Exterior House Colors You Should Avoid Using at All Costs

Exterior House Colors You Should Avoid Using at All Costs

The last thing any homeowner wants to do is paint their home a color that devalues it. Don’t use colors that make your home look like the ’80s called and want their paint job back. Here’s a compiled list of exterior house colors you should avoid using at all costs.

Pink

Your house isn’t Barbie’s Dreamhouse; it’s a home that demands a color that turns heads and gives the home a clean appearance. Back in the 50s, many raved over using pink, but it’s now the color for dollhouses.

Some admire the dollhouse-like features of Victorian homes, but if your house isn’t Victorian-styled or an inspired one, don’t use pink. Instead, try repainting the trims of the home a more neutral pink, like dusty rose, if you have a brown or black exterior.

Yellow

Yellow’s a fun color to use, and people back in the day loved the way it looked on countryside homes and nestled-away cottages. It’s even made several appearances across social media. However, it doesn’t age well with the house.

Yellow’s too bright but fades fast and ages homes badly. So, avoid using this color if you can, but try going a shade or two brighter if you can’t.

Beige

Beige is very common but rather too familiar for some tastes. Medium-dark shades work pretty well with beige, like maroon. If your home is currently beige, or you want to attempt the color, try incorporating other fun colors to other parts of your home, such as the door.

A maroon or red door adds personality and immediately turns heads. For window frames, try going with a basic white. The windows are the eyes of your home, so add a bright white to help waken your home a little more and draw in more light.

Cream

Cream is a beautiful color, but it’s difficult to maintain during the winter, as it can make the outside look dirty. It’s possible to lift the paint with a deep blue on the door or window frames, but not by replacing the stain with a bluer shade.

Instead of using cream, try using a neutral-toned yellow. The cool yellow tones can lift the cream, creating a golden-like rim around the base of your home.

Green

Unless you are super creative, green won’t make your house look nice. In fact, green is one of the most challenging colors to pull off without the right foliage or accompanying colors on the door or windowpanes.

Depending on the shade, you need to be extra careful. For a dark green, color the trims with white paint.

Contacting a home exterior painting company can connect you to professionals who can give you an honest opinion of what colors to avoid using on your home’s exterior.

Every professional at Bear Mountain Custom Painting can provide you with ideas on acquiring the right palette set for your home’s outside walls. For more information on our exterior home painting services, contact us.

4 Ways To Integrate Brutalist Interior Design Into Your Home

4 Ways To Integrate Brutalist Interior Design Into Your Home

You’ve endlessly sifted through countless magazines, looking for the style that suits your lifestyle but also gives you an edge. We know that minimalism is a thing, and it is not very interesting after a while. However, minimalism has a sibling that’s a little edgier—meet brutal, your new favorite interior design. Let’s get a little creative in our current home decorations and find ways to integrate brutalist interior design into your home.

Stick With Seamless Design

Being seamless in everything, from furniture to wall décor, so you don’t want to add too much into the brutalist style. For instance, the home design style focuses on elements that lean on the same line as minimalism, such as clean lines and subtle design.

Since minimalism doesn’t expose too much, brutalism comes in to add a little bit more to help it appeal to a home’s modernity.

Incorporate Blocky Furniture

In industrial design, you may have noticed that the lines are clean, and the techniques heavily rely on big and plain furniture but cool to darker tones. Brutalism adopts some of those but makes the furniture choices bulkier.

In other words, you can find many of the elements used for furniture have points; the points create a visual that’s appealing from afar. Up close, though, the lines meld in, creating an unwarranted error into your minimalist home style.

When buying your furniture, focus on objects that have a bulky, square, or blocky-like form. These forms create contrast and add more depth to a minimalistic design.

Use Harsh and Distressed Surfaces

Block furniture’s not the only thing you want in your home; when adding in different textures, focus on rough and distressed surfaces. Brutalism is a way to accept imperfection into your otherwise perfect understated home.

Surfacing says a lot about how you introduce imperfection into the home’s theme. For vintage lovers, you’ll want to incorporate metal objects, such as mirrors and cast iron side tables. These elements seem simple, but they add an edge that makes the home feel like the best mix of hard and simple.

Focus on Colorless Paint Palettes

Paint is still an essential part of the brutalist minimalism home decor theme. The colors you pick won’t have insanely bright or dark hues.

