Outdoor Living

New Sliding Door

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Natural light in a home is very important. If you can do something as simple as replacing a door to add more light, it’s a no brainer. This homeowner wanted to remove a single patio door and replace it with a larger sliding patio door to provide more light in their kitchen.

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The major part of this project was increasing the structural strength of the exterior load-bearing wall to have a span wide enough to accept the new 6′ door.

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We also had to salvage the exterior siding to make it look like the door was always on the home.

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IMG_6766.jpgThe homeowner chose the Jeld-wen sliding door with the prairie grid pattern which is the perfect accent to this patio.

Shed Addition

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I can’t believe it’s already fall. How did that happen? No, seriously…how? Seems like time gets faster and faster every year!

With pumpkin spice in the air and Christmas in the stores, I realized there have been many projects that we’ve worked on this year that I haven’t shared with you yet. Of course, we are still working on our own home renovations, and those updates will be coming soon. However, I’m going to try and get caught up in the next few weeks by recapping some of the awesome projects we’ve worked on for our customers this year.

To get started, I wanted to share an outdoor project that we worked on in the spring.

Our customer needed help with a shed addition. They had previously poured the concrete pad, so we had to tie-in to the existing structure and build out the new space. This addition allowed for quick access to the riding mower and much more storage.

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The best part of all our projects isn’t necessarily the structures we build, or the new designs we bring to life, but it’s the relationships that are built along the way. We are so grateful to our customers and even more excited that we have a new set of friends who we can enjoy this life with.

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You don’t often get to see Chris wearing non-work clothes, so I thought I’d provide a little sneak peak of Chris playing giant Jenga at a Summer Bash at this customers house. What a fun evening!

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Bringing the outside in

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Increasing the indoor living space is a common issue homeowners face. After this home was purchased the homeowners determined that the existing outdoor living area would be better served as a living room and after some evaluation it was pretty easy to accommodate that request.

After going through the HOA for approvals and getting necessary permits we were able to get started on turning this outdoor living space into a comfortable interior room.

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Heating and cooling the area was definitely a concern going into this remodel project and arrangements had to be made to manage the load. By incorporating a mini unit on the exterior wall for cooling we were able to ensure that the addition didn’t overload the existing systems.

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We utilized the existing oversized doors and windows for the new exterior door opening because they matched the design of house and were in great condition. With the help of some strong guys we were able to relocate those doors and after some paint they looked amazing.

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Continuity to the rest of the home was important, so we created an oversized doorway from the foyer into the new living area. We also wanted there to be plenty of light in the evening so we added rope lights into the skylight trim.

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The exterior was a combination of  brick and natural stone to tie-in with what was already on the home.
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We also increased the size of the concrete patio and added a soaking pond to create an additional play area and re-stained the existing patio to match.

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The finished product was beautiful and exactly what the homeowners wanted to create more space for their family.

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It had to start somewhere

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When you’re first starting a business it’s always stressful to think about where your next project will come from. And honestly even now after over 4 years of running this business I still wonder some months where the next project will come from. It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s pretty stressful. But it always works out exactly how it’s supposed to.

I still remember our first project with our newly started company like it was yesterday. We got a call from a friend who had a friend who needed some work done. That’s how it happens. And that is how it has continued to happen since the beginning. Without our interference we have been provided for and grown as a business and as a family.

Our first project was a 16′ x 16′ concrete paver patio area. And we were tremendously grateful for it. The patio was being installed in a fenced backyard which appeared to have a double gate so we could easily drive the trailer of materials through for drop off. Chris picked up the materials and drove to the project house to deliver and it was then that he found that one side of the double gate was stationary and would not move. So he did what any good self respecting contractor on his first project would do. He carried by hand, with the help of a wheel barrel, almost 5,400 pounds, or 2.5 tons, of concrete pavers and concrete in 80 degree weather by himself. Just for some perspective over the course of 2 days he carried an adult black rhinoceros 50 yards.

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Needless to say he lost 27 pounds during that project and learned some really great lessons. The first being, always check that the double gate opens before delivering concrete pavers by yourself. Second, pay for the delivery charge on materials, it’s worth it in the long run and for self preservation. And lastly, we officially completed our first project and it was a huge success.

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