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Easy Ways to Beautify and Protect Your Home’s Exterior

March 18, 2015 by 4rjpf

21133493(BPT) – When considering home improvements, people often picture costly, time-intensive endeavors. But enhancing and protecting your home this season can be enjoyable – and deliver plenty of bang for your buck. One of the fastest, easiest ways to dramatize your home’s exterior is to install vibrantly colored window headers and matching shutters.

In fact, shutters decorate the sides and back of the home exterior too, not just curbside. With the emergence of outdoor living and gathering in yards, elegant window decor creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Popular craftsman-style Flat Panel and geometric-style Classic Dentil headers are both available from Mid-America Siding Components from The Tapco Group. For functional, professionally installed shutters, select a design from Wood-Composite Premium Atlantic Architectural, Classic, ProSeries, and Storm-Rated Collections. For purely decorative, ultra-low-maintenance, choose Mid-America Exterior Vinyl Shutters, which never fade or crack. These shutters offer endless, enduring possibilities, including custom Board-N-Batten and Panel-Louver combinations to shutters for double-wide, arched and long narrow windows.

Trend-wise, board-and-batten shutters are on the move, while raised-panel shutters are the most sought-after. Black is ever-popular for shutters and headers, and neutral colors are holding their own. But the trend toward richer tones is growing. Lush forest greens, autumn reds and deep blues are gracing more homes, creating attention-grabbing contrasts between shutters and siding. For the main entryway, understated white or cream door surrounds complement richly-toned shutters.

“Shutters and matching window headers are the easiest way to upgrade your home if you don’t want a massive undertaking and want the biggest impact for your investment,” says Trisha Anderson, product manager of Mid-America. “Shutter and header colors change everything by enhancing the tone of your whole home. You’ll gain more satisfaction from rich-colored matching shutters and headers than from virtually any other exterior home improvement.”

Decorative hardware on shutters is another easy, economical way to upgrade exteriors. Yet this fine detail often gets overlooked. Beautifully crafted, historically accurate Atlantic hardware, including elegant pintel and hinge combinations, make functional shutters pop on homes, adding dimension and drawing attention. Artful, refined Mid-America hardware, including charming hinges and spindle-hooks, can make vinyl shutters indistinguishable from functional shutters, boosting curb appeal.

During new construction or exterior remodeling, SturdiMount fiber cement mounting blocks offer a simple, affordable way to enrich architectural beauty and provide water management capabilities that prevent costly damage to fiber cement, stucco and wood siding. “SturdiMount is an innovative solution for mitigating water in fiber cement cladding. It’s an essential detail that protects home investments long-term, enhances aesthetics, is easily installed, and saves contractors time,” says Anderson.

Designed with a robust, built-in flange, SturdiMount offers four distinct profiles, which professionals can install right out-of-the-box for exterior finishing touches that cover every need. The solid, level, crack-proof surface makes it easy to mount decor, such as coach-light fixtures, and necessities, including outlets and vents. For seamless aesthetics, SturdiMount blocks can be maintained in original white or spray-painted to color-match exteriors during whole-house paint jobs.

For more information on beautifying your home with shutters and trim, visit TheTapcoGroup.com or call 800-521-8486.

Filed Under: HOME & GARDEN

PA Garden Expo 2015

February 6, 2015 by 4rjpf

The Great Outdoors Goes Indoors

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The Pennsylvania Garden Expo provides a respite from the winter blues.

 By Tom Huntington

 Hang in there! Spring is coming!

One sign of winter’s impending departure is the arrival of the Pennsylvania Garden Expo, which will take place February 27-March 1 at the Farm Show complex in Harrisburg. The Expo’s arrival is especially welcome for garden enthusiasts who have been pining for the warm outdoors. Not only can they shop for gardening supplies from the many vendors who attend the show, they can also stroll through the elaborate display gardens and get a glimpse of what awaits them on the other side of winter.

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“It’s a really welcome sign for gardeners that spring is around the corner,” says George Weigel, the long-time garden columnist for the Harrisburg Patriot News and Pennlive.com. “Plus you get to go inside, it’s warm, there are flowers actually blooming, you can smell grass and mulch again, and it’s almost like you’ve fast forwarded your way into spring when you really needed it the most.”

This harbinger of spring almost didn’t happen this year. The show’s previous operators, Journal Multimedia, decided the Expo wasn’t a great fit for their businesses, and decided to end it after last year’s outing. It appeared the Expo had reached the end of the line, and then the National Association of the Remodeling Industry stepped in to take over. NARI started a Central Pennsylvania chapter about 18 months ago, and when some members received word about the Garden Expo’s cancellation, they realized it offered a great opportunity for the organization. “We had participated in the show in the past and had great success, and knew it was a good show,” says Aaron Gross, who serves on the NARI board. “Our goal is to try to put on a show as close to last year’s as possible.” The big challenge was to achieve that with only about four months to prepare. Gross says getting exhibitors to return was relatively easy. Getting landscapers back was a little more difficult, because it requires months of pre-planning to prepare one of the expo’s elaborate display gardens. (As of this writing, four landscapers have signed up build the gardens.) “These landscapers, or hardscapers, put in a lot of time, effort and money into creating these nice, large, 2000-2,500-square foot feature gardens,” says Gross.

