Anyone can build these easy affordable outdoor kitchen designs. CAD Pro lets you save time and money when designing and building your outdoor kitchen plans. Outdoor kitchens are growing in popularity across the country while adding value to your home.

CAD Pro provides easy-to-use design tools and features that anyone can use while designing their outdoor kitchen. There is no limit to the variety of styles and sizes you can design with CAD Pro.

Share your outdoor kitchen plans and designs with clients, contractors or friends and family using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

FREE Easy Affordable Outdoor Kitchen Designs

CAD Pro includes professional pre-designed outdoor kitchens free of charge. It’s as easy as one-two-three when working with CAD Pro’s free do it yourself outdoor kitchen plans!

Simply open any of the free pre-designed outdoor kitchen plans, then customize them to fit your specific needs. Quickly print your plans or email them to your favorite contractor. This is one of the easiest ways to start building your outdoor kitchen.

Easy Outdoor Kitchen Sketch Tracing Features
Sketch your outdoor kitchen ideas on a piece of paper, and then scan it. Now open your scanned sketch in CAD Pro and it becomes a traceable template that you can easily modify for your specific outdoor kitchen plans.

Easy affordable outdoor kitchen designs with precise dimensions.

When creating outdoor kitchen blueprints that require precise dimensions, let CAD Pro take the work out of the process. CAD Pro’s “Smart Dimension” tools will automatically create all your outdoor kitchen blueprint dimensions with a few simple clicks.

Quick and easy point and click architectural drafting tools allow you to quickly create any type of floor plans, house plans or garden shed plans. These easy to use design tools are great for any kind of outdoor living space designs.

Click Here to Get Started

We’ve picked 8 of the best outdoor living rooms entertaining trends for your summer activities.

With the summer season officially beginning last week, homeowners are starting to plan their summer barbecues and pool parties in their outdoor living spaces. To know what is currently trending in outdoor decor and gardens, the 2017 Pinterest Summer Entertaining Report reveals frequently searched items and pins on the idea-sharing website.

Top 8 Best Outdoor Living Rooms Entertaining Trends

1. Party-friendly spaces – No matter the size, homeowners are looking for all the amenities, including bars, kitchens, and games to accommodate their guests.
2. Tangerine – This shade of orange is up 42% in searches. From pots and tiles to outdoor sofas and cushions, warm tangerine tones are bang on trend this summer.
3. Outdoor gallery walls – From weatherproof photo frames to plant walls, this accent brings a homey feel to an outdoor space. You’ll (hopefully) be spending a lot of time in the garden this summer, so take your indoor decorating scheme outdoors with weatherproof photo frames and pictures to give your guests something to admire.
4. Outdoor tiling – Tiles with fun colors and patterns can make a backyard feel more lively and upbeat. Whether on the floor or adorning a wall, fun tiles in colorful prints provide an impressive base for outdoor living areas.
5. Plants you can’t kill – Some homeowners are not the gardening type so plant perennials that are more low maintenance. People are literally moving their front rooms outside for summer,’ say Pinterest. This includes rugs, coffee tables, and throw pillows – fingers crossed for good weather then!
6. Plants you can’t kill: searches up 195 per cent – Pinners must be feeling the frustration when it comes to keeping plants alive, as the latest advice from Pinterest is to try embroidery!
7. High-tech gardening: searches up 29 per cent – Make gardening easier by embracing the latest technology, such as a timer that monitors water levels and lets you control watering zones from your smartphone.

8. Kid- and drought-friendly landscaping: searches up 28 per cent

Best Outdoor Living Rooms Entertaining Trends Summary

With inevitable hosepipe bans and the kids out of school for summer, it’s important to kit out your garden accordingly.

Whether you’re planning a summer BBQ or a picnic in the park, Pinterest’s Summer Entertaining Report 2017 is a mine of inspiration

Summer has officially begun, and while you’ve probably already dusted off the barbecue and uncovered your outdoor furniture during the recent heatwaves, you might be looking for more ways to enjoy the season. So hurrah for Pinterest, which has just revealed some of the latest trends in summer entertaining.

Some of these ideas won’t come as a shock to you, but there are a few sneaky surprises in there. And plenty to take your garden parties up a gear

The Pinterest Summer Entertaining Report 2017 reveals what users have been searching for and pinning across three categories: outdoor decor, gardens and greenery, and food and drink.
Easy affordable outdoor living room plans from Cad Pro are great for saving money and time when designing and building your outdoor living rooms.

