Category: Ideas & Inspiration

Starting a project can be a daunting task. From budget constraints and skill barriers to time management and the act of actually picking a project to pursue in the first place, it can all seem more than a little overwhelming. In reality, though, starting a project doesn’t need to be such a production. In fact, you can make a simple project at home—by choosing one of many easy home upgrades as your DIY project, you turn an at-home activity into work on the home itself. 

This transforms part of your place and either adds value or adds to your personal experience—or maybe even both. From upgrading your door and other exterior elements to adding a touch of style to your interior, here are some ideas to get you started!

 

Easy DIY Projects for Home

So, what are the easiest DIY home improvements? One thing’s for sure: you won’t be taking out walls or tackling major wiring or plumbing. Usually, when someone refers to easy home improvement projects, they mean projects that change or add small features to already established parts of your home. 

That should already address many of the barriers that stop people from taking up projects in the first place—whether it be the cost, complexity or commitment that hinders you from making at-home DIY, these easy projects can help you get over that hurdle and begin to check things off your home to-do list. 

 

Paint or Stain Your Front Door

Entryways are like the physical manifestation of a wave and a handshake put together and attached to the front of your home. As the first thing on display for those who visit the home, the entry greets you, your family members, and your guests, while also providing a statement to anyone looking on from the curb. As the focal point of most entryways, the front door may inform the rest of an entry’s aesthetic based on its color alone. That’s why applying a new coat of paint or a new stain to the exterior door can have a huge impact, changing up the entire look of your home’s primary entry.

A door stain kit, like the one available from Plastpro, should make buying materials and completing the process easy, as most kits will include everything you need to change up the look of your door. Just be sure to follow the instructions, as you’ll be working with chemicals when applying the staining agent. In the case of staining or painting a door, be prepared to allow the door some time to dry. This means being mindful of the day’s weather forecast, locking up pets who may stray outside and scheduling this project on a day when there isn’t much foot traffic around the front door of the home.

Despite the precautions, this project is so common because it’s worth it. In addition to the instant visual change a new stain or paint job provides, the door’s lifespan is increased by some newly added protection from the elements.

 

Check Your Door’s Weatherstripping

Out of all the proposed projects on this list, this may be the easiest DIY home improvement. It’s easier to complete on a cold day—this allows for easy evidence gathering. To begin, go to your door. Look around your door for light coming through and feel around the frame to see if you notice any cold air entering the home. Finally, rattle the door to see if it budges or any part of the frame shakes. If you notice gaps where your home’s protections against outside air aren’t as air tight as they should be, it’s time to go to work.

For stationary aspects of the frame, caulking is the way to go—and, if the look of the exposed caulk bothers you, it creates another home DIY project! When you’re working close to the actual door, use weatherstripping. Usually, this will have adhesive on one side for easy application. If you notice that the bottom of your door is letting air in, draft guards come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Overall, weatherproofing your door is a simple project with a big impact. 

 

Install Door Accessories

If for whatever reason you decide against painting or staining your entry door, there are other easy ways to add some flare or change the presentation of your front façade. Door accessories are easy home upgrades and can have you looking at your door in an entirely different light.

Functionally, strap hinges are a type of hinge that pulls a door closed—think kitchen cabinets or saloon doors. These types of hinges usually aren’t completely obscured and often feature large, ornate straps that stretch across the front of one of these self-closing doors. The straps have become so popular as a decorative feature that homeowners choose to apply hinge straps to doors without strap hinges. This can provide the door with a rustic or classic feel, depending on the aesthetic executed. 

Speakeasies are another easy-to-install door accessory option that adds personality without looking hokey or out of place. Named after the Prohibition era establishments that used these mechanisms to peep through doors and screen visitors before allowing them inside, speakeasies are tiny doors on a door that’re often reinforced with visible metal surrounding the perimeter. Speakeasies can either be vanity accessories or installed as usable methods of interacting with visitors. Given the multiple front door security options that modern technology affords homeowners—and the ease of installation of a vanity speakeasy compared to one that swings open—this easy DIY home project is easiest when the speakeasy doesn’t actually work.

Other accessories that could be utilized to change a door’s look include clavos and dentil shelves. Clavos are nails with abnormally large heads used to add detail to doors meant to look rustic, while dentil shelves are protrusions decorated in an ornate fashion that’re mostly found under doorlites—which are another great way to add character to a door. Doorlites are glass sections of a door that can raise the amount of indoor lighting a home gets and allow for a better view of what’s going on outside your doorway. Sidelites are very similar and run alongside the vertical edges of a door. 

 

Add Wall Planking

Do you have a room with walls in need of a refresh? Instead of turning to paint or wallpaper, imagine the space redefined by wall planking.

