Creative Decks

Your Outdoor Living Specialist

"Design Drawings and Construction Plans"

Framingham, MA

508-877-1060

NEWSROOM

Summer Is Better With A Screen Porch

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Screen porches are the best. This is particularly true in the Framingham area, where we have four distinct seasons. Each one is beautiful in its own way, but each one has its own particular ‘charm’ that can make enjoying the outdoors tough. We’ve just gotten over a tough winter, so there’s no reason to talk about that. Spring brings its share of heavy rains – being under the roof of a screened in porch means you can enjoy the fresh air without getting wet. Summer in Massachusetts means sunshine and more than a few mosquitos and flying biting insects. A screen porch provides a nice place to keep your family safe from West Nile, Zika, and other insect borne diseases. The fall is all about glorious color. It can get chilly fast. The screen porch provides a space sheltered from the wind, that can warmed with heaters to keep everyone comfortable.

As a Massachusetts screen porch deck company, we’ve seen increasing numbers of families choose screen porches. They’re particularly popular when there are younger children or pets who need a safe place where they can be easily supervised. Older family members also enjoy the screen porch a great deal, as they are easy to get to and provide shelter from the sun’s harsh rays.

Some families choose screen porches that can serve as a summer time bedroom. Designing a screen porch for this purpose means taking into account the natural need for privacy while maintaining the open, airy feel of the screen porches. We’ve had clients who use their screen porch as a home office: working from home has never been more awesome.

If you’re thinking about a screen porch for your Massachusetts home, but you’re not sure of how it would look or what a screen porch would cost, let us know. We’d be happy to go over your options with you!

A Creative Deck Designer is Your Partner in an Awesome Summer

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“I don’t want to be all dramatic about it, but this year, I had a health scare that made me realize it’s time to focus on what’s really important to me,” Ron said. “My kids are growing up so fast. Our oldest is in middle school and that doesn’t seem possible. It feels like she was born yesterday, and she’ll be practically ready to move out tomorrow.”

As part of his determination to really spend time with his kids, Ron decided to have a deck added to his home. “I’m thinking of this as our command center. You want to eat – the grill’s up here, I’ll cook you a burger. Want to hang out? We’ve got this awesome hammock and a screen room where you can play on your phone.” Ron shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t even care what we’re doing, as long as we’re doing it together.”

Ron has lots of ideas for what he wants his summer to be like. “What does that mean in terms of deck design? I have no idea,” he said. “That’s why I sought out the best deck designer in Framingham, MA. I tell them what I want and they figure out how to fit all of those pieces together in a way that makes sense. They came up with a couple of plans, all of which were great, and my wife and I picked the one that we liked best, that fit our budget. It was really an enjoyable process, and that’s what working with a creative deck designer should be.”

You don’t have to know exactly what you want when you decide you want a new deck added to your Framingham home. It’s more important to understand how you’d like to use the deck and what would make that space enjoyable for your family. Tell us that, and we’ll do the rest!

I’m Looking for a Deck Contractor Near Me – How Will I Know Who’s Good

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“I’m so excited, we’re getting a deck!” Bobbie said. “It’s going to be great. We have an awesome backyard, and I can’t wait to get out there and enjoy the sunshine. Now here’s the tricky part: I’m looking for a deck contractor near me, and I’ve never hired any building professionals near me. How will I know who’s good?”

Choosing a deck contractor is a major decision. You’re going to be spending quite a bit of money on a new deck, and you want to be sure you get your money’s worth in terms of the quality of building materials as well as the craftsmanship. Be aware that the reviews of contractors you find on sites like Yelp and Angie’s List are influenced by a number of factors, including advertising dollars – while many are legitimate, some are not. While considering these sites is important, you don’t want to rely on them as your only source of information – just like you wouldn’t want to trust Wikipedia as the definitive answer on anything. It’s always a good idea to research further and verify what you’ve learned.

One way to do to that is by asking friends, neighbors, coworkers, and anyone else you know locally who’s had a deck built who their contractor was and what their experience was like. Facebook now has a looking for recommendations feature that is very useful if you prefer not to have these conversations in person. The social network Nextdoor is also useful if you’re interested in the opinions of local residents.

When you’re considering a deck contractor, ask to see examples of their work and for references. Look at the examples carefully and with a critical eye. If you’re not pleased with their work on one job, you might not want them to work on your house. On the other hand, if you like the quality of their work, it should be an easy decision!

