A patio is a great alternative to a deck that can help homeowners get the most out of the outdoor space that surrounds their home. With the good weather finally beginning to return if you have been considering adding a patio to your landscape, or rejuvenating an existing one now is the perfect time.

Once you and your landscaper or builder have determined the perfect location for new patio you will have to determine what materials are going to be used in its construction. Here is a little basic information about the most popular options available today:

Brick

A brick patio can be used to bring a touch of warm elegance and practicality to almost any outdoor space. Brick is often the best choice for patios that are built around homes that experience very cold weather in the winter, as they are more durable than many other options.

How much it will cost you to have a brick patio installed will not only depend upon the type of brick you choose but the manner of installation as well. If you opt for the brick to be mortared in rather than dry laid over gravel the cost will be higher. Mortaring in does however create a patio that is likely to stay in great shape for far longer and the mortar itself can be used as an aesthetic enhancement. The only real maintenance a brick patio should ever need after it is installed is the occasional power-wash and touch up of any chipped mortar.

Dry Laid Flagstones

A patio created with dry laid flagstone creates a rustic look that can be truly enchanting, especially if it is enhanced with the right amount of greenery and natural color. It also affords the homeowner a great deal of creative license as many different kinds of stones can be incorporated into the overall design.

How much a dry laid flagstone patio will cost depends very much upon the type of stone that you choose. After the patio is complete it should be fairly easy to maintain, with weeds occasionally needing to be pulled and any missing sand between the flagstones replenished.

Pea Gravel

Pea gravel is probably the easiest patio surface to install and because it shifts underfoot can be far more comfortable to walk on than harder patio surfaces. Pea gravel is also one of the least expensive patio surfaces one can opt for. On the downside if you live in a colder clime efficient snow removal can be hard to achieve without disturbing a great many of the stones.

Concrete

Concrete patios are not the cheapest option available to homeowners but it can be one of the most versatile. Concrete can be poured to conform to any shape, can be dyed in many different colors and can be stamped right after it is laid to add extra textural interest. Exactly how much a concrete patio will cost will depend upon the size of the patio you have poured and upon the extras, like color, that you might choose to opt for. In terms of maintenance concrete patios require very little. Like brick they will benefit from the occasional power wash but other than that they should be fairly trouble free.

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Spring Cleaning Time

Spring is here and most people do still take the time to do that big spring clean. But, while you are vacuuming, dusting and uncluttering, you should also be making sure that your home is in a decent state of repair.

Fixing all the little problems now, many of them that may have been caused by the bad weather, will potentially save you a great deal of money. Little problems around the house have a way of turning into huge headaches if left unchecked, so here is a spring home maintenance checklist that, if followed, should help you make sure that your home is ready for the summer months ahead.

Deck Maintenance

If your deck has been covered with an inch of snow for the last few months the fact that it probably needs a little TLC should be no surprise. Although a good power wash can be the best way to restore your deck’s appearance, you should also make sure that the winter months have not damaged its structural integrity. If you have any concerns after throughly inspecting your deck call in a pro now instead of trying to patch things up yourself, which often only makes matters worse.

Check Your Gutters

When it was cold and miserable outside not cleaning out your gutters was understandable. However, that means that the chances are all those leaves that fell last fall are still there, cluttering up your gutters and presenting a potential problem. Now is the time to get rid of them and make sure that they are still in good shape.

Schedule an HVAC Checkup

The need to use your air conditioner may still be a few months away but the time to schedule a check up for your HVAC system is now. If you wait until June to discover that something is not quite right, you may find yourself spending more than a few days wilting in the heat because your HVAC company is booked solid.

Consider an Exterior Paint Job

Spring is the ideal time to have the exterior of your home repainted if it is looking a little shabby. If you paint at the height of the summer the higher temperatures may mean that the paint can be affected by all that heat and humidity and you may end up having to have it redone again far sooner than you should.

Wash the Windows

The one thing that it is easy to neglect (or purposely avoid) is cleaning your windows. However, after all that bad weather they really are going to need it. If ladders are not your thing spend the extra few dollars to call in a professional window washing company to do those tricky second story windows.

Check All Your Summer Tools

Is your lawnmower still working?

Does the grill still fire up?

How about that patio furniture, is it really up to another season in the sun?