Share your outdoor living room plans and designs with clients, contractors or friends and family using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

FREE Outdoor Living Plans

Simply open any of the do it yourself plans, then customize them to fit your specific needs. Quickly print your plans or email them to your favorite contractor. This is one of the easiest ways to start building your tree house.

Cad Pro’s easy outdoor living room design software is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive CAD software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

Click Here to Get Started

 

Tree houses are for everyone with imagination. Tree house building tips and plans will elevate your building skills with these tree house building tips from experienced builders, including attachment techniques, site choice, assembly techniques, design ideas and more.

Climbing trees has always been part of human history, allowing us to escape floods, saber-toothed tigers and intruders (especially parents with chores in mind). Building tree houses has long been part of human history. In that spirit, we’ve gathered tree house building tips and free tree house project ideas.

You get a different perspective when you’re up in a tree. First of all, nobody can find you because nobody ever looks up. And when you’re up there, you’re able to look up, down and all around—it’s another world up there.

Tree house design software with sketch tracing features.
Sketch your tree house ideas on a piece of paper, and then scan it. Now open your scanned sketch in CAD Pro and it becomes a traceable template that you can easily modify for your specific needs.

Click Here to Get Started

Building Tip 1: Site considerations
Choose a healthy, long-lived hardwood for maximum support, with load-bearing branches at least 8 in. in diameter (larger if the species is a softwood).

The best trees include maple, oak, fir, beech and hemlock.

You don’t have to build it very high, just high enough so nobody gets a bump on the head when walking underneath it.

Building Tip 2: Keep weight and stability in mind
Build the platform as close to the trunk as possible and add diagonal bracing for extra strength to support uneven loads.

Put the load over the base of the tree, not on one side.

For heavy tree houses, consider spreading the weight among several trees.

A tree house will act as a sail in strong winds, which can add a large load to the tree’s roots. In high-wind areas, build your tree house in the lower third of the tree.

One I built a tree house for my kids in our backyard. It was tricky getting the roof in place and, of course, nothing is square. They drew the wall design on regular paper, and we transferred the pictures to the walls, using Cad Pro drafting software.

Building Tip 3: Don’t Restrict Tree Growth
Don’t constrict branches with rope, straps or wire. This can strangle the tree.

Add spacers between the beams and the tree to allow movement.

Use extra-long large bolts. This leaves most of the shaft exposed so you can mount items on the ends and lets the tree grow over the shaft.

Allow a 2-in. gap around the tree if it passes through the floor and a 3-in. gap if it passes through the roof.

Building Tip 4: Level the floor
It’s much easier to build the rest of the structure if the floor is level and can support the entire weight of the tree house. Consider these tree house building tips and plans method:

Lay beams across the branches and shim until level.

Run the beams between trunks of different trees.

Cantilever the beams out from a single trunk and support them from above or below.

Building Tip 5: Build sections on the ground and hoist them into position
Quotes from a tree house builder:

“I built it in my driveway and used a friend’s backhoe to lift it up on the joists I’d hung in the trees. The morning of ‘the big lift’ was quite exciting. We served breakfast and coffee in the driveway for people who came to watch.”

And from another: “I assembled the platform and house on the ground, then disassembled them. After attaching the supports to the trees, I lifted the platform piece by piece and assembled it on the supports. An extra set of hands was needed only to raise the four walls and two roof sections. Final assembly took place in the trees.”

Building Tip 6: Use the right fasteners
Don’t run bolts through the tree. Lag bolts cause less tree damage than through bolts.

Don’t use too many fasteners. One large bolt is better than many screws or nails. You get the same strength but with fewer puncture wounds to the tree.

Whenever possible, perch your tree house on top of fasteners rather than pinning beams to the tree. This gives the tree room to move and grow.

Even for smaller, lighter tree houses where the load is spread over three or four attachment points, consider using 1-in.- or 1-1/4-in.-diameter lag bolts.

You can order floating brackets and tree house fasteners from specialty suppliers such as garnierlimb.com or treehousesupplies.com or special-order them from home centers. These bolts are pricey (about $100 each) and often require special tools. But they allow the tree more room to grow (they can support heavy loads up to 5 in. from the tree) and they hold more weight than normal bolts.