Planking and paneling are classic ways of bringing elegance and individuality into a home, with the various design and color options available making it a viable stylistic option for a wide range of homeowners. Planking kits are available, making this at-home DIY option as easy as it could possibly be to install, and completing the task will reward you with a space that feels refreshed and renewed.

 

Scrap Wood Possibilities

No matter what it was before, the right piece of scrap wood can become something new and useful. For example, usable parts of an old door could be cut into shelving for a closet space or wall shelving that can hold up surround sound speakers, family photos or other display-worthy objects. Wood may also be repurposed into coffee or side tables, ottomans, benches and other useful pieces of furniture. Other than paying for the materials to refinish, cut and piece together the wood, the only limits on a project like this are your own imagination—while it comes to simple cuts like straight shelving, skill shouldn’t be too much of a factor.

 

DIY Home Improvement Projects vs. Home Remodeling

While the projects listed here may technically be small home remodels because they change and renew things about a home, they aren’t remodels in the traditional sense. The term home remodel is mostly used in reference to projects that involve large-scale changes which greatly impact the appearance or functionality of a home. For example, the removal of walls, the replacement of kitchen cabinets and the addition of new rooms are all home improvement projects that could take multiple days or weeks and probably require the assistance of a professional. 

DIY home improvement projects are small scale compared to remodels and can be done spontaneously around the house if you’re bored. They can typically be completed in less than a day and mostly result in cosmetic changes to a home. That isn’t to say they aren’t important, though—refreshes on some things around the house can prevent injury or the rise of larger problems later down the road, and loving the look of your home or switching up something that’s become stale can do wonders for your mental health. 

 

Easy Home Upgrades with Plastpro

Plastpro provides plenty of products for use in at-home DIY projects, like kits for wall panels, door accessories and doorlites. If you’d like to go a little further and do a complete door replacement, Plastpro has you covered there, too. Our fiberglass doors are a safer, more energy efficient option when compared to wooden and steel doors. Plus, they can be customized to fit a wide range of frames, colors and styles. That means that they can be used to compliment your existing entryway or serve as the starting point for an entire front porch refresh!

 Check out Plastpro’s line of fiberglass doors to begin your door replacement journey or visit our where to buy page to discover the most convenient place to purchase Plastpro’s entire catalog of products. 

Keeping your home on-trend isn’t always an easy task. Different looks are constantly coming into style, and each new movement comes with a slew of new ideas that can help transform your home inside and out. That’s why sustainable home design is such an interesting trend—it goes against the short-lived nature of a trend by promoting changes that have long-lasting impacts on a property and its surrounding ecosystem. 

For the homeowner serious about sustainable living, these trends will either become semi-permanent fixtures of the household or frequent family habits that can help you put sustainable home design ideas into practice.

 

What is Eco-friendly and Sustainable Home Design?

Have you decided to be more cognizant about how your everyday life and habits impact the world around you? Do you want to make improvements to your home so its energy footprint shrinks? Do you just want to stay on trend and utilize the sustainable design movement to keep your home looking stylish until the next aesthetic begins taking hold? Whatever your reason, you’ll need to understand the concept if you want to put it into practice.

A sustainable home utilizes materials that have little-to-no impact on the world outside the home either while they’re being made or while they’re serving their purpose. Sustainable design expands that mindset to the materials that make up the home’s interior. Attention to detail in this regard will allow homeowners to remain on trend and continue to lessen their impact on their environment.

 

What Makes a Home Environmentally Sustainable?

Whether you’re retrofitting your existing property for sustainability’s sake or you’re crafting an entirely new space with an eye towards sustainability from the start, there are a number of ways to lessen the impact you and your family will have on the environment. Four features most homeowners focus on are utilizing green building materials from eco-conscious manufacturers, practicing eco-friendly window design, utilizing technology to lessen their impact, and deploying sustainable elements inside the home.

If you’re striving to build a sustainable house, you’re going to want to pay attention to the percentage of recycled content in your building materials. Focus on this for jobs that call for a large amount of the same thing, like glass for countertops, wood for construction lumber and carpet for flooring—though any mindful change can have a positive impact, no matter how small.

Reclaimed or reconstituted wood can also be used for flooring, but if you do go with new materials for your floors, consider bamboo. The grass that bamboo flooring is made from grows quickly, so the amount that was taken to make that floor is easily replenished. With the cost of lumber rising in recent years, bamboo has become an affordable alternative that’s better for the environment.

Some people are set on incorporating the newest of the new in every aspect of their home. It may be because terms like “post-consumer” and “reclaimed” influence their thought process and cause them to think these materials are somehow weak or dirty compared to materials purchased new. However, modern technology allows professionals to revisit these materials and make them like new. They should be considered right alongside any other material for both their cost effectiveness and their lessened impact once put to use in place of something brand new.

