Category: Exterior Projects

This category displays examples and descriptions of past projects that we have completed. This should give you an idea of the quality of work to expect.

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Exterior Projects

How to Build a Pergola – Step by Step

Who doesn’t love a Pergola.  Well, get out there and build your own.  The number of plans to build a pergola or trellis, are mind boggling.  You can find many paid plans, but we prefer free.  In fact, The Family Handyman also prefers “free”.  So much so that they offer free pergola plans in their fantastic publication.  If you are not a Family Handyman subscriber already, you should head over to your nearest supermarket, take one of the little subscription cards that falls from the magazine when you pick it up and become a new subscriber.  Or, you could just head over to their web site.  After all, it is only $10 for an entire year.

Enough about my praise of the magazine (I have been a subscriber for more than 10 years) and onto the Pergola project.  As you can see, this pergola is perfect to add shade to a patio or pool area.  Obviously, the layout will allow for you to be pretty flexible with your sizing.

You should be sure to check with your municipality to be sure that you don’t need a permit for for this.  Good luck with your project.  The full plans can be found at the link at the bottom of this article.

pergola plans

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Exterior Projects

Build Your Own Rain Barrel

Free rain barrel plans

Many of us are doing everything we can to be “green”.  In my case, I am doing things that make sense financially, make sense for long term maintenance of my property, or make sense with regard to keeping the boss happy (The boss=my wife).

I have considered a rain barrel for a while.  However, I haven’t yet pulled the trigger on a purchase.   My wife has some plantings and water from a rain barrel would easily take care of those needs.  Will it make sense financially? No.  I live in the Northeast (NY) and the cost of water is nominal (about $60 per quarter).  This thing is not going to pay for itself.  Will it help with the maintenance of my property?  No.  This water heads straight into a drain that heads into the municipal storm sewer system.  Remember, I said maintenance of “my property”.

Will it keep my wife happy?  Probably.

Free rain barrel plans

When I saw this plan, It seemed so logical.  In many cases a traditional rain barrel, with the spigot on the bottom, won’t have the water pressure to get where you need it.  However, this elevated design will do the trick in adding a little extra pressure.  Keep in mind that this system will be heavy so you should NOT skimp on your base.  In fact, If I were to mimic this exact plan, I would probably place this on a cement pad, or if that wasn’t an option, I would lay down a packed bed of gravel and top that with some large pavers to spread the weight.   When all is said and done, this based will need to support about 900 pounds!

You might not want to used a trash can for this system and would like to opt for something a bit more attractive.   In many areas, there are companies that will sell food grade barrels for under $15 each.  In fact, in WNY, there is a seller who lists them for $12 on Craigslist.  http://buffalo.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=40&subAreaID=&query=rain+barrel&catAbb=sss. You could probably paint these to suit your own color scheme as long as you use a nice flexible paint (these suckers will expand and contract a lot).

If you are building your own rain barrel setup, this guide from The Family Handyman should help.  Click below to be linked to the full set of plans.  Good luck.

How to Build a Rain Barrel – Article | The Family Handyman.

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Exterior Projects

Five Checks Before Winter Weather Strikes

If you listen closely enough you can already hear people moaning about the bad weather. It’s going to get worse before it gets better which is horrible. You need to wrap yourself up in more layers of clothing than you can possibly imagine otherwise you might freeze to death. Even all those crazy people who say they enjoy the freezing cold winter don’t have it so easy. They can still slip on the ice and crack their head open the same as any of us. Winter is dangerous and we need to be prepared for the worst.

This is why it’s so important that your home is prepared for the cold nights that lie ahead. If you think there’s nothing left to do because it’s already cold then I’d hate to see what you’re going to be like when your roof collapses. Each year we should all take our time and sort out important things that will protect our home during winter, because if it doesn’t make it safer for us it definitely makes it safer for our bank accounts. Make sure you have these things sorted and you won’t go far wrong.

Unblock all your drains

downspout gutter

The first thing you want to do is go around the outside of your home making sure all the drains don’t have any rubbish inside that’s clogging them up. This needs to be done now because when the snow falls it’s much harder to get access to them. Take your hose and run lots of water down each one. If everything goes according to plan the water should get away easily. You don’t want them to be blocked during the coldest time of the year.

