While having functional home gutters is a necessity, no matter what time of year it is, the spring season comes with its own set of needs for gutters. Prone to larger storms and longer periods of weather, these few months could be some of the most likely to bring about flooding. As such, it’s important that you know the part your gutters could play in keeping your home safe. This is why gutter repair is essential in the spring and the benefits this action can provide.

Prevents Pest Nesting Near Your Home

When the weather starts warming up, neighborhood pests officially come out of hibernation and begin building new nests. Unfortunately, this makes your gutters (and several other parts of your home) prime real estate. It’s common for squirrels and raccoons, specifically, to store building materials in your gutters—clogging them up and preventing them from draining properly. On the plus side, by staying on top of maintenance, you not only remove this debris but discourage these animals from coming back.

Eliminates Mold and Rust Growth

The harsh winter months can do a lot of damage to gutter systems, which makes them much more susceptible to things like rust and mold come springtime. Any broken parts will tend to rust as they’re exposed to the elements, and debris will often grow mold if left to sit in water for long periods. Because of this, proper maintenance and repairs will be vital to keeping these things from happening.

Keeps Them Functioning Properly

But the most important reason why gutter repair is essential in the spring is that it can improve your system’s overall functionality. As previously mentioned, spring is the season of heavy rain showers, meaning your home is at a higher risk of flooding than normal. However, if your gutters are working as they should be, this is much less of a concern since the water will be directed away from your home’s foundation. So, in order to ensure your home’s safety during this time of year, gutter maintenance is simply a beneficial thing to do.

At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we understand how dangerous spring showers can be to the more susceptible areas of your home. This is why we want to ensure no residence goes without the necessary protection this year. Our gutter repair services in Cumming, GA, cover everything from part preplacement to full gutter system installation. As such, we consider ourselves one of the best resources for getting your home ready for warmer weather.

A home’s siding is its first line of defense against the hazards of the outside world. Made from some of the most durable materials on the market, these panels block out the elements and help your home resist things like pests and water damage. However, no matter how strong, siding doesn’t last forever, and only replacing it completely can make your home’s defenses as reliable as they once were. So, if you’re looking to undergo one of these projects yourself, it’s vital that you know what it takes to get the best possible results. Read this guide on how to plan a siding replacement project to learn about the ins and outs of the process and what to expect from it.

Assess Your Siding Needs

Regardless of whether you’re repainting your deck or installing crown molding in your home, every home renovation starts with taking note of what your needs are. After all, it’s hard to determine what must be completed if you aren’t sure what needs to be changed in the first place. For siding projects, this means assessing what types of siding have worked for your home before and whether it was satisfactory. If not, and your previous material has sustained serious damage over the years, you may want to consider something new. Take your local climate into account as well to help figure out how much protection your home is going to need in the time to come.

Create a Detailed Budget

Once you know what your home’s general needs are for your new siding, you can start drawing up an initial budget. This is the best way to ensure that not only are you getting what you want, but that you aren’t going into debt in the process. As you make this mark-up, take estimates of what each component could cost—from the materials themselves to the professional labor you’ll need to hire. Then, update this sheet as you go to stay informed on what exactly you’ll be spending. Remember—while full siding replacement can be a bit on the expensive side, there are always options that can fit into your monetary situation.

Research Your Potential Options

After establishing your limits, both for your home and your wallet, it’s time to start researching the different products you may be interested in. Residential siding is available in a multitude of different colors, materials, textures, and even shapes to fit your durability and style needs. As such, this part of the planning is often the one that takes the most time. One of the most effective methods is to browse the internet. Siding manufacturers tend to post images of their products on their websites, and third-party review sites make it easy to see honest performance statements. Additionally, with how quickly you can surf the web, you can look at hundreds of options in the time it would take for you to drive to the store.

