Whether you are moving into a new space that you want to make your own, or you want to update your current home to better suit your needs, built-in cabinets, shelving and furniture are great options.  Experts can design and install built-in furniture and storage spaces to suit your lifestyle and your personal tastes.  Built-ins are also a cost-effective way to update and personalize your space without embarking on a total remodeling project.

Custom Cabinets

When it comes to kitchens, cabinets can make or break the entire room.  Outdated styles, poor placement and insufficient storage space can all detract from your kitchen’s beauty and functionality.  By replacing existing cabinets with customized built-in cabinets, you can give the entire room a new life without the expense or mess of a complete remodeling project.  And, fundamentally, you will have a kitchen that works for you. Contractors specializing in custom cabinets and built-in storage will do on-site consultations and will focus on the specifics of your situation before they start work.  This attention to detail ensures that you will be able to enjoy a kitchen that is both practical and eye pleasing.

Built-In Shelves

Not only does built-in storage improve the functionality of your home, but it also adds distinct points of architectural interest.  Freestanding bookshelves, for example, are rarely items remarked upon in a home.  They are often large and bulky and are not always appropriate to the style of the space.  Customized built-in bookshelves, however, streamline the look of a room and give it a sense of polish and sophistication.  This type of shelving also allows you to make use of exactly the dimensions that you have rather than trying to fit a piece of furniture into a space that is not ideal.  And shelving does not need to be just for books!  Your built-in contractor can design and construct shelves to hold or show off any number of materials, objects or collections.

By working with a contractor who specializes in built-ins you get exactly the storage and display space that you want in your home.  You do not have to make do with what you started with but can instead tailor your surroundings to reflect your style, tastes and needs.  Built-ins are a great way to make your home your own.

When you have an extra large window or sliding patio door, vertical blinds really are the best window covering solution. But you don’t have to resign yourself to choosing function over aesthetics. With today’s huge selection in attractive, practical vertical blinds, your new vertical window blinds can add beauty as well as privacy and light control to your home.

Fabric Vertical Blinds

For a flowing, curtain-like look, fabric vertical blinds are a great solution. This system utilizes the hardware structure of traditional vertical blinds with a beautiful fabric overlay. An ideal compromise between the practicality of track-mounted vertical blinds and the soft look of draperies, these curtain-like blinds combine form and function for an attractive, practical window covering.

Sheer Vertical Blinds

Similar to other styles of fabric vertical blinds, sheer vertical blinds provide a distinctive combination of curtain-like appearance and traditional vertical blinds performance. With the sophisticated look of sheer fabric (and its privacy and light-filtering function), this newer style of vertical blinds provides the easy operation and flexibility of blinds. This type of vertical window blinds is perfect for formal spaces like living rooms and dining rooms, providing the needed coverage without detracting from the elegance of the space.

Sliding Panel Vertical Blinds

Another alternative to classic vertical blinds is the innovative sliding panel window shade. Unlike traditional vertical window blinds, this window treatment doesn’t use rotating vanes to screen your windows. Instead, a series of sliding panels are mounted on a track, allowing you slide them back and forth for full or partial coverage. Made of fabric, roller shade material, or even natural woven materials, sliding panel shades are available in opaque, sheer, and light-controlling options. Offering clean lines and a modern look, sliding window panels are a creative alternative for coverage and privacy for homeowners who dislike the look of traditional vertical blinds.

Cellular Vertical Blinds

This high-tech variation on classic vertical window blinds provides insulation as well as privacy and light-control. Each vane has a special elliptical shape that creates a pocket of air-their uniquely shaped profile forms an overlapping air-screen to help keep the cold out in winter and the heat out in summer. Up to 20% more efficient than other vertical blinds, vertical cellular blinds are a great solution for increasing the energy-efficiency of your home and adding style to your windows at the same time!

Vertical blinds are the logical solution for covering those extra large windows and doors, but you don’t have to settle for the so-so looks of traditional PVC vertical blinds. With today’s huge selection of innovative high-quality, superior performance vertical window blinds, there are numerous other options for effective, attractive window treatments. Contact your local window shade dealer to learn more about modern vertical blind solutions for your home.

