How To Choose The Best Patio Installer For Your Needs

Spring has finally come, with the opportunity for outdoor parties and gatherings – it’s time to find a patio installer to expand your outdoor living space while enhancing your backyard.

It’s worth starting early… careful planning will take time as you will want to decide on designs and products. Good installers are often booked up in advance and will need to include your new patio into their schedules.

If you’ve decided that a patio would be a welcome addition to your home, your toughest decision may be choosing the right contractor to handle the project. While there are many options to pick from, it’s crucial that you select a contractor who offers the right combination of products, service, and quality. For example, you want to make sure the patio installer you choose has a reputation for doing the job right. Other factors to consider when selecting a contractor include:

Products – Ask what materials are offered for a patio. A pro will provide concrete, brick, stone, and pavers. If you choose pavers, make sure your contractor purchases them from a reputable manufacturer, as inferior pavers will fade and often are not as durable.

Warranties & Guarantees – Ask if the contractor guarantee their work, and if there are warranties on the products (usually pavers) discuss the specifics until you understand them and have both the guarantee and warranty spelled out in writing.

Websites with Portfolios – Top pros have websites that help educate the public about hardscaping issues such as the pros and cons of various materials used for patios. The consummate professionals will as have portfolios for you to peruse to see their work and what different elements look like so that you can make an educated decision regarding your patio.

Professional Organizations & Continued Education – Look for a contractor who belongs to professional organizations such as New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) that promote professionalism, safety, environmental protection, and education.

Local Knowledge – Many communities have specific codes and restrictions for patio additions-choose a contractor experienced in navigating these restrictions and regulations to create the sort of patio that fulfills your needs and wants.

When choosing a professional to lay your patio, you should take a practical approach before making your decision. Ask straightforward questions and look for some basic support. Here are some helpful hints on what you should ask before your dream garden project begins:

Get some different quotes for your project, checking that they include all the products and services you will need. Make sure there are no hidden extras such as soil removal. TIP: Ask how long the project will last.
Check how long the company has been laying paving products.
Ask for some recent references of completed patio installation and read their online reviews. A reputable contractor will be enthusiastic about showing off recent work. Expect to see photographs and details of recent, similar work that you can visit for a reference. This is usually part of any professional presentation.
Ask questions such as if the cost of a dumpster and jointing sand is included?
Check if the contractor has the appropriate liability insurance.
Ask for a final written quotation from your chosen contractor.
A reputable patio installer will not cut corners but work to the highest standard to build a patio that is beautiful and will remain that way for years to come. A true professional will have no problem guaranteeing their work.

Starting with basic research and asking the right questions will help ensure that you choose a trustworthy and reliable contractor. Stories about unlicensed and even licensed contractors facing fines and imprisonment for shoddy work and fraud have consumers on edge about adding a patio. You want your patio and garden project to be completed to the highest standard; something you, your family and friends can enjoy for many years to come.

Anyone with a pad and pencil can design a patio-remember building the proper foundation, drainage and beautifully laying paving products is a skill and an art. A professional patio installer in can recommend colors, complementary products, suitable laying patterns and lots more, so it is well worth investing in a reputable one – remember to ask to see their portfolios. They will listen and asks questions until they fully understand their customer’s needs and wants. The master patio builder will then enhance their client’s visions as they design their patio that matches their customer’s desires.

The Many Reasons Log Cabins Are The Best

You may have heard that log cabins are really trending this year. They have been popular in the past, but never before has interest seemed to have reached such a peak. Maybe it is a backlash against the modern day McMansions and identical townhouses that are popping up all over the place. Or it could be people thinking longer term than retirement, considering generational aspects of passing down property to their family.

Whatever the case, it has never been a better time to get a log cabin. But there are many reasons that they are awesome… here are some reasons to consider getting your own.

They Are Real Estate Candy

The real estate market has never fully recovered from the bubble of a decade ago. But you can get around some of the more problematic aspects of the market by looking for the darlings of that world. Log cabins are a stable investment because everyone loves them. If you did have to sell you could be pretty much guaranteed interested buyers.

Just look at the asking prices for already existing listings out there. You can be sure that the people who originally purchased them paid far less than they are asking for now.

Log Cabins Tend to Increase In Value

Speaking of which, value is a big part of property ownership. Most homes depreciate pretty much the moment you take over the keys. You have to do upgrades, maintenance or rely on neighborhood expansion or improvements in order to see an increase in property value.

Unless you have a log cabin. These are real earners on the market, probably due to the fact that they are sturdier than the average home. When you buy a wooden house you expect it to be a long term investment that can be inherited by others down the line.

Wooden Structures Look Awesome

Just the aesthetic reasons are enough for many people to want a log cabin. The richness of the wood, the way you can change the style based on your specifications, the versatility of the materials… it is all a pretty great trade off when compared to the less pleasing look of other modern homes.

Let’s say you want something that looks like an old fashioned log cabin. You can build one using recycled wood that has a feel of an old timey cabin out in the woods. Or perhaps you prefer something more modern and chic. That is totally within the realm of possibility.

Wood Trumps Other Building Materials

There are some reasons that wood is a better material for building than most. For one thing, it looks great, as was said earlier in this post. But it is also more versatile, breathable and easy to work with. It is highly durable and tough, resisting extreme weather conditions. It can be sealed to trap in heat or cool air. There are many decay resistant lumber options that are easier to maintain and keep healthy.

In the end, it is the number one building material out there. Is it any wonder people have used it for so long?

Maintenance Gives You a Sense of Pride

Some people are resistant to the idea of log cabins because they know they have to be maintained. That is true, you do have to take care of the wood. But anyone who has had a wooden house will tell you that they feel a real sense of pride in the work they do to keep it in tip top condition.

Luckily, it isn’t hard to maintain a log cabin. Every three to five years you will restain the wood to seal it. This protects it from rot, warping, cracks and wind or sun bleaching that can occur.

It Is Catnip For The House Proud

Just imagine having a gorgeous, well maintained log cabin that is your dream home. How does it make you feel when people visit? Probably pretty good. If you tend to be house proud you are going to be especially so with one of these beautiful dwellings in your possession. Just sitting in front of the fire on a cold winter day with friends or family is such a comforting image that can fill you with warmth.

If you want a house to be proud to show off, a log cabin is the way to go.

There Are So Many Styles to Choose From

You can have literally anything in your cabin. There are so many different options and models to enjoy, so many upgrades and customizations. For instance, tiny houses and mini log cabins are becoming a seriously popular option for people who was to utilize space and reduce the impact they have on the environment around them. Large scale cabins that are similar to lodges are another.

With so many houses that look exactly the same, it is nice to know you can customize things to be the way you want them.

You Can Customize or Prefabricate

So you know you can customize. But what if you don’t want to? There are prefabricated log cabins that are a better option for people who want more basic styles. But there is more to it than the design: these are cheaper and faster to erect, as well.

A prefabricated cabin is one that has been created in a factory in large pieces. These are then shipped to the building location and the crew working on it will put it up bit by bit. Everything is packaged together and it can be put up within a couple of weeks.

Pricing Is Within Your Control

You can work a log cabin in to any budget. Depending on your specifications, whether it is custom or prefabricated, how big it is and the features you select, your new home can cost as little or as much as you can pay. This budget versatility is yet another reason that so many people are choosing wooden homes over the status quo.