Focus on using cool neutrals like charcoal, slate, and platinum. However, if you want to use gold, go for cool tones, such as daffodil or flaxen. These shades, among others, are achievable in your color palette, and many interior home painters in Cumming, Georgia can collaborate and find the best tones to meet your standards.

Focus your energy on not only learning how to integrate the brutalist interior design into your home, but also on finding inspirational photos and working with a designer on transforming your house.

Bear Mountain Custom Painting loves working with different home designs. The one thing we love even more is helping clients find the paint colors that suit them the best. For more information on our painting services, contact us here.

Signs Your Deck May Need Repair or Replacement

Signs Your Deck May Need Repair or Replacement

The outdoor deck is the highlight of every housewarming party. Not only is there extra room to sprawl out, but it provides you the opportunity to have a private space to go to when you want to relax. Don’t you think it’s time to check for any signs that your deck may need repair or replacement? You’ll know by looking over these indications.

Rotted Wood

The first obvious sign that the surfacing needs work or replacement is rotted wood. The first appearance of a rot problem is when soft spots show up on your panels. This phenomenon is called wood rot and can spread to more vulnerable areas, like the foundation, if you have an attached deck.

If you do catch the issue early, it’s possible to remove it with a screwdriver and some wood cleaner. If the rot doesn’t come out, you need to remove the boards and get new ones to prevent the wood rot from spreading.

Loose Floorboards

Floorboards can become loose if there’s enough traffic going through. It’s a common issue that’s easy to fix if you resolve the problem promptly.

The best thing to do is inspect the screws and see if they’ve rotted. If so, they need to be replaced. As mentioned above, loose floorboards are common, but they becomes a hazard if you don’t inspect and diagnose the problem and do something to treat the boards.

Weak Railings

To walk up and down safely, you need to have sturdy railings that will help prevent falls or other accidents. Your railings can suffer from problems. Like floorboards, stair railings can be replaced and fixed.

If your railings are bent or severely damaged, it’s better to replace the entire structure to make the stairs safer.

Rotted Posts

If you’ve noticed that the posts aren’t as durable as before, you likely need to replace them out before your outdoor deck falls apart.

A rotted-away post is a good indicator that you need to check the hardware. This is also an easy fix, but is better suited for a company with specialized Carpenters in Cumming, GA.

Bug Damage

The other cause of damage that requires massive tear downs and redo is bug damage. If you’re not preventative, bugs like termites and carpenter ants can chew away at your wood, weakening the durability of your surface.

If you notice hollow or sunken boards, it’s time to bring in a specialist who can look over the areas and replace them with new panels. You can prevent this by spraying the area down with insect repellent.

It’s essential to prevent insects from invading and even maintaining your deck when natural elements take over, which is why you need to be aware of these signs your deck needs to be repaired or replaced.

Bear Mountain Custom Painting can ensure that your deck looks new again through necessary repairs or replacements provided by our carpentry services. For more information on repairing your deck, contact our deck contractors in Cumming, GA.

Home Improvements That Can Make Your House Sell Faster

Home Improvements That Can Make Your House Sell Faster

Scrolling through countless pages of home selling websites, you ponder on why your house barely receives many saves, let alone any requests for a tour. From touring around the property to listing it, many don’t fully know why their house is not selling until a home inspector comes in and gives a brief list of the issues that are affecting your progress. Here’s a list of home improvements that can make your house sell faster. As always, if you would like a complimentary quote from our house painters in Alpharetta, or if need help with siding, roofing, concrete coatings and garage floors, and more, please get in touch.

Upgrade the Mailbox

Even if some don’t mind the look of your mailbox, others might pass on the house just because it’s a different shape, too far from the residence, or it’s in bad shape. More homeowners are opting for bigger mailboxes for other things like larger packages in the modern age, especially in the city.

If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to upgrade your post box, consider opting for a large one. Or try painting your current one or changing it out for a new design. Either way, you’re breathing new life into the property.

Paint Exterior and Interior

Painting either side of the home has a greater chance of a faster sale than upgrading your flowerbeds around the house. You love flowers as much as the next person, but try taking a step back and reevaluating your upgrade choices.

Now that you have a fair idea, it’s time to call our house painters in Cumming, GA who can bring the home back to life. Whether through beige or a steel gray, your home starts to make a fresher return to the competitive market.

