Posted by admin | Garage | Posted on March 10th, 2010
A backyard isn’t the same as it used to be – a place to grill, where kids play ball, or just an extra spot to mow. Now the trend is to make the backyard an outdoor retreat or an extension to the house. The Home Remodelers Group® can help transform your outdoors into a beautiful year round sunroom, a deck for entertaining or even an outdoor kitchen.
As reported in the May 2006 Consumer Reports, designing and furnishing an outdoor room is the second most likely home-remodeling project to do. Specifically, approximately 1.2 million U.S. households will install a fully functional outdoor kitchen, according to a study by the industry research company inquiry.
In 2004, Better Homes and Gardens magazine received survey responses from nearly 60,000 Americans describing home improvement projects and future home-building aspirations. Better Homes and Gardens found that people want indoor/outdoor livability, technological innovations, flexibility for family needs and a kitchen-centric focus. (REMODELING Magazine, September 1, 2005)
Homeowners are seeking ways to make the outdoors a functional part of the living area. To accomplish that, the barriers between outdoors and indoors, such as walls and solid doors, are going away. As cited in “A Simple Way to Increase Outdoor Living Space” at HGPgal.com, for homeowners looking to add to their living space, improve their lifestyle and increase the resale value of their home, the perfect solution is to extend living areas outdoors through the addition of decks, patios, outdoor kitchens and entertainment areas.
“The line between the house and the outdoor space continues to disintegrate,” says Julie D. Taylor, author of Outdoor Rooms. “Many designers are using the same, or similar, materials both on the interior and exterior to extend the house to the outdoors. It breaks down the barrier and gives a feeling of a larger house.”
Alternatively, instead of thinking of the barriers disintegrating, another solution is effective indoor-outdoor connections. These connections can include French doors opening up onto a porch, or the addition of a window to expose a lovely view. Indoor-outdoor connections can be as simple as adding a mudroom between the garage and the home, or more complex, such as an outdoor entertainment area placed just outside the doors of a home’s main gathering space. Adding visual connections to the outdoors, such as through the addition of glass doors or enlarging a window, adds value to your home by making its interior space appear larger than it actually is. (“Connect Inside of Your House with the Beauty Outdoors,” Ann Robinson, Deseret News, April 2005)
To create the outdoor living space that you want, start by determining your budget and your desires.
Consumer Reports provides some tips about what to consider for building room extensions or outdoor entertainment areas:
* Determine how you will use your space
* Consider location
* Be sure to weatherproof
* Incorporate lighting and heat
* Consider safety
No matter what extension you decide to make, it will undoubtedly add value to your home. As cited by Ann Robinson in Deseret News, “Exterior living space adds usable square footage to your home without costing you the $120-plus per square foot you’d spend for the construction of an addition.”
The Home Remodelers Group® can work with you to determine your indoor-outdoor remodeling desires. We have many gorgous sunroom plans and other renovating features available on our website at www.homeremodelersgroup.com. So, if you need a new area to relax and enjoy reading your favorite book, a place to create a new home gym, a place to add a spa to create your own special oasis, or an area for entertaining family and friends, a new sunroom, deck, or outdoor kitchen may be the perfect solution. We can help bring the outdoors in or take your family out in a comfortable and relaxing setting.
For more information visit: http://www.homeremodelersgroup.com/?source=articles
Posted by admin | Garage | Posted on March 7th, 2010
A garage door is one of the most important apparatus of your garage. It not only provides protection but also can be a design statement for the rest of your property.
Before you build a garage or decide to give existing one a facelift, it is indispensable for you to determine the style, shape and size of your garage door. This will give you a fair idea on how much drive through width you require and also so you don’t end up compromising on a mannered garage entry.
Select The Material Wisely:
The most important apprehension in setting up your automatic garage door is the material used. Selecting the best automatic garage door materials for your needs will depend on a few things like the style of your home, and how warm you want your garage to be. When you’re planning to establish a garage door, you must think about door type and materials. You can also incorporate into your plan such things as heated garages or unique window options.
Automatic garage doors are by far the trendiest type of garage door available to homeowners. With automatic stop and begin features, people find automatic garage doors easy to use, with wonderful options and security features. Automatic garage doors work with a rolling system. The door rolls up and stores along the roof of the garage. Automatic door features to look for are that they are smooth, quiet and condensed. Installing an automatic garage door is simple; do it yourself, or get help from the manufacturer.
Walk With The Upcoming Trend:
Automatic prefab garage doors are becoming progressively more fashionable because of the economy. Everyone wants to have a beautiful garage door and still purchase within his or her budget. By purchasing a automatic garage doors you can have the beautiful home and not worry about the stress of building or paying several businesses to make your home look great. By purchasing an automatic prefab garage door, you still get to choose your options and most places allow you to personalize your home so that you feel like you build it. You get to have control on what it looks like, but you get it for a fraction of what it would cost for you to build.
People who procure automatic prefab garage door from all of the social classes have different interests. There is no specific group of people who purchase prefab doors. Automatic doors are usually associated with rednecks since most automatic prefab garage door are like trailers, but that is not the case. Don’t stereotype prefab doors because even people who are well to do have a prefab home.
Posted by admin | Garage | Posted on February 27th, 2010
Many people have had their garage door openers for 10 years, or more. What they may not realize is that it offers a discrete and easy access point for anyone with a laptop and a remote transmitter. Take a look at the following video to see just how easy it is.
Everything is pretty simple. The remote used in the video is one of the most common older models in use. Many different brands used the same technology as this one. Most of these units are over 10 years in age, but there are plenty still in use out there. Code cracking software is easily obtained by anyone with an internet connection.
The people in these homes may not realize their door is going up or down. Even worse, people in the home may hear it opening, but dismiss the event as a family member arriving home. Using a method like this, an intruder could enter and exit your home without your knowledge.
You can still protect your home with a few common sense measures. Always keep the door from the garage to the interior of your home locked. This should be something everyone does at night and when away. Since your remote is usually clipped to the visor, make sure to lock the car when parking in the driveway. It may also be time to consider a new opener if yours is outdated. Newer models usually have more up to date security and safety features.
In order to determine whether or not your model is using old school technology, take a look at the manual that came with it. (Many manufacturers offer an online version of their owner’s manuals.) Make sure it has some type of “rolling code” technology. For example, LiftMaster brand units use Security+ rolling code technology. Any models with this newer type of remote control will not open using the system used in the video. Most other manufacturers will have a similar technology in their models.
If you do have an older model garage door opener, you may consider replacing it. They can usually be installed professionally starting at around $250, or can be purchased at a local retail store. If you do decide to start shopping, prepare to be impressed by the abundance of motor sizes, drive types, warranties, and various types of accessories that are available. You may want to call a few reputable installers in your area to get an idea about which of the many types would be right for you. Most companies will provide you with an idea about pricing over the phone, as well.
Even if you can’t afford to replace your old opener, there are still steps you can take to make the garage more secure. Some models have a “Lock” function which blocks any remotes or keyless entry from being used. Enabling this option will cause nothing but the wall button to function. Worst case you can always dis-engage the motor. Usually this is accomplished by pulling the red cord that hangs overhead. Just remember to lock and unlock your keylock on the garage door, especially before re-engaging and using the opener again. If you don’t have any kind of manual lock available, a simple lock for this purpose can be purchased at most hardware stores. Of course, last but not least, always keep the door from the garage into your home locked.
For more information, including links to manufacturer sites, please visit our website.