Home & Garden
By: Rachel Dattolo
This time of year there’s more on people’s minds than just spring cleaning. It’s the time of year when home additions, new kitchens, bigger bathrooms and even backyard renovations come to mind. Tim Pedry, owner of Pedry Remodeling & Construction, is Edmond’s hometown expert on projects like these and he has a lot of advice for homeowners looking to give their houses a facelift.
Pedry, a remodeler and general contractor with almost two decades of experience in construction, opened his own business in 2005. The niche he aims for is simple yet elusive: quality. He loves the satisfaction that comes with thinking through a project and finding the perfect solution.
“I strive to surpass my customer’s expectations whenever possible,” says Pedry. “My quality of work is going to be the same whether I’m working on a house in Nichols Hills or on a house out in the country.”
Pedry’s first piece of advice for remodeling customers is an obvious but often overlooked one. Renovators should get at least three estimates for their projects. Many contractors, including Pedry Remodeling, will thoroughly check out a remodeling project and provide estimates for free. There’s no cost involved for homeowners that want to do
their homework.
It’s important, however, not to focus on just the lowest price tag. “Remodeling is expensive,” he says. “So expect it to be expensive. When you get a cheap bid, you’re either really lucky or – and this is the case most of the time – the contractors underbid the project.”
Underbid projects look like gold in the beginning. They turn into nightmares when contractors decide to abandon them halfway through because they’re not making enough money. Even worse, unscrupulous contractors cut corners, “bubble gumming” the project together to come in under budget. That means today’s renovation project becomes next year’s repair project.
Pedry’s comfortable highlighting trust as an important factor in contractor selection, as well. He receives the vast majority of his projects from referrals.
For more information about Pedry Remodeling, call 405-285-2625 or visit www.pedryremodeling.com.
By: Kathryn Spurgeon
Lawns are a big deal in Edmond. Lawn maintenance is practically a competitive sport in this town. Chase Dalvine, owner of The Curbing Edge, holds the strategy that will put your yard in the lead – and keep it there. Dalvine’s company specializes in custom curbing that gives a beautiful, finished and unique look to flower beds, patios and sidewalks.
Dalvine’s been helping homeowners improve their lawns since 2002. Unsurprisingly, he came up with the idea while walking through his neighborhood with his wife, Lynsey. Too many yards with no game caught his attention. “We thought we could do this kind of job on our own,” says Dalvine.
Not all yards are the same. Different lawns require different curbs, and Dalvine offers a wide range of curb styles. Match existing curb work or choose a unique look to set the foundations of future landscaping. The Curbing Edge offers over 20 proprietary stamp patterns and over 40 colors to choose from.
Curbing lawns adds more than aesthetic improvements. As a continuous, uninterrupted flow of extruded concrete, it provides an exceptional, maintenance-free barrier against unwanted weeds and grass.
Curbing sounds like a bigger project than it is. The Curbing Edge pours concrete on site, often limiting project completion to a day or less.
Dalvine’s number one priority is customer satisfaction. “We get a lot of business through referrals,” he says. “Our reputation is important to us.”
For more information, call 405-285-5525, email Dalvine at info@thecurbingedge.com or visit his web site at www.thecurbingedge.com.
By: Kathryn Spurgeon
Has the weather taken its toll on your roof? Spring weather in Oklahoma is brutal. With another storm season on top of us, Keith Elliott of Elliott Roofing has a few tips for homeowners looking to make sure roofs stay in good shape.
Carefully maintaining your roof is far less expensive than fixing water damage resulting from a faulty roof. There are several things homeowners can do to preserve the life of their roof.
First, clear rain gutters of debris. Doing so ensures that water stays out of the eaves. Water in the eaves will definitely damage the exterior of a house. If water makes it far enough into the eaves, homeowners will see interior damage as well.
Second, take a close look at your roof for missing shingles and ridge caps. Sounds obvious, but it’s often overlooked by many homeowners.
Third, roofs need ventilation. Make sure your roof ventilation works and that there’s enough of it. “Roof ventilation is achieved by installation of wind turbines, power vents, ridge vent and free flowing, low-profile vents. These allow your attic space to breathe properly year-round and reduce moisture build-up that damages building materials,” says Elliott.
Fourth, check the sealing on fireplaces, skylights and vents. Improper sealing and flashing in these areas can cause massive leaks that cause extensive water damage during the rainy season.
Fifth, in the event of storm damage to your roof, call a local, certified and insured professional roofing contractor. Beware of the fly-by-night roofers and roofing salesmen that visit after a storm. They can be here today and gone tomorrow, leaving you with no warranty on the work. Always ask for references, check their status with the Better Business Bureau and NEVER pay up front.
Sixth, think about materials. Some of the materials available today can save you up to 25 percent on your insurance premium, so ask for options.
For more information, call 405-789-4646 or visit www.elliottroofs.com.
By: Kathryn Spurgeon
Carol Ann Janning, owner of Granny Annie’s, first encountered the beautiful Simply Amish line of furniture her store carries during a trip to Amish country in Illinois. She and her husband immediately fell in love with it. They bought a dining room suite for their new home. Janning turned her love for that suite into a business.
