Home Improvement Exterior

Owning a home can be fun and exciting, especially when it comes to styling the outside as an expression of your character. However, this can be done in more than one way. Instead of painting the house or trim, what if you change your garage door colors to add some pizazz? Some people even choose to have black garage doors, but is this a bad idea?

Dealing with a tree that falls on your property is a nightmare. Not only is it a major inconvenience, but it can also be expensive to remove if you don’t get any help. So, does homeowner insurance cover tree removal?

A mural is an excellent way to capture people’s attention and communicate a message to the public. You’ll often see murals on the side of buildings throughout a city or inside people’s homes. But what kind of permission and permit do you need to paint a mural, if any?

When looking for ways to protect your home, there are a lot of different things to think about. Your driveway is something that gets used every day but isn’t often taken into consideration with regards to protection. By covering your asphalt driveway with a seal coating, you can help keep it in good condition.

With the increase in vinyl siding’s popularity, people are increasingly focused on finding ways to ensure that their siding can last longer than ever. That’s why people put house wrap underneath their vinyl siding. Of course, the wrap is known for being expensive. Is it really worth it? Do you even need it?

So, you went to your friend’s house the other night for some backyard conversation and wine and fell in love with their yard. It was relaxing and comfortable, and those string lights in their trees were the perfect finishing touch. Now you want to hang string lights in your backyard, but you don’t have any trees.

Countless homeowners dread gearing up and scattering salt on their icy driveways to ensure they don't get stuck at home. Salt is quite damaging, and you may not have it on hand when snow and ice strike. That’s why we assembled some simple ice-melting alternatives if you don’t want to use salt.

It takes hard work to stop a driveway from flooding, but it’s a worthy investment. Most methods involve excavation, which is best done by contractors. The best ways to prevent driveway flooding include:

Adding a shed to your property is an excellent investment. You may need it for storing tools, building a workshop, or extra storage for seasonal decorations. Whatever the reason, you must investigate the cost, in time and money, of building a shed on your own versus buying one and having it installed professionally. 

Concrete slabs are necessary for a variety of different projects. Maybe you need a concrete patio for your summer night parties- or a foundation to build your shed. Perhaps, you have another project in mind.

Installing a metal roof can be a cost-effective, durable, and attractive solution for your next project. Whether you’re building a shed or replacing the roof on your house, metal materials can provide you with many great benefits. Before you start your project, however, it’s crucial to weigh the costs of the construction.

Paving slabs can make a pathway or driveway look fantastic with just a little bit of hard work. We are going to show you the ins and outs, of laying down paving slabs on a sloped surface. Since not all properties are perfectly flat, it’s essential to know how to do this, especially if your property is on a slope!

It’s easy to postpone maintenance on your home when you’re worried about money and time. After all, even the simplest home repairs can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. However, the longer you put it off, the more it will pile up.

The main job of your siding is to protect your home from the elements – particularly precipitation and the negative effects of excess moisture. However, in addition to practicality, your siding also serves an aesthetic purpose and can drastically impact the value of your home. With this in mind, your choice in siding should be based on aesthetics, maintenance needs, durability, environmental impact, installation, composition, and overall costs.

Making the switch to solar is one of the biggest decisions in a homeowner’s life. Whether you want to save money on your electricity or get completely off the grid, there are options for you.

When the summer comes and the weather is good most people look to go outside and start on all of the projects they’ve looked forward to completing. Whether this is a shed, starting a remodel, adding an extension onto your home, planting a tree, or having some fun in the garden, all of these might require digging. 

Squirrels can be an entertaining sight in your backyard as they perform the gymnastic moves through the tree limbs. However, if you are like me and are more entertained by the birds attracted by your birdfeeder, squirrels are more of a nuisance. People suggest several methods to stop squirrels from raiding your birdfeeder. We wonder if squirrels can climb PVC pipes.

Cement board, widely known as Hardie board, is a form of fiber cement that is commonly used on the exterior of buildings or as the backing for walls, floors, and tile applications. The boards are incredibly durable and highly resistant to fire, rot, and mold and mildew growth. When used as an exterior building material, you may be wondering: “can you paint cement board?”

The first thing people see when they come to your house is the front porch. Whether a small humble stoop or a large wrap-around showpiece, your porch should feel welcoming and make people want to see more. Therefore, if the front of your house needs a facelift, it’s time to spruce up your front porch.

If there’s one building material that’s become known as an eyesore, it’s cinder block. These poured concrete blocks are often seen as a sign of something that’s cheaply made, and if left on their own, could even tick off a homeowner’s association. If you have a home that has cinderblocks as part of the building’s make, don’t worry. There are ways to paint cinder blocks to look more like stone.

