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How Siding Can Elevate Your Home’s Curb Appeal
Siding elevates your home’s curb appeal, adding to its overall value. But it serves a more practical purpose as well, protecting your house from weather elements that can damage other parts of the structure.
Vinyl is a durable and affordable option, while wood adds an organic beauty to your home’s exterior cladding. Fiber cement siding, meanwhile, mimics the look of natural wood and can be painted with virtually any color for curb appeal. Contact Hawkins Siding And Exteriors now!
Siding protects your home from harsh weather conditions, such as heavy rain and strong winds, preventing moisture infiltration that can cause wood rot, mold and structural damage. It also guards against pests and insects, keeping your house safe and comfortable for you and your family. When properly maintained, siding can be an attractive and long-lasting addition to your property.
Modern sidings are designed to be more durable than traditional wood, reducing maintenance needs and keeping your home in top shape for years to come. For example, engineered wood combines the aesthetics of real wood with innovative engineering to improve durability. It’s treated with a zinc borate compound and resins, which helps it resist impact damage, fungal decay and termite attacks. Additionally, it’s coated with a waterproof sealant to help keep moisture out and reduce stains.
Brick exterior cladding is another beautiful and long-lasting option that adds value to your home. It’s highly resistant to fire and water, making it a great choice for homes in flood-prone areas. It is more expensive than other types of siding, however, and requires professional installation.
No matter which type of siding you choose, the most important thing is to maintain it regularly to prolong its life and ensure that it performs as well as possible. Visual inspections should be performed at least twice per year to identify any damage and repair it promptly before it becomes worse.
If you have wood siding, it should be stained or painted every four to six years. Be sure to use high-quality stain or paint that is designed for exterior conditions. The color should be tested in an inconspicuous area before applying it to the entire surface.
To make the cleaning process faster and easier, consider investing in a power washer to blast away dirt and grime. This can be especially helpful for those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies around your chimney, exhaust vents, and driveways. For stubborn stains, try using a solution of trisodium phosphate (TSP) and water. This product can be found at GNH Lumber, and it is recommended that you test a small amount of the cleaning solution in an inconspicuous area before applying to the entire surface.
Aesthetics
Siding has more than just a functional purpose—it’s also an important aesthetic component. Whether you are looking to jump-start your home’s curb appeal or want to boost its resale value, ensuring the siding you select matches the overall style of your house will go a long way in creating a cohesive design.
The good news is that modern sidings offer homeowners the opportunity to strike the perfect balance between durability and aesthetics. In addition to being highly weather-resistant, most of these materials are available in a variety of colors and textures that can complement almost any architectural design. In addition, they are often designed with a wide range of architectural styles in mind to make it easy for builders to add them to new construction and remodeling projects.
Among the most popular choices are vinyl, wood, and fiber cement. While vinyl offers a cost-effective option with a high level of durability, wood has an undeniable aesthetic allure and boasts natural insulation capabilities. In contrast, fiber cement has the ability to mimic the look of clapboard, shingles, or masonry and is resistant to termites and rot.
In the realm of aesthetics, siding’s texture plays a significant role in its overall look and feel. The use of different textures can add a sense of depth and visual interest, which is essential to enhancing the curb appeal of a house. Additionally, contrasting siding and trim colors can create an eye-catching contrast that can dramatically improve the overall appearance of your house.
While many homeowners tend to focus on the interiors of their homes when it comes to renovating, the exteriors are equally as important. Fortunately, modern sidings can enhance your property’s aesthetics, making it stand out from the rest and boosting its resale value.
Energy Efficiency
If you’re looking to boost your home’s energy efficiency, it is important to choose the right siding material. There are several options, including vinyl clapboards, synthetic composites and wood. Each one offers different design possibilities, allowing homeowners to achieve a variety of aesthetics from traditional to modern.
Regardless of the siding choice, it is vital to choose a product with an R-value that meets or exceeds your regional energy-efficiency requirements. The higher the R-value, the more efficient your siding will be. A high R-value will prevent unwanted heat from entering or exiting your home, reducing both heating and cooling costs. If you live in an area with hot summers, consider choosing a reflective coating that will reflect sunlight rather than absorbing it. This will reduce the amount of solar heat that enters your home and reduce energy costs.
The quality of your home’s insulation is also a critical factor in its energy efficiency. Poor insulation allows warm or cool air to escape, forcing your HVAC system to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. This results in higher energy bills. Investing in quality siding and insulation will minimize this loss, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars in utility costs every year.