Top Bedroom Addition Trends in Metrowest MA

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While there are home design trends that are popular everywhere, the Metrowest MA region has its own approach to home design. Families are large here, while many older homes are not. Bedroom additions are one of the best ways to ensure everyone has the space and privacy they need. It’s important to understand that there’s been a real change in the way families live together now: adult children are staying in the home longer than previous generations did, and increasingly, seniors are opting to live with their adult children. This all impacts the list of top bedroom addition trends in Metrowest MA:

The Suite-Style Bedroom Addition: Ideal for adult children or anyone else who needs an enhanced level of privacy, some bedroom additions feature far more than sleeping quarters. Suite-style bedroom additions can include a bathroom, sitting area, cooking and dining spaces, and even a separate entrance.

The Growing Family Bedroom Addition: Kids grow up fast. Savvy Metrowest homeowners who are keeping one eye on the future are designing bedroom additions that can serve as sleeping quarters for the kids now and as home studios, offices, or even storage in the years to come.

The Independent Living Bedroom Addition: Did you know that more than 90% of seniors prefer to live in their own homes as long as possible? To make that happen, they need to be able to get in and out of their bedrooms easily and have a bathroom that’s easy to use independently. Strategically built first floor bedroom additions can provide everything required while enhancing the look and value of the home.

The Peaceful Retreat Bedroom Addition: The Metrowest area is full of people who work really hard, all of the time. It’s not uncommon to hear of bedrooms that serve double duty as home offices. But it’s important for the body and mind to take a break. That’s why spa-like master bedroom additions are a very popular choice!

The Master Bedroom Addition: A Restful Retreat from the World

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We are living in turbulent times. Many people in Western MA are experiencing high levels of stress. Having a beautiful, calming place to relax at the end of the day is a good way to alleviate some of the feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. Romantic relationships flourish faster when couples have a place to enjoy each other’s company without chaos and distraction.

So, how’s your bedroom looking? When you bought your home, the master bedroom may have not been your top priority. Having a convenient commute, being in a good school district, having enough space for the kids and the pets – all of these concerns tend to be more important. But now that you’ve settled in, it may be clear that the master bedroom you have isn’t the master bedroom you want.

The top complaints we hear about master bedrooms is that they’re too small, serve double-duty as a storage area for the family, and are noisy and uncomfortable. Another concern is when the master bedroom is located upstairs and the people who need to access it have difficulty climbing stairs.

One way to address this is by having a master bedroom addition built. Current trends in master bedroom design center around the need for a calm, peaceful retreat within the home. Typically, master bedroom additions are larger than the existing master bedroom; suites average between 400-500 square feet. Closet space is a top priority in many master bedroom additions; many couples choose to have two closets, which may include built in storage features. An en suite bathroom is also a popular option.

What’s not making it into new master bedroom additions? Increasingly, electronics. While watching TV in bed has been a cultural phenomenon for many years, more and more people want their master bedroom to be a place where they can truly unplug.

How Much Will You Love Your Deck? It Depends On How Much Work It Takes To Stay Looking Great

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Every year, the American Institute of Architects issues a report on what are known as special function rooms, identifying which of these purpose-built spaces are most popular and what homeowners want them to be like. This year, as in many previous years, outdoor living spaces like decks, patios, screen porches and sunrooms are ranked very highly on the list.

As a deck building company in Massachusetts, we found one item on the list of desired features particularly relevant. Homeowners have a number of choices when it comes to deck building materials. Each type of material has its pros and cons. Wood has long been used for building decks: it’s the traditional choice – yet many homeowners are reporting far greater levels of satisfaction when they choose a deck building material that needs less maintenance than wood.

What’s motivating the desire for a low-maintenance deck? The two top reasons are time and money. Many people who live in Western MA are extremely busy with professional and personal obligations. Free time is precious. Do you really want to give up a free weekend to stain and seal your deck? When you choose a deck made out of composite material, you never have to.

Let’s talk about the other costs. If you add up the amount of money you’ll spend buying paint or stain for your deck every couple of years over the life of your deck, you’ll find yourself looking at a good chunk of change. Choose a deck built out of PVC or composite decking material, and you’ll pay slightly more up front and save lots of money in the long run.

The other issue relevant to deck maintenance has to do with how well your custom built deck will stand up to all four seasons of Massachusetts weather. Composite decking materials don’t warp, twist and split the way wood does. This means less need for repairs and replacement as the years go by!