


If you have stains on your record, you should try to get them cleaned up before going into negotiations. If you can afford to, hire a financial advisor who can help you out with the deal, making the best possible negotiation for you with the mortgaging company, credit union, Investment Company or banks with which you are dealing. Each person should play carefully in the mortgaging business, even if he is getting the best mortgage rates for his deal.


Always prefer fixed mortgage rates for your deals. This will be beneficial and score great mortgage rates with no regrets. Interest rates can  bounce around, but if your deal has a fixed rates, then it is one less thing for you to worry about. Proceed in your deal with sound mind and alert eyes and nothing will go wrong.


 

Road trip tips: How to plan a memorable vacation and save money

(BPT) - Americans enjoy the fun and relaxation of traveling: 77 percent of domestic trips are for leisure purposes, according to the U.S. Travel Association. If you want to vacation with friends or family, hitting the pavement for a road trip can't be beat, and with a few money-saving tips and organization tricks, you'll plan an awesome trip packed with memories.

Step 1: Get everyone on board

Planning a group-travel trip can be complicated when it comes to deciding on a destination. Start with a brainstorming session where everyone offers an idea of where he or she would like to go. Research different destinations and visit websites dedicated to travel, such as www.LiveLifeLocal.com. With a focus on car, RV, boat and motorcycle travel, the site makes it easy to search for fun locations - whether an hour or a day's drive away. It's a breeze to search by geography, vehicle and tags - for example, you can search for information on boating in the San Diego area, but designate only fishing-related posts. You'll find valuable content from everyday users as well as authors and bloggers passionate about travel.

Step 2: Build an itinerary and save travel documents

Once everyone agrees on a location, it's time to get organized. Whether camping or staying at a hotel, make reservations well ahead of time to avoid the seasonal rush. When you call, ask about available discounts. Many places offer deals to lure visitors and win your business. Whether you're traveling locally or cross-country, create a folder and save all travel documents for easy access.

Step 3: Drive smart and slash gas costs

Getting there is half the fun of a road trip, but if you're traveling a long distance, it can also mean expensive trips to fill the tank. Slash your gas costs with a few important tips. Start by only filling up in bigger towns - remote gas stations often have higher prices. Utilize your cruise control - it's convenient plus it regulates gas usage. And remember to use air conditioning sparingly because it is a huge gas guzzler. Crack those windows and enjoy the breeze and open road.

Step 4: Create a meal plan

Eating out is one of the most expensive parts of traveling. Save cash by planning meals ahead of time. If you're camping or staying in an RV, pack easy-to-cook foods like pasta, stew and canned vegetables. Then pack a cooler with basic necessities, like cold cuts, cheese and milk. A little forethought with food can mean hundreds of dollars in savings, plus it can be a lot of fun to cook in the great outdoors. If you're staying at a hotel, you can still cut down on meal costs by packing bags of snacks and a small cooler with basics for breakfast or lunch. Plus, look for a hotel that offers free continental breakfast.

Step 5: Be a compact packer

No matter what type of vehicle you drive, the more you haul the more you'll pay. Reduce how much you pack and you'll reduce how hard your vehicle has to work to get it there, conserving on fuel. Pack what you need, but don't go overboard - you can probably survive on two pairs of shoes rather than five. Pack multipurpose items, such as a coffee maker that also makes hot water for tea, and a sleeping bag that also works as a picnic blanket. Vacuum bags work well for bulky pillows and jackets to save space and provide you and your family a more comfortable ride.

No matter where you go, a few proactive steps and planning tricks will ensure you have an awesome vacation. Whether it's your adventures on the road or the memories you make when you arrive at your destination, your time offers unlimited travel potential.

Courtesy of BPT

Learn how to get your home ready for winter - inside and out

It may not feel like winter yet, but cold weather is around the corner. Take advantage of the good weather now by following these tips to prepare the outside and inside of your home to survive the winter months ahead.


Outside tips

•  After a summer of caring for your lawn, you might be looking for a break, but make sure you don't stop mowing too soon. Lawns should be mowed well into the fall, even after growing stops. Grass should be at least 3 inches high and clippings should be raked up and bagged on the last mowing of the season to prevent roots being smothered over the winter.