Fun Tree House Building Tips and Plans Check List

Building Tip 7: Checklist of cool accessories (to buy or make)

• Zip lines
• Rope swings, ladders and bridges
• Speaking tube
• Periscope
• Clothesline pulley with bucket between tree house and kitchen for frequent snacks
• Pirates’ treasure chest
• Flag
• Binoculars
• Tennis ball/potato launcher
• Water cannon
• Fire pole or slide
• Trap door
• Solar-powered lights or lanterns
• Fold-down benches and tables

Tree House Building Tips and Plans Safety Tips

Building Tip 8: Beware of tree house dangers
Building a tree house is a wonderful and romantic idea. But it’s important to go into it with your eyes open. Keep the following issues in mind:

Tree damage
Tree houses do damage trees. Foot traffic compresses the soil, which is bad for the roots. Adding weight in the branches can also stress the tree roots, and fasteners can cause infection. Most trees will survive this abuse, but think twice before you build in a treasured tree.

To minimize tree damage:

• Consider using one or two supports to take stress off the tree.
• Make the fewest punctures necessary to support the tree house safely. Any damage to the bark of the tree is a potential entry point for disease and bacteria.
• Don’t put fasteners too close together, which can weaken that section of the tree. Use at least 3/4-in. bolts spaced at least 18 in. apart vertically and 12 in. apart horizontally.
• Avoid slinging cables and ropes over branches. They cut through the bark as the structure moves.

Tree House Building Tips and Regulations
Do you need a building permit? It depends on local laws and the nature of your tree house. If you’re considering building one that will be visible to your neighbors, discuss it with them in advance to avoid problems. Often, a municipality becomes involved after a neighbor complains. Stay away from boundary lines and don’t build your tree house where it will infringe on a neighbor’s privacy.

Injuries
Kids can get hurt playing in a tree house. Don’t build higher than 8 ft. and make sure to build safe, strong rails. Also, nobody should be in a tree house in high winds or lightning.

Easy affordable tree house plans from Cad Pro are great for saving money and time when designing and building your next tree house.

CAD Pro includes pre-designed tree house plans free of charge. It’s as easy as one-two-three when working with CAD Pro’s free do it yourself tree house plans!

Share your tree house plans and designs with clients, contractors or friends and family using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

FREE Tree House Building Tips and Plans
Simply open any of the do it yourself tree house plans, then customize them to fit your specific needs. Quickly print your plans or email them to your favorite contractor. This is one of the easiest ways to start building your tree house.

Tree house design software with sketch tracing features.
Sketch your tree house ideas on a piece of paper, and then scan it. Now open your scanned sketch in CAD Pro and it becomes a traceable template that you can easily modify for your specific needs.

Click Here to Get Started

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of tree house designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors.

Outdoor living design five step process is listed below for a basic guideline. A well designed outdoor living space can provide a peaceful retreat in your own backyard.

Outdoor Living Design Five Step Process

One:  Put roots in your outdoor living design five step process.
One of the first things to distinguish a bonafide living room from other outdoor areas is something most homeowners often forget: a rug. “It anchors and defines the area as a space to lounge right away,” says Britt. Rugs also provide warmth and intimacy by creating a boundary between the room itself and the rest of the elements. The soft touch to bare feet is a plus and the myriad of colors and patterns allow your design aesthetic to carry over from inside the house.

Weather-resistant rugs made with polypropylene are most like their indoor counterparts, but offer the easy care of being hosed off and hung to dry. (If you’ve got kids, it’s the perfect weekend activity.) You can also look for durable, natural textiles like jute; anything made from synthetic fibers will work as they can be shaken or vacuumed easily. Rug pads underneath are a must. They help air circulate through the fibers, which makes the rug last longer and keeps it firmly in place.

Two:  Have a seat.
Once your area is clearly marked, look for furniture you want to sink into, not the hard, 90-degree angle stuff that will more or less keep you in an upright position. What will make this space feel as cozy as an indoor family room is the comfort level, so look for wide chairs that allow ample room to curl up your legs. Dedon’s Mu collection is a great example. Thick, lightweight cushions with weather- and fade-resistant fabrics — those from Sunbrella are always solid investments. These dry faster and resist mildew. But don’t judge a book (or in this case, a chair) by its cover. Several high-end manufacturers have made an art of designing with sturdy-yet-comfortable straps that can feel just as inviting (check out the Marin collection from Brown and Jordan). With the right cushions and accessories, these can fit nicely in an outdoor lounge.