 

Sustainability Ideas for Your Home’s Exterior

Other investments that pay for themselves most likely involve weatherproofing, like minimizing heat loss and cold penetration caused by a home’s windows. Exterior doors are also a great place to make improvements that directly impact sustainability. Doors let the elements in when they’re open, but they’re also inherently less compatible with sustainability than a stationary wall because they can’t be equipped with the same sort of protections against the elements. That’s why it’s important to look for an exterior door that contributes to a sustainable lifestyle instead of complicating it.

At Plastpro, we are committed to promoting sustainability by producing environmentally-friendly products. We define this as balancing our environmental, economic, and social goals to create products that meet the needs of today without compromising the future. Our fiberglass doors are an excellent green alternative, as they are not only durable and long-lasting, but also energy-efficient and eco-friendly.

Our proprietary foam core is not only highly insulating, serving as great weatherproofing, but also compliant with the Environmental Protection Agency’s SNAP 20 regulations for cleaner air. It contains no Volatile Organic Compounds and uses more sustainable alternatives for foam blowing agents whenever possible, including both zero-ozone-depleting and low GWP blowing agents.

In addition, Plastpro doors are built to last. Their durable lifespan requires less maintenance, which can account for a significant portion of your home’s budget over time. Overall, our fiberglass doors are a natural choice for environmentally-conscious consumers seeking green, sustainable building materials.

 

Sustainability Ideas for Your Home’s Interior

Choosing eco-friendly building materials is a great way to make a large, immediate impact, but this philosophy can be applied inside the home and produce similar results—even if it takes a little longer to notice it.

Replacing appliances with energy efficient counterparts is another investment that gradually pays for itself by dropping the overall power consumption of your home. If you’re appliance shopping and sustainability is high on your list of deal breakers, just look for the Energy Star certification on any product’s packaging. This is an easy way to tell if you’re considering an efficient purchase.

Utilizing repurposed materials inside is just as important as including them in your building plan, but also be sure to utilize items that are non-toxic and organic. Organic isn’t just a buzzword popularized so companies can charge a little more—it’s a product feature that can improve the air quality in your home and limit your family’s exposure to dangerous chemicals.

 

Sustainable Home Design Trends for 2023

Trends are often talked about in terms of aesthetic design, but don’t underestimate technology’s ability to popularize movements in our modern world. Electrical use is an obvious area where improvement can occur, but technology’s sphere of influence also includes water preservation, which is made even easier by the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense branding. Look for it on toilets, faucets and other fixtures that utilize water in and around the home, and consider replacing anything that’s out of date.

Ideas can be another lens for trends, and they can impact more than just the home. In our minds, living a sustainable, responsible lifestyle is directly correlated to living a healthy, mindful one. 

For example, cutting down on the wasteful use of resources can be coupled with cutting down on purchases involving wasteful packaging, creating two direct points of environmental and personal impact. Other principles include using your land effectively and with little-to-no impact on local wildlife, being mindful of community cultural values, and supporting local food vendors.

You could consider becoming your own food vendor, too! Gardens are a great hobby and can provide you with fresh ingredients. Just look into local laws before adding animals, like chickens, to your sustainability plan.

 

Making Your Home Environmentally Friendly Without Renovations

The most environmentally-friendly home style is called a passive home. They’re designed and built to use little-to-no electricity, with technology and design sense that achieves that goal with minimal impact on both the environment and the homeowner’s everyday routine. It isn’t easy to achieve such a feat, as passive homes have features that must be built in from the start—or require in-depth installation projects—like heat recovery ventilators, advanced insulation, and well-executed ventilation and air circulation systems. 

You may not be able to fashion a passive home from your existing dwelling—or your existing budget—but you can take steps to improve you and your property’s existing relationship with sustainability.

Installing smart technology is a great way to lessen your home’s environmental impact—and lower your utility bills. It’s no coincidence that technology used to give homeowners more control over their homes grew in popularity as the sustainability movement began to take hold, and now, homeowners can install smart bulbs, switches, thermostats, and more, with the aim of living more comfortably while also having a better grasp on the energy usage of the home. Outside of technology, homeowners can weatherproof doors and windows or utilize natural advantages like sunlight to lessen the need for artificial temperature control.

Another way to save on energy and lower your everyday consumption of resources is by installing solar panels on your property. Every year, personal solar power grows in popularity—which has caused prices to continually drop while panel technology continually improves. This investment can pay for itself, and with increased battery life and panel output, it does so faster than ever before.

 

Sustainable Home Design for DIYers

If you’re an accomplished DIY completionist or you’re just looking for a weekend project, there are a number of ways you can utilize that drive to make your home more eco-friendly.

Repaint parts of your home with paints that emit fewer toxins, creating a healthier environment for your family. Redecorate your space with live plants—this will also impact air quality, but this replaces the need to purchase a new batch of throwaway decorations made from questionable materials. After they expire, the plants can either be repurposed as dried decorations or used as compost!

