Fire Pits vs Fireplaces

Nothing beats sitting by roaring fire, surrounded by loved ones and good conversation, if you like you are missing out on this amazing experience you should definitely think about adding a Fire Pit or a Fireplace to your backyard. Fire Pits and Fireplaces are similar; offering warmth, light and an interactive experience, however there are distinct differences between the two.

Fire Pit

Fire Pits have an innate quality to them that draws people together creating the perfect place for family and friends to gather and make memories that will last a life-time. The Fire Pits open layout creates the ideal place for entertaining. Their proximity to the ground allows for unimpeded views of the rest of your backyard. Your landscape designer will look into the rules and regulations of your township so that your fire pit will be in adherence to your towns specific ordinances. A key thing to remember is you will need to pick a location that is not too windy,  because the fire of the fire pit is open. All in all, fire pits an amazing way for families and friends to come together and enjoy each other's time.

Fireplace

Fireplaces are romantic and sexy. Fireplaces offer a more intimate experience than fire pits because of their design. Fireplaces only heat those who are sitting directly in front of the fire meaning that sitting is limited. This creates an intimate atmosphere that is manifested through a romantic ambiance. We recommend placing your fireplace relatively close to your home because the farther away the fireplace is it tends to lose its impact and is used less than if it was closer to your house. Because fireplaces are typically erected with an overhead structure this allows for TV or sound systems to be mounted onto the fireplace making them the perfect centerpiece for your backyard. 

Fuel

  One last important factor to consider when deciding what kind of Fire accent you’d like to add to your home is the fuel source you’ll be using. If you love the smell of campfires than wood-burning fire pits or fireplaces maybe your best bet. However, you must remember you will need to keep an eye on the fire will its roaring and make sure the fire and embers are extinguished after the party is over. An alternative to wood is a natural gas or propane fire pit or fireplace. Natural gas requires much less maintenance than their wood-burning counterparts but the trade off is that you do not get the iconic campfire smell. If you do elect to go with a natural gas fire accent make sure your landscape designer takes the proper steps to install the gas line and is up to code with your townships ordinances. 

If you know that you want a fire feature in your outdoor living space but are still not sure which one would best serve your family, reach out to Superior Pavers! We are a full service Hardscaping and Softscaping Contracting company so we will be able to help every step of the way from helping you choose the ideal fire feature for your home that will best fit your families needs to building the fire feature of your dreams. Fill out our contact form to speak to one of our experienced designers and for a FREE estimate.

7 Upgrades That WILL Make Your Home More Valuable

The exterior upgrades that will give your home a beautiful makeover, more functionality and increases the home’s value.

1. Fire Pit

Nothing beats sharing stories around a roaring fire in the summer months. Homeowners building an outdoor fire pit will not only create wonderful memories, but also gain a return on their investment of about 67%. 

2. Refresh your Landscape

Luscious landscaping adds a lot of value to your home by increasing your curb appeal and making it more appealing on the housing market. Refreshing your Landscape provides a healthy ROI of 83 per cent. You are doing a lot to boost your entire property's appeal and value, whether you decide to install stone planters, do some mulching or plant flowering shrubs. 

3. Adding a Deck

Do you find yourself spending a lot of time in your backyard? Something that might be worth considering is adding an attached or removed wooden deck. A deck gives you the ideal place to grill, to relax and to simply enjoy your backyard. Then consider installing an attached or removed wood deck that will give you the perfect place to grill, sunbathe and have fun. Wooden decks also represent a major point of sale. Remodeling Magazine, reported that the average return of the investment on a wooden deck is about 76%, meaning if you invested $15,000 in building a deck when you sell the house you should expect a return of $11,500.

4. Installing a Backyard Patio

Adding a Backyard Patio adds the perfect outdoor living area to entertain and hangout your backyard, while simultaneously increasing the value of your home. A Backyard Patio will net around a ROI of 69% according to the NAR and NALP.

5. Adding an Outdoor Kitchen

Investing in an Outdoor Kitchen will not only elevate your summer cookouts but also is a smart investment for your home. According to NAR and NALP, Outdoor Kitchens have about a 70% ROI. NAR and NALP recommend keeping the project simple to best be able to project the ROI, they suggest adding an inset grill, stainless steel drawers, ice chest, sink, and 60 sqft of concrete countertop. 

6. Add Outdoor Lighting 

Adding Outdoor Lighting to your home is a great way to create a magical ambience in your yard, while also deterring burglars. NAR and NALP claim that you can expect to see a 50% ROI on your investment in Outdoor Lighting for your home. 