Three:  Light it up.
Forget tiki torches and solar posts stuck in the ground. To truly mirror the intimacy of a regular living room, nothing sets the mood like the overhead and tabletop lighting we opt for indoors. “Lots of chandeliers and candelabras are now grated for outside use,” says Britt.

Look for those made with weather-resistant iron, like the part chandelier, part hurricane lamp known as the Brunswick from Home Depot. It’s the perfect marriage of outdoor form and function (and a charming surprise to see outside). The flushmount ceiling light from Murray Feiss’ Dakota collection at Lamps Plus is made of die-cast aluminum, so it can withstand the elements, but it looks like a typical indoor fixture — both beautiful and affordable.

The explosion of fire-pits and outdoor fireplaces in recent years provides double-duty performance by helping set both mood and temperature, which means you can enjoy your living room even when it’s chilly.

Four:  Go for garnish.
If shoes make an outfit, tabletop treasures and other accessories complete an outdoor living room. Drapes made of fade- and weather-resistant fabrics help set off the space from the rest of the backyard and allow your design aesthetic to carry through from indoors. “They soften the hard surfaces of the building materials too,” adds Britt.

Large planters and divider screens made of weather-resistant materials further define the space, but “make sure plants are placed according to the size they’ll reach at maturity,” says Jennifer Slaton, who served as executive editor for Coastal Living’s Outdoor Spaces. Easy-to-move garden stools and bar carts as well as consoles and coffee tables made of woods like teak and bamboo are smart choices if you like to entertain. The more surfaces for guests to rest their bums — or a drink — the better!

Five:  Surprise folks.
The outdoor surroundings provide a fun opportunity to do something unexpected, like, say, hang furniture from the ceiling. Wide, comfortable swings the size of sofas, like those from SwingBeds, or even twin beds are becoming much more affordable and they can work perfectly in an outdoor living room. It’s the type of thing most homeowners wouldn’t do indoors, but take it outside and it’s a whole other story. “People aren’t nearly as daring inside as they are outside,” Elton says.

Outdoor Living Space Summary

Whatever you choose to do with your outdoor space, a fresh-air living room is an easy and much less expensive way to extend your home, your time spent outdoors and perhaps even provide the feeling of a mini vacation — this outdoor living design five step process is a great start.

Click Here to Get Started

There are many outdoor kitchen appliances and manufacturing companies to choose from. Here are a few we recommend; Masterbuilt, Vicking, AJ Madison, BBQGuys and Kalamazoo.

Cad Pro is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive design software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of outdoor living space designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors.

Easy outdoor living design software can save money and time. Then came HGTV and Pinterest and we all became inspired to create ahhh-worthy homes and landscapes of our own. The retail market responded with a symphony of innovative products that help us stretch out the seasons, making it more worthwhile than ever to create a backyard oasis that’s as cozy and comfy as any well-designed family room.

At the same time, the recession forced many of us to look at our homes in new ways, as both a source for entertainment as well as shelter. The result was a rise in staycations, where sticking close to the nest has become more the norm than the exception.

Cue the rebirth of outdoor living. “People are nesting more, so they naturally want to extend their home life outdoors,” says Steve Elton, chief brand officer for Brown & Jordan, a 78-year-old company that has long designed award-winning outdoor furnishings. “It used to be you had a Weber grill, a table and chairs and that was it. Now you’ve got whole kitchens outdoors, fireplaces, even waterproof electronics to extend the season. The outdoor experience has evolved.”

Easy Outdoor Living Design Software and Plans

Outdoor spaces are second only to kitchens as far as priority renovations go, according to the Propane Education and Research Council. Of the 5,000 homeowners interviewed for a survey by HGTV and Casual Living magazine, a whopping 87 percent said an outdoor living room was important or very important and more than half said they already had one. Clearly more and more of us — especially those in the new home market — are looking right outside our windows for spots to both relax and entertain.

Unlike decks or courtyards, an outdoor living room is sheltered from the elements only by a roof for rain runoff, which means it’s a far less expensive way to add an extra room.