Spring is the best time to check all of these things to avoid disappointment when the really good weather arrives and most stores still have great deals on summer items that will be gone by the time the summer sun comes out for good.

Regular Maintenance v Home Warranties

You may have been advised that you should purchase a home warranty to help you avoid extra expense if a major appliance or home appliance system should fail.

You may also have been told that you should not buy a home warranty because they are a waste of money and many are so expensive that they border on being a scam. Confusing to say the least. Which advice is correct?

Although there are some instances when a home warranty can be a good idea, if your home is brand new for instance, usually home warranties are just expenditures that homeowners do not need to make, especially in this economy.

Yes, it is true that if an HVAC system breaks down altogether it may cost as much as $10,000 to replace. However that is less likely to occur if you have it checked by an HVAC professional on a semi annual basis. For safety’s sake you should do that anyway, warranty or no warranty, so the extra $400-$500 spent on a home warranty may not be worth it.

The other thing that some people do not realize until it is too late and they have already taken out a home warranty is that very few of them cover some of the very appliances that are likely to break first – your washer and dryer.

In addition, many warranty companies will try to repair an appliance before even considering replacing it, so you may be holding on to a fridge that is energy inefficient when buying a new one would make more sense.

Instead of purchasing a home warranty consider investing the money you would have spent in the form of annual check ups for your appliances. The old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure holds true for your home every bit as much as it does anything else.

The last snows are melting all over the country, temperatures are starting to rise and people are beginning to turn their attention back to the space outside their homes.

The spring is a great time to implement a landscaping makeover and, whether your current budget will only run to a mini makeover or you are ready to tackle a larger project, now is the time to start planning, before all the best landscapers and contractors in your area are booked up and too busy to help you. Here are a few ideas.

Have a Floating Deck Built

Is there a corner of your yard that gets great sun, is rather spacious but, because it is set quite a way from your house, you really don’t do that much with it? If so, then this may be the perfect spot to have a floating deck constructed this year.

A floating deck is built much in the same way a “regular”” deck, it just serves as a free standing structure rather than one tethered to the side of house. This opens up far greater design possibilities as you are not limited to having to choose a deck style that matches the lines of your home. Find a good deck builder and if you want an octagonal floating deck you can have it.

Add a Pond

Water features are still a hot landscaping trend and a pond is one of the most spectacular yet relatively easy and inexpensive to commission. Find a good landscaper and not only will they be able to help you plan and design the perfect watery addition to your garden but will even help advise you about what should live in it, both in terms of plant life and fish.

Give Your Landscape a Theme

Love the traditional look of a bloom filled English garden? Or perhaps you prefer the tranquil calm of an Oriental style outdoor space? If you can give your exterior space a theme in the same way you may have to the interior of your home your general enjoyment – and the curb appeal – of your home’s exterior will increase significantly.

All good landscapers will be happy to spend some time consulting with you about your options before you make any decisions. What you can and cannot do may be limited by local soil conditions, average temperatures and other regional factors so requesting such a consult can save you a lot of money on dead and withered plants and flowers down the line.

Consider Lawn Alternatives

Many homeowners fight what often seems to be a losing battle trying to keep their large lawns in decent shape. If you are one of them, one of the things you could consider is cutting down on the actual amount of lawn you have to deal with.

There are a number of attractive and easier to maintain alternatives to grass – including decorative stone, cedar chips and you could even consider adding a stylish patio to make better use of some of that green space.

Which is the Right Choice for You?

Spring is just around the corner and many a homeowner will be considering adding onto their deck or replacing their old deck with a newer model. Others will be adding their first.

The slowdown in the economy has meant that most of us are spending far more time at home and every square foot of space – including that which is outside – is being put to better use.

Before you ever get down to the particulars of the design of your deck and which bells and whistles you want added to it, there is one important initial decision to make. Are you going to have a traditional wood deck built onto your home or opt for one of the newer composite material decking options? Here is a little information about both options that may help you decide.

Composite Decking

Composite decking materials are a relatively new innovation and on many levels perform just as well as real wood. The one big advantage that composite decking has over traditional wood is that it is far easier to maintain. Composites are comparitively extremely weather resistant and stand up to water well, making composite decking the better choice for use around a pool area. On the downside though you are going to end up with a very uniform look across the length and breadth of your deck – the variations you would find in natural wooden decking just will not be there.

