First of all, adding an outdoor room to your home is a great idea. It will add square footage, value, and beauty to your home. The key here, as always, is planning, and the first step is knowing what you’re going to use the room for.

Will it be a sun room, garden room, or a screened-in porch? Is it a place you will use for relaxation, or more for entertainment? Some outdoor rooms are extensions of kitchens or family rooms, others are game rooms, exercise rooms, reading rooms, and whatever else your creative mind can come up with.

When you’ve decided what you’ll use it for, start laying out the room. Sketch out a plan on paper to help you visualize it. Think about how much furniture you’d like and where you’ll put it. Think about windows. Usually outdoor rooms have large windows to afford maximum view of the yard, garden, and the horizon if you’re lucky enough to have an expansive view. You don’t necessarily need to use real windows. You can easily use a wood frame and screen. …continue reading Q&A: Any Suggestions for Adding an Outdoor Room?

The front porch is a vital part of your home; it welcomes visitors and acts as a nice, relaxing refuge for you to sit and watch the world float by. However, front porches are usually a frequent candidate for home maintenance as they are subjected to all the twists and turns of weather: snow, rain, wind, hail, whatever.

Most front porches are basically decks, usually with a small roof over them. As with any deck, your number one structural problem is rot and water damage. Not only are porches often subject to direct rainfall but they also must contend with water dripping from furniture, plants, etc., long after the rain has stopped.

If your deck’s in good shape now, try and keep it that way by regularly re-staining or painting it and keep an eye out for places where water is prone to stand and not run off. For those of you who have already noticed problems, you have a little more work in store. If you see rot occurring on deck boards you need to take care of it ASAP. If the water gets down into the joists then you’ve opened up a whole other can of worms and the fix-up will likely get much more difficult and expensive. …continue reading Fixing up Your Front Porch

According to David Cohen of California Deck Builders, building a deck is a natural remodeling choice, especially when you use natural materials. This is because decks function as an extension of your living area, and they allow you to spend more time outdoors at home, relaxing with friends and family.

When a deck is built properly to withstand years of dedicated use, the results are good for both homeowners and contractors. Cohen believes that when clients go into their backyard to enjoy a structure he built, good karma continues to flow for years. “According to the laws of the universe,” he says, “nothing comes unanswered. I’m just trying to do good.” …continue reading Making the Natural Deck Choice