Use locally sourced materials to build new furniture, shelving or decorations.

Take the design mindset outside and replant your yard with native plant life. Replace any lights with low energy options and be sure to utilize environmentally-friendly paint if you’re taking on any outdoor projects. If you live in an arid area, reconsider the role greenery has in your lawn care.

 

Accomplish Your Renovation Goals with Plastpro

Utilizing local, natural or reclaimed materials is ideal in certain areas of your home, but the front door’s ability to let the environment—and other people—into your living space means that the best option may not be something like wood or repurposed steel. Fiberglass doors keep heat in better than either of the aforementioned options, they require less maintenance and they withstand more punishment before they’re compromised. They may not be made from local materials, but they have a positive impact on sustainability.

Plastpro’s fiberglass doors go one step further by including a foam core, which steps the door’s sustainability up to the next level. Not only does the foam core make for a sturdier door, it also helps keep utility costs low and helps decrease energy consumption. To explore your fiberglass door options, contact a Plastpro dealer in your area.

 

For some, the prospect of remodeling their entire home may seem daunting. Time, energy, cost, impact on living arrangements—there’s no shortage of concerns to consider, but that doesn’t mean the results won’t be worth it. After all, there are reasons why so many people choose to remodel their current homes inside and out over opting to purchase new ones outright. So, how can you put yourself in position to succeed during your whole home remodel journey? It all begins with being prepared and formulating a plan.

 

Prioritizing Your Whole Home Renovation: Creating a Plan

 

Know Your Destination

If you’re doing a whole home remodel, where to start that process may not initially seem clear. Formulating a plan should be your first step when remodeling your home. Working towards a plan helps clear the fog from a large-scale project like whole home renovation and will allow you to make sound decisions from the start of the process. Plans are also important because they establish a goal and set a destination. Each of your decisions should be made in service of that goal. 

While planning your project, there are a few key points to remember that may otherwise go overlooked. If you’re remodeling for a specific timeframe or event, the scope of your project may be restricted by those parameters. Start from your target and move backwards, keeping at least a few weeks open for any unforeseeable hurdles. You can help put those potential setbacks in focus by talking to others who have either had remodeling work done to their home by someone else or completed remodeling projects themselves. Their insight can be extremely valuable to your planning.

 

Keep Your Bases Covered

Once you have a goal in mind, it’s time to do the legwork that’ll help your project find success.

If you’re using a contractor, ask for proof of liability insurance, client references, and before-and-after photographs of previous jobs. Don’t just go with the first contractor, either. Seeing multiple examples of work and multiple ways professionals approach jobs can help you decide what you do or don’t want from a contractor—or from the remodel itself. 

After you have a plan and you’ve either hired a professional or have the skill set to finish the job yourself, you should obtain the necessary paperwork and permits from local officials. 

 

Budgeting and Financing Your Whole Remodel

One of the main factors that’ll impact every phase of your whole home remodel is the project budget. 

There are three main ways to finance a project like this: pay for everything out of pocket, refinance your home, or apply for a construction loan or other type of loan and pay for the project over time. In order to figure out how much you’ll need for the remodel, create a spreadsheet that features a tab for each phase of your project.

 Then, estimate preparatory costs like designing plans, performing inspections and obtaining the aforementioned permits. Once this is done, begin contacting vendors and researching the costs of materials. Put those estimates together and try to make changes to fit into your budget. 

It’s usually more budget friendly to remodel an existing house than build a new one—in fact, even the most extensive remodel can cost up to 50% less than purchasing a similarly-sized home. Those costs aren’t easy to estimate for everyone, as each home’s dimensions and materials are different, and each homeowner’s needs must be taken into consideration. 

However, it’s fair to estimate that rooms with plumbing connections and all the necessary requirements surrounding them will cost approximately $100 to $250 per square foot to renovate. These spaces aren’t just built to keep plumbing safe and unseen, they’re also built so the sinks, showers, bathtubs and toilets being used are comfortable, accessible and able to successfully stop water from damaging other parts of the room. This means these rooms require more attention—sometimes more materials, too.

These rooms can be some of the most important rooms in your home. Kitchens and bathrooms are spaces where homeowners take care of basic human needs. At the least, they should be functional. Ideally, they’ll also be welcoming and help homeowners start their days off right. Preferences in kitchen furniture and storage, as well as bathroom amenities, will change the cost of your remodel.

Rooms without direct connections to plumbing, like bedrooms, living rooms, and game rooms, can be significantly less to remodel—about $10 to $25 per square foot. The price of both rooms with plumbing and rooms without goes up when a contractor is introduced to the project. Prices on older houses will be higher, too, since more will need to be replaced, work will be more delicate to complete, and materials matching the original work will be harder to come across. A lot of older homes also feature ornate, decorative features that may need to be replicated by a professional and will impact the budget. 