A high R-value doesn’t just save money; it can also protect your family’s health. Poorly insulated homes can allow mold and mildew to grow, which can trigger asthma or other respiratory problems. In addition, cold or hot air can seep into the walls, making your home uncomfortable. In many cases, the air leakage is due to improper installation or inadequate insulation. A professional contractor will ensure that your new siding is properly installed and insulated, keeping your family safe and healthy.
In addition to the energy efficiency benefits of a well-insulated siding, it will increase your home’s value and curb appeal. Potential buyers will recognize the value of your house and be willing to pay more for it if it is energy-efficient. In addition, you may be able to take advantage of tax rebates and credits for choosing energy-efficient siding. With energy prices rising each year, a high-efficiency home will provide savings and comfort for years to come.
Maintenance
Siding enhances the visual appearance of a home and elevates its status in the neighborhood. It also serves to protect a house and everything inside it from extreme heat and cold, wind, rain and pests that can cause wood rot, mold and other structural damage. When a house’s siding is in need of repair or replacement, it is important to choose materials that are suited for the climate where the home is located, will stand up to the elements and fit into a homeowner’s budget.
There are a number of different types of siding to consider, from natural wood that needs the most upkeep to vinyl that can be installed and spruced up with a fresh coat of paint without requiring a total replacement. When choosing siding for a home, it is important to consider the landscaping and color schemes that will exist in the area as well to ensure that the color of a new piece of siding does not clash with the existing colors of houses and other buildings in the area.
When siding is being installed, it is important to work with experienced contractors who know how to properly handle the various types of materials used in the installation process to prevent issues such as moisture buildup and uneven alignment that can cause problems down the road. Likewise, regular maintenance conducted by experienced professionals can help to prolong the lifespan of a siding and maximize its energy efficiency benefits.
Backerboard is a panel that is nailed to the studs in a home’s exterior walls and allows for siding to be fastened to it. Laps are the edges where one siding panel meets another and is often cut at a 45 degree angle. Decorative trim is a strip of metal or wood that covers the gap where a gable meets the wall. A soffit is the underside of the roofline and often contains vents to allow air in while preventing water from entering a home.
Siding can attract a lot of dirt over the years, particularly on homes that are located along busy roads. Dirt can make light colored vinyl look dingy and mar darker colors of vinyl. Fortunately, it is easy to clean vinyl with a garden hose and a brush. In most cases, a fresh coat of paint will brighten up any shade of vinyl and help it to maintain its attractiveness.
Ways To Boost Response With Mobile Marketing
Many people say that they would like to learn the secrets to mobile marketing. Like anything else, you need to have the right information about the right ways to do it in order to be successful. This article contains a number of tips that will help you on your way to mobile marketing.
Make your messages fun. Remember that mobile can also be used as a source of entertainment. Make your messages interesting and exciting, while providing the subscriber with either meaningful information or entertainment. When subscribers are doing something or just waiting for something somewhere, they will look to mobile as an exciting or enjoyable distraction.
Include messaging about standard message costs to any mobile marketing enrollment form. Many consumers now have unlimited messaging plans, but for those paying by the message or with a specific monthly limit, providing this message ensures they know they may see charges related to the messages they elect to receive from your business.
Get a location. Using a defined location on your media and mobile marketing actually interests a lot of customers. They like knowing where a business is, should they ever choose to visit that area. Take advantage of this by informing your customers of your actual location, and watch their interest grow.
If you really want to convert sales with mobile marketing, work hard to make visiting your site a pleasurable experience for people. Because most mobile users are on-the-go users, they’re more inclined to quickly browse through multiple sites than PC users are. Give them a reason to stick around.
As was stated at the beginning of the article, many people are interested in mobile marketing but are not sure where to start. If you know the right way to utilize this avenue, the process of doing it becomes much easier. Apply this article’s advice and you will be on your way to using mobile marketing with ease.
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4 Great Tips for Decorating the Wall with Canvas Prints
Gone are the days of standard prints on the wall, nowadays you can completely personalize what you hang on your wall at home.
Whether you’re having precious photos printed on canvas, or ordering your favorite fine art reproduction, there’s plenty to choose from.
To be honest, that doesn’t always make decorating your home easy. How do you ensure that your wall decoration still fits well with the rest of the interior, and that the whole looks tasteful and also original? Here we give you 4 great tips for decorating the wall with canvas.
