Category: Home Improvement

Posted on by

Keeping Your Garage Warm This Winter

keeping garage warm

New homes, including their garages, are designed to be energy efficient and thermally effective. They are relatively easy to keep warm in colder weather. In previous generations, people were often content to live with “a draft” in their old homes. There are, of course, many old homes in the Greater Victoria region and many of these have garages that are not up to today’s standards of insulation.

Updating your garage to keep it warmer will have a positive impact on the warmth of the living space inside your home, as a cold garage has potential to transfer cold temperatures into neighbouring living spaces.

Insulation of garage walls and ceiling

Most homes will have a wall and a door connecting the house to the garage. In older homes, these areas may not be insulated to today’s higher standard. The wall may have no insulation and even no drywall, on the garage side. The door which leads into your home may also have poor or no insulation. Additionally, it was common to not insulate any of the walls, or the ceiling, in old garages.

You will be using a considerable amount of natural gas, electricity or oil to heat your home in the winter season. To provide extra warmth and cut down on heating bills, having a properly insulated garage is important.

You may want to insulate and drywall the old garage walls yourself. If you’re new to home renovations, you’ll soon find out that this is a messy and challenging job. Having an experienced handyman friend (or hiring someone) will go a long way towards getting it done faster and better. Swapping out an old entrance door may require adjusting the size of the entrance to fit new, insulated doors which are of standard size.

If the garage door itself is not insulated, it may or may not be suitable for adding insulation, depending on the nature of its construction. Replacing the door with a new insulated garage door may be the best option and will also improve the look of the exterior of your home.

Sealing small cracks or spaces

Once the larger insulation updates are done, check around for small cracks or spaces which would let in the colder winter air. These are common around window openings and of course, your garage door itself. If you kept an insulated older garage door, check the weather stripping on the bottom of the door. This material gets brittle and cracked over time and may need to be replaced.

We want to help keep your garage safe and warm this winter. If you would like to discuss what kind of garage door would look great, while keeping your garage warm this winter, please contact us.

Posted on by

Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

boring garage doorBeing that we are a garage door and gate company here in Victoria, we would be remiss not to mention the impact that garage doors have on the exterior of your home. Garage doors, in some cases, may take up to 40% of the façade of your home and may be one of the first things that people see. Neglecting your doors has a significant impact on safety, function and visual appeal.

Let’s see how we can solve that.

DIY Refreshing

Are your existing garage doors still in good shape? How can you know? There are a number of things you can check to determine the safety and condition of your doors. This includes inspections of the hardware including springs, cables, rollers, pulleys and mounting hardware.  You should also check the reversing mechanism and photo eye sensor.

See this for a more detailed look at garage door inspection.

Let’s assume that your doors are still in good condition. There are a number of ways to improve the look of your doors without having to replace them. Here are a few ideas that may inspire you:

Refinish Panels
If you have generic (that’s another word for boring) looking garage doors, white being very common, then refresh the finish by painting or even getting creative with a faux wood finish. You can refinish whether you have wood or aluminum doors. Refinishing your doors will give you a new look while extending the life of the doors.refinish garage door

Replace or Add Glass
If you have doors that have no glass, or glass styles that are sadly outdated, you can replace the panels and immediately give your doors a new look.add windows to garage door

Faux Glass
Don’t want to add glass? How about faux glass? You can add plastic resin faux panels to the front of your doors. Alternatively, you can even just paint some “windows” on your doors.faux windows garage door

Faux Hardware
Who says those handles and hinges actually need to be functional? Add some hardware to your door simply for visual appeal.faux hardware garage door

Door Replacement

So maybe your doors are in the twilight of their existence. Perhaps they don’t operate as smoothly as they once did and are quite possibly not safe anymore. Replacing the doors will improve function and give you the opportunity of upgrading the thermal characteristics of your garage. If you have no plan on selling you home, you will enjoy the form and function of your new doors. If you are planning to sell, the investment in the curb appeal of your home will likely be rewarded.new garage doors

As with all of our exterior improvement tips, there are budget options and more expensive options. As a Do-It-Yourselfer, you can refinish and really give a boost to the look of your garage doors, assuming they are still in good repair. If you need to replace the doors, it will require the service of professionals but it will be relatively quick and painless, while providing an upgrade for your own enjoyment or as a preparation for resale.