What sets it apart from other outdoor dining or lounge areas is that it’s attached to the home, facilitating the connection between indoors and out. “Think of it as yet another room, a continuation, but without traditional air conditioning or heat sources,” says Austin, Texas-based interior designer Laura Britt, whose eponymous firm has worked on several prominent show homes.

Most outdoor spaces now have traditional and ambient lighting opportunities as well as the ability to hook up special outdoor television sets, such as those from SunBrite, which means Monday Night Football just went al fresco. For the full effect of an intimate space wrapped in nature, there’s nothing like a living room in the great outdoors. Here, the steps to creating your perfect open-air lounge.

Easy outdoor living design software from CAD Pro has helped thousands of contractors and builders streamline their workflow while producing professional designs for clients and colleagues.

Cad Pro’s easy outdoor living design software is an affordable and easy alternative to other CAD software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

Share your outdoor plans and designs with clients or team members using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

Click Here to Get Started

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of outdoor living designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors.

There are many outdoor living appliances and manufacturing companies to choose from. Here are a few we recommend; Masterbuilt, Vicking, AJ Madison, BBQGuys and Kalamazoo.

Best custom home builder design ideas will encompass the decision of builder versus architect. Big egos. Incomplete documents. Design changes. These are some of the common complaints builders have about architects.

Indeed, the two have a love-hate relationship. In its worst incarnation, the relationship is adversarial. In its best, builders and architects work well together as a team.

Many builders’ frustrations revolve around cost. Some architects get clients excited about the design without knowing costs. Experienced builders collaborate with the architect and client to provide realistic budgets.

Some builders find a lot of problems when architects want to keep the builder at arm’s length.” It’s difficult when architects don’t collaborate early and they present themselves as experts on cost and construction. Best custom home builder design ideas and master builders should emphasize the importance of teamwork.

To some, value engineering may be in conflict with design quality. Architects want the best design outcome, but they should talk with builders to see if a particular design is worth it. Some architects want to get the best project for their clients, so they involve contractors early in the design phase.

Best custom home builder design ideas should emphasize that early collaboration is one solution to the cost problem, but it’s not the norm. Most builders say that competitive bidding is still common in most of the country. The advantage, is that the architect’s documents are complete at the time of bidding. Starting construction before all the documents are complete just causes tension.

Best Custom Home Builder Design Ideas for Any Home Buyer

The primary complaint builders have about architects is incomplete drawings. I interviewed nine builders in New England and Texas, and this was the common thread. One said that only once in 25 years did he get a set of drawings so complete he could have built the job without talking to the architect. And how do these builders define good drawings? A complete set with all of the plans, elevations, sections, details, and specs to explain the house.

Clients pushing for construction before drawings are complete is one reason architects aren’t providing complete drawings. The other is that many residential clients see no value in paying for a complete set.

In commercial work, a full set of construction documents is required to get a building permit, but residential requirements are less stringent. If a complete set of drawings isn’t required, some clients don’t see why they are needed. So it’s common for an architect to produce a good set of design development drawings with some details and light specs for about 6 percent to 8 percent of construction costs to get a permit. A complete set of documents includes at least twice as many drawings, large-scale details, and complete specs for 12 percent to 16 percent of construction costs.

Most of the custom home builders only consider a job if an architect is involved. They like architects, but more importantly, they see the value that architects add to the project.

CAD Pro is a leading developer and publisher of easy computer aided design software for builders, remodelers, architects and DIY home enthusiasts. Create professional quality home designs and remodeling plans with the ultimate computer aided design software for remodelers, architects, contractors, and builders.

Best custom home builder design ideas start with CAD Pro. CAD Pro has helped thousands of contractors and builders streamline their workflow while producing professional designs for clients and colleagues.

Cad Pro’s custom home builder design software is an affordable and easy alternative to other CAD software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

Share your custom home plans and designs with clients or team members using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

Click Here to Get Started

Make money flipping homes pyramid for mom and pop flippers. The mom-and-pop flippers are getting the worst “deals” and taking longer to flip. This probably makes sense intuitively given that professional volume flippers are more experienced at both negotiating discounts upfront and at having a defined process in place to complete rehab and market the home for sale.

While some may think home flipping is the domain of high-powered, highly capitalized institutional investors, the data suggests otherwise.