•  If you planted perennials, check with your local garden center about what type of protection particular plants require depending on where you live. Gardeners in Minnesota will face much different winter weather than someone in Virginia. Protecting with extra mulch or soil will help in some places, while others may require covering the plants with burlap, canvas or any other porous fabric. If you have trees that come near a power line, the branches should be trimmed back in the event of ice storms or heavy snowfalls that can cause trees to fall.

• Some companies manufacture composite decking, railing, and fence products that require less maintenance than traditional treated wood. While no product is maintenance free, low maintenance decking means less work for you to prepare your deck for the winter. Whether your deck is treated wood or composite wood, keeping a clean, dry deck surface is the key to longer deck life and enjoyment. Just as you would rake the leaves from the lawn, sweep the leaves, needles and branches from the deck and remove all smaller debris from between deck boards as proper drainage is important to avoiding moisture build up. You can also use a deck cleaner and power washer to eliminate build-up. If you have a treated-wood deck, make sure you seal or stain the deck to keep water from getting in.
  
  
  If you live in a cold weather climate where ice and snow are a factor, use calcium chloride or rock salt to melt the ice and snow on your deck. When shoveling snow off of the deck, run the shovel lengthwise on the deck boards. Shoveling cross-wise can scratch or cut into the planks.

• Storing deck furniture depends on what type of furniture you have. Wood furniture needs to be treated and covered with a protective, waterproof cover. Folding deck chairs can be easily stored in basements, garages or sheds, while covers are available for most size tables.

• If you've got a snow blower, make sure it's tuned up and ready to go; if you have a lawnmower, make sure you run it down or drain all the fuel out of it. Fuel in a mower or snow blower should be fresh when you start the season.

• If you have cracks in your driveway or sidewalks, make sure they are repaired before the snow starts. The thawing and refreezing of snow can cause significant damage when it gets into cracks.

Indoor tips

• The more cold air you keep out, the less heat you'll have to use to warm your house. If you have drafty windows, consider wrapping them with plastic to help save energy and keep the cold air out of your house. Another way to keep the heat in is to caulk around windows and door frames where air may leak into the house, and add weather stripping or replace weather stripping that may have worn down.


• If you have a fireplace, make sure it is capped to keep birds and rodents out. Firewood should also be stored away from your house as it can become a home for mice.


• Heating accounts for 34 percent of utility usage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, so checking your ducts to make sure they are sealed is a great way to save money by increasing the efficiency of your furnace. Other ways to make sure you are heating your home efficiently is by making sure your furnace is tuned up and installing a programmable thermostat that can be set to regulate your home's temperature without you having to remember to do it yourself.

Following these tips can help you save money in the short and long term as you get ready to welcome the winter to your outdoor and indoor spaces.

Remodeling your home? Start from the outside in.

The kitchen and bathroom are at the top of most home remodeling project lists. But homeowners intent on remodeling should also consider investing in the exterior of their homes - maybe even start there.

 

That's the advice of Sarah Susanka, one of the nation's leading voices for redefining the  home, and author of the Not So Big House series, a collection of nine books focusing on home design, architecture and remodeling.

 

The reason for investing in the exterior is simple. The exterior should set the tone for your home's interior look and feel. Also, first impressions really do count to the long-term value of a house, especially when it comes time to sell it.

 

"I firmly believe that the experience we have in living in our homes can have a profound impact on the way we look at life," Susanka says. "That experience begins the moment we walk, bike or drive up to it, and extends through the transitions we make as we move between the landscape, the exterior and the interior of the home."

 

The feeling of satisfaction that comes from making your house look good on the outside is experienced at many levels - from the colors and textures of your home to the quality of the materials used to build or remodel it, to the benefits of those materials in the long term, such as the character they lend, or the ease of maintenance they offer. The good news is that if you haven't remodeled your house in a long time, there are a number of new, sustainable products that are helping homeowners create exteriors that are both beautiful and green, such as APEX siding and Integrity windows, both made with pultruded fiberglass, a tough, low-maintenance, sustainable material offering a rich selection of colors.

 

"A Not So Big House is not only built better rather than bigger," adds Susanka. "It is also designed to be a good custodian of the planet's resources. It's built to last. Finding green products that also make it easy for homeowners to maintain the home is a big step toward true sustainability. If a house isn't both beautiful and practical, no matter how green the materials used, it won't live up to its sustainability goals. People only look after what they love, and beauty is a big part of that picture."