Regardless of the type of home or the scope of the project, $100,000 should be enough to do some impactful work to any home. However, it may not be enough for a whole home remodel, given the large number of factors at play in a large-scale renovation’s final cost. 

 

DIY vs Professional for Home Renovation

A whole home remodel is a tall task for any one person or group of people to take on, especially if they don’t perform this type of work on a regular basis and at a professional level. Sure, an experienced DIY project completionist can most likely wrap their head around most remodeling projects, but if there isn’t a lot of construction experience there to supplement that justified confidence, things could go awry. 

In order to safely and successfully complete a whole home renovation, you’ll need to adhere to your local building, plumbing and electrical codes, while also making sure to preserve the integrity of any load-bearing walls. You’ll also need to put a number of different skills to use to complete every aspect of the remodel.

If you’re going the DIY route, you’ll still want to enlist the assistance of an architect. However, if you choose to go with a contractor, that isn’t to say the project is completely out of your hands. Contractors are usually okay with homeowners who tackle basic steps in a project, including demolition. This can help you take ownership of the remodel while also saving some money since you’ll have some of the work taken care of. 

 

Getting Started with Whole Home Remodel: Exterior Projects

Some of your highest return on investment projects can be found outside the home, like working on roofing and siding or replacing garage doors. 

Replacing a front door can be a relatively easy remodeling project that can be completed either independently or as part of a larger whole home renovation. If you decide your door needs to be replaced, you can install it yourself or choose to widen your front door’s frame and install an entirely new size of door. 

No matter the project, be sure to time it correctly with the weather—you don’t want to be outside on a ladder when it starts to rain or snow. 

 

Getting Started with Whole Home Remodel: Interior Projects

If you’re going for an interior whole home renovation and you aren’t sure in what order you should remodel your house, it’s recommended that the kitchen be the first room to receive a makeover. Remodeling a kitchen can increase your home’s value anywhere from 50% to 80%, making it another great way to add to your asking price—especially if you plan to go to market soon and your renovations are trendy and modern. 

After the kitchen, consider costs when choosing your next renovation target. Bathrooms will have similar requirements and costs, but making modern upgrades to main relaxing and living spaces will help improve the quality of life for you and your family. 

 

Whole Home Renovation Quick Tips and Best Practices

There are some precautions you can take to make sure remodeling on this scale won’t otherwise negatively impact your life.

Check with contractors to see if you should arrange alternate living arrangements for any or all parts of a remodel. Also be sure to pack up any valuables that sit in potential construction areas. Inside the home, create a sort-of home base kind of section where plans, tools, materials and other things integral to the remodel can be kept.

 Finally, be sure you have a clear vision before a remodel begins. Spend time in a space and formulate an approach that makes it your own. Maximize space with unique storage and furniture options or impose your personality over all else. This is your remodel. Own it.

 

Renovating with Plastpro

One way you can own that remodel is by replacing your door with a sustainable option from fiberglass door manufacturer Plastpro. Fiberglass doors require less maintenance, withstand more punishment and trap heat better than their wooden and metal competitors. This gives them a longer lifespan and a larger impact on your home. 

Once you have some idea of how you’d like to remodel your entryway or just replace your current door, find a Plastpro dealer who can walk you through the process and help you choose the right door for your space. 

Spring is a time of renewal—nature rebounds from the winter months and returns rejuvenated, ready to begin anew. A lot of folks will take inspiration from this seasonal reset and apply the same principles to their home life, utilizing the beginning of spring as motivation to complete various indoor projects. This results in everything from cleaner, tidy spaces, to completely rejuvenated or reimagined areas of a home. 

Spring cleaning doesn’t need to stop at your house’s walls, though. The outside of your home, exterior doors and windows and the property that surrounds it just experienced a months-long battle against the elements, and some outdoor spring cleaning may be just what it needs to reset for the warmer months.

Why Spring Cleaning is Important

Whether you’re a business owner, property manager or working homeowner, free time probably feels like a resource that’s in short supply. You want to utilize it the right way, and cleaning or repairing things around the house or the property surrounding it may fall behind other things on that list. 

However, don’t overlook the impact clean spaces that receive proper maintenance can have on your mental and physical health. Cleaner spaces mean less clutter weighing on your mind and less worry when guests visit. Proper maintenance means less chance of injury and less opportunities for small problems to balloon into large ones. This applies to outdoor spring cleaning just as well as its indoor counterpart—especially since the outside of your home is on display for all to see.

