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.

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.

There are a lot of questions homeowners have to ask themselves before they commission a large remodeling project such as a complete kitchen remodel or a room addition. How much money do I have to spend? Are we willing to live with all the disruption or will we have to stay somewhere else while construction goes on? How do I find the right contractor for the job? There is another important consideration though and one that people do not always take into account – how long do you intend to live in your home?

How long you actually intend to stay in your current home can help you clarify the actual value of the remodeling projects you undertake. Not the resale value or the ROI because if you never intend to move, if you have found your dream home, then such a thing is rather irrelevant. Here are some basic considerations:

Moving in Five Years

Some homeowners know they will be moving on in about 5 years. Perhaps they are a younger couple who intend to start a family by that time or a family whose older children will be heading off to college. If this is you then you should understand that there are basically three rooms that are going to sell your home – the kitchen, the bathroom, and the master bedroom. Therefore any remodeling projects undertaken in these areas should provide that all important good ROI you will be looking for when you are ready to sell.

Moving in Five to Ten Years

If you fall into this category you will still want to take ROI into consideration but you will be staying put long enough to really appreciate any home remodeling tweaks you make. Adding additional square footage – whether it is a basement room or a room addition to accommodate the extra “surprise” kid makes sense. These types of projects not only add significantly to your home’s value, they make life in your home just a little bit better every day. If you intend to be in your current home for at least a decade you can think about personalizing it a little more as well.

Never Going Anywhere

If you have arrived in the home you intend to stay in (barring hugely unforeseen circumstances) resale value is fairly irrelevant. Remodeling is all about the ultimate enjoyment of your home at this point. This is the time when remodeling can mean changing those one or two things that have always bothered you about your home.

Sick of having to struggle downstairs to the basement with baskets full of laundry? Hire a good general contractor to come in and build one upstairs. The difference it will make to your everyday life will be huge. It may also be worth looking at who you will be in fifteen to twenty years time. Widening a narrow bathroom door or adding a downstairs bedroom now may make your home more accessible in the future, meaning you really will be able to stay there for good.

Making a few home improvements should normally be a sure fire way to increase the value of your home at resale time right? Wrong, not always. There are, in fact, some home improvements and home renovation projects that may make getting the selling price you want harder than had they not ever been implemented in the first place. Here are some home improvement projects to avoid.

Taste and Function Specific Kitchens

You are an avid amateur chef. You remodeled your kitchen and it now rather resembles the ones they use on Hells Kitchen, all stainless steel and professional equipment.

Personally you love it because it is so functional, but a potential buyer may be intimidated by it, especially if their culinary interests don’t go far beyond making toast. You always want to appeal to the broadest range of buyers when selling any home and, if a potential buyer believes that it will cost them significant amounts of money to make changes to the remodeling initiatives you made, they may still make the offer, but it is likely to be for less than you wanted.

The same goes for bathrooms as well. Not everyone always dreamed of having a heart shaped tub the way you might have done…

Bright Paint Jobs

Most real estate brokers will tell you that giving your home a nice new coat of paint before you put it on the market is a good idea. But by new paint they mean a nice neutral color, not bright, bold shades that may intimidate some buyers. Save the bright red walls that looked so trendy on that home show for your next house.

Water Features

Added water features like in ground swimming pools, hot tubs or fountains may give you a lot of pleasure but, to some potential buyers, they can represent an extra expense and inconvenience they don’t really want rather than an extra that they do. Once again, that will often cause them to offer a lower price because of the extra money they perceive that the water feature will cost them once they move in.

Bad DIY

They seemed like good ideas at the time – laying your own floor, installing your own cabinets and so on – and the results weren’t all that bad. One or two mistakes here and there but you have learned to live with them.

The problem is while you may have lived with the flubs that occurred during your do it yourself project a potential buyer will probably not want to. And they will see it; home buyers develop eagle eye vision and demand a price reduction because they will have to be the ones paying to fix it.

The bottom line is that, yes, your home is your castle and if you want a heart shaped bath and bright blue walls in a restaurant style kitchen you should be able to have them. Just make sure that you understand the potential impact such things will have on your home’s resale value before you get such projects underway.

A recent Wall Street Journal article confirmed what many people in the contracting industry already knew – that more and more people are implementing remodeling projects that they have been putting off for years.

People are moving beyond just the basic repairs necessary to make their home functional and impleementing the kind of home improvements that mean they can continue to life comfortably in their current home rather than braving a housing market that is continuing to bottom out.

When you are planning remodeling  projects though you should not forget the impact on your home’s eventual resale value. Although you may be planning to stay put for the foreseeable future, history has shown us that eventually the real estate market will rebound again and putting your home up for sale will become an attractive option again.

With a little planning, finding the balance between your current needs and desires and what will attract buyers in the future is not that hard to do. Certain projects are always going to appeal to both current homeowners  and any future potential buyers because, done right, they are always going to improve the look, function and value of a home.

Bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodels are a perennial best bet. But there are other remodeling projects that fall into the same category as well. Basement remodels and attic renovations are always popular, with attic conversions really gaining in value over the last few years.

No home remodeling project is eve going to add value to your home if it is sloppily executed though. That is why finding the right home remodeling contractor is the real key to the success of any project you undertake around the house,whether you ever intend to sell up and move on or not.