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

Posted on by

Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

Front DoorUpdating your doors and windows is a task which can bring you number of benefits. Whether you choose to completely replace your doors and windows or just freshen them up, you will immediately give your home’s exterior a noticeable facelift. Let’s look at a few ways you can go about this upgrade.

Replacement

Replacing your doors and windows can dramatically alter the look of your home. You can incorporate a new style which begins to alter the entire style of your home. Studies have shown that replacing your front door increases the value of your home by five times the cost of the new door. That’s a good investment!

Front Door

When replacing your front door, one idea to consider is to increase the size of the opening and add windows around the top and sides of the door, not just simply swap a new door for an old. This stylish update increases the perceived splendour of what was formerly a simple, functional opening.new-front-door

Windows

Do the words draft, mold and rot give you stress and nightmares? New windows will drastically improve the thermal and visual qualities of your home’s interior while giving the exterior a big boost of energy and style. If your old windows are really, well, old…then you may want to consider the best practice method of replacement which is called “brick-to-brick.” This fully replaces your frames and windows, and gives you the best visual and functional upgrade.windows-before-after

Replacing your doors and windows is not something for the faint of heart. It’s a job that needs to be completed quickly and accurately and usually, hiring a professional will provide peace of mind, with fewer surprises and stress.

Freshen up Existing Doors and Windows

If your existing doors and windows are in reasonably good shape and can be painted, then a low-cost solution is to freshen them up yourself.

Front Door

If your front door does a reasonable job of keeping the cold out and it is still mechanically in good shape, painting it will give you immediate bang for your buck. As we mentioned in a previous article, new trim is a bit more work but will also be a great update. Adding an accessory to your door, such as a wreath or new knocker, will give it a lovely new look.

Here is a tutorial on painting your front doorpainted front doors

Windows

If you have windows that have good thermal qualities (double glazed) and are still in good condition, you can re-finish the frames, which will immediately improve their look as well as extending their life. Don’t forget to inspect the seal and hardware and take time to prep the frame, inside and out, before you paint.

Here is a window refinishing tutorial for you to read.paint-windows

Don’t let budget stop you from making a huge improvement to the look (and lifespan) of your doors and windows. You can paint them for a very negligible cost and enjoy the fruit of your own labour. Alternatively, if you want to dive in and upgrade both the function and make a dramatic visual update of your doors and windows, then replacing them is a more pricey, yet wise investment.

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

Posted on by

Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things

welcome-mat

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

When prioritizing the needs of our home exterior improvement project, one of the factors is budget. How much are we willing to spend? Later in this series, we will take a look at some of the more “budget heavy” improvements but let’s now look at some small additions that will be very easy on the pocketbook and simple for you to do yourself.

These are just a few of the many small things that really do make a difference.

Lighting Fixtures

Replacing your old exterior light fixtures will make your porch or entrance really pop. Remember how much you complained about that old fixture when you first moved in, but then got used to it? Cheesy old brass lamps or fixtures that are in disrepair can easily be replaced, by you, at just the cost of the new fixture. If you have never done something like this before, here are some clear instructions.

light-fixture

Door and Window Trim

If you have some basic cutting skills and tools, you may want to tackle adding or replacing the door or window trim, at least on the front of your home. If you have windows that are on an upper-floor and difficult to reach, we would recommend leaving this task to a professional tradesperson.