Outdoor Spring Cleaning Checklist

Cleaning inside presents a defined question. There are specific spaces within your home and they’re mostly protected from the outside elements, so the parameters of that question usually don’t change unless something really goes wrong. The mess is what it is and that’s what you’re dealing with. When the question of how do you clean outside springs to mind, though, it may initially seem like a daunting task. For the most part, things outside are outside your control, and the urgency or size of planned projects can change on a day-to-day basis. Setting a timetable and prioritizing tasks can go a long way towards turning that mountain into a molehill.

When should you start spring cleaning outside? Look at the weather forecast and choose a prolonged period when the weather breaks and conditions are ideal for outside work. Once again, it may be hard to carve out free time for outdoor spring cleaning, but try to prioritize it during favorable weather.

What should be on your spring cleaning list? Maintenance that impacts the integrity and safety of your home should take top priority, but it’s called spring cleaning for a reason, so don’t forget to work on tasks that make you feel good about the way your home greets you, your loved ones, and your visitors, too. 

A New View

As spring sets in, the number of dreary days on the calendar decreases and gives way to sunlight. If you want a good view of all that greenery, you’ll want to wash your windows.

Make sure to wash both the inside and outside to completely remove smudges and debris, while screen cleaning is also a must for that truly clean feel.

Front Door

During the winter months, the elemental impact on the exterior portions of your home can be exacerbated by harsh conditions. Precautions like overhead coverings and screen doors may help your front door in its battle against the elements, but it isn’t immune from feeling winter’s bite—and it doesn’t help that front doors aren’t able to receive the added protection that other, stationary parts of the home can be equipped with.

That means a quality front door should be on your radar—one that ensures prolonged durability while keeping the harshest weather from impacting the comfort you seek inside your home. Thanks to the materials used to construct Plastpro’s fiberglass doors, they’ll stand sturdy against weather wear and tear for years to come while also adding to the environmental sustainability of your home. 

Consider replacing a door that has become drafty or may be showing outward signs of wear. If you already have a fiberglass door, refresh its look by cleaning it or changing up its color with a new stain kit. Lastly, while spring cleaning is the topic at hand, there are measures you can take to make sure your door looks great year-round, whether it’s spring or not.

In addition to the door itself, you can renew your entryway with new light fixtures, new furniture or new decorations. Experiment and get creative while highlighting the strong points of your home!

Check Your Deck

That first deck hangout of the season feels great, but it’ll feel better if your deck is clean, safe and ready for what your family or visitors may throw at it.

Start by turning your attention to the deck itself, sweeping any sort of unwelcome dirt and debris that may have accumulated during the winter. Depending on the circumstances, this step may require a pressure washer. Make sure you pay attention to the state of the deck, too, as any portion that’s beginning to look unsafe should receive attention before anyone’s allowed to utilize the space. 

Next, clean any furniture that may have been left out during the cold. Whether the furniture was left in the elements or is being put back onto the deck from out of storage, be sure to look it over before putting it into another full season of use.

Finally, you can refresh this space with new furniture, updated decorations, or by applying new treatment to the wood. You can also upgrade the utility of your deck by adding useful fixtures like a grill or an outdoor bar.

Clean Your Gutters

Gutters are a great tool for the safe management of rainwater and melting snow, but if they’re blocked, the runoff from your roof could go unchecked and cause issues. Winter storms are great at moving plant matter and other potential problems causing materials into your gutters, so be sure they’re clear before the rain sets in.

If you’re going to handle this yourself, be sure to have a friend or family member spot you as you climb the ladder and clear away as much material as you can. Be sure to wear gloves, too. After you’ve cleared as much as possible with your hands, use a hose with high pressure settings to clear the rest. After you’ve cleared your gutters, make sure water can flow through the complete circuit and deal with any clogs you may find.

Garages

Now that you can open your garage door without letting in below freezing temperatures and biting winds, it’s time to clear out any of the clutter that may have accumulated. Get rid of unused activity-related equipment to make room for new items that could inspire your next summer obsession, clean the floor and any cobwebs so the garage is safe and welcoming, check the integrity of your garage door, and properly clean springs with motor oil or machine oil—don’t use grease.

Gardens

You’ll probably need to remove weeds from most of your yard’s decorative aspects, but doing so in your garden is important—you only want your chosen few to thrive there and reap the benefits of your care. Scan your garden for dead annual plants and remove them, trim the poor perennials and introduce any new plants you may have come across. 

Along with weeding, prune your evergreen and remove a plant’s deader bits to help it grow during the warm months ahead.

Upgrading Your Home’s Exterior Appeal with Plastpro

A new front door is a fast way to change up the entryway of your home, adding to its curb appeal and making certain that your spring begins with a positive change. Plastpro’s fiberglass doors can be matched to most home designs and fitted to most door openings while simultaneously supplying the energy efficiency, impact protection and general longevity of a fiberglass door. Find a dealer to explore your Plastpro fiberglass door options, and finish installation before summertime starts!

