How would you like to use your outdoor living space this year?It might not seem like an ideal time to plan spring projects involving your outdoor living spaces, but you’ll be ahead of the pack if you get started now.This is the time to think about how you’ll spend time in your yard this summer. If you love to entertain outdoors or spend time together as a family, this might be the year to add an outdoor kitchen. Or maybe it is time for new patio furniture. Of course, before you line up that next project, you’ll have to get rid of that clutter taking over your yard (or other spaces around your home).You’ll find plenty of opportunities for inspiration in the coming weeks with home and garden shows around the Valley and beyond. Here are some ideas to get started:BETTERLIVING SUNROOMS OF IDAHO
11915 W. Executive Drive, Suite A, Boise, 376-7075, www.betterlivingidaho.comMaureen Murphey loved her backyard patio, but she wanted to maximize the outdoor space. “It just wasn’t being used,” Murphey says. “It was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.” She contacted the folks at Betterliving Sunrooms of Idaho and decided to add an enclosed patio room in the summer of 2007. Now she finds it is the perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea while reading her newspaper in the morning. On a recent December day, she walked into the new patio room and noticed the thermometer reading was 75 degrees (without being heated from her home’s main heating source).”You’re right there. You can see the entire yard,” Murphey says.Rich Gustafson launched a Betterliving dealership in Boise in April 2007. Better-living has been in business for 60 years, but this is the first dealership to open west of the Rocky Mountains, Gustafson says. Gustafson, who represented Champion Windows for seven years, admired Better-living’s solid reputation around the country and decided to pursue the company in order to open a local dealership.”I watched Betterliving dealers throughout the country introduce new and innovative products that enhance the beauty and quality of patio rooms and conservatories,” Gustafson says.The company offers a wide array of high-quality options, such as sunrooms, patio rooms, free-standing garden houses, screen rooms and triple-pane replacement windows. Cost depends on size and the type of room, but most patio rooms range from between $15,000 and $30,000. Rooms can be built year-round, although most clients schedule projects in the spring and summer. Gustafson says clients who schedule projects in early spring or late fall can often enjoy the money-saving benefits of factory incentives.Design consultants meet with potential clients before projects are scheduled to make sure the project is ideal for the home and the people who live there. When considering a patio room or other Betterliving addition, clients should ask themselves how the room will be used (in order to determine what type of insulation is needed), how the room will be decorated, what kind of budget is available for the project and how the project will fit into the existing home (will it be compatible with the current roof design?). The ultimate goal is to make the room look as if it was always part of the home.”Patio room additions quickly become the most used room in the home,” Gustafson says.OUTDOOR KITCHENS OF IDAHO
7106 Ustick Road, Boise, 323-9421, outdoorkitchensofidaho.comJames Adams is an outdoor guy. He has owned The Nature Company for 19 years, and he was inspired to begin a second business more than a year ago because of his own love of cooking outdoors with his family. He launched Outdoor Kitchens of Idaho a year-and-a-half ago after he bought an outdoor kitchen and was disappointed when it fell apart a year later. He knew he could make sturdy outdoor kitchens people can count on, and he loved the idea of adding onto his outdoor-based business.One of the things Adams loves most about the concept of an outdoor kitchen is the endless possibilities that exist for each client. You can start with a simple cabinet with a couple of storage drawers and a built-in barbecue for around $2,500. Or you can customize your kitchen to include a refrigerator, gas grill and an elaborate beverage station. It can match your indoor kitchen, right down to the stainless-steel sink and granite counter, or it can be a simple cooking station.”It can be as simple or as detailed as you want,” Adams says.Once the temperature heats up, Adams receives a higher volume of calls from clients who want to plan an outdoor kitchen of their own. He makes room for those calls, but here’s a tip: The earlier you call, the more time you’ll have to plan the outdoor oasis of your dreams.”This is really the time when we can sit down with a client and spend hours,” Adams says.Adams encourages clients to really think about what they want because the kitchen should match the