Going into winter can be daunting when you don’t know where to start when it comes to preparing your home. The last thing that you want to do is struggle to catch up when the temperatures plummets.

The sound of your garage door opening when it shouldn’t is scary. Your garage is about more than parking your car; it’s also a gateway into your home. Every homeowner should trust their garage door to stay closed, but that’s hard when it’s faulty. So, why does my garage door open by itself?

A pond in your backyard can be a fun feature, adding beauty and a relaxing, calming atmosphere. But if your pond ends up grimy, full of algae, or otherwise yucky, it’s anything but beautiful. So, how do you keep a backyard pond clean so it’s worth having as part of your oasis?

You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a brand-new porch or expensive contractors. There are several simple things you can do to your porch to give it a brand new look just in time for spring. Treat yourself to a warm welcome every time you come home, and show your guests how excited you are to see them with these easy front porch refresh ideas.

Gutters serve the important function of directing water away from your house, and they are a fixture of every house. Every builder-owner knows the importance of good gutters and the trouble that having them can save.

Salt damages concrete because of how it affects water. Salt lowers the freezing point of water, leading to a repeated freeze-thaw cycle, which can significantly weaken the surface of the concrete. So, the water in the concrete freezes, turns into ice, thaws, and then freezes again.

There’s no denying that energy costs are out of control, getting higher and higher year after year. Utility costs tend to rise right along with the rising outdoor temperatures. Therefore, it’s not surprising that people want to reduce the heat entering their homes so that they can lower their bills. A popular method is planting trees to save on air conditioning. But this only works if you know where to plant them.

Some homeowners avoid running their furnaces to conserve energy and money. However, that can be dangerous and uncomfortable if the outside temperature is below freezing. Ideally, you should set your thermostat to at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit when it’s 32 degrees or below outside. 

If you want to build a garden pathway on a tight budget that lasts a long time, then start looking for bricks. New bricks at home improvement stores can be fairly cheap (and also quite pricey), but if you are looking to build a pathway for as little as possible, don’t head to a retail store.

Over time, your house can start to build up dirt, grime, and other unpleasantries since it’s exposed to the elements daily. Pressure washing can help you keep your home’s exterior looking its best, but do you have time to do it? How long does it take to pressure wash a house?

A gazebo might be a great addition to your backyard patio or lawn. You can escape the heat of summer or have protection from the rain. Unless you have a concrete slab that you can drill into, you may find it difficult to anchor a gazebo.

Whether you’re a prepper by nature or not, you should always be prepared in the instance a flood should occur and threaten to damage your home. While you can certainly purchase the right insurance and stock up on necessary supplies, the post-flood cleanup and having to replace your treasured family belongings are not worth the energy.

Driveways are supposed to be a place where your car can feel at home…and where your car’s wheels won’t get too banged up. When you first kick off your driveway’s life, the asphalt is smooth and accommodating. Unfortunately, wear and tear can happen. If left for too long, asphalt cracks turn into crumbles, and then you’ve got a mess to deal with. So, how do you fix this problem?

Painting the outside of your home is quite an undertaking, even if you live in a modest single-story dwelling. There is preparation work, setup, and all sorts of supplies necessary. You also need to find time in your schedule since this is often a project that can span many days. As you start looking at your calendar you should also look at the weather calendar as well in order to choose the best time to paint your house.

Snowplows block driveways because they move snow out of the way, and it moves to the sides of the vehicle. This can create big snowbanks that block nearby driveways and cars. Big snowplows have little control over the direction of the snow they push.

Few home remodeling projects have the same impact or significance as those that involve the home’s outside. When visitors come into your driveway, the exterior is the first thing they see, and it’s also the first line of defense from the weather. Siding replacements are one of the most common home improvement jobs in the United States for these reasons.

There are many reasons why you might need to know your property lines. You probably have a general idea as to where your property line is, but sometimes you require something more exact. Whether a tree has fallen and caused some damage, or you want to build a fence along the border of your property, you need to know your precise property boundaries. But how do you find out your exact property lines?

Fiberglass exterior doors are becoming more popular with builders and homeowners upgrading their homes. Fiberglass doors offer a lot of advantages like those offered by steel or PVC door units. However, fiberglass door units offer only a few color options, and many homeowners wonder if they can paint a fiberglass door to match the exterior of their homes. 

Damage to the foundation or rim joist of a house can be potentially dangerous for structural integrity reasons. Generally speaking, the rim joist will be located under an exterior wall and will more often than not be load bearing.

