Category Archives: Tips

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Your Kansas City house is perfect. Ideal amenities, layout and furnishings. Unfortunately, the view out your windows is anything but perfect. Exterior remodeling ideas featuring great landscaping and hardscaping create a view everyone can enjoy. Breathe some new life into your property with some imaginative view fixes.

To deal with small, unsightly things ruining your view, such as propane tanks, electrical boxes and central air units, you can use some clever landscaping tricks to hide them. A strategically placed trellis or a decorative retaining wall covered with climbing plants is enough to hide a propane tank or electrical box. Central air units need space around them so landscaping needs to draw attention away from them rather than covering them.

Dealing with an unsightly view of the neighborhood requires more inventive exterior remodeling ideas. Rather than putting up a tall fence, add in large hardscaping details. Constructing a large wall featuring a cutout creates a frame for the tall trees and sky-reaching plants behind it. A corner waterfall with full, flowering trees bring the eye down from utility poles and power lines. These combinations of hard and soft elements camouflage undesirable views.

Need more ideas to alter an undesirable exterior view? Contact our experienced landscaping experts for planning ideas and inspiration.

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There is a special appeal found in old, rustic, rough-hewn beams, which were once only found in farmyard barns. They have personality that is missing from uniform sanded wood beams, and they add warmth and interest to any room.

Modern decor, whether indoors or out, an be easily enhanced with a few well-placed rustic beams, which offer a pleasant contrast to design style. Vaulted ceilings are excellent locations for reclaimed beams in a living room or an outdoor pavilion.

Don’t just consider ceilings for your rustic beams. Framing a doorway with antique wood will beautify any entryway and is simple to add to an already existing framework, which is a great way to liven up any doorway, wall, or gazebo with the pleasant ambiance of rustic beams.

At Outdoor Environments, we can help you add charm and architectural design to your interior or exterior renovation projects. Call us at 913-897-2706 to learn more.

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Summer barbecue season is on its way, and this means decks in Kansas City need to be prepared for the throngs of party guests. Deck Safety Month is nearly over, but if you have not checked your deck yet, now is the time. Here are common safety issues you may encounter during your investigation.

• Cracks: Cracks deeper than ¼ inch mean the board needs to be replaced. The crack will only grow worse as the deck is walked upon, and the board may eventually break.
• Rotting wood: Rotting wood is not always obvious. Look for soft, spongy spots in the wood.
• Loose Hardware: Bolts and screws can loosen over time, or may pull away from wood if the wood is rotting or the ground has shifted. Check all bolts and screws for tightness.
• Loose Railing: Rails should move very little. If they are easily jiggled, they need to be tightened or replaced.

Deck maintenance should be part of all your annual outdoor maintenance. We at Outdoor Environments can examine your deck for all safety issues. We can tell you how to take care of these and how to best prepare your deck for the season.

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Creative outdoor lighting is one of the leading outdoor remodeling trends.  Universal design in lighting leads the way to your front door safely and makes your patio and outdoor eating area more pleasant at night.

Universal design refers to safe and easy accessibility to residential and commercial buildings for people of all physical abilities, including those with disabilities, children, and seniors. Good outdoor lighting helps people of all ages and abilities see clearly where they are walking and stay safe on a path at night.

Well designed outdoor lighting creates zones to help people determine borders at the edge of paths and stairs.  Swimming pools and other landscaped water elements should also be illuminated at night for safety.

Various styles of outdoor lighting can illuminate pathways, entries and parking areas while adding elegance to your home. A pathway lined with ground-level LED lights can show the way to your front entry, backyard deck or  your garden. Illuminate your raised deck area with colorful lights under the railing.

Lights mounted next to or under steps will make them easier to ascend and descend at night. Lights can also be added to the stairway bannister by your front or back door.

Outdoor Environments will work with you to create safe and elegant lighting for the exterior of your Kansas City home.

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As spring weather arrives in Kansas City, our thoughts head to spending time outdoors.  May is the perfect time to spruce up your outdoor areas and have them ready for the warmer weather of summer.

Here are some maintenance tips for your outdoor living rooms and kitchens:

• Stain Away – Protect the wood in your outdoor areas by washing them down thoroughly then re-staining them.
• Follow the Paths – Take a look at your garden paths and see what needs fixing.  Re-do edges to give them a clean look, fill in any gravel and fix or replace broken areas in your paths.
• Clean Out – Get into the garden shed and garage and get rid of any expired products and anything you don’t need anymore.
• Ready to Grill – Make sure your grill is clean and ready to go.  Give the cooking areas a good scrubbing.
• Mending Fences – Check over your fences and make sure there is no splintering, cracking, or holes.