Don’t be afraid to mix
When it comes to wall decoration, there are few rules. So don’t stop yourself from experimenting and mixing different media. For example, combine a photo printed on canvas with that large clock, smaller photo frames, a cool wall lamp and a shelf with a plant. Other ideas for wall decoration include musical instruments, found objects, beautiful pieces of cloth or fabric, dream catchers, crockery and mirrors.
To make it a whole, make sure that the colors and style of all decoration objects match. For example, a modern, sleek clock should have a more minimalistic image, while a classic wall lamp fits beautifully with a lush ivy hanging plant and a beautiful photo of a special family moment. Also consider the color of the wall itself when choosing the pieces, and the rest of the interior in the room.
Go for the right print in the right space
The living room is probably the first room where you think of hanging canvas prints. But don’t forget the rest of the house either! Where a stylish photo collage or a large statement piece works well above the sofa, the hall, for example, is a nice space to hang a medium-sized family portrait. This way, everyone who enters immediately knows which household they are in, and this is also the last image that visitors see when they leave the house.
The kitchen? Of course, images of food items do well there. Keep in mind that shooting food is a specialty, so make sure that if you take your own photos, they are also of print-worthy quality. It can be fun to combine the images with a chalkboard for the groceries and pans on the wall.
In the toilet you can play with prints again. Will it be some inspiring sayings, or just that one slightly embarrassing, but super funny photo from an amusement park? The study, on the other hand, does better with a calm image, a favorite piece of art for example, or a more artistic portrait in black and white. In the bedroom you can take advantage of the more intimate atmosphere with photos from the wedding, or a special photo shoot you did with your partner.
With or without frame
The great thing about most canvas prints is that they can be hung without a frame. If you want to protect the print a little more, or simply give it a different style, consider putting a frame around it. The print gets a more chic look with a frame, and you immediately have the chance to play with color and style. A classic frame for a classic photo, a clean frame for a clean image. Or you mix it right!
Involve the whole household
Do not make the selection of canvas prints for the wall a lonely task but give everyone in the house a voice. Children will especially enjoy being able to pick out their own picture for the wall.
Beautiful canvas ideas for the baby and children’s room are of course photos of the whole family, images of moments that the child is proud of (such as that one successful birthday party or the presentation of the swimming diploma) and of course prints of the favorite heroes the little one. Or how about officially framed versions of the most beautiful works of art the child has created?
But your partner will also have their own ideas about what she or he would like to see on canvas on the wall. And who knows, very nice ideas, which you would not have come up with so quickly! So discuss the options together and make sure everyone agrees with the final choice. This way everyone in the house enjoys looking at the pieces on the wall.
How The Kitchen Changed With A New Door & Our Holiday Decor
It’s wild to think that this is our second year of decorating this house for the holidays (what even is time?!) but first a ton of you were asking to see what happened to the kitchen side of the space once the new door went in. Our last post covered all the photos and angles of the new kitchen porch we created outside – just steps away from our cooking area inside. So let’s take a look at what went down inside. Here’s what the kitchen is looking like these days:
table | chairs | sconces | pendant | floating shelves | wall shelf | hardware | cabinet color: SW Artsy Pink
It’s always fun to rewind, so if we take a step back in time, this is the kitchen as it looked when we bought this house in Feb of 2020:
We talked about our initial updates to the room waaaaay back in this post from May of 2020 (before we moved in).
Continue reading How The Kitchen Changed With A New Door & Our Holiday Decor at Young House Love.
5 Secrets of People Who Always Have a Clean House
It is natural for homes to become messy and dirty at times, but the homeowners use different techniques to tackle various problems. There isn’t any confirmation that proves that a few people come with a clean gene. For developing better habits for keepinghouses clean, it is time to disclose some secrets. Towards the end, you will find that it is not tough to have a clean home:
Discard the old and worn out
When you have fewer items in your home, then you can easily get a cleaner home. When cleanliness freak people purchase anything new, they become successful in escaping from the worn out and old things. And so, they manage to strike a balance. These people either donate or sell their old things. At times, they also throw out the old things that they no longer need or use. People should be mindful that nothing should be preserved for safekeeping. If you haven’t worn a dress within the last year, it is most unlikely that you will wear it again. Hence, there’s no point in keeping it.
Do the dishes
A kitchen can’t look spotless when the sink is full of dirty dishes. Dirty dishes make a kitchen look messy naturally. So, it would not be a nice idea not to wash them the very day and postpone the work to be done the next day. You must always clean them now.
