Month: June 2017

How Much Does A New Fence Cost?

If you are considering replacing the fence, or adding a new fence to your home, you may have wondered… “how much does a new fence cost“?  The majority of houses have some type of fencing. A fence can serve as a property line marker, a security feature, a decorative element or a combination of these things. On average, new fences cost from $2600 to $8000, based on the type and size you purchase. There are numerous options, with regards to contractors and fence designs, to pick from in various price brackets. Many professional fence installers bill their customers for each linear foot. This charge includes the cost of materials and labor.

Bear in mind that some fencing materials have specific associated costs, linked to the complexity of their structure. The cost of installing wooden fences varies, based on the wood type used. Chain link fences are particularly affordable. Materials like wrought iron and aluminum are the most expensive. Vinyl costs more than chain link or wood, but easily makes up for it due to low maintenance costs and longevity.

Prior to starting the installation, you need a reliable estimate for the project. You should get in touch with your local council and ask whether you require a permit. Typically, permits cost around $800. You can leave your fence contractor to supply the parts and pay for them later, or obtain some parts yourself. Although your contractor will markup his or her fee, they get price reductions that could still result in you making an overall saving.

If your property is built on sloping land, your fence installation costs might increase, because the installation will be harder. Also, you will need to telephone 811 to confirm that your fence does not obstruct utility services. Occasionally, newly installed fences can hit underground wires or pipes. If you fail to do this, you might be landed with expensive repair bills in future.

As you can see, there are a multitude of factors to take into account, when installing a fence, which can affect the total project cost. For this reason, before you proceed, it is always wise to speak to a few different installation firms to get quotes. This way, you will have a good idea of how much you will need to budget to build your dream fence.

Building A Custom Home: 3 Of Our Favorite Builds To Inspire You

Building a custom home starts with a passion for a lifetime of creation… creating a space where your best memories can be made with your best people. A professional custom home builder understands that your house is so much more than a home and with the holidays quickly approaching, it got us to thinking about some of our favorite builds and why. From tea-on-the-rocking-chair porches to apple-pie-ala-mode kitchen memories, here are three of our favorites that will inspire you to dream up some of your own…

Gingerbread Memories

Some of our best memories came from our childhood kitchens. Whether that was baking gingerbread cookies with Grandma… or just eating them… this custom kitchen build is only missing your own personal touch. From cake stands filled with butter cream cupcakes to mom’s famous lasagna, this build felt very much like an add-your-own memories eatery where holiday moments (and everyday wonders) grew wild on the vine.

Backyard Exclusive

Your front yard is much like a book’s front cover in many ways. It is what the world sees first when they pass by it. However, your backyard is much like the exciting twists and turns that you only know if you know the story and the characters. Picture it… bare feet dripping wet from the pool, leaving puddles of chlorine and summer all the way back to the backyard door. Nobody else gets to take that path but you… make it special. We think this one is equal parts whimsical and functional.

Home Sweet Home Meets Vacation Home

This outdoor build has a sort of Mediterranean, communal vibe where friends gather after working all day in the hot sun for a cold tropical drink. Instead of taking that trip around the world, sometimes it makes more sense to bring the world to you. This way, you can enjoy the big, wide world anytime you want to without ever having to leave the comfort of your home sweet home.

Building a custom home is an intimate experience that allows you to create the life that you want without the need to conform to the ordinary. Ask your home builder to work with you to create a home that is truly your own and, in every way, just as unique as the people inside it.

Why Consider Using Led Lighting In Your Next Home Decor Project?

Home LED lighting

The traditional incandescent light bulb has been around, largely unchanged in design, for nearly 150 years. This is despite its drawbacks. High fragility and energy-inefficiency are just two of many good reasons for leaving traditional bulbs behind. Although replacement technologies such as halogen have failed to gain widespread popularity, it looks as though LED lighting might finally be the lighting solution to challenge the old-fashioned incandescent bulb’s dominance. What has changed to make this so?

Energy Efficiency
Traditional light bulbs are incredibly wasteful of energy, with up to go percent of the electricity used transformed into heat rather than light. LED Lighting Systems use only about one-sixth of the energy to produce the same amount of illumination, with obvious savings in electricity bills as well as benefits for the environment.

Long Life
Incandescent bulbs are extremely fragile. Not only are they easy to damage through rough handling but they also fail relatively quickly under normal use. An old-fashioned bulb will typically last about 1,200 hours before burning out, while a LED lamp will last for at least 25,000 hours. In fact, LEDs rarely fail completely; they simply become less effective as they near the end of their useful life.

Color Range and Warmth
One reason for traditional bulbs’ long-standing popularity is the quality of the light they provide. Most people find incandescent light gives a warm and comfortable glow, while alternatives are often seen as harsh, cold, and clinical. Advances in LED technology have largely solved this problem, and modern lamps closely mimic the color temperature of ordinary bulbs. Some of the best fittings can even vary the color output to suit your mood, with illumination ranging from a candle-like warmth to that of a bright summer’s day.

Flexibility of Installation
Early LED models required large heat sinks to cope with the excess energy produced by the electronics behind the lamp. Unlike traditional bulbs, little of the LED’s energy is radiated away as heat; this limited the spaces in which the older LEDs could be installed. Thanks to clever design advancements, this previously major obstacle have been overcome, and bulbs are now available that can be dropped straight into traditional fittings.