The show will occupy three rooms at the Farm Show Complex. One new feature this year will be an actual wine garden, with 10 Pennsylvania wineries set up in an actual garden setting. There will also be two stages—a “do-it-yourself” stage and a presentation stage. Weigel will be one of the speakers, with four talks scheduled over the weekend, including one called “Gardening in Pennsylvania is Not for Wimps.” It ties into his new book, Pennsylvania Getting Started Garden Guide. “Some of it’s going to be about the weather and the bugs and all the crazy stuff you have to deal with around here,” says Weigel, who will discuss what he calls his “plant all-star team,” 20 varieties that provide a good backbone for Pennsylvania gardening.

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Weigel has been involved with the Pennsylvania Garden Expo since its very beginnings, when Dennis Burd, then-owner of Country Market, and Terry Bush, whose company had done marketing for the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, put on the first expo back in 2003. Weigel was working for Country Market at the time, and for the first few shows he even helped assemble some of the display gardens. He’s talked at every show since its inception. He sees the expo as a great “idea show,” where people can receive inspiration for things they would like to do in their own yards.

Much of that inspiration comes from the expo’s centerpiece—the display gardens. Up to 2,500 square feet in size, these gardens will temporarily transplant a bit of the great outdoors into the Farm Show’s Northwest Hall. Joe Levendusky of Levendusky Landscape, a family business in Wellsville, has been designing gardens for the expo since it began, and he will have a new one ready for the 2015 show. It’s a huge task. Levendusky estimates a 50 x 50 display garden uses more than 100 tons of material. “You create an outdoor living area and try to incorporate all elements of what a complete landscape project would be for outdoor enjoyment in your back yard,” he says. That could include patios, fireplaces, waterfalls, fountains, pergolas, retaining walls, and, of course, live plants. “You’re trying to show what you can do,” says Levendusky, who sees his job as educating the public and getting word out about his business.

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Levendusky begins physical preparation around Thanksgiving. Many of the plants have to be put into greenhouses and “tricked” into blooming at the end of February. That process starts in December. “Usually the plants we use are an early spring bloom,” says Levendusky, because there’s not enough time to get summer plants to cooperate with the timetable. “The idea is to get as many different, interesting plants as you can in that setting with the hardscape.” He estimates a completed garden might have a thousand plants, plus shrubs, evergreens, and trees. The set up begins on the Monday before the show’s Friday opening and requires four 12 to 14-hour days of hard work. The process starts with a base of crushed limestone called stone dust. That might weigh 60 tons. A thick layer of mulch (up to an entire tractor-trailer load) provides the beds for the plants. Boulders and rocks for water features might tip the scales at another 20 tons. Bricks, pavers, and walls could add another 20. The material for a decorative border around the whole thing could weight an additional 10 tons. Elements such as fireplaces and pergolas might mean another 10 tons. “It’s an investment for anybody involved, but it shows the public what really could be done. And then they’re seeing it, feeling it, walking on it and speaking to the people that built it.”

Yes, spring is really on the way. The Philadelphia flower show opens a day after the Pennsylvania Garden Expo begins, and York’s show comes a week later. “For me, when those garden shows start, that’s it,” says Weigel. “You go to the shows and then you’re into March.”DanielReed_GE2014_Fri_187

Hang in there!

 

Filed Under: HOME & GARDEN, Uncategorized

Tips on How to Prepare Your Windows and Doors for Winter and Save Energy

January 8, 2015 by mblessing

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(BPT) – How much do you spend on utilities? Are you looking for ways to save? A typical American household spends about $2,100 on energy bills each year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Most of that expense comes from a home’s energy use during the winter heating season. But a quick home checkup can help you can reduce these costs, prepare for winter and enjoy energy savings.

Properly installed and maintained windows and doors can help keep your home more comfortable year-round. Save on heating costs by preparing your windows and doors for winter with these tips:

* Clear sills and moving parts of dirt and debris. Debris like sand, dirt or leaves can get caught in windowsills and moving parts of windows or doors. Clean these areas with a dry paintbrush to create a tighter seal and enhance window and door performance.

* Check weather stripping. Re-attach or replace missing or worn weather stripping around windows and doors. Loose weather stripping can let cold air in during the winter and out in the summer, reducing energy efficiency.

* Reapply caulk or sealant around windows and doors. Reseal areas around windows and doors that may have been exposed to heavy weather or extreme sunlight – creating breaks in caulk or sealant – to help reduce potential drafts and leaks.

* Installing snap-in blinds or shades. Install snap-in blinds or shades to help insulate your home from cold outdoor temperatures. Pella Designer Series windows and patio doors feature convenient between-the-glass options to add energy efficiency and privacy.

* Repair or replace damaged exterior surfaces. Cracked or deteriorated wood associated with water penetration may allow moisture or cold air to leak into your home. Look closely for signs of moisture leakage and replace damaged wood. Consult a professional to help correct any roof or drainage problems around your home.

* Install storm doors. Storm doors add an extra layer of protection and help reduce air and moisture leakage. Adding a Pella storm door to your exterior doors can reduce energy loss through the entryway by up to 45 percent.

* Replace old windows and doors with energy-efficient ones. If you have single-pane glass, clear glass, or older windows or doors, you may be paying more to heat your home in the winter and cool it in the summer. Replace old windows with energy-efficient, double or triple-pane glass versions made with insulating argon, or install new durable fiberglass doors to help save money and energy year-round.

Visit Pella Windows and Doors on Pinterest for design inspiration and Pella.com/news to connect with a Pella representative for tips on caring for your windows and doors, or choosing new replacements.

Filed Under: HOME & GARDEN

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