Some other ways you can get inspiration include:

• Looking through magazines
• Asking your neighbors what worked best for them
• Talking to your siding contractor about the products they’d recommend

Make Your Decision

Now, onto arguably the hardest part of the planning process—choosing the exact siding you want. With so many potential options to pick from, it can feel like an uphill battle to decide on only one. This is why the researching process is so integral to making this step easier down the line. The more information you have on a particular type of product, the clearer it’ll be whether it would make a good fit for your home. Make sure that you’re also taking into account what your style needs are, as well as any advice your contractor may have regarding your decision.

A few important characteristics of quality siding to keep in mind include:

• The durability and resistance to the elements
• Compatibility with the home’s design and structure
• A price tag you can afford

Select a Qualified Contractor

Then, if you haven’t already done so, the next step to planning a siding replacement project is to pick the contractor that will perform this work for you. This will also require a fair amount of research and price-checking to ensure they can accommodate your specific needs. You want a team of professionals that have experience with this type of work, have a lengthy list of positive reviews, and are willing to take your budget into consideration. Without these traits, you risk getting poor results or even paying more than you have to. You can ask your neighbors to help with this step as well, since they might be able to supply you with a list of companies they’ve used in the past.

Prepare Your Home for the Project

Lastly, as you wait for your project to begin, you should get your home ready for it. This means putting away any tools that may be laying out in your yard, placing tarps down near the work area, and protecting any plants from construction debris. Taking care of these tasks ahead of time will allow the professionals to get straight to the bulk of the work, saving everyone time during the next few days. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can even start removing your older siding in preparation for the new materials to be installed.

To help the process go even smoother, you can prepare in these ways as well:

• Moving your vehicles away from your home while work is being done
• Keeping your driveway clear for dumpster and debris removal
• Take pictures off from interior walls to prevent damage during construction

Projects involving home siding are notorious for being costly, time-consuming, and difficult—but they don’t have to be. At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we pride ourselves on working with our customer to ensure that their project meets all their needs and expectations. Our siding installation professionals in Cumming have years of experience under their belt and can assist you in all areas of the process from the initial planning phase to construction. We also offer exterior home painting services in Cumming. GA to help you give your older siding a fresh new look. For more information on our great offers, visit our website or give us a call.

When we think about repainting our home’s walls, we often imagine the process of slathering a paint product over the surfaces with a brush. However, what many homeowners fail to realize is that this is only one part of the project. In fact, interior painting requires a certain amount of preparation that can easily go overlooked in the interest of saving time. This is the importance of preparing your walls before painting them and what benefits you gain by doing so.

Proper Paint Curing

First, proper wall prep ensures the paint will stick correctly to the surface and be less likely to chip away later on. Years of use tend to leave our interior walls marked up and dirty, and these particles act as a barrier that prevents the paint from fully reaching the porous drywall. For this reason, cleaning off the areas you’re going to paint is crucial to both applying the product and making sure it lasts.

Even Distribution of Color

The importance of preparing your walls before painting is also clear when you consider how evenly the color will be applied. Paint primer is used to help protect the wall and make it easier for the pigment to soak into a material. So, if it isn’t used or allowed to fully dry before being painted over it, it can give the color a patchy appearance when you’re done. Some areas might look like you expected, while some might be darker. As such, prep is key when looking for consistency.

Increased Product Durability

When the paint has what it needs to dry and stick properly to a wall, it also increases the product’s overall durability. The pigment will be much harder to blemish, and the quality of the color will remain for much longer. Preparation can also make the product less prone to cracking or chipping over time, which will retain the new look you love.

A Flawlessly Smooth Aesthetic

Perhaps most importantly, wall preparation will ensure your finished product is smooth in both appearance and touch. This is because anything that could’ve caused bumps or divots in the paint has already been removed. Old, wrinkled wallpaper and damage are usually the main offenders in these situations. Therefore, getting rid of them ahead of time will set the stage for a better aesthetic after the fact.

So, as demonstrated, wall preparation is just as vital to a project as the painting process itself—if not more so. Because of this, you want to take your time with these initial steps and may even consider hiring a professional to do them in a timely and quality manner. At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we strive to help homeowners with tasks just like these. Our team of experienced interior home painters in Cumming, GA knows exactly what needs to be done before painting can start and how to get you the best results possible.