owner’s personality. During the summer months, Adams and his family will spend almost every night outdoors. They’ll cook meals together outside, taking advantage of the extra daylight and warm summer nights. But some folks will only use the outdoor space occasionally. Be honest about what you want and make decisions based on how you’ll use that outdoor space. Then you’ll be prepared when you speak with Adams, and together you can plan the outdoor kitchen that suits your needs.”Come in with an open mind. Then you can build a theme or idea together,” Adams says. Rian and Shelby Cook did just that when they met with Adams to create an outdoor kitchen in the fall of 2007. The Cooks wanted to revive the outdoor living they enjoyed when living in California and wanted to do some entertaining in their new West Boise home, built in May 2006. Their ultimate goal is to create a full outdoor living space, complete with a firepit, a water feature and large planters in addition to the outdoor kitchen that was finished in late November.”I do a lot of cooking, and I live off the grill,” Rian Cook says. Cook is a pilot with Federal Express and spends long stretches away from home. He originally considered building the kitchen himself but realized he would not be able to spend the time it required. A next-door neighbor hired The Nature Company for landscaping work, and Cook was impressed with the job. He was sold when he heard Adams also did outdoor kitchens.Adams worked with the Cooks to develop just the right plan, considering the couple’s lifestyle and personal taste. They decided to match features in the outdoor kitchen with the indoor kitchen’s features, including GE Monogram appliances, granite counters and tile backsplash.”His attention to detail is phenomenal,” Cook says.1-800-GOT-JUNK
1-800-468-5865, www.1800gotjunk.comSometimes the biggest hurdle to a home improvement project is the stuff taking up space in the area you plan to improve. Maybe it is a spare bedroom that has somehow turned into a storage room. Or perhaps your outdoor patio is packed with outdated recreation equipment, broken beach chairs and old barbecues.Ray and Heidi Rogers have seen it all through their business, 1-800-GOT-JUNK. The company will take away nearly everything except hazardous materials, and their service includes loading, hauling and any cleanup necessary. The GOT-JUNK crew once hauled a 1,000-pound safe out of the basement of a business.”Our main thing is the client shouldn’t have to lift anything,” Ray Rogers says. “They just point to what they want gone, and we take it away.”The Rogerses own the local franchise of GOT-JUNK. They launched the company two years ago in March after meeting with a franchise consultant. The couple met in Los Angeles but decided to move to the Treasure Valley, where they could be closer to Heidi’s family (she grew up near Twin Falls). They liked the idea behind the company and were eager to offer the service to folks in the Valley.”It’s a good feeling because we know we’re helping somebody out,” he says.There are more than 300 GOT-JUNK locations in countries around the world. A university student in Vancouver, B.C., began the business in 1989. Advertised as the largest junk removal company in the world, GOT-JUNK uses the same, easy-to-recognize blue trucks with green and white trim in each city.GOT-JUNK isn’t a moving company. The idea is to help clients clear away things they no longer need. The stuff it removes is then taken to the most appropriate destination - either the dump, a local charity (such as the Salvation Army) or a recycling center. The general criteria for what the company will haul away is anything two men can lift, Rogers says. Jobs have ranged from small, like a refrigerator, to large (remember that safe?). One job required six truckloads. Frequently removed items include old furniture, appliances, hot tubs and treadmills. Rogers’ company also helps offices clear out old equipment such as cubicles and desks.The company charges by volume, and rates vary by city, Rogers says. Locally, the minimum charge is $78 (this will usually cover a refrigerator or washer/dryer). The cost is about $748 for a full truckload. The cost includes everything involved in the process, including loading, cleanup, dump fees and sorting (if junk is donated to a charity or taken to a recycling center). People who want to schedule a pick-up call a toll-free call center, and Rogers says his company can often provide same-day service. How do you know what to haul away and what to keep? Rogers suggests using a simple formula.”If you haven’t seen it or used it for years, you’re not going to miss it,” he says.Chereen Langrill writes for Treasure Magazine and the Idaho Statesman. To offer story ideas or comments, contact her at cdlangrill@idahostatesman.com or 672-6733.
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