“In addition to being guaranteed for a lifetime, our furniture doesn’t date,” says Janning. “We have heirloom quality furniture that makes your house a home not just for a lifetime, but for generations.”
After buying her dining room suite, Janning talked to Simply Amish about retailing the line. Having no distributors in the Oklahoma City area, they readily agreed. Granny Annie’s was the first exclusive dealer of Simply Amish in Oklahoma.
Simply Amish furniture is available in over 1,000 wood and stain choices – matching existing pieces in a home is a natch. This flexibility makes it easy to find pieces to fit in with any decor, match existing pieces or to use as a foundation for a new decor.
Janning likes to point out that Simply Amish furniture doesn’t date or fall out of fashion. “These pieces are made with yesterday’s traditions,” says Janning. “But they’re always in style and over time they only become classics.”
True craftsmanship is the hallmark of Simply Amish furniture. It’s handmade with solid wood and comes with a lifetime guarantee. Small, old-fashioned woodworking shops dot the Amish countryside where Simply Amish is made. Each piece of furniture is signed and guaranteed by the craftsman who makes it.
Says Janning, “This is more than a business to us. It’s a privilege to help people order new chairs to go with their grandmother’s dining room table – where family stories can be passed from one generation to the next, just like our furniture.”
Granny Annie’s is located at 912 N. Van Buren Ave. in Elk City. Call 866-456-9796 or visit www.grannyanniesamishfurniture.com for more information.
By: Kathryn Spurgeon
Antique shopping is like a modern day treasure hunt. And the thrill of the hunt is as much fun as the actual acquisition of a treasured piece. Erin Brown, owner of Lula Belle Chattel, holds the treasure map and “X” marks the spot.
Nothing adds instant character to home decor than than the right antique pieces. They also increase in value. Whether it’s the perfect country French sideboard, a vintage crystal chandelier or a pair of horse head bookends, one antique piece can transform a room from average to stylish.
Brown presents Lula Belle Chattel’s in a homey background, helping shoppers choose the right pieces for their homes. To ensure the best shopping experience, be sure to bring measurements and definitely don’t be afraid to ask Brown for help. Her store features a more eclectic mix than most, and the treasure hunt is as exciting for her as it is for the customer.
Brown knows the antique business. She has nine years of experience behind her. But it wasn’t
until last year that Brown found a business partner and opened Lula Belle Chattel. “We named our store after our grandmothers,” says Brown. “I always wanted to have a shop where people could come and enjoy beautiful surroundings in a place that feels like home.” After developing the idea of the store, Brown invited seven other dealers to join in the fun – and offer an unparalleled product mix.
Brown makes a point of getting to know her customers and learning their tastes. Regular
shoppers know that her recommendations are genuine.
Watch for Lula Belle Chattel’s outdoor flea market this summer, as well as open house parties with live music. The store is located at 507 S. Coltrane. To start your treasure hunt, call 405-513-7677 or visit www.lulabellechattel.com.
By: Don Booher
Let’s talk pools. Every home and its landscaping is unique. Homeowners have different tastes. They look for individuality, fun and functionality. With a little imagination and conversations with the right designer, these goals aren’t hard to achieve.
Many pool companies use a cookie-cutter approach to design. You drive a different car than your neighbor. Your lawn looks different from your neighbor’s. Your house is your own. Why build the same pool that everyone else has? Cut loose, separate yourself from the pack and make your pool your own – a leisure area special to you, your family and your guests.
A lot of thinking goes into pool design. Things to consider: size, color, the deck, the form and the depth. But the real key to a great pool is playfulness, usually achieved with a freeform pool.
The most commonly overlooked aspect of a pool is its deck. A comfortable, roomy deck leaves room for lounging furniture and gives plenty of room for entertaining guests. A 12’ x 8’ deck located close to the shallow end usually fits the bill – but doesn’t come with cookie-cutter pool packages.
Careful color selection can make the difference between a pool that reflects well and disguises dirt and a pool that looks out of place and murky.
More than 85 percent of a pool’s use takes place in the shallow end. A larger shallow section maximizes your pool’s potential. Couple that with sitting ledges and parents of young children have a comfortable place to relax while staying close to playing kids in the pool.
Pools with curved lines blend nicely into outdoor settings. Take the natural look a step further by placing boulders along the edges of the pool. They provide fun seating areas and safe jumping rocks for kids. Using natural ledges to replace ladders also gives the pool more of an outdoor experience feeling.
Don’t forget to consider add-on areas such as sun decks, swim-outs and step-outs. These are much easier to add during the initial construction phase than after the fact. Enhance them with lighting effects and nozzles to keep the water more active in these shallower areas.
Blending design and landscaping makes for a pool that fits the aesthetic feel of the larger picture provided by the house and the yard – and makes for a more enjoyable, usable pool that will more than pay for itself over the years with the fun it brings family and friends. For more information, call 405-844-224