Custom home design software from CAD Pro has helped thousands of mom and pop home flippers, contractors and builders streamline their workflow while producing professional designs for clients and colleagues. Make money flipping homes pyramid provides detailed financial information for any home flipper.

Cad Pro’s custom home design software is an affordable and easy alternative to other CAD software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

Share your custom home plans and designs with clients or team members using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

Make Money Flipping Homes Pyramid

More than two-thirds (69 percent) of all single family homes and condos flipped in the first quarter of 2017 were by investors of the mom-and-pop variety who just completed one flip during the quarter, according to an analysis of data from the ATTOM Data Solutions Q1 2017 U.S. Home Flipping Report. Stacked on that broad base of the pyramid are mid-tier investors who completed two to nine flips during the quarter and accounted for 20 percent of all home flips during the quarter. At the top of the pyramid are those mythical top-tier investors who completed more than 10 flips during the quarter (and only 3 percent of all flips were by investors who completed more than 100 flips during the quarter).

But the pyramid turns upside down when looking at the average purchase price of homes flipped and average time to complete a flip, indicating the mom-and-pop flippers are getting the worst “deals” and taking longer to flip. This probably makes sense intuitively given that professional volume flippers are more experienced at both negotiating discounts upfront and at having a defined process in place to complete rehab and market the home for sale.

Click Here to Get Started

Best Smart Home Products

We have listed some of the best thrifty deck improvement tricks that are great for improving your outdoor deck experience. Very few home decks are truly engaging spots from which to enjoy the outdoors. But having an elaborate new deck constructed is likely to trigger a five-figure bill. Fortunately, there are some relatively simple and affordable ways to make an older or uninspired deck look much better…

Emphasize the surrounding landscape. Paint or stain the deck a dark brown, then surround it with brightly colored plants. Your local garden center can suggest plants appropriate for your climate and budget. This is a remarkably effective way to trick the eye into barely noticing a deck’s shortcomings.

Install a vine-covered privacy trellis. Do you feel that you’re on display to the neighbors when you are on your deck? ­Adding a trellis-a framework of lightweight rails—on one or more sides of the deck can provide a sense of privacy without completely blocking off your sunlight and/or view.

Home centers sell a variety of lattice panels and pre-made trellises. Four-by- eight-foot sections cost as little as $20 to $30. Replace your deck’s handrail posts with posts tall enough to support the trellis. Growing vines over the trellis will soften the look of the deck and make it feel more connected to the landscape.

Put on a skirt. Deck skirting is solid or lattice paneling that extends from the deck down to near the ground. It’s an affordable way to hide the unsightly area under a deck. Appropriate paneling made from wood or a wood-textured composite is available in home centers for as little as $20 to $30 per four-by-eight-foot ­section.

If your deck is a single step up from the ground, this skirting can be nailed to the deck’s outermost joists (joists are the horizontal structural elements directly beneath the decking). If your deck is significantly higher than this, nail the skirting to the deck’s support posts or to other vertical posts added below the perimeter of the deck for this purpose. Skirting typically is painted to match the home’s siding but also could be stained a natural color or painted white.

Best thrifty deck improvement tricks and skirting tip. Leave at least two inches of space between the bottom of the skirting and the ground. That way, a winter frost that raises the ground level won’t damage or dislodge the skirting or the deck itself.

Helpful: If your deck is more than three steps above ground level, you could cut a door into the skirting, ­creating a storage area for lawn and garden items under the deck. Use hinges and latches to hold this door in place, and screw in plastic or fiberglass corrugated roofing to the underside of the deck joists above to keep this storage area relatively dry. Position plastic or fiberglass at an angle so that water drains off.

Replace your deck’s steps. Rickety, rotting steps can make an entire deck look and feel flimsy. If you have some basic woodworking skills, you can construct sturdier steps that will instead convey a sense of solidity and quality. This generally doesn’t cost more than $100 or so in lumber, assuming that your deck is no more than a few feet above ground level. If your deck is much higher than this, it might be safer to leave the staircase building to the pros (this can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars).

Best Thrifty Deck Improvement Tricks and Tips

Tip: Each step in your staircase should be the same height. Unequal heights signal amateurish construction.

Ideally you should position the deck steps where people won’t have to squeeze past a table or other deck furniture to get from inside your home down into your yard. Poor “flow” also subtly detracts from the impression created by a deck.