7. Plant Trees

Trees are a great way to add some natural beauty to your home and is an investment that most definitely pays off. NAR and NALP report that you should expect approximately 100% of your investment back. 

Whether you are in the market for a patio, a deck, a fire pit, an outdoor kitchen or whatever upgrade that jumps out at you our professionals will help bring your dream outdoor living space a reality just fill out our FREE Estimate to get started!

Sustainable Landscape Design

Sustainable Landscape design is a strategic landscape design method aimed at being proactive in the mitigation of negative environmental effects. It ranges from the types of materials used to create hardscapes, to the types of plants that are planted in the landscape to the type of lighting installed. 

Examples of how Sustainable Landscape Design may be implemented into your home:

Patio:

The materials that a Patio is made out of greatly contributes to the sustainability of one's backyard.  For example, a concrete patio does a poor job of absorbing rain water causing storm drains to overflow and pollute public water with debris and toxic pollutants. A more environmentally friendly option for your Patio is permeable pavers. Permeable Pavers allow for the rainwater to flow through its joints passing through a gravel base that filters out pollutants before the water is able to reach the ground. 

Plants:  

Sustainable Landscape Design implores the use of native plants that grow naturally in your region. Plants that grow naturally in your region have already adapted to your climate, meaning the plants need less water and artificial pesticides than their non-native counterparts. 

Lighting:

The ideal lighting system for Sustainability is a LED lighting based system. LED Lighting Systems consume leaves a lower carbon footprint because the system consumes considerably less energy than a fluorescent light system. By using a LED Lighting System you also eliminate the use of toxic chemicals that have been known to be found in conventional lighting systems.

In sustainable landscape design a bit can go a long way. We encourage you to keep in mind the ideas in this article when you prepare to renovate your landscape. Want to get started on your Sustainable Landscape Project simply fill out our contact form to speak to one of our experienced designers and for a FREE estimate.

Hardscape vs Softscape

The two main components in landscape design are Hardscape and Softscape. Hardscape is the hard landscape element of landscaping, which includes driveways, paved areas, retaining walls, stairs, walkways and any other additions to the landscape that are made of  wood, stones or concrete. Softscape is the horticultural element of landscaping, which includes flowers, plants, shrubs, trees, etc. 

Hardscape:

Hard landscaping involves the elements of landscaping that are solid and unchanging. Hardscaping fundamentally alters the foundation of the yard meaning that the hardscaping needs to be done before the softscaping can be done. Hardscaping, essentially, structures and establishing the general layout of the yard. For example, pathways and walls are constructed to establish the boundaries and parameters of the area. Hardscape plays a major role in water absorption. Water absorption is greatly affected by the design and materials elected to be used in the hardscaping of the backyard. For example, if you elect to go with a concrete patio, the concrete prevents water from absorbing into the soil, which increases water runoff. Permeable Pavers, on the other hand, allow for the rainwater to flow through the joints, passing through a gravel base allowing the water to soak into the soil, limiting the amount of runoff. As you can see Hardscaping plays a major role in the structure and functionality of your yard.

Softscape:

Soft Landscaping involves the elements of landscaping that are living and growing. Softscape can be both permanent and temporary. Permanent features of softscaping include trees and shrubs. Temporary features of softscaping include seasonal plants and flowers.  The purpose of Softscaping is to create an ambience or aura to the landscape. Softscape gives the space the character and feel that is desired by the homeowner. Properly planning and arranging both permanent and temporary elements of softscaping are vital to create an aesthetically appealing look and feel.

Now that you know the difference between Hardscape and Softscape, fill out our contact form to speak to one of our experienced designers and for a FREE estimate so that we can get started on your dream backyard

TIPS on How to Hire a Contractor

Everyone knows hiring a contractor can be a stressful process, because hiring the wrong contractor may lead to subpar work, to hidden and unintended costs, to even legal battles. Which is why we’ve decided to compile a few simple tips you can use to help you choose the right contractor and avoid being another contracting horror story. 

1. Understand the Scope of Your Project 

The first thing you need to ask yourself is how big is my project going to be. A small project, like having pavers installed into your driveway, your best would be to elect to go with a contractor who specializes in the job that you’d like to get done. A general contractor should suffice if your project is a medium sized project and does not require structural alterations to your home. If it is a large project, we would suggest hiring a designer who has the ability to wear the hat of a contractor and an architect. 

