Summer Series-Decks, Outdoor Showers, and Porches
The traditional summer season may be over, but the secretly more coveted season, local summer, is still in full swing but quickly coming to an end as well. The weather is still gorgeous and the perfect mix of warm during the day, and slightly cooler during the evening where you can still enjoy everything that the outside season offers. For that reason, now is the best time to think about everything you wish you got out of your home during the true summer season; and to think about what you could possibly improve on your house so it is all ready to start the next summer season with a bang come next Memorial Day weekend with friends and family. In recent years, deck and porch remodels have been a frequent choice to elevate your home not only for it’s overall curb appeal benefit, but also for the added comfort of being able to enjoy time outside in a designated area. Along with deck designs, no summer house is complete without the addition of an outdoor shower to help rinse off after a long day in the sun.
Decks
Are you tired of having no designated area to entertain your guests during your summer BBQs and get-togethers? It should come as no surprise that if you have a house near the beach, that you should also have a backyard that is the perfect entertaining space for guests to soak up all the sunshine and ocean air. For that reason, the perfect design upgrade to get your backyard ready for the next summer season might be remodeling your deck or adding a new deck, or deck addition into your space. Design ideas vary widely based on what everyone’s personal preferences are and their overall budget. Some homeowners may prefer to complete an ample backyard oasis package, such as having a full-size bar area and entertainment viewing options with TV’s and speakers on their deck. While others on a budget may be happy with just having a refreshed, finished, and polished-looking deck space with a designated BBQ area and sitting area. Not only are there questions you should be asking yourself about what you hope to gain from your deck, but also since design ideas are infinite, you have to think about all the different ways to customize the space to make it your own. For example, would you prefer your deck to have a fiberglass appearance, which is a deck that is made out of a continuous and seamless piece of glass fiber and liquid resin applied to a surface, and it can come in a range of colors because of the gelcoat applied to it after. Or, would you prefer a more traditional wood-like look of PVC appearance, which is an engineered material of cellular polyvinyl chloride, which is what gives it a solid, individual boards connecting structure, without any wood needed to make its shape. The plus side of having PVC decks, such as using the product of AZEK exteriors, is that the material can come in a range of assorted colors and since it is not made of wood material, it is insect resistant and also as well rot and moisture resistant. Another design detail that is also fully customizable is options for your deck. Would you like it to have railings that are more traditional
with the balusters going vertical from floor to top of the railing, or more of a horizontal look, or even a third option of would you want a different material all together such as cable or see thru glass railings. The design options and overall customizations for a deck remodel or addition may be infinite, but no matter what design, a deck is an excellent feature to elevate your home to the next level for the future summer season.
Outdoor Showers
There is nothing worse than coming back from the beach and bringing pesky annoying sand home and spreading it throughout your house since you couldn’t it rinse off beforehand. A great way to elevate your life and to stop the nuisance of having to always clean sand, or even muddy footsteps during rainy days, is by having an outdoor shower installed in your backyard. An outdoor shower addition may be one of the more expensive upgrades for your backyard compared to other aesthetic upgrade options, but it will be well worth the investment if you and your family frequently enjoy the outdoors and most particularly the beach. Similarly to decks, the customization options for outdoor showers are truly endless. Would you prefer to have a fully enclosed stall space, including a roof protecting you from the elements, and having it installed either on your deck, or off to the side of your house? In addition, would you like to have a
separate dressing area off to the side of the shower area, allowing complete privacy to change in a dry space that could even have a bench seat for ease and comfort, as well as proper shelving and towel hooks installed. Or on the other hand, if working on a budget, an outdoor shower can be as simple as having a shower head connected to the side of your house, with at a minimum a shower curtain offering privacy. In recent years, the popularity of installing a fully enclosed shower stall has been on the rise for the convenience it offers. When completing an enclosed shower stall addition, you have to decide what materials you want the enclosure to be made with and what you want it to look like. Some outdoor shower enclosures are made with PVC material, while others can even come fully built made with vinyl and just need to be placed in the area. On the other hand, other homeowners may prefer a more natural or beachy Mediterranean look of using slates and rocks or utilizing stone and cement to have a sleeker look. Additionally, for a more coastal and local look, custom wooden shower enclosures made of Ipe or Teak are beautiful and offer extreme durability and are also water and rot resistant. Another option is to have tiles applied on the walls to have a more polished look to it. Whatever design details are chosen, it is important that the main goal at the end of the day is to pick features that will help make your everyday daily life a little easier, and hopefully a lot less pesky sand and mud sneaking inside your home.
Porches
There is nothing better than getting up early on a summer morning and sitting outside with a fresh cup of coffee or tea and enjoying the peaceful fresh air and sunshine before the typical hustle and bustle of a busy summer day. Similarly to adding a deck to your home, in recent years, wraparound porches have become a popular addition to beach houses and homes along the Jersey Shore. Not only are they lovely to have during slow summer mornings, but they are also a wonderful place to relax once the sun goes down and to enjoy a cold beverage after the hecticness of the day is over. Even though a wraparound porch is the most popular design feature because of the abundance of space for sitting and sightseeing it offers, completing a small front porch remodel is also a fantastic way to elevate your exterior space to the next level and improve your homes overall curb appeal rating. Similarly to deck remodels and additions, your porch can be fully customizable from the floorboards and railings to the overall style of your front steps and front door. Although, some unique features for a porch can include screening a portion of it off so that you do not have to worry about annoyances like bugs and critters sneaking in, as well as this also keeps the space clean and protected from leaves and other natural debris. Another option is hanging up a porch swing, or even the addition of making a space for it to be an old-fashioned sleeping porch by adding a quaint day bed to relax in after a long day. Not only are wide porches great to have during the summer season, but for locals who live at their shore houses year-round, they are a great thing to have to offer family’s a place to watch their kids get on their school bus, if their bus stop is close by.
With living by the Jersey shore, there is nothing better than a beach day and then coming back to your home, rinsing off in your outdoor shower, and then spending the evening on your deck or front porch with an ice-cold beverage. For that reason, completing a few upgrades to your home before the upcoming summer season is upon us, might be the best way to make sure your next summer will be the greatest one yet. There are a variety of unique design ideas to upgrade your exterior space to the next level, so it is important to think about what upgrades would fit your lifestyle the best and what you think you would get the most out of these design features. If you are thinking about embarking on a deck or porch remodel or even adding the addition of an outdoor shower to your home, consider reaching out to Baine Contracting, Inc. to help you create your own dream exterior space before next summer is already here before you know it!
By Shannon Johnstone at Baine Contracting, Inc.