Tag Archives: Home Improvement
An open porch in Cumming, GA that is full of southern charm
This "rocking Chair open porch" just got more relaxed with an upgrade to vinyl railings from wood
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta recently upgraded the wooden railings that surrounded the open porch with vinyl railings. This home is located on a Cumming, GA., horse farm . The main concern for the homeowners was the upkeep and continuous maintenance of the existing wood railings. We were able to halt the revolving door of constant painting and upkeep by installing all new vinyl rail to the entire perimeter.
Vinyl offers minimal maintenance and is easy on the eye.
These homeowners are now sitting pretty with a new rail to this open porch that exudes plenty of southern charm. The upgrade will allow these Cumming homeowners to enjoy the view from their porch while watching their horses without having to worry about the railing.
By choosing to upgrade to vinyl railings, these homeowners have more time to enjoy their porch instead of painting it!
If you are concerned about the structural safety of your weathered or aging porch, we can perform a porch safety inspection for you.
Contact Archadeck of Greater Atlanta to learn more about ways we can upgrade your existing outdoor structure such as a porch, patio or even a deck with quality low maintenance materials. We are also the Atlanta areas premier outdoor living structure experts, we can design and build whatever you have in mind to fit your lifestyle as well as your budget. (770) 377 – 2900greateratlanta@archadeck.net
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta Jeff Mullins and Sol Elisha
See more stunning porches by visiting our porches gallery located on our website.
Dog friendly deck gates prove that man’s best friend can also benefit from outdoor living enjoyment
These Atlanta homeowners chose to install a dog gate to gain more control over their pets surroundings.
Dogs by nature are companion animals. Throughout history dogs have been touted as “man’s best friend”. Dogs play a crucial role in our lives, and are considered to be part of the family unit. At Archadeck, we are seeing a trend with our owners asking for customized dog gates for their outdoor living areas such as decks, porches and patios. The dog gate serves a dual purpose for Fido and dog owners.
Custom dog gate at top of 2nd story deck
Dog deck gates can give you and your dog all the benefits of enjoying the outdoors, while having complete control over their surroundings. Let’s say for example your family and the neighbors family are enjoying a day by your backyard pool. The only dilemma is that the dog keeps jumping in the pool. In an effort to appease your guests, and to make everyone happy you opt to enclose your dog inside the house for the afternoon. This means that Fido will miss the exercise, fresh air and camaraderie of being part of the family. With a custom installed dog deck gate, you can opt to keep Fido in the backyard but away from the pool deck area, or keep him in close proximity to the action within the deck. The choice is yours.
This deck features a sliding gate perfect for the family, and the family dog.
Dog gates offer safety, security and the convenience of having the freedom to spend more time with your pampered pooch. Our dog gates can be custom built alongside your deck’s railing system, so they offer functionality as well as aesthetic appeal. Not only do the gates offer a safe haven for your dog to take in the wonder of the great outdoors, many of our gates have become a choice for homeowners with small children as well. The gates can keep your toddler from straying away from the security of the backyard deck while you are busy cooking those hot dogs on the grill. This feature offers homeowners peace of mind, and more family-time for outdoor living enjoyment. It’s a win, win situation.
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta can custom design a dog-friendly deck gate best suited for your needs and individual taste. Contact us today to learn more about our innovative and functional outdoor living designs. (770) 377 – 2900
greateratlanta@archadeck.net
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta Jeff Mullins and Sol Elisha
Is your Atlanta area deck safe for family and friends? Would you pay $99 to find out?
Archadeck decks are built to a 60 lb live load - that's 50% stronger than the requirement. This Sandy Springs GA. deck with double pergolas built by Archadeck of Greater Atlanta offers beauty and safety
Decks can collapse if they’re built the wrong way by the wrong builder. You may remember the deck crash in Marietta last year. At least five people were injured by the deck pulling away from the wall, falling backwards toward the home, and then landing atop them.
Our decks are so structurally sound you can have the whole neighborhood on your deck with not a care in the world.
Is your deck safe?. Unfortunately, you may be right to worry. Georgia is one of only two states left that require only a 40 lb PSF live load. In other states, the requirement is a 60 lb PSF live load. And to add insult to injury, most builders are not GA licensed builders. Some that are licensed don’t have the means to evaluate what live load levels they’re building to which means they are going by what city inspectors will allow them to build as their gauge.
All of our outdoor structures are constructed of the highest quality materials and expert workmanship which exceeds standard building codes in the area.
How can you find out if your deck is safe? The answer is simple.
Have a certified professional come evaluate your deck. Archadeck of Greater Atlanta provides comprehensive deck inspections for only $99. If you build with us then we will put the $99 toward your project. Our safety standards are superior to other builders in our area because we have engineering tables and have to make sure our decks are certified at 60lb live load, which is 50% higher than the requirement. Our decks last longer since there’s no movement because they’re built so well. Our quality standards ensure your enjoyment as well as your peace of mind. The bottom line is if you wants your deck to last twice as long, look twice as good and be able to confidently get twice the number of people using it at once, use Archadeck of Greater Atlanta.