Granted, this task does take some steady hands and patience but it is well within the reach of Do-It-Yourselfers.
Here is one helpful tutorial.

replace-door-trim

Outdoor Furniture

Other than perhaps some furniture assembly, this one is easy. If you have a front porch or landing with enough space, adding chairs or small tables (or shelves, planters, etc) really can add a lovely personal touch to your entrance.  You may have to make a few trips back and forth to your local store, to find the perfect colour and piece, but adding some outdoor furniture at your entrance, or even in your yard, can provide a nice visual element and can sometimes be practical too.

outdoor-furniture

Even smaller, small things…

House Numbers

Get rid of those ugly old house numbers and find a style and colour that is more in line with your plans for your exterior. If the shape of your current numbers is fine, consider a fresh coat of paint.

house-numbers

Door Knocker

So simple, this is an addition that if chosen well, will be noticed by everyone that comes to your door.

door-knocker

Welcome Mat

You may not currently have a welcome mat, or it may be old and worn. This functional item is another small thing that is very noticeable and worth the marginal cost.

welcome-mat

I think we’ve determined that one does not have to dig deep into their pockets to do a few small upgrades that really give a nice visual lift to your exterior. Try to keep the big picture in mind, when updating items. If you plan to do a major task, such as painting or new doors and windows, then these smaller tasks are best to be done later. If you want to keep things low cost and don’t plan on a major overhaul, have some fun and take care of these (and other) high impact small upgrades.

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

Posted on by

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard

This is the first part of an ongoing series of articles about improving the exteriors of our homes.

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors

Often we get used to the way our home looks, even if it is run-down or outdated. While it certainly is important to maintain our homes for practical reasons (roof, plumbing, electrical, etc) updating the exterior look of our homes have two benefits. We can enjoy the new look and it will add value to our home.exterior-improvement

While some of these recommended updates require the services of professionals, some can be done with a little of your own time and hard work.

Let’s start with the property surrounding your home…the yard.

Cut Back, Clean Up

Our properties get overgrown with foliage over time. This is one of those issues that creeps up on us; one day we look at the huge, overgrown shrub by the front door and say, “When did THAT happen?” The first, low cost item we can take care of is to give our yard a haircut and style. Aerate (if necessary), cut and trim your grass. If your grass is in poor condition, speak with a local that has nice looking grass and ask what type of things they do to keep their grass in good shape, weed/moss-free, etc.

front-yard-beforeTrim your trees and shrubs. At first you may feel like you do after visiting the hair salon, “Did you have to cut so much off?” Sometimes that first pruning is a bit more drastic and shocking to your system but next season, the pruning will be minor (Yes, you will need to do this work again). Open up space in your yard and crop back those branches that have been starting to block light from entering your windows.

front-yard-beforeUnfortunately, this process may uncover more things that need to be done with your home and property. Suddenly that walkway to your front door, which you never paid attention to before, looks old and in disrepair. At that point, you may consider replacing the walkway or sprucing it up with a new surface. These tasks may require professional service. Also, you may notice the bad condition of your siding or window trim. We’ll get to those issues in another article.

Add Some Beauty

You may also realize, now that you have opened up your front yard by subtraction, that adding a small tree, bush or some flowers may give an instant boost to the look of your home. While we are on the topic of flowers, as you progress through your home exterior improvement checklist, you may want to plan for some planters and flower boxes on your front porch or around your front door and windows.

Curb-Appeal-before-and-after-7

Understandably, sometimes the cutting back process is seemingly in opposition to your privacy concerns. That is a balance that you can be aware of, to cut…or not to cut. Taking a few weekends to clean up your property (or having someone do it for you) will bring instant gratification which does not break the bank. Your property opens up and you can more clearly see the other issues that need to be addressed in order to improve the exterior of your home.

These issues will be discussed in other blog articles in this series.

Home Exterior Improvement Part 1: Clean Up Your Yard
Home Exterior Improvement Part 2: Small Things
Home Exterior Improvement Part 3: Doors and Windows
Home Exterior Improvement Part 4: Garage Doors