It’s one of the most popular, time-tested home styles in America, but which attributes make a home a craftsman home—and why is it so sought after? The reasons for this and the history of the architecture style itself are critical to understanding both a craftsman home’s appeal and its staying power.

 

What is a Craftsman House?

A home made with the craftsman look in mind promotes the innate style that can be found in the most simplistic designs. On the exterior, these homes will usually put a fully-covered front porch front-and-center, accentuating the space with pillars and other handmade decretory elements. Often, other aspects of the home will seemingly sprout up around and behind that first entry door focal point.

Accents on that porch and other parts of the home are brought to life with exposed natural materials like wood and stone—preferably the same materials found in the region surrounding the home. A craftsman home also showcases double hung windows, putting the emphasis on the decorative and presentational aspects of a house feature that’s usually defined only by its functionality.

On the inside, designers of these homes will put natural wood in the forefront with all design decisions, opting to create a welcoming atmosphere using richly-toned wood that gives each space a deep, lived-in feel. Walls adorned with wide, exaggerated wooden trim give way to wood floors obscured only by the occasional throw rug, if at all. Walls may be wood paneling or simple solid colors, feature inlays used for shelving, and include built-in furniture that can act as anything from a mudroom to a reading nook.

That sort of adaptability can be found throughout the home—if a room doesn’t have an obvious use like a kitchen or bathroom, they’re usually not tailored to one specific purpose and can be furnished and refurnished to fit a family’s changing needs.

 

The History of Craftsman Houses and Architecture Style

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, England and the United States were in the midst of an Industrial Revolution, an unprecedented era of innovation and automation unlike anything the world had seen before. In direct response, a counterculture rose up in England that came to be known as the arts and crafts movement—a focus on handmade goods created with local materials. It isn’t quite the same as the current push towards supporting small business as opposed to big box stores, but if you’re drawing those parallels, you’re getting the idea. 

The aesthetic of a craftsman home was born out of the American appreciation for the arts and crafts movement. The country’s own Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and an easy place to counter that push towards modernization was at home, where the assembly lines and mass production couldn’t follow. Americans in the architecture, interior design, landscaping and crafting fields took cues from across the pond and built craftsman homes. 

The name itself references The Craftsman, a magazine started by furniture maker Gustav Stickley. Stickley was a proponent of the craftsman style and embodied it in his furniture making. Consequently, his magazine also promoted the movement’s positive points and eventually began publishing designs for entire homes based on its principles.

 

Features that Define Craftsman Homes

The focal point of most craftsman homes is the front door, which can be found at the end of a fully-covered porch. That covering of a craftsman style door features a low, often ornate gabled roof held up by tapered pillars, with the style echoed throughout the exterior of the home. In other parts of the exterior, you’ll find exposed features of the home, such as beams, that are used to emphasize the intended natural look.

That natural look is further expanded on by the wooden siding typical of craftsman homes. The homes were usually painted in rich, welcoming tones that could be described as earthy, but today you’ll see these homes presented in a wide array of colors. Speaking of presentation, aspects presented in craftsman homes can also be found in the prairie style homes popularized by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as the modern rustic movement.

When it comes to those double hung windows, they’ll usually be as large as possible, with ornate accents that don’t encroach on the window’s given purposes of providing light and a line of sight.

The interior’s welcoming, multifunctional spaces are laid out in an open floorplan that prizes functionality over the ornate and lavish. In many ways, the craftsman style was as much a pushback against the Victorian home as it was a response to the ways the Industrial Revolution changed society. For the most part, craftsman homes were found in middle class neighborhoods, an evolving socioeconomic demographic with needs that differed from those who traditionally occupied those sorts of dwellings. The interiors of craftsman style homes were designed to serve that need, while the exteriors were designed to make a statement.

 

Craftsman Home Exterior Design Ideas

Just like the interior, the unexpected can be utilized to transform a craftsman home’s outside and help it either stand out amongst other similar structures or better reflect the personality of its owner. Painting the outside in one of the aforementioned unorthodox colorways can add a touch of modernity to a craftsman style home. Splashes of color can be utilized elsewhere, such as the roofing, pillars or front porch. 

You may also look for inspiration in the roots of the craftsman style itself. Remodel your porch to incorporate more local stone and wood. Utilize that stone in your landscaping, install new windows that adhere to the established style, or add new ornate decorations to be included in various focal points of the home’s exterior. You could also transform the home’s main focal point with a new craftsman style door.

If you aren’t comfortable with construction or don’t want to pay for the job to be completed by professionals, changing the exterior of a craftsman style home doesn’t necessarily have to involve installation of any kind. Porches can be adorned with decorations that enhance your home’s curb appeal, while every inch of your property offers the opportunity to tie features and structures to the home’s architectural style.

 

Craftsman Home Interior Design Ideas

If you’re looking for ways to mix up the interior of a craftsman style home, there’s one question that should drive all of your decisions: how far are you willing to go? 