The winter isn’t the ideal season to accomplish your outdoor projects. Landscaping, gardening, and exterior work are often scheduled for the spring and fall months when the weather is more suitable. But sometimes work needs to be done in a given time frame, which means you need to accomplish projects like painting your home’s exterior in the middle of the coldest season. But is it a good idea to paint the outside of your home in the winter?

Chimneys offer curb appeal, functionality, and a classic vibe that appeals to countless homeowners. They are easy to spot from the street, but their primary benefit is that chimney caps protect your roof and fireplace. With all of the benefits that chimney caps have to offer; how many types are there?

Back in the 1940s and 1950s, vinyl was not really used as a type of siding. It was just beginning to gain a following in home improvement. During this time, aluminum was the number one modern siding type. The thing is, aluminum can rust. It’s also kind of hard to deal with when compared to vinyl siding. People began to make the switch. This led to a major question: can you put vinyl siding over aluminum siding?

One of the easiest ways to make shoveling less difficult and uncomfortable is to dress appropriately. It isn’t easy to dress for shoveling. After all, you need to consider the cold temperatures, wet ground, often harsh winds, and lastly your warm body.

Subsidence can occur due to many reasons, from the type of soil your house sits on to drainage issues. For example, heavy pipe leaks can soften the ground and pressure the foundation. Soil consistency affects subsidence as well because silt and clay are cohesive soils.

There are many things to take care of on your property before winter hits, and it can be stressful. It can be intimidating if you have never winterized a pond with fish, but it’s necessary. Whether you’re new to ponds or have years of experience, you may still struggle with how to winterize a pond with fish.

Shingling a roof can be far more complicated than you may have realized. Because of the various materials involved, there are certain specifications that must be met to ensure that the roof and shingles are properly installed.

One great way to spruce up the outside of your home is to add a new walkway. A walkway can come from a sidewalk to your front door, or from the driveway. There are all sorts of unique and beautiful walkway designs.

A new screen for your porch can cost anywhere from $700 to over $5,000 depending on where you live, the size of your porch, and the type of project. Replacing the screens on your porch is not cheap, and therefore you will want to wait as long as possible to complete this project. In general, you should wait between eight and fifteen years before you need to replace your porch screens.

A septic tank needs ample space to drain. And without knowing precisely how big your field should be, it can lead to ground contamination at worst and a nasty cleanup effort at best. Taking the proper precautions beforehand will save you a lot of headaches in the long run.

It is tempting for any homeowner to maximize sunlight and keep pests away. The two most common ways for a homeowner to allow natural light into the house are with screen doors and storm doors. So, let’s settle a common debate amongst homeowners: screen door vs. storm door.

As we step into the fireplace season, a new task rises on many homeowners’ to-do lists. Yes. It’s time to inspect, and most importantly, repair your chimney.

Painting the exterior of your home can completely transform the entire look and feel of your house. A fresh coat of paint can instantly update your home’s curb appeal while giving it a cleaner, fresher look. But, choosing the right color is vital, and with a green roof, it’s important to consider color choices wisely.

Like any other outdoor room, porches are simply a continuation of your living space. Although all porches provide a space that bridges the gap between the outside world and the inside of your home, not all porches are created equal. Some porches are meant to greet visitors, while others are designed more for relaxing and enjoying the outdoors in an enclosed area.

The exterior of your home’s cladding not only provides an aesthetic appeal but can also play a significant role in the insulation and overall protection of your home.

Painting your house is a huge undertaking. And you probably don’t want to do it twice. So, choose the best color for your foundation the first time. Then, update the style every few years.

The back door is not usually given a second thought. Most people think of it as strictly a means to the outdoor or back yard. And rarely is it considered a design component of a room.

Vinyl siding is one of the most popular ways to protect the outside of your home, and rightfully so. It prevents damage from the elements, adds a modern veneer, and also can raise the price of your home. Switching from one home exterior (like stucco) to vinyl seems like a good idea. The question at hand, of course, is if it’s even feasible to put vinyl over stucco in the first place.

There’s no way to completely protect your home from tornadoes, but impact-resistant doors and windows can help. The term “tornado-proof” isn’t ironclad, but you can take several steps to protect your home from tornadoes.

If you need to have wood waterproofed, then chances are you’ve applied Thompson’s Water Seal to it. This waterproofing stain is known for being one of the best in the home improvement world when it comes to keeping your materials looking great. Of course, many of us want to make our projects look even better with a fresh coat of paint. But, is this actually doable?

Metal roofs have been used to top barns, country-style homes, and buildings across the U.S. since the 1700s. However, the metal roofs of today are nothing like the familiar tin roof of years past.