Add attractive caps to handrail posts. Best thrifty deck improvement tricks and handrail ideas and tips. Decorative wood or copper post caps are an easy and a potentially inexpensive way to dress up a deck. Post caps are available for as little as $10 apiece in home centers, though higher-­quality caps made by local craftsmen can cost significantly more. Or you can design your own post caps if you have basic woodworking skills.

Solar-powered post caps that light up at night are available in home centers, too, often for just $10 to $20 apiece. Purchase 50% to 100% more of these fixtures than you need so that you have replacements when some of the fixtures inevitably fail. You might not be able to find the same style of light fixture in stores in future years.

Thrifty Deck Improvement Tricks and Wood Protectors
Use long-lasting wood protector. The product One Time costs more than most deck stains and sealers-$85 per gallon (one gallon covers around 250 square feet of older wood). But One Time needs to be applied about once every seven years, instead of every two years for traditional sealers. Thus, over seven years, you’ll spend $85 on One Time versus about $200 on a traditional sealer—a savings of $115. OneTimeWood.com

Click Here to Get Started

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of floor plan designs. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors and the NRCA roofing contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors as well as the National Association of Landscape professionals.

Smart DIY Home Security Systems

 

Design detached garage floor plans with CAD Pro for added value to your current home. Although it’s commonplace to see a garage attached to new homes, if you are looking to add a garage onto your existing home there are some distinct advantages to adding on a detached garage. Although the ability to get from the house to the car, and back again, without having to face weather conditions is alluring, detached garages offer a tremendous amount of design options that attached garages cannot offer.

Easy Detached Garage Floor Plans for Anyone

Design Detached Garage Floor Plans with Advantages:

1. A detached garage can more easily reduce or even eliminate the garage-dominated facade that many find so unattractive. By building a garage off the house, it can be set at an angle or setback to keep the aesthetic beauty of the architecture intact, while still taking into account the size and shape of the lot your home is built on.
2. With no garage attached to the house, you are free to use the space in a different way. A patio or kitchen garden might add enjoyment to the outdoor spaces. Maybe an outdoor kitchen and barbecue might suit that space nicely. Whatever you decide, by building a detached garage, the freedom to choose it yours.
3. If you live in a moderate climate, you might actually enjoy a nicely landscaped walk from the car to the house. Creating a well-crafted and manicured walking path from the house to the garage can add value to the property and beauty to the exterior of your home.
4. If you have a smaller house, adding an attached garage can look overwhelming and out of place. A detached garage can be a much more aesthetically pleasing option without overpowering the actual residence.
5. Sometime down the line, you may find that you need just a little extra space in your home. Whether that be for a home office, an in-law suite, or just a man cave, it can be easier to add living space above a detached garage than an attached garage.

Finally, a few things to keep in mind if you decide to add a detached garage:

• Remember to insulate this space. Even if you aren’t planning on use this as living space, it is much easier and cheaper to insulate while you build than to figure out later that you can’t use the space due to the heat or cold. If you aren’t certain that this will be livable space, then opt for using less expensive insulation to cover your bases and allow for the option to convert the space later on.
• Plan ahead for storage space needs. Whether it’s in the form of cabinets or shelving or overhead storage, consider allowing for it when working with your contractor. You may plan to have this be a studio or an office, but sooner or later, you will start storing things there. Plan ahead for organizing the stuff that will appear once your garage is built.
• Don’t forget security. Presumably, you are building this garage to put things of value in it, whether it’s cars, computers, bikes, or other items. Make sure everything is protected and secured from outside interference. Also, be sure to check with your insurance company to see if you can get a rebate if you equip this new space with a security system.

CAD Pro provides easy-to-use design tools and features for anyone to quickly design any type of detached garage.

CAD Pro also includes pre-designed detached garage floor plans free of charge. It’s as easy as one-two-three when working with CAD Pro’s free do it yourself design detached garage floor plans! Quickly add greater resale value to your home when designing a variety of one-car, two-car and three-car designs – many of which include overhead lofts that can be converted to an apartment.

Share your design detached garage floor plans with clients, contractors or friends and family using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

A garage can be a great investment for your home, adding value, functionality and aesthetic beauty to your home. Whether you decide to go with an attached or detached garage, always consult with a licensed and bonded contractor, before starting a projected of this magnitude.