Form rules
Forming rules might sound similar to boot camp; people who have clean homes do implement different rules. For example, they do not walk around wearing their outdoor shoes inside their homes. They also train their kids to clean up besides enforcing some rules regarding where they must keep their toys. Home is a person’s castle and so, everyone wants to have a clean castle that they can enjoy. For having a clean home, you must set some rules and everyone in the house should follow them. Even when you aren’t born with a clean gene, you are liberal toacquire a few cleaning habits
Cleaning gutters
Clogged gutters always pose a huge concern to a person’s gutter system. When a person lives in an area that has lots of trees, critters, and overhead foliage that run around, then he would be required to hire a professional gutter cleaning service, like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Kansas City for getting his gutters cleaned regularly. Gutter cleaning is a vital task that people need to include for having a clean home. Frequent cleaning of gutters avoids pesky damage of water and insect infestations too.
Keep all the cleaning supplies handy
Though it seems sufficiently tough for a person to keep his house clean, he must not make the process tougher. And so, people must keep all-purpose paper towels and cleaners under every bathroom sink. And so, you will find no excuse to not keep the counter clean when it seems dirty. If people are required to haul their cleaning supplies all through the house, they will not feel inclined to use them.
Contemporary Electric Fireplaces
Yesterday as I was adding a touch of festive decor to my studio while the fireplace was on and I was reminded of how much I love the one in my small sitting space.
It will be my third winter with this one and it is so great for warming up this room on colder days. This electric fireplace I bought two years ago is still available but in a lighter color wood and also in white.
You can always build a frame and mantel to create a more built in style, there are a lot of tutorial online from people who’ve done it. But if you’re not feeling like all that extra work, these portable electric fireplaces may be just the thing to warm up your space too.
hollis fireplace (also in black)
marble look
portable electric (also in black or white)
off white veneer
shiplap
traditional white
antero black
antique silver
faux stacked stone
barnwood
black fluted
Landscape Murals: Inspiration & Sources
I was walking through the Presidio in San Francisco and on my route was The Lodge, a hotel in the middle of the historic property. When I entered, I spied a giant ocean wall mural of the Pacific Ocean in the hotel dining room.
Landscape murals make a fantastic focal point that tell a story or create a mood. They bring a destination or travel vibe to any space.
Tropical or botanical murals started trending a few years ago, recently the landscape mural are resurging in popularity, especially the trompe l’oeil style (French for “fools the eye”) with old world pastoral scenes and panoramas.
The landscape mural has its history in centuries old painted murals from Europe. These murals always suit traditional interiors and hotels.
chateau de saulon
papiers de paris
Landscape murals are popping up in modern interiors paired with contemporary furnishings as an alternative to art or decorative wall displays. These create an instant focal point on wide walls. Consider them for dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, or home offices. Inspirational examples below!
wooded forest
eden mural | mural source here
japanese ink wall mural
foggy hills – pacific northwest
vintage scene
ships mural
scandinavian fall
forest mural – installation & link here
french landscape
english landscape
country landscape
bathroom niche
tropical black and white
mirage view
gray chinoiserie
neutral forest
tuft & trim nursery – susan harter murals
If you’re looking for sources for a landscape mural in your home, office, or commercial space, visit these sources below!
Sources for Landscape Murals
Papiers de Paris
Jazz London
Susan Harter
Etsy
Walls Need Love
York Wallcoverings
Designer Wall Coverings
Kirkland’s
Lowe’s
Fall Decorating: Preserved & Dried Botanicals
Welcome September! Summer is turning to fall, can you feel it? I love decorating with green plants all around, but I wanted to add some preserved botanicals for the season.
Some preserved ferns and floral buttons arrived yesterday so I arranged them and created a delicate fall display. These are dried botanicals, not artificial stems. My feathery ferns and friendly floral buttons feel wispy and boho and will last the entire season.
preserved fernsfloral buttonsset of vases
More preserved botanicals and dried flowers for fall decorating below!
coastal yarroworange floral buttons
bunny tailcraspedia bunch
seeded eucalyptusbird of paradise
pink billy buttonspink hydrangea
star grassfeather grass
natural lagurusasparagus
reed grassbraken fern
red eucalyptusreed pampas grass
Leaf Luminaries & Choosing Simplicity
It hits me every year, the last week of October. I begin to feel the expectations building, the stress of content creation, the subtle nudge to please all the people around me, and the pressure to make it look effortless. So a few years ago I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t sacrifice my physical and emotional health during the holidays even if that meant saying “no” a lot more. I chose instead to simplify the season.