Colors you need to consider painting your interior:

  • Gray
  • White
  • Beige
  • Almond

Colors for your exterior as well:

  • Black
  • Navy blue
  • Eggshell white
  • Green

Enhance Your Siding

Not only is painting the home on the table, but so is the siding. The home’s facing is a great way to tell the age of a home and how well a homeowner handles the upkeep.

For you to effectively sell your home for a price that meets or exceeds expectations, you better have the right siding to go along with the price tag.

No matter what you want to pick, a company offering siding installation in Cumming, GA can help get you started. By providing you with a list of the best materials, they help meet your price range and make the home more attractive to buyers. For example, vinyl will help sell the home faster than, say, wood siding, since it’s durable and easy to maintain.

The best siding options for your home:

  • Cement
  • Brick
  • Vinyl
  • Aluminum

Improve Your Curb Appeal

Other times, your house might not get noticed because of the array of items scattered about the porch and the overgrown grass that needs a good cut.

Since you have complete control over how your home looks, it’s a good idea to improve the landscaping and beef up the porch to create better chances of catching eyes.

Some ideas to beautify the outside of your home:

Declutter Your Home

A decluttered home is an obvious sign that you need to make some changes before selling your home. For starters, go room to room, dividing everything into separate piles, such as keeping, throwing out, donating, and yard sale. These piles help keep you organized and ready to carve the best home possible for potential buyers.

Clean

Right after decluttering, it’s time for the actual clean as you sort through everything. For example, start by scouring the main rooms, like the kitchen, living room, and main bedroom. These hot ticket items help give prospective shoppers an idea of how they envision every room to look.

Stage

All of your hard work eventually turns into staging the home. When setting up every room for the showing, focus on rearranging furniture that opens the floor and showcases how each room functions. For instance, the kitchen should have organized cabinets and clutter-free drawers, as well as an empty dishwasher.

Fence in Your Yard

Depending on where you live, you might benefit from fencing in your yard. A fence helps give the ultimate privacy upgrade for many that don’t want neighbors watching what’s going on in the backyard. This is also an easy project that garners plenty of attention from onlookers, especially if the fence is wood. We also offer fence staining in Cumming and the surrounding areas.

Change Out Your Garage Door

Repairing or replacing your garage door is an easy upgrade, and won’t burn a hole in your wallet, either. If you side with replacing, you have the chance to switch to an automatic garage door that can lift up and down at the push of a button, either on your smartphone or remote control.

A new garage door can enhance the home and make a significant improvement for your return on investment. Many car owners need a new reliable door that can open and close quickly, and that’s also easy to maintain. So, opting for a new door replacement on the garage might be worth investing in when considering selling your property.

Replace the Front Door

As far as modernizing your porch goes, Installing a new door in Cumming, GA always seems to make the terrace a more approachable place to be outside of the house. You can go on and on about placing in plants, but something about a door that’s up to code and standards can make any potential buyer quickly put in an offer.

So, make it a goal to go from a simple door that doesn’t attract much attention to a homeowner with a door many will enjoy talking about as the best feature in the entire home.

Here are benefits to installing a brand new door:

  • Save on energy costs
  • Better insulation
  • Many modern styles to pick from

Modernize the Kitchen

Not only do you need to organize the kitchen, but you need to add finesse upgrades to make the kitchen appear modern. For example, you can update by installing new lighting fixtures to add in more character or add extra storage near the cabinets.

Even splashing a new coat of paint can make the kitchen feel brand new. Here are other projects that add a ton of new advances for the next homeowner:

  • Appliance upgrades
  • New flooring
  • Crown molding
  • Brand new counters

With every one of the home improvements that can make a house sell faster, you want to pick the best ones that can help the place feel functional and the most valuable at your asking price. Don’t let the opportunity to improve your home’s quality pass by; every remodeling project helps add something better to what you already have.

You don’t need to push fast forward and rush your home onto the market. Take it one day at a time by utilizing the supreme home improvement services Bear Mountain Custom Painting has to offer. From house painting to installing new siding onto your Georgia home, contact us here for more information on enhancing the value of your home. From window installation in Alpharetta to concrete coatings and more, we would love to help.