Don't trust your safety to just any builder- contact Archadeck of Greater Atlanta
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta Jeff Mullins and Sol Elisha
To learn more about our beautiful quality-built decks then contact Archadeck of Greater Atlanta to schedule a comprehensive deck inspection at your home. You will be glad you did. Call us at (770) 377 – 2900 or email us at greateratlanta@archadeck.net
See more photos of our other stunning deck designs by visiting our decks photo galleries located on our website.
Marietta GA deck by Archadeck of Greater Atlanta
This Marietta pool deck allows the family to exit to the deck from their main living area and move down to the pool area seamlessly
A beautiful backyard doesn’t happen overnight. It takes careful planning and design for everything to come together as one. Having a beautiful and functional backyard works like a carefully planned outfit for a special occasion. Let’s say you need to put together a fabulous ensemble for a black-tie event only to realize you forgot the right shoes. This is the same as putting together out your outdoor living space. Leaving a crucial element of the package off of your outdoor living design can affect the way the entire space functions. Unfortunately it happens frequently in outdoor design. A homeowner will plan everything to the smallest detail and realize during the project they overlooked a crucial element of the outdoor area they are trying to improve upon. That is exactly what happened in the case of these Marietta, GA homeowners when they were in the midst of their large backyard renovation and realized in the middle of the project their deck was in dire need of a facelift.
Gossen is a low-maintenance composite PVC decking board with a lifetime warranty.
The homeowners knew they wanted to use composite or PVC for their expansion and re-decking. The rest of their backyard renovations included a new pool and large paver deckscape which were already underway. After carefully considering many composite and PVC choices they decided to use Gossen PVC decking. This PVC decking carries a lifetime warranty. This PVC decking is constructed from 100% solid core cellular PVC and is impervious to staining, warping, cracking, splintering, mold and mildew, as well as contraction and expansion from the heat and freezing conditions. Gossen PVC decking will not absorb water which makes it perfect for use on decks around pools and other water features. The only maintenance these homeowners will have to worry about is a simple, annual soap and water cleanup to remove dirt and grime.
Alternating the Gossen Spanish Walnut decking with metal rails and kiln dried wood posts, there is a natural interesting and textured look.
They chose the Spanish Walnut color that Gossen offers which mimics the look of exotic hardwoods with its rich multi shaded fine wood graining. The homeowners will be getting a new and improved deck that will give them the best of both worlds – a gorgeous PVC deck with the look of real wood without the headaches of painting or staining. They also won’t have to worry about years of wet feet coming into contact with their PVC deck because water will not degrade the PVC decking.
Following a careful inspection of the existing deck, Archadeck of Greater Atlanta designed and engineered a plan to expand and re-deck the existing deck without adding to the profile or the thickness of the deck’s outer band. We began the project by removing several 6×6 joists that were impeding the view from under the deck but without taking the deck’s initial design out of balance. The homeowners have a finished basement with a drywall ceiling which has an air conditioning soffit which we did not want to intrude upon so we left that part of the deck free standing.
It was a pleasure to work with the pool builders to create an entire outdoor living area for these Marietta homeowners
After all the initial existing structural and design elements were addressed we began construction on this stunning deck expansion and re-decking by coordinating our schedule with that of the pool contractor. The homeowners were impressed with our ability to deliver a great project by our coordination efforts and getting in and out in such a timely manner. In doing this we were also able to help the pool contractor wrap up their project in a timely fashion as well. Organization such as this is achieved through our careful planning and expert and quality-focused Job Process Methodology (JPM), which ensures every project Archadeck of Greater Atlanta takes on progresses smoothly and on schedule.
The homeowners chose black round metal balusters with an anodized painting process along with Gossen caprail for low maintenance materials throughout. The entire backyard ensemble is topped off by a 10 light low-voltage outdoor lighting system that enhances the deck with lights placed on the posts and stairs. The wiring was carefully done so no wires would be visible to the naked eye.
As you can see here, it's important to pay careful attention to where the stairs "empty out". You don't want to impede the flow of the living space by emptyping out the stairs into the side yard or an area other than the living space.
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta Jeff Mullins and Sol Elisha
If you are interested in a new low-maintenance composite or PVC deck or looking for a backyard renovation and need to re-design your deck to compliment your anticipated outdoor oasis, contact us. Archadeck of Greater Atlanta will plan, design and build your outdoor living space that will make your whole backyard ensemble come together. (770) 377 – 2900
greateratlanta@archadeck.net
To see how beautifully a composite or PVC deck would fit into your outdoor living area, visit our composite and vinyl deck gallery located on our website.
