Our latest cedar deck

This customer was faced with a challenge that affects many homeowners. The original home builder decided to shave some construction costs by building a deck that was just too small to be functional. This happens far too often as you can see in this 'before' picture. With a good design you can see how much more functional this deck is now in the 'after' picture. If you are interested in spending quality time outside with your family give us a call and we can design a new deck for you that is not only beautiful and functional but will also add value to your most prized possession.

Is Your Home Ready for Replacement Windows or Replacement Doors?

Is your home ready for replacement windows or replacement doors? Old wooden doors and creaky wooden windows that leak and let in the heat and cold cost you more money in the long run than buying a brand new replacement doors or replacement windows. It is a well known fact that those damaged windows lead to energy loss and high cost for the homeowner.

There are several good reasons to install replacement windows or replacement doors. The first and most obvious reason is to save on energy. By replacing those damaged windows and doors your house might reduce its energy bills up to half each year. Bad windows and doors reduce the value of your home. Installing replacement windows and replacement doors adds value to your home and could increase the price of your house be more competitive in the house market when it come to sell your house. Another often overlooked reason to add new windows or doors to your home is for looks. Damaged windows lessen curb appeal, devalue your home. Another reason for replacement windows and replacement door is for security. A badly damaged window or door might make it easy for a burglar to gain entry into your home. Don't make your home an easy target change those old windows and doors as soon as possible.

The first step to installing new windows and new door is to contact a professional window and door installer in your area or search on the Internet. Look for a professional installer who installs high quality windows. Check around on several websites and ask questions before selecting the installer to insure that you get the best Wicita professional installer available.

Kitchen Remodeling Tips

If Wichita kitchen remodeling is on your mind, the features that you should consider are not only the materials and colors of the kitchen, but also the creation of an integrated dynamic internal appliances and furniture.

Geography of the kitchen:

Trading Spaces

The National Association of kitchen and bathroom defines that the triangle in the kitchen of an imaginary line is important, it stretches from the center of the pool to the middle of the shell to the middle of the refrigerator and to the recipient. In order to facilitate the users in the kitchen, it is really important not to block the door way.

Hide Spaces

Some Wichita homeowners are confused whether they should remodel their kitchens by letting the sunlight going in or not. Buying refrigerators and ovens are not boring, but finding the correct place for those things in the kitchen is confusing. These equipments are ugly when they are placed in opened area. It is important to hide those equipments in the kitchen.

In order to make your Wichita kitchen becomes more beautiful, you should install a high ledge, breakfast bar or peninsula cook off. If you have a double oven, you should place it on the wall. It will save you a big space and it will make your kitchen neater and more beautiful.

If you want to keep the cleanness of your kitchen, then you should use kitchen equipments made of stainless steel. Stainless steel reflects the surrounding like a mirror. It will add a new feature to your kitchen and it will be even more beautiful.

Are Termites Eating You Out Of House and Home?

Termites are a group of eusocial insects, a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchial classification. Along with ants and some bees and wasps which are all placed in the separate order Hymenoptera, termites divide labor among gender lines, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10% of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Termites are major detritivores, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.

As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use a decentralised, self-organized system of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens.

Termites are sometimes called "white ants", though they are not closely related to true ants.

If a termite colony is living in your home you can expect significant damage if left untreated. We suggest an annual inspection of your home by a licensed termite inspector. For a fee as low as $35.00, you can rest easy knowing your house is safe from these pesky creatures.

Its Time To Seal Your Deck

Its May and time to be thinking about sealing yor deck. This is an important step in prolonging the life of your deck. Here are some tips from us and some other professionals around the country.

First, you have to get it clean and open the pores of the wood. Jesse Kirchoff of Handyman Solutions suggests using a chlorine solution with Simple Cherry detergent and the acid neutralizes the chlorine, brightens the dark tanin stains on Cedar and opens up the poors on pressure treated.

Picking out the best sealer can be tricky. It seems every contractor has a different opinion on this. Jesse Kircoff prefers TWP I have used TWP as well with good success. Matthew Seargeant of Matt's Painting and Drywall prefers Deckscapes.

No matter which product you choose, make sure you do your homework before deciding which product is right for your deck.

Consumers Getting Confident?

The monthly Consumer Confidence Index that uses 1985 as a base year with an assigned value of 100, rose from 46.4 to 52.5 after falling more than 10 points during the previous month, the Conference Board said.

In a March survey of 5,000 households, the number of respondents indicating economic conditions were "good" rose from 6.8 percent to 8.6 percent. The number of respondents indicating conditions were "bad" fell from 45.1 percent to 42.8 percent.

A similar shift occurred with responses on the employment picture. Respondents indicating jobs were "plentiful" rose from 4 percent to 4.4 percent and those indicating jobs were "hard to get" fell from 47.3 percent to 45.8 percent.

These are not numbers are not ideal but guess what. They are rising and that’s a good thing. I prefer to judge our local economy based on the jobs I’m receiving. Right now we have three major bathroom remodels going and a detached garage project. The garage will house my customers new 2010 Ford pickup that he purchased two months ago.

We are fortunate that some are spending and hopeful that more Americans secure employment quickly so we can get back to that perfect score of 100 that we had in 1985.

Spring Into Action

Spring is here and there are things every homeowner needs to address. Start by climbing onto your roof and inspect for loose or torn shingles. Pay close attention to your vent flashing and chimney.

Inspect all of your rain gutters and spouts. Make sure they are clean and free of all debris. Verify that they are still attached properly.

Next you will want to visually inspect all caulking joints at doors and windows. If the caulking is cracked or missing, now is the time to address it. Make sure your paint is not cracking or peeling. If you are the type of person that paint your own home you may want to paint one side of your home every spring. This way every side gets a fresh coat pf paint every 4 years. If your home was built before 1978, then you may have some old paint containing lead and special precautions are needed to protect yourself and others during sanding and scraping. Check out this website for more info on lead

Another important area that many overlook is positive drainage. You should have 6 inches of fall 10 feet out at all areas around your home. This can be achieved by adding topsoil around the perimeter of your home. It is critical that water flow away from the structure and never pool against the foundation walls.

You should hire a qualified technician to inspect and service your HVAC unit. These units can get very dirty over time and must be cleaned and serviced regularly to operate at peak efficiency.

If you have a basement, check the foundation walls for cracking. If you have any cracks over 1/4 inch wide then you need to call a professional to address the problem. Putting this off could lead to many future problems. If you have a sump pump, check to make sure it is operational and install a battery operated backup to it in case of power failure.

Finally check all your smoke detectors to insure they are operating properly.