Home Improvements That Can Make Your House Sell Faster
What You Need To Know Before Buying a Flipped House

What You Need To Know Before Buying a Flipped House

With every home remodel, there comes the chance of an issue unfolding. Many people jump at the opportunity to fix the problem, but others place a band-aid on the issue or hide it well enough that they hope no one will notice. Unfortunately, you won’t always get everything you desire in a newer home, which is why it’s important that you explore what you need to know before buying a flipped house.

Overanalyze Everything

We encourage you to overanalyze. Perhaps you were told when you walked through the door that the home was a mid-century turned modern home from the 1920s. However, upon closer inspection, you uncover a home hiding issues that have only been covered with a bandage.

When you’re house hunting for the right rehabbed home, it’s okay to nitpick about every detail. The one thing you shouldn’t do is get tricked into flashy upgrades that involve the home’s main focal points. Get down to the nitty-gritty by looking at the light switches, testing alarm systems, and checking the appliances.

Create a Checklist

Draw up a list of things to check in the home, especially if the house has an attic or basement. While writing your list, create a category for custom items; this will allow you to take notes on the previous owner’s changes to the property.

Additionally, include the following items, as they cost a lot to replace at a later date:

  • Doors
  • Windows
  • Insulation
  • Foundation
  • Customized rooms

Verify the Contractor

Ensuring that the contractor who helped flip the house is qualified, insured, and licensed can say a lot about whether the flip was a success or failure. Before placing an offer or getting too excited about having a backyard bonfire pit, look into the work history and perform a reference check.

Doing these things will remove any worry about whether the customizations or other parts of the flip violate local building codes.

Bring in a Home Inspector

If the home meets your needs, it’s essential to do one final walkthrough. Send an inspector from a qualified home improvement company in Atlanta to perform an inspection. They can inform you on what to fix. Knowing what needs fixing helps you weigh the pros and cons of the renovated home.

Look Over Permits

The last thing to do is look over the permits. Look into the local codes to ensure all changes were legal. If they were not, you may receive a fine and be forced to take the renovations down.

To protect yourself, go to town hall and speak with a building inspector to ensure that the home isn’t violating any codes. Also, check that the inspector was licensed and approved to make those modifications.

Now that you have what you need to know before buying a flipped house, you can confidently walk in understanding the risks of buying a rehabbed home.

There are so many different ways to flip a home, and it seems risky to move forward when you don’t know whether the property is a suitable investment. Bear Mountain Custom Painting can help break down the fear of buying or flipping your own house. For more information on our contracting services, contact us.

4 Reasons To Have Curved Windows Installed

4 Reasons To Have Curved Windows Installed

Whether you’re looking for a front-row view of spectacular scenery or a private place to sit with your morning coffee, you might want to consider adding a curved window to your home. Here are four reasons to have curved windows installed when you have the opportunity.

Natural Ventilation

A curved window sticks out from the side of the house, often in the form of three separate panes. Typically, the panes on either side are able to open, giving you a better chance of catching a cross-breeze.

Let more air run through the home when you contact your local Cumming, GA window replacement company and add this feature to your house. With curved windows, you can more effectively control the amount of air that enters your home, thus allowing for more natural ventilation when you need it.

More Light

Not only does airflow improve, but so does the amount of light that pours into your home. If you’re looking for any opportunity to let more natural light in, a curved window is a great way to achieve that.

More light can make any room appear bigger, and it also improves your mental health, so let it in every chance you get. Give our window replacement contractors in Buford a call for your complimentary quote.

Expansive Views

If you have a home with a great view, you have to take advantage of it. Start by installing a curved window, which can open your eyes a little more as you wake up every morning. By replacing your windows with a type that gives you a more cinematic perspective, you’ll have the best view on the block.

Fun Customization Ideas

Customizing your home is fun, but what’s even more fun is adding customizable seating to your curved windows. If you love devouring the best views with a special someone or pet, a custom window seat is the best addition you could make.

With these reasons to install a curved window in your home, you have a better idea of some of the benefits you could enjoy with a view many people would pay a lot to see. Take advantage of spectacular scenery with a curved window.

Whether you’re trying to freshen up your home’s look or want to change out the windows to save on energy costs, the curved window is a great option. At Bear Mountain Custom Painting, we can’t get enough of the curved window. Contact us here for more information about our window replacement in Alpharetta, GA. We are also known for our window replacement services in Johns Creek, GA, and we are the leading window contractors in Roswell, GA too.

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