With the temperatures quickly starting to rise, it’s apparent that spring is well on its way. This means it’s time to begin the process of deep cleaning your home and spending more time outdoors in the sun. But if you haven’t maintained your backyard deck space for this level of activity, you might soon find that it isn’t up to the task. Use these ways to prepare your deck for springtime to ensure it’s looking and performing its best.

Power Wash the Space

First, take some time to wash your deck’s boards and fencing thoroughly. After months of debris collecting on it and harsh weather patterns wreaking havoc, it’s common for decks to need a good cleaning to remove any harmful debris and reveals and potential damage that could lay underneath. One of the most effective ways to do this is by slowly going over the boards with a power washer. Sweeping will also help remove some loose surface particles.

Fix Any Rotten Areas

If washing brings some apparent signs of wood rot to the surface, you’ll also need to fix these issues for the season ahead. These forms of damage can weaken the structural integrity of the deck’s platform, putting you at risk of falling through the boards when you walk over them. As such, it’s definitely worth investing in hiring a carpentry professional to repair the afflicted sections.

Sand and Stain the Wood

Consider sanding and staining the wood, as well, before you officially start using your deck this spring. Cool, moist weather can have a splintering effect on wooden surfaces after a time. When this happens, a deck can start snagging your feet and even causing injuries. For this reason, it’s best to sand down all the boards thoroughly and repaint to protect them from additional harm.

Consider a Few Upgrades

Another way to prepare your deck for springtime is to give it a few functional or aesthetic upgrades. While very few of us think about installing upgrades on our decks, there are actually several useful and beautiful options to choose from. Some popular features include built-in benches for extra seating and flower boxes to integrate additional greenery.

If you need help bringing your outdoor deck area back to life after the less-active winter months, contact Bear Mountain Custom Painting. Our carpentry team will remove any rotten or damaged wood, while our deck painting services in Atlanta will give it a new look. We also specialize in wood staining, so if you can’t find a paint color you like, you can always go with a more natural sheen. Let us do the work so that you don’t have to this season.

If you’ve ever lived in an older home, the chances are high that you’ve had a popcorn ceiling. Characterized by their bumpy and rough texture, these surfaces are incredibly dated and often loathed by those wanting a more modern style. As such, it’s common for homeowners to search for different methods to remove them. Still, regardless of how badly you want them gone, it’s recommended you hire a professional to take on this task. These are a few of the reasons to hire a professional to remove a popcorn ceiling and the benefits of doing so.

Access To the Proper Tools

Firstly, professionals often have many more tools at their disposal. This means that they’re always prepared for these specific jobs and have several years of experience using them. Since popcorn ceilings often require scrapers of a different sizes, professionals will always know which piece of equipment will be best suited for the situation. Being equipped with the proper tools ensures the process will be handled in the most effective manner.

Damage Prevention

A professional hand is also helpful for reducing the chances of damage. It requires a lot of brute force to remove popcorn ceilings and, often times, accidents can occur when a homeowner tries to do it themselves. Professionals are familiar with exactly how much pressure is needed to smooth out popcorn ceilings and can do so with minimal damage to the ceiling itself.

Less Exposure To Toxic Materials

Another important reason to hire a professional to remove a popcorn ceiling is the risk often involved in it. Old-fashioned popcorn ceilings will typically have asbestos or lead directly beneath the surface. As such, the dust that’s generated from the removal process can be toxic and dangerous to breathe in. Professionals are well aware of these risks and will bring the necessary safety gear to protect themselves during the job.

At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we make it our mission to provide a wide array of services to meet all of our client’s needs. This even includes the removal of something as specific as popcorn ceilings. Our professional interior house painters in Cumming, GA also specialize in this project and can do so in a safe and timely manner. So, not only can we get this job taken care of, we can repaint the ceiling as well.