Clean your garden

Garden clean up

I presume you will still need to walk around in your garden once the snow falls. You might need to hang clothes out to dry if there is no rain, plus the kids might want to build a snowman. If there is anything hiding under the snow it could cause someone to have an accident. Just make sure your garden is clear at all times during the winter, so someone doesn’t fall and bang their head.

Inspect your roof

roof shingles

I hope you have good vision, or at least a pair of binoculars because you should be checking all over your roof before the weather gets any worse. All you need is a little crack in a tile and water could get in. It’s even worse if you have any missing because your home could fill up like a swimming pool. If you can’t check from the outside then try to climb up the attic and give the place a good check from the inside.

Seal your home

There’s a good chance your heating will be on a lot more during winter unless you prefer to sit in the freezing cold every day. That means a lot more heat will be escaping from your home if you don’t find a way to stop it. This could be keeping all windows closed, sealing any cracks around your home, or even blocking off the fire if you no longer use it. When all that heat escapes you are just wasting money and I know you don’t want to pay to heat the entire world.

Stop gutters from falling

Gutters ice

When it gets very cold and there is a huge amount of water it will turn into a block of solid ice. This is pretty dangerous on the ground, but imagine if it was to happen above you and land on your head. That could happen when you don’t clean your gutters after the leaves fall from the trees. All the water won’t be able to drain away and suddenly you have this huge block of ice sitting in the gutters. It’s like a disaster waiting to happen.

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Exterior Projects

Heat Your Pool for Free

If you have a heated pool, you understand how expensive it can be to heat a pool.  Because of that, many people resort to solar covers, solar panels to heat water, etc.  There are other ways to heat a pool that are economical (free) and environmentally friendly.

If you are like me, you hate waste.  It isn’t about the money spent on certain things, it is about the waste.  Efficiency feels good.  Green or not, efficiency feels good and happens to be “Green” most of the time.

Heat your swimming pool for free

When certain items operate they waste a lot of energy.  A big one is your air conditioning unit.  Another is a pool heater.  You can actually take the heat that is wasted by your A/C unit and use that energy to heat your pool.   Your A/C unit is pulling the heat out of your home and moving that heat outside.  It does this with a coolant and coils.  The coolant that leaves your home and runs through you outdoor A/C unit can be intercepted to heat up your pool water.  It is that simple.  You simply need to redirect that “hot” coolant and run your pool water past it (past a coil that is much like a water heater).

The item that you are adding to the loop between your A/C and your pool filter is called a “Heat Exchanger” and has been around for years. Frankly, this is one those items that should be used much more than it is.

Take a look at the video from This Old house and they explain the whole process along with the installation steps.  Fast forward the video to the 14 minute mark for the segment from Richard Trethewey.

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Exterior Projects

Reasons to Install Insulated Garage Doors

insulated garage doors

With the increase in demand for what is in effect a finite global resource, over the last few years there has been a significant increase in the cost of energy. With prices now at a point where homeowners are looking for effective ways of reducing energy consumption, the rise of the insulated garage door has become apparent.

Whilst installing loft insulation and double glazed windows may seem like an obvious solution, many homeowners are not aware of the fact that heat is escaping out of the garage opening at an alarming rate.

insulated garage doors

Where the garage is attached to the house, this heat loss means that heating systems need to work harder than they otherwise might should the space be adequately insulated from the elements.

If we consider the fact that the garage opening is the largest structural opening within the home, then it is obvious why insulation is important. You would not leave a window open on a cold winter`s night, so why settle for a rattling old garage door that in effect creates the same amount of heat loss.

Unlike a traditional garage door that is constructed from only a single sheet of thin metal, the thick energy efficient foam filled core of an insulated garage door acts as a really tough barrier against not only the heat escaping but also the cold from entering the inside of the garage in the first place.

Once installed across the garage opening, an insulated garage door will make the inside of the home considerably warmer and therefore more energy efficient leading to savings off energy bills.

Whilst traditional garage doors are available in many forms, the most popular form of energy efficient doors is either an insulated sectional garage door or an insulated roller garage door.