Click Here to Get Started

Pole barn building design CAD software involves software and computers to realize the creation, modification, assessment, or improvement of any type of pole barn plans and designs. It is generally accepted in the industry that CAD software increases the productivity of designers, facilitates effective communication on the job, improves quality of the pole barn project and creates a cache of data to refer to on future projects.

The deliverable pole barn building design CAD software produces is often in electronic format such as digital files for, printing and manufacturing of the pole barn kits.

Efficient Pole Barn Building Design CAD Software

Not only does CAD software facilitate efficient communication between the client, the design team, and the pole barn builders, but it also streamlines the manufacturing and assembly of the pole barns you build.

Pole Barn Designs For Clients

Involve your clients in the pole barn design process in real time by sharing concepts and inviting their input. When you have some direction to give to shape the outcome of a project, it’s easy to demonstrate your expert advice through professional pole barn blueprints that you’ve designed with pole barn building design CAD software.

Pole Barn Designs On The Job

If there is a problem once the job is underway, digital storage of the pole barn design and specs of the job are easy to manipulate. There’s no starting over from scratch, just tweaking the original pole barn plans to accommodate innovations.

Affordable and Easy Pole Barn Design CAD Software

Pole barn design CAD software can be affordable and when used to its greatest potential, it will pay for itself in building costs saved. Because it’s easy to use, it’s fast and we all know that time is money when it comes to any construction project.

The proper CAD software will help design pole barn homes and structures, landscaping, outbuildings, decks and patios as well as any aspect of a home or commercial building design. CAD Pro helps you plan and complete any type of pole barn home plans with intuitive drafting and design tools and floor plan symbols. You can actually start designing pole barn home plans the first day with CAD Pro.

Share your pole barn drawings with clients or contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint®.

A fantastic pole barn home begins here…with top of the line easy pole barn home plans software. Any type of pole barn home plan can be individually designed to your specifications. Using site-specific building code requirements from your local building authorities, you can quickly design your pole barn blueprints to ensure your safety and security for a home meant to last a lifetime…and long into the future.

Traditional pole barn home plans software can be complex, expensive and difficult to use. But CAD Pro is easy and affordable. No experience is necessary with CAD Pro’s advanced drafting and design tools.

Attractive, sturdy and highly customized pole barn homes are springing up all across the heartland.

Design your own pole barn home plans, all from your own computer. Design and create any size and shape of pole barn home plans and customize your designs any way you like. Many of CAD Pro’s customers even choose to install the pole barns themselves.

Easy Pole Barn Design CAD Software for Anyone

Quickly convert your pole barn home plans to a very popular barndominium. The term barndominium covers a huge range of pole barn home styles, from a small weekend cabin to a modern and sophisticated country estate.

Cad Pro has become a leader in easy pole barn home plans design software. Cad Pro is used in schools and universities as a standard teaching method for computer drafting and design software.

Advanced design tools allow anyone to produce professional results every time.

Precise and easy pole barn design CAD software.

CAD Pro will assist you when precise alignment is necessary, quickly align and arrange everything perfectly. CAD Pro’s intelligent “Snap Tools” and easy alignment features provide the necessary precision for detailed pole barn home designs.

CAD Pro’s pole barn home plans design software is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive CAD software programs. CAD Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

You don’t need to be an experienced professional to look like one. CAD Pro includes textures for flooring, countertops, and more. You can also add pop-up photos for a real-world view of your pole barn home ideas, this feature is great for customer presentations.

CAD Pro software will assist you in all types of drafting diagrams and plans without difficult CAD technology experience. It provides lots of drawing tools, including dimensioning, wall, door, window and structure, appliances, furniture, cabinets, and the creation of custom symbols. It offers users maximum drawing control for their home design and building projects.

Click Here to Get Started

Cad Pro is an affordable and easy alternative to other more expensive pole barn design software programs. Cad Pro is great for creating custom home plans, building plans, office plans, construction details, and much more.

CAD Pro allows anyone to share their ideas and plans with clients, colleagues or professional contractors using Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and SharePoint®. Export files to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® with a single click.

CAD Pro has helped thousands of homeowners, professional designers, builders and contractors plan and design all types of pole barns. CAD Pro is used by NARI professional remodelers and contractors. CAD Pro is also used by NHBA home builders and contractors as well as the National Association of Landscape professionals.