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta creates a stunning backyard for these Roswell, GA homeowners with multiple outdoor rooms that work as one
This picture shows the beauty that can be achieved through the use of Belgard's Dublin pavers, like the ones we are using on this design in Roswell, GA.
Part of the joy of creating unforgettable outdoor spaces for homeowners is not only in the joy of building the structure but in being able to provide the homeowners and their family a space to create lasting memories. We are currently building multiple new decks and a paver patio for these homeowners in Roswell, GA. When we initially met with them they conveyed to us that they have 2 young children and they really wanted to be able to spend special “quality time” outside with them. Their current backyard was not conducive to spend time with the children in because the existing deck was too small and was the wrong size. The decks dimensions weren’t able to deliver the lifestyle and function that they needed for their family. The deck was really non-usable, for even the dining table they had dominated the small misshapen space. After meeting with the clients we came up with a design that aimed to change all that, and will soon be a place to create cherished memories and watch their children flourish with the opportunity to spend more time outdoors.
Another photo of Belgard's Dublin line of pavers.
Since the goal is to provide these Roswell, GA homeowners with a larger more functional deck space and extend the area beyond the deck to a finished paver patio, we are using a mixture of stone and pavers on the downstairs and creating a storage space underneath one of the decks. To create even more usable space we are also finishing out the underneath of the other deck to create a living space that will interact with the patio which is on the main level. All these spaces fit together like a puzzle to create a large space, by way of multiple spaces that interact with the back yard. Once completed, the backyard will become an oasis for fun and family time.
This photo shows the versatility of pavers, from stacked columns to custom benches, let your imagination flow.
The home has a daylight basement, and the homeowners want to be able to walk out from the basement and have a ready, usable space at their fingertips. This entire design flows effortlessly so that one structure plays from another. The homeowners will have a dining area on the upper level deck, an outdoor kitchen underneath the deck and a higher end deck that will be located above the main access door to the daylight basement which will have lights in the ceiling, fans, as well as a kitchenette counter top area with a paver bottom. The lower deck has storage that looks like part of the backyard that will house lawn equipment and has an access door. The homeowner did not want a garage door, but did want the space to have garage functionality.
Close up view of Belgard's Dublin cobble that we are using for this construction.
The decks are being constructed with kiln dried wood that has been paraffin enhanced to promote longevity as well as beauty. They are to be supported with stackstone columns, which will add elegance and style to the structures. The patio is being finished with a combination of beautiful Belgard hardscapes, which will include their stunning Dublin line of cobblestone.
We are very excited about the anticipated completion of this backyard transformation in Roswell, GA. Rest assured we will follow-up as soon as the job is completed. Archadeck of Greater Atlanta looks forward to the smiles and memories this backyard is sure to hold for these homeowners. Creating a better lifestyle for our customers is what it is all about.
Archadeck of Greater Atlanta Jeff Mullins and Sol Elisha
If you are ready to create an unforgettable space to spend family time, entertain or just relax, contact Archadeck of Greater Atlanta today to learn more.(770) 377 – 2900
greateratlanta@archadeck.net
Top 5 Reasons To Build A Screened Porch in 2010
Thinking of building a Screened Porch this year but unsure? These are uncertain times in our financial world and many of us question if a home improvement project will will add to our homes value. The fact is, most of us will stay in our current home longer than any other home we’ve lived in before. Improving our homes and adding quality to our lives, is an incredible opportunity.
The climate here in Atlanta is ideal for a Screened Porch. The calendar reads March and March 20 is the official start of Spring. This is the perfect time to consider the Top 5 Reasons To Build A Screen Porch this year!
1. Relaxation…Step outside sit down and breathe deeply…enjoy the outdoors.
2. Shade…Cool fresh air circulating under the ceiling fan.
3. Hear Natures Music…Nothing can bring the peace that the sounds of nature bring.
4. Fresh Air…No recycled AC.
5. Improved Quality Of Life!
There are a host of other reasons and I could go on and on. Archadeck is the largest builder of Screened Porches and Decks in the country. We build Screened Porches that fit your lifestyle and the architecture of your home.
The 6th reason may be our fabulous offer we have right now. Visit our Archadeck web page then give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you begin to improve the quality of your life.
Top 3 Home Improvement Projects Includes Decks
Home Improvement ROI! The 2009 – 2010 Cost vs Value Report by Remodeling Magazine is out. Again Decks have held strong when considering their return on investment in the Atlanta area. Amongst several common major home improvement projects wooden deck additions ranked 3rd highest with a 79.8% return. This is based upon an average deck price of $9,505 in 2009 dollars. Composite decks also offer a strong return but do not hold up quite as well, at a 71.2% return. The difference is due to the higher initial cost for the project at an average of $14,598. Check out the full report at Remodeling Magazine. Combine the value that new outdoor living projects retain with the enjoyment that families receive and a new backyard project becomes a very attractive investments.
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