These two types of design are great at insulating due to their design and the way in which they are installed. Because they are fitted to the inside face of the opening with the door panel overlapping  the brickwork, a really tight weather seal is formed preventing draughts getting in. In addition to this the bottom of the door is fitted with a rubber strip to prevent draughts getting under the door.

Roller Garage Doors

These are really popular where homeowners are looking for a simple to operate unit that not only offers a level of insulation but also allows for additional storage space to be created inside the garage roof space. As the door opens, the material coils around a drum wheel located above the lintel and is housed inside a neat and compact box that takes up little room.

The drawback to insulated garage roller doors is that they cannot be overly thick otherwise the door would simply not roll up. For this reason the maximum thickness tends to be 18mm thick. Whilst pretty good at insulating, they are really a trade off in terms of storage space / energy efficiency.

Sectional Garage Doors

Unlike insulated roller garage doors, the design of a sectional door means that the panel thickness can be much greater leading to increased levels of thermal performance. Whereas a roller door coils up, the panels of a sectional garage door retract back inside the garage and are housed in the ceiling space when the door is opened. Whilst no additional storage space is created, the door can now be made up to 42mm thick which will seriously protect the garage space from the elements no matter how cold it gets.

In conclusion, replacing the old garage door that was probably fitted to your home some time ago when energy conservation was not an issue for a modern and up to date insulated garage door is a really sensible option and costs far less than you may first imagine.

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Exterior Projects How To's

How to Clean Your Gutters

gutters filled with leaves

With leaves turning and falling to the ground, and into your gutters, knowing the very simple basics of how to clean out your gutters will help you remain safe and your gutters/roof to last longer.

Dirty guttering will quickly send water running down the walls of your home, leaking through windows, doors and damaging walls causing mold and mildew to grow in and around your home. To prevent this problem, you will need to clean your guttering as regularly as possible to make sure that the water flow is a clean and smooth. Today we are going to go through how to clean your guttering.

gutters filled with leaves

  1. Bucket, ladder, cloth, spade and hose

The first thing you will need when you are cleaning your guttering is the right equipment. A sturdy ladder with hooks for your bucket, a spade a cloth and preferably some plastic gloves will help you get the job done better. You will also need access to a hose, so practice safety and make sure the hose does not pose a threat to your stability or safety on your ladder whilst you clean.

  1. Clearing out the debris

The best time to clean guttering is on a dry day when there is no rain forecast, as whatever debris has collected in your guttering will be easier to remove. Most often, leaves, bits of dirt and other grime will get into your guttering, blocking the water flow and causing a build up of muck. The best way to do tackle this is to remove any leaves and branches by hand into your bucket, and then use the spade to remove any other dirt build up that is in your guttering. Again, your bucket will come in handy for this and using a spade instead of your hands will keep you clean and tidy.

If your gutters have very little material (leaves and debris) in them, you might be able to get away without heading up to your roof to manually clear out the debris.  There are hose attachment products that you can use to clean your gutters from the ground, or from a short ladder on the ground.  Take a look at the following telescoping power jet wand at Amazon:

 

  1. Flush

Once you have cleared your guttering of debris, you will need to flush your gutters with water to make sure the waterways have fully cleared and get rid of any smaller bits of dirt that may have remained behind after removing the bulkier grime. Flushing will also highlight any faults in your guttering in the form of broken or leaky guttering, blockages or faults. If you are finding that the guttering does not clear then you may have an issue with the drains.

  1. Flush flowpipe

Your guttering will be fixed onto your home at an angle, flowing water downwaters (like a waterslide) towards the flowpipe. This flowpipe is removable, and so if you are finding that when flushing the gutters the water is not moving as fast as it should, the next thing to do is flush the flowpipe. The best way to do this is to remove the flowpipe and flush it with a strong jet of water until the water is flowing freely through it: getting rid of any debris that may be stuck inside. Do this over a bucket to make sure you capture any dirt that needs to be binned. Reattach the flowpipe, and reflsuh the guttering.

  1. Clear drains

The next key to a good, clear and clean guttering system is clear drains. Any water that runs down from your guttering will go through the flowpipe and into the drain, and so any blockage at any part of this system will cause a build up of grime. Clear the drains to complete your guttering cleaning.