A deck is a cost-effective, beautiful way to extend your living space right into the outdoors. Perfect for three-season use in most of the country, a deck enables you to comfortably enjoy the beauty of nature right in your own backyard. Whether you’re thinking about installing a pool deck, a porch, or a traditional backyard deck for sitting, socializing, and grilling, a deck is a great addition to any home. Contact your local deck builders to get started on your outdoor living room today!

There are a huge range of options available when it comes to building your deck, so talk to your deck contractor about different designs and features. After all, your deck is an extension of your home, and it needs to meet the diverse functional and aesthetic requirements of your family. From shape and design to materials, you can make your deck as simple or as fancy as you’d like. Your deck builders should be able to help you customize your new deck to suit you and your home. They’ll help you select features such as multiple levels, railing styles, built-in seating, built-in BBQs, and even lighting to create the perfect deck.

Although “deck” used to mean wooden construction, there are a number of beautiful, durable deck building materials on the market today. Traditionalists can still opt for wood decks, but other options include vinyl and composite. Each of these materials has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to talk it through with your deck builder. They’ll be able to help you select the right decking material based on factors including aesthetics, maintenance, traffic, and climate.

And if a deck isn’t quite your style, why not consider a new porch, patio, sunroom, or screen room. The options are practically endless when it comes to creating an outdoor room for your house, so call your local remodeling contractor today to start planning your outdoor addition. You’ll love the extra space and the connection to nature, so stop waiting and get ready to enjoy the deck, patio, or screened porch of your dreams!

Vinyl siding has long been one of the most popular home exterior products in the United States. It’s durable, low-maintenance, affordable, and beautiful. However, vinyl siding provides little to no additional insulation for your home (some R-value estimates are as high as 1 but many are as low as 0.15). That’s what makes the new insulated vinyl siding so attractive-it’s vinyl siding with the added benefit of thermal insulation, a win-win for many homeowners.

Insulated vinyl siding is a solid-core exterior siding product. First introduced by Crane Plastics in 2001, insulated vinyl is now available from any number of manufacturers. This new type of vinyl siding takes a great product and makes it even better. You get the low maintenance, durability, and great looks of traditional vinyl siding, plus a whole lot more.

Greater Energy Efficiency

Insulated vinyl siding is an easy and effective way to increase your home’s energy efficiency and reduce energy costs. While traditional vinyl has an R-value of somewhere under 1, insulated vinyl has an R-value between 4 and 5.3. And, of course, the higher the R-value the greater the insulating properties and the more energy you save. Just imagine how much money you’d save if your home had 4 times as much insulation-that’s exactly what happens with insulated vinyl siding installation.

Looks and Feels More Like Wood Siding

Even the best constructed homes aren’t perfectly smooth on the outside; this isn’t a problem for the structure, but it does cause a distinctive bow or bend in flexible traditional vinyl siding. With insulated vinyl, the siding is stiffer, meaning that the bumps and bends in the outside of the house are less likely to cause this unsightly bowing. Additionally, because the vinyl is filled with insulation, insulated vinyl siding doesn’t have the typical “squish” of traditional vinyl; if you’ve ever leaned up against a house with vinyl siding, you’re familiar with its give. Contrarily, insulated vinyl siding is unyielding, a feel similar to wood-siding. Ultimately, insulated vinyl looks and feels more like wood siding because it has a similar inflexibility and firmness, unlike the extremely flexible characteristics of traditional vinyl.

Impact Protection

One of the flaws of traditional vinyl siding has been its vulnerability to impact damage; especially at colder temperatures, storm debris (hail, branches, etc.), golf balls, and baseballs have been known to cause serious damage. However, the rigidity of insulated vinyl siding makes it much stronger, reducing its susceptibility to this type of problem. In fact, some brands claim up to 300% more impact resistant.

Noise Reduction

Finally, insulated vinyl siding cuts down on the noise that enters your home from the outside. The thermal insulation designed to make your home energy efficient has the fringe benefit of making it more acoustically insulated by keeping road noise, loud conversations, and other sounds out of your home. This is a great advantage over traditional vinyl siding, especially if you live near a busy road, intersection, or even a park or school.

Perhaps the best news of all is that insulated vinyl siding is available at competitive prices; it does cost more than traditional vinyl, but not all that much, especially considering the added benefits. Keeping the reduction in energy costs in mind, insulated vinyl may even come out cheaper than traditional vinyl in the end! Contact your local siding contractor today to learn more about installing insulated vinyl in your home.