2. Conduct Initial Research

Once you’ve figured out the type of contractor you’ll need, it’s time to conduct some research about which contractor to hire. We recommend you ask friends and colleagues if they know or have worked with any contractors that they would recommend. You should also search for local contractors in your area to expand your candidate pool. A good way to weed out perspective contractors is to make sure they have professional and up-date websites and make sure you look them up on third party websites like Yelp, Houzz, Angie’s List etc to see their ratings and reviews. We recommend having a list of about 10 to 13 possible contractors that you may want to hire. 

3. Conduct Phone Interviews

Now that you have your list of prospective contractors, you have to begin whittling down the list to about 4 - 6 contractors you’d like to meet in person. During the phone call, keep in mind the manner in which they speak to you and their answers to your questions. Here are a few things to keep in mind and questions we recommend asking when you talk to a prospective contractor. 

Things to Keep In Mind:

• Do they answer the phone in a professional manner?

• Do they speak to you with respect?

• Are they able to do a project your size and do they seem interested and excited about your project? 

• Are they up-front and answer your questions directly or are they trying to bs you. 

Questions to Ask: 

• Are they willing to provide financial references such as from suppliers or banks?

• Are they willing to give you a list of past clients?

  • Why it’s important that the contractor is willing to share his past client list:

    • Because it demonstrates how confident the contractor about his reputation and the quality of the work

• How many other projects will they have going on at the same time?

• How long have they been a contractor and how long have they worked with their subcontractors? 

• Are they licensed? 

  • The specific licenses or certifications your contractor should have will depend on the what work your project requires.

  • Why it’s important that your contractor is licensed:

    • Without the proper license, the contractor and company are not legally allowed to work

    • Having a license means that they went through the proper training and have demonstrated the required skills to be able to complete the task, in addition to continued education to maintain the license. 

• Are they bonded?

  • A contractor is said to be bonded when it has purchased a surety bond.

  • A surety bond is essentially a guarantee that the contracting company is going to complete the work they agreed to do. If the company is bonded and they fail to follow through and do not finish the project, the customer can make a claim against the bond and if the claim is successful the customer will be compensated for their losses.

• Are they insured?

  • The contractor needs to have insurance for both himself and workers and for you the customer

  • The contractor should have worker compensation insurance for their workers because if an employee happens to get injured on the job and the contractor does not have workers comp, you, the homeowner, may be liable to lawsuits by the injured employee.

  • The contractor needs to also have general liability insurance. General liability insurance protects the homeowner against damages and accidents that may happen on the job. For example, if your contractor accidentally floods your basement or collapses your sewer line the insurance will cover it and you will not be held liable or have to pay for the repairs. 

• When will they be able to start the job?

• Will they provide you a detailed and transparent contract in writing? 

4. In-person Interview

Once you’ve narrowed your list down to about 4 to 6 contractors set up in person meetings with them for estimates and further discussion. The contractor should with relative ease be able to answer your questions in a satisfactory and transparent manner. It is important that you and your contractor are able to communicate well so that the project has the best chance to be a success

5. More Research

After you have met with your final candidates, it’s time to do some final research, before you make your decision. Call up past clients to find out their thoughts and opinions about how their project went and ask to see pictures of how their project turned out. Another great thing to do is to visit a current job site to get a feel for how the contractor works; ie is the job site safe and organized, are the workers courteous and careful with the homeowner’s property. One last thing you should do is make sure you check your state’s consumer protection agency and your local Better Business Bureau to make sure they do not have a history of disputes or problems with clients or subcontractors.

6. Make Plans / Get Bids 

Now that you’ve narrowed your potential contractor down to the final few and have looked into their track record it’s time to start focusing on your project. A few good indicators that will help you determine the quality of the contractor is the quality and depth of their blueprints, how transparent they are about the cost of the project and how in tune to what the homeowner would want out of the project. Make sure you ask everyone to break down the cost of the project: the cost of materials, labor, project margins and other expenses.

7. Set up the Payment Schedule

Make sure you set up the payment schedule before you commit to a contractor because it will give you an insight into their psyche and financial situation. For example, if the contractor insists on being paid half of the bid up front that could be a major red flag because it may mean that the contractor is under financial hardship or is not confident in their work and is afraid the customer will refuse to pay for the work when the project of the work is completed. For projects on the larger size we recommend a payment schedule of an initial down payment of 10 percent, three payments of 25% evenly spread out throughout the project and one final payment of 15% once the project has been completed.

8. Make sure the Contract is in Writing

Make sure every detail from the project is put into writing; a list of all supplies and their amounts that will be needed, payment schedule, proof of liability insurance, proof of workers compensation, the expected start date and an estimated completion date. Having everything in the contract will allow for the basis of transparency for the project and documentation just in case there are disputes or misunderstandings in the future.