If you're thinking about remodeling in the near future, here are several more ideas to make the most of your remodeling budget:

Create a master plan. Many homeowners cannot afford to do a complete remodeling. Most do it in chunks. Before you lift a hammer, hire an architect to create a master plan for your home, which will guide your remodeling efforts for years to come.

 

Connecting inside with outside. The interior and exterior of your home need to work together. They need to be integrated and harmonize with one another as you move from the surrounding landscape to the interior, or as you look out from inside your home to the garden beyond. To enhance this connection, think about the first impression you want to give a visitor. Do you want it to communicate comfort? Connectedness to the outdoors? Creativity? Or tradition? All these can be accomplished with thoughtful detailing of the home's exterior, as well as landscaping.

 

Small changes; huge impact. Small changes to the exterior, such as adding another color to the exterior palette, adding texture such as stone, brick or lap siding, or framing the windows with wider trim boards, can have a huge impact on the look of your home, and make it feel both more expressive and more inviting.

 

Choose sustainable products. It's important not only to the environment, but to the overall maintenance and longevity of your home. Consider remodeling your house with some of the new, high quality sustainable products that are entering the remodeling marketplace, such as APEX Siding, Susanka's current favorite find, which is made from pultruded fiberglass, derived from sand.

 

Reduce maintenance and future repairs. Another key to remodeling is to use materials and building methods that are resistant to wear, tear and the elements (rain, sunlight), which reduce the likelihood of needing to make expensive repairs in the future, as well as reducing the amount of time spent on maintenance. Knowing that your home is well protected from the elements is an important part of the overall satisfaction with your home.

 

Mix it up. Many people are afraid to use more than one color on the exterior of their home. That's why so many houses appear dull and lifeless. Consider using two colors of siding and a third color for your trim boards to add personality and vitality to the exterior. Products like Apex fiberglass siding and trim, and Integrity windows, for example, are available in a palette of rich and attractive colors. Also, consider adding a trim band, or belt line, below main level windows of your home, and using a contrasting color of siding below that band to help ground the house and connect it in with the surrounding landscape.

 

Invest in quality over quantity. Even with a limited budget, try to invest in high-quality products that will look good for the long haul, and will stand the tests of time, rather than buying lower-quality products that may offer the short term benefit of getting a greater share of your remodeling projects done, but which end up looking dilapidated and unattractive in short order. You'll feel better about the integrity of your home by focusing a significant part of your budget on the bones and outer clothing of your home - the roof, siding, windows, electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems.

How to judge your home's curb appeal

If you have been trying to sell your home, you are well aware of how challenging it can be. However, there is one way that you can increase your chances of success and that is if you improve your home's curb appeal.


With fewer and fewer qualified buyers in the market it has become even more important to make your home as attractive as possible.


That's because a very high percentage of people who are shopping for a home decide whether or not they would like to take a look inside the home based on what they see as they drive by the house - or when they arrive for a showing. If the curb appeal is not positive they often leave.


As the homeowner it can be rather difficult for you to see your house through other people's eyes.


That's because you have gotten accustomed to how it looks and you see beyond whatever faults it has. However, if you are considering selling your home you have to first look at is as property rather than the roof over your particular head. And, as such, there are a number of things you can do to sell this property for the highest possible dollar.


Before you can increase your curb appeal you have to identify the areas that are ripe for improvement. Here's a simple exercise that you can do to help you to gage your home's curb appeal.


First, the next time you come back home, park across the street or down the block. You want to be able to get a good view of your property and its surroundings, as if you were looking at it for the first time. As you walk towards your house imagine that this is the first time you are here.


Is the approach to your property tidy and clean? Is there anything that you could do to make it more attractive?


Take a notepad with you and jot down your first impressions of the yard and the house. Then note the house's best exterior features.


Once you've done that take a moment or two to see if you can come up with some initial ideas about how you can enhance the looks of your house and property. Continue this exercise later.


After you consider the best features of your yard and home, make a note of what the worst features are. Then see if you can think of a number of ways that you could eliminate, improve, or minimize these negative factors.


One thing that could help is if you take pictures of your house. If your camera is a digital camera take the photos in color and look at them that way first. Then turn the image into black and white and analyze them. It may be easier to see the problems when the color doesn't affect your impressions.


by: Wendy Moyer 

http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_6541.shtml