Beautify Your Yard with These Alternative Landscaping Trends

While beautiful grass is often considered to be a homeowners pride and joy, today we’re seeing lots of alternatives in landscape design that offer more dimension, better mixed-use opportunities, and less maintenance than the traditional green that we’ve come to know and love. With so many planting options and warmer weather stretching well into the later months of the year, now might be a great time to start planning a few refurbishments to give you a new look and better use of your outdoor space. Here are some ideas:

No More Mowing: For people who love the look of grass but can’t stand the maintenance, no mow “smart lawns” have begun cropping up as an option for residential spaces. Products such as Eco Lawn and No Mow Lawn Mix offer fast establishing grass that then grows slow, requiring only a few mows per year if any at all. Many of these products also thrive with minimal water and their deep seeded roots are able to grab nutrients, meaning less fertilization and chemical treatments.

Play Space: The rec room has always been a popular option for young families, but why not designate a place in the yard for fun too? For people who don’t like weeding, creating a designated area to enjoy games is a great way to entertain guests and keep kids occupied for hours. Popular choices include long sand or stone pits which can be used for horseshoes or cornhole, or paved areas that can double as a croquet or bocce court.

“Hygge” Time: One of the big trends of the year is creating a space dedicated to comfort, coziness, and mindfulness. “Hygge” (pronounced hue-gah) is a Scandinavian term that’s used to describe the feeling of comfort and coziness, which has become popular indoors in the form of meditation rooms and dedicated reading nooks. That concept is now making its way outside, with homeowners embracing the longer seasons of comfortable weather by building cozy fire pits and stone wall enclosed zen gardens for quiet contemplation.

Contained Gardens: Everyone loves the idea of homegrown fruits, vegetables, and herbs, but few of us have the time to prepare and look after a large garden. For a lower maintenance approach, try potting your favorites in large planters that you can place closer to the house. Tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and beans are all space savers that can survive and thrive in smaller containers.

Outdoor Living: Probably the biggest - and most expensive - ongoing trend is creating an additional living space outside of the house. From synthetic decking to full blown outdoor kitchens, more and more people want to come home and relax outside after a long day in the office. Pizza ovens, barbecue courtyards, and the ever famous outdoor bar are just some of the options that homeowners are continuing to invest in to enjoy now and add value potential to their home when it comes time to sell.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only

Give Your Home a New Look With Maintenance-Free Vinyl Siding

As a 40 year veteran of the remodeling industry, people always ask me for advice on how to make their homes as maintenance-free as possible without losing any points in the design department.

When vinyl siding first hit the market, lots of people turned up their noses because while it was easy to care for, the look left much to be desired. But over the past several years, the siding industry has developed new, technologically advanced products that solve both design and durability requirements and tick all the boxes for homeowners. In fact, vinyl siding is now the number one exterior cladding choice in the United States. So if you’re looking for a way to update your home that will require minimal upkeep, vinyl siding is an excellent choice. Here are all the reasons why:

It now looks great. Vinyl siding has come a long way with manufacturers creating a library of products that are more visually pleasing than when the cladding first hit the market. Believe it or not, you can now find vinyl siding that comes in a variety of profiles such as fish scale, shake or scallop shapes – plus there are styles to mimic the look and texture of natural building materials such as wood.

It’s incredibly strong.  Seasons here in Central Connecticut can be brutal, with summer sun and winter snow and ice taking their toll on our homes. Vinyl siding is made to withstand winds of up to 110 mph and it won’t fade or deteriorate as the seasons change. Most products come with a prorated warranty of up to 50 years for peace of mind, so you know your siding will stand up to the test of time.

It’s easy to maintain. Imagine a lifetime free of painting, staining and caulking the outside of your home.  One of my favorite things about vinyl is that it doesn’t need much maintenance, other than a soapy sponge bath and garden hose shower once in awhile. Plus, unlike wood, you never have to worry about splitting, rotting, or termite and insect damage.

It will reduce your energy bills. Insulated siding is energy efficient and works like a blanket over your walls and wall studs. More than 75% of homes I work on are under-insulated, which means that cool air is getting out in the summer and heat is escaping in the winter. By installing vinyl siding, you’ll be able to keep the air in your home regulated at a more comfortable temperature without running to the thermostat.

It pays for itself. With a 50-year warranty, no cost maintenance and the savings you’ll reap from your energy bill, installing vinyl siding is an investment worth thinking about. Plus, vinyl consistently ranks as one of the highest returns on investment for remodeling projects.  

If you’ve ever thought about giving your home a facelift, vinyl siding is an option you’ll definitely want to consider. You’ll be blown away by the variety of options to choose from, and you can say goodbye to many of the hassles that come with outdoor home maintenance.

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Everything That’s Fab About Prefab

Prefabricated construction, also known as modular or off-site housing, may conjure up images of trailer park communities in your mind. But prefab has come a long way in recent years, with architects and builders creating bold new housing designs in the comfort of a facility that reduces weather-causing building delays and increases opportunities for energy efficiency.

Years ago, stick-built homes were the most popular type of new construction and most of the homes in our area were built this way. The name comes from the method by which the home is constructed, piece by piece (or stick by stick) on the site of where the structure would eventually reside. While the common perception is that stick-built houses are more strongly constructed and offer a better resale value that prefab homes, there isn’t much evidence to confirm that this is actually the case. However, there are some advantages to stick-built homes. For instance, people who want to oversee the process of the home build can do so, as the house is constructed piece by piece from the ground up instead of being manufactured in a closed facility. Additionally, a stick-built home that’s designed by an architect will take the land it is being built on into consideration for efficiency and wear and tear, where a prefab home might not provide for those same considerations.

On the flip side, prefab homes do have a lot of benefits that make them well worth considering. While many prefab homes have a more contemporary look, they can be built to achieve any aesthetic style, from modern to a traditional log cabin. While people may think that prefab homes are limited to small, simple design, they can, in fact, be incredibly large and diverse, with many of the customizations that can be achieved through a traditional stick-built home. The pre-made parts are constructed offsite in a facility and then put together like a puzzle on-site. Because the homes are manufactured in a controlled and regulated facility, there is also less room for human error during the building process.

One of my favorite advantages to prefab homes is that many are super green. There is a new trend in home building called the passive house movement, which adheres to a set of design principles that attains rigorous levels of energy efficiency, resulting in reduced output and cleaner, healthier homes. Continuous and appropriate amounts of insulation, airtight sealing, high-performance windows, heat, and moisture balanced ventilation, and various forms of solar power of some of the ways these homes tick all the boxes for a healthier planet.

One thing that’s important to note if you’re considering prefabricated construction is, of course, the costs. While often less expensive than a stick-built home, a prefab home will have base costs included but fees associated with the land, site prep, shipping and other expenses will be additional. As with any home project, it’s important to always understand all the costs and fees associated with a project before jumping in.   

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only. Get in touch.