Wood Decking

If aesthetics are your primary concern then wooden decking is probably going to be the right choice. Although you can buy composite decking materials that are created to mimic wood, most of us can tell the difference.

Wood decking will require more maintenance than composite decking. However, taken care of properly, a wood deck should last far longer than the twenty years that most composite deck material manufacturers guarantee so the durability factor might make wood the better choice as well.

In the end the choice between wood decking and composite decking is a personal one based on preference and budget. Ask your deck contractor if you can see samples of both materials and examples of decks they have built using them before you make your final choice.

At first it may seem like completely repainting the exterior of your home is an expensive prospect, whether you choose to to do it yourself or hire a professional to do the job. However, neglecting to do so when it really is time can end up costing you far more.

The more you delay a repainting job the longer the exterior of your home is exposed to the potentially damaging elements – and structural problems are certainly going to be more expensive to remedy. With all of this in mind when is the right time to call in the painters and give your home the face lift in a can it needs? Here are some pointers.

Is Your Home Three to Five Years Old ?

It may seem strange that a three year old house would need to be repainted but the fact is that these days most new houses have just a single coat of paint over the primer and, while it may look great in the beginning, after three years or so the paint begins to stop doing its primary job – protecting what is underneath from the ravages of the weather – and it really is time for a new coat or two to be added.

Is Your Home Blueish, Grayish or Brownish?

If you tend to describe the exterior of your home in these terms it is unlikely that this is actually the color that was originally picked out. Even the best exterior paint will fade over time and, when it does, it not only looks less appealing but is, once again, exposing your home to the climate more than is good for it.

Try this test on your -ish paint. Run your fingers over visibly faded sections of the paint job. If they come away chalky that is an indication the resin that was actually holding the paint onto your home’s exterior – and providing much of the protection – has broken down, leaving only the paint’s pigment behind.

Blister, Cracks, Flaking and Chips

If the exterior of your home has degraded to this extent then there really is no time to lose. All may not be lost however. If the chipping and flaking is confined to certain areas, under the windows for instance, excessive moisture may be the culprit, not the paint itself. This can be remedied fairly easily with a good re-caulking job around the offending windows.

If, however, the paint flakes are everywhere it is a signal that your exterior paint has failed. At this point you will be best served by bringing in the experts to determine the extent of the damage. If they find that they can still see the paint underneath the chips you may only need a scraping, sanding, and repainting job. However, if the wood underneath is bare you will need your house painter to remove all the old paint and start again from scratch, a far more expensive prospect and one that could have been avoided by acting more quickly, biting the bullet and treating your home to a new coat of paint when it first needed one.

There are an awful lot of things to take into consideration when you are planning and commissioning a large home remodeling project. One of the things that many homeowners tend to overlook is how their insurance – and that held by the contractors they hire – stacks up. Here are the things you should be checking before work begins to make sure you are fully covered and not leaving yourself open to any nasty surprises down the road.

Home Remodeling and Your Homeowner Insurance

Before the remodeling work begins, schedule an appointment with your insurance agent to determine whether or not changes need to be made to your homeowner insurance policy. Your agent should be able to help you determine whether or not leaving the policy as is would cover all your financial losses and liabilities should the worst (a fire, a flood, bodily harm) occur while the remodeling work is in progress.

You also need to determine how your remodeling project is going to impact the value of your home once it is completed. Most large remodels will add value to it, some of them significantly. Although you will not need to make insurance policy changes reflecting this until the project is finished, it helps to bring your insurance agent into the loop early so that they can prepare a new policy that can go into effect as soon as everything is done.

Home Remodeling and Your Contractor’s Insurance

It is absolutely essential that you are comfortable with the level of your contractor’s insurance before the project begins. Many reputable contractors are surprised by just how few homeowners bother to ask about such things, let alone request proof in the form of insurance paperwork. A good licensed remodeling contractor is required to carry a certain amount of insurance by law. This typically includes accident and disability coverage, in addition to liability (or errors and omission) coverage. Ask to get a copy of all these details in writing and then have your insurance agent take a look at it to ensure that between your contractor’s insurance and your own homeowner’s policy you really are fully covered.