I stopped throwing a Christmas party and sending holiday cards. I make the living room festive and I hang garland on the stairs but I no longer decorate the entire house. I wait until December to buy a Christmas tree and decorate it with my kids. Once I took the pressure off myself the immediate result was I began to feel more joy during the holiday season.
I watch the stories of people I follow on Instagram and already there’s so much creativity happening. I love it, it’s beautiful, and I look forward to being inspired by more. I still like to make things and if they turn out well, I share them here on the blog.
But one thing I’ve realized as the years go by and in all the holiday seasons I’ve celebrated is that time is the only thing with real value and our energy is finite. We get to choose where we spend it.
So instead of stressing myself out during the holiday season, I opt for simplicity in decorating and entertaining. Right now that looks like leaves clipped from the backyard paired with luminaries made of leaves and wax paper.
To me, simplicity is a choice to not get caught up in what everyone else is (or seems to be) doing.
To you maybe that looks like decorating with swags of popcorn or construction paper garlands made by your kids or grandkids instead of store bought gilded versions.
Perhaps it’s the pie you buy from the bakery to bring to a party because you don’t have time to bake.
Maybe it’s prioritizing kicking your feet up and snuggling with your favorite people with just a string of twinkle lights for the mood, instead of hauling out bins of holiday decor and decking the halls for days only to have to put it away a few weeks later.
Whatever it looks like to you I guarantee, choosing simplicity means a less stressful and more joyful holiday season.
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If you’re interested in how to make these simple leaf luminaries with wax paper, I posted the supplies and instructions on Instagram Reels today. This fall craft is a return to basics – decoupage leaves as a simple centerpiece. (Just be sure to use flameless candles). I used the leftover skeleton leaves from these embellished pumpkins.
Today’s post is really just a word of encouragement and a reminder this holiday season there’s no need to stress out when decorating or entertaining. You can choose simplicity in all you do and still create seasonal beauty.
How to Upgrade Your Bedroom with Small Tweaks
Upgrading your bedroom is something of a dream. We all know how wonderful it feels to step into a freshly decorated space, featuring beautifully designed soft furnishings, elegant colour schemes and show stopping finishing touches. We have the perfect advice for you and your home, adding the building blocks to a complete, fresh, new interior style.
The smaller details really make a difference when upgrading your space. From switches to plug sockets you can combine contrasting yet complementing electrical features around your room to really add finesse. Often, we forget about upgrading our plug sockets and switches, underestimating the impact this has on your home, not only from a safety angle, but from an aesthetic perspective also. Our personal favourites are a smoked bronze or brass dimmer switch or toggle switch. For beautiful bedroom ambience, a dimmer switch is perfect for setting the evening tone.
Image Credit: Buster & Punch
For detailing around your headboard, introducing drop pendants either side of your bed to replace lamps and bedside tables is a perfect space saving technique whilst giving a luxe minimalist vibe throughout your bedroom. Controlling these each with separate dimmer switches allows you to create your own lighting either side of the room. Additionally, drop pendants make perfect reading lighting.
If the space in your room allows you to, you can create a coffee corner. This is a space featuring a beautiful bedroom chair and small table as an additional space to relax and unwind. Featuring a beautiful furniture piece in your room creates an eye-catching focal point to the room, adding character and definition. If your space is more neutral, you can introduce a pop of colour here as an elegant contrasting piece.
Let’s talk flooring. Flooring can transform your space entirely, and although it may not be considered a ‘small tweak’ it shows how something so simple can have a huge impact on the look and feel of a room. We absolutely adore a soft carpet in your comfort spaces such as a snug, office, or living room, and bedroom, the warm comforting touch on the soles of your feet is enough to bring anybody pure comfort. In a hallway and kitchen our top favourites are a herringbone style hardwood flooring or a neutral tile. The beauty of this being the ease of use and cleaning whilst featuring a crisp and clean finish.
Lastly, your soft furnishings play a huge part in the design of your bedroom. More specifically here, your curtains and blinds. If you’re looking to keep the light out, consider a roman blind paired with thick, luxurious, lined curtains for added comfort. Nothing breaks a room up more and adds character better than beautifully designed curtains. For the more luxurious feel, consider a silver lined pleated curtain or other neutral metallic shades.