How a General Contractor Can Help You Prepare Your Home for Summer in Suffolk and Nassau County, NY
Summer is coming, and your home and landscape need to be ready so that you’re comfortable and can fully enjoy indoor and outdoor living. For the best results, be sure to hire a qualified general contractor who can handle both the exterior and interior aspects of getting your home summer-ready. Here’s how a general contractor can help you prepare your home for summer in Suffolk and Nassau County, NY.
Retractable Awnings
Sometimes the sun gets overbearing in the summer and it’s important to add shelter. A set of retractable awnings over your patio can keep everyone feeling great while they spend time in your outdoor living space. Beyond just protecting from the harmful rays of the sun, a retractable awning can also be quickly deployed in case of rain, so nobody has to scurry back inside with arms full of plates and glasses.
Energy-Efficient Windows
You’d be amazed at the long-term savings of new energy-efficient windows throughout your home. A surprising amount of heated or conditioned air can leak out of inefficient windows. Replacing inefficient single-pane windows from half a century ago can result in nearly instant energy savings, and you’ll see much larger returns on this investment over the course of several summers and winters.
If some of your windows are south-facing, consider tinted window film to help block some of the UV rays that fade furniture and add to the heat in the home.
Energy-Efficient HVAC
Having a specialist check and update your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is a great idea as summer approaches. Energy companies see a huge surge of usage in summer, which can result in rolling blackouts. Older cooling and heating systems may waste energy and money because they’re inefficient. This is a great way to add comfort as well as see your energy costs decrease dramatically.
Pergola or Pavilion
If you’re not a fan of retractable awnings, you’ll need a permanent shelter structure to retreat to so you can stay outside in comfort. A pergola is a simple structure with four open walls and a semi-open ceiling crossed by horizontal beams. These beams deflect a majority of the sunlight throughout the day, creating a shady spot for relaxing or entertaining. A pavilion has a closed ceiling and roof that can offer shelter from the worst of the precipitation and sunlight.
Both pergolas and pavilions can be any size you like, covering all or part of your patio. Inside your pavilion or pergola, you can put a majority of the amenities you need for your outdoor lifestyle, including a dining area, lounge area, or outdoor kitchen.
Updated Lighting
Even if your landscape has the most impressive and comfortable features, it can quickly turn into an unappealing space at night without proper landscape lighting. Say goodbye to flood lights and replace them with lighting that considers how people move about and live. A general contractor can design and build a system that creates a series of lighting zones, varying the lighting intensity just as you do in the home (brighter in task areas, dimmer in seating areas), for a much more luxurious and intentional design.
A Fire Feature
Apart from an outdoor kitchen, nothing brings people outside better than fire. A fire pit or outdoor fireplace can transform an ordinary patio into a luxurious getaway you’ll want to spend time in every evening - and not just in summer but even year-round.
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