If your yard needs a general spruce-up but you can’t find the time, contact the outdoor experts at Outdoor Environments.  Our services include deck and outdoor living maintenance. We can have your outdoor living rooms and kitchens ready for you to enjoy all summer.

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If you’re looking to improve the curb appeal of your home and impress your friends and neighbors then you can’t go wrong with creating beautiful outdoor landscapes with hardscaping. Here are a few ways we can help you improve your house’s curb appeal.

• Install a new walkway. The first thing visitors will see when they’re walking up to your house is the walkway. Rather than a slab of poured concrete, consider getting something with character, like a cobblestone or brick walkway.
• Get a new fire pit. The fire pit can add a tasteful centerpiece to any patio, and it offers you another option for barbecues.
• Add a courtyard. A courtyard acts as a beautiful frame for your garden or your patio.
• Design terraces to create levels for the plants in your yard.  The terraces are a great architectural addition and they give you more space for beautiful flowers and greenery.

Inspired to improve your curb appeal? Contact Outdoor Environments by calling us at 913-897-2706!

`Image via Better Homes & Gardens

Now that the weather is warming up in Kansas City, you’re going to be making much more use out of your patio.  Get your patio ready for spring activities and guests by giving it a thorough spring cleaning and get rid of the layers of pollen that have gathered.

Use the following tips to clean your patio:

• Ceiling – Clean the ceiling first so that you don’t end up cleaning the floor twice. Use a long duster and clean any fans that you have as well.
• Floor – If your patio uses gravel, then rake it to straighten it out. Look for any debris and be sure to remove them. If you have a loose flagstone patio, then pull any weeds that have grown between the stones.
• Plants – Water your potted plants and trim any hedges, trees or plants around the patio that are beginning to grow over.
• Furniture – Clean your patio furniture by dusting it and wiping it down. Any patio furniture cushions should be washed or sent to the dry cleaner.

For more advice about patios in Kansas City, or to update or build a new patio, contact us at Outdoor Environments.

Image via Better Homes & Gardens

“Summertime… and the living is easy,” or so the song so aptly goes. The summer is indeed, a great time to get outside and enjoy the wonderful weather especially if you can bring all the comforts of inside with you. Here are a few suggestions for creating an outside room that has all the comforts of home and making this transition possible: 

• Use Comfortable Furniture – Face it. Most outdoor furniture is uncomfortable. Break the mold and find some that keeps your backside at ease.
• Add Colorful Rugs – Richly colored rugs create conversational spaces and add a splash of excitement.
• Decorate with Aplomb – Anything goes; art, potted plants, lanterns and even gold fish ponds. Treat this outdoor space like a room and decorate it.
• Create a Focal Point – Build the space around one singular item like a fire pit or objets d’art and you will naturally generate a meeting for family and guests.

If you need more information on outdoor living rooms and kitchens, contact the professionals at Outdoor Environments, Inc. Our designers and staff are experts at expanding the interior comforts of your home into your outdoor spaces.

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Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner and after that, summer will be in full bloom. It’s a great time to be alive and have some fun hanging out by the pool or on the backyard deck.

Indeed, outdoor decks and barbecues get the full workout at this time of year so be sure that yours are safe and secure. Here are some great tips from FEMA for keeping you, your family and your guests safe while getting the most out of your backyard deck:

• Keep your Distance – Do not grill too close to the house and never in an enclosed area. 
• Watch the Kids – No one can get in more trouble faster than the little ones so keep them away from the grill, the lighters and any other potential hotspots. 
• Properly Dispose of Coals – At the end of the night, people sometimes forget. Better to let them sit overnight than risk the chance of a fire. 

For more information about keeping backyard decks in Kansas City safe or about installing or remodeling one, contact the professionals at Outdoor Environments Inc. Their staff understands all the intricacies involved in your outdoor spaces and can help create the perfect one for your home.

The days are getting longer and it is time to consider exterior remodeling ideas to increase the value of your Kansas City area home.

This may be the year to create a sun room on your front porch or deck. Add screening or windows to allow fresh air and sunlight to enter while keeping out pesky bugs. This gives your house friendly curb appeal.

You can still enjoy your garden while you modernize your yard. A rebuilt and extended back patio or wood deck can offer additional room for plants, hanging pots and bird feeders.

A built-in brick or stone barbecue with a food preparation area or a copper cooking pit can add a new dimension to your patio by turning it into an outdoor kitchen.  This can be a natural extension of your dinning room or family room with the addition of a pass-through window or sliding door.

Think about adding an attractive, garden tool shed to your backyard or side yard. You may even have room for a romantic gazebo or a hot tub enclosure suitable for use all year.

No matter what plans you have for styling and designing your home’s back yard, Outdoor Environments are the experts in the Kansas City area, so contact us today if you want a perfectly-designed backyard experience