A house in Martinez went under contract last year and then spent two weeks in a negotiation about a patio cover. Not because the cover was bad. It was well built and the sellers liked it. The problem was that there was no permit on file for it, so the buyer’s agent asked what else […]
The Backyard Work That Costs You Money When You Sell Read More »
A couple in North Augusta screened in their back porch in May and were happy with it immediately. Coffee outside, dinner outside, no mosquitoes. Then about three weeks later the wife mentioned, almost in passing, that the kitchen felt like a different room. Darker. She could not put her finger on when it happened. It
What Screening In a Porch Does to the Room Behind It Read More »
A homeowner in Evans called about a pergola last spring and had the location settled before we got there. Right off the back door, attached to the house, over the concrete slab that was already poured. Perfectly sensible. That is where the grill lived and where everybody already stood when they went outside. Then we
Attached or Freestanding: Where the Pergola Actually Belongs Read More »
The most common question on a first visit is some version of how long this will take. The honest answer is that the building part is usually the shortest piece of it, and most of the calendar goes to things that are not construction at all. That gap is where frustration comes from. If someone
How Long a Backyard Project Actually Takes, Waiting Included Read More »
Two houses on the same street in Grovetown, close to the same floor plan, both with a pergola off the back. One of them has people under it most evenings from April through October. The other one gets used maybe six times a year, and the owner has mentioned more than once that he is
Which Way Your Porch Faces Decides When You Get to Use It Read More »
A paver patio in Evans looked perfect the week it went in. Three summers later there is grass coming up between the stones near the steps, a chalky white film across one corner, and a low spot by the downspout where water sits for a day after a storm. Nothing is broken. The patio is
What Your Patio Actually Needs After the First Couple of Summers Read More »
A homeowner in Grovetown put a solid roof over a 12 by 20 patio and had it done well. Posts on footings, proper framing, a roof that ties cleanly into the house. After the first real storm, everybody came outside to a two-inch-deep trench cut into the mulch bed along the entire open side, and
Gutters on a Porch, Pergola, or Patio Cover Read More »
Two estimates land in your inbox for the same 180 feet of gutter on the same house. One is meaningfully cheaper. Both say “seamless aluminum gutter, five inch, K-style, color to match trim.” Neither one mentions the four or five decisions that actually separate them, because those decisions live in the supply order rather than
The Parts of a Gutter That Are Not on the Quote Read More »
Three days after the last rain, there is still water sitting in a section of gutter on the back of the house. You noticed a green line of algae along the inside when you were up on the ladder for something else, or a bird has been using it. Everything about the gutter looks right.
Standing Water in Your Gutter Is a Pitch Problem Read More »
Here is a puzzle that comes up a few times a year. A homeowner has fascia board going soft along one side of the house. The gutter above it is clean, hung straight, and has never once overflowed that anybody has seen. There is no leak at the corners, no clog in the downspout, and
Water Is Getting Behind Your Gutter, Not Over It Read More »