Paint can be utilized to add a new dimension to your rooms, but the best choices for these kinds of homes are usually very light or very dark colors. These colors work well with the rich woods they’ll be paired beside. You can also use paint to highlight unique architectural features or denote specific spaces in a room, such as a reading nook.

The talk about this home style’s open floor plan and multi-purpose rooms isn’t for nothing, either. If you have an open home and you’re open to rearranging its contents, you can spend the afternoon giving yourself a brand new interior layout. You may find that you’ve improved the flow of your home, begun utilizing old spaces for exciting uses, or put some separation between loud rooms and quieter ones.

Within a strongly established style like a craftsman home, there’s also room to artfully utilize the unexpected. It isn’t easy, but certain desks, chairs, or other pieces of furniture that seem like they shouldn’t fit the style can become loved fixtures beside that lived-in look. Since the style has ingrained itself so deeply into American architecture, the purpose of the unexpected piece should be perceived well, like a new take on the aesthetic instead of an out-of-place, poor decision.

 

Explore Home Renovation with Plastpro

One of the best ways to modernize a craftsman style home—or any style home—is by replacing its front door. Plastpro’s fiberglass doors modernize a home’s existing amenities by adding energy efficiency, impact protection and door longevity the moment it’s installed. However, just because they’re made with modern materials and technologies doesn’t mean they need to modernize the look of your home.

Plastpro’s fiberglass doors are tailored to a number of existing architectural styles and present as everything from strikingly classic wood to a modern monochrome. They can also be custom ordered to fit a variety of frame sizes, making them a great option for door replacement on a wide variety of homes. Find a dealer and begin exploring what Plastpro offers for your home.

Completing home improvement projects with energy efficiency in mind can have a positive impact on your utility costs, but did you know that altering your current abode and building an energy efficient home can also yield favorable results in other areas, too? So what benefits can you gain from having an energy efficient home—and which efficiency-centric projects can help you gain a positive return on investment? Keep reading to find out. 

 

5 Benefits of an Energy Efficient Home

An energy efficient home is one that’s optimized to keep utility consumption low and at-home comfort high. Increasing the energy efficiency of your home can improve a number of different aspects of the home ownership experience, with benefits extending from yourself to the world beyond your property. These are just a few popular examples of the many ways that projects aimed at improving energy efficiency can change things in your life for the better.

 

A Higher Overall Value

In today’s world, a growing percentage of consumers are taking environmental impact into consideration when it comes time to make purchases. Spenders are doing it no matter their purchase price—it could be as small as a snack or meal or as large as a vehicle or home. 

If you ever choose to sell your home, improving your property’s energy efficiency can make it a more attractive option to prospective homeowners willing to spend a little more in the interest of reducing their strain on the world around them. These sorts of consumers are usually able to spend more to achieve this goal, too.

That isn’t to say they wouldn’t stand to gain from the purchase—they’d be reaping the benefits of your improvement projects.

 

Lower Home Insurance Costs

There are obvious factors that impact the cost of your home insurance, and most are pretty obvious—whether it’s a nearby body of water or the physical footprint of your property, you probably took these more noticeable features into consideration when you pursued insurance quotes. One of the factors you may have left out? Energy efficiency.

If your home boasts energy efficient features like favorable types of doors, windows, electronics and more, you may be able to use those to court deductions to your insurance costs. After your improvement projects, be sure to reach out for another quote. Additionally, check into any tax incentives you may qualify for thanks to your home’s new, more efficient state.

 

Reduced Utility Costs

A smaller utility bill is likely the most direct change you’ll see from improvement projects focused on energy efficiency. Better equipping your home to handle changes in weather and maintain a consistent temperature can keep you from turning to your home’s temperature control options.

If the decision to make your home more energy efficient is also a conscious decision to make your home greener, too, contact your utility company about its renewable energy options. Switching to renewable sources can both reduce your carbon footprint and lead to lower energy rates—an energy efficient home upgrade project that can be completed with only a phone! 

 

Set a Good Example

By increasing your home’s efficiency and being mindful of how the energy you use impacts the world around you, you’re setting a good example for the younger members of your home. Seeing you put thought into the decisions you make for both yourself and your family will hopefully instill a sense of self-awareness in them, too, teaching them that each decision carries weight and can represent their core values. 

They can also feel happy knowing that their impact in the present is low—and maintain good habits to keep it that way in the future.

If the green aspects of energy efficiency aren’t what drew you to the term in the first place, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a worthwhile lesson for the next generation of your family. They’ll learn how to make each decision with purchase, only from a budgetary standpoint as opposed to a moral one. They’ll also learn how to keep costs low and make the correct choices for their first apartment or home.

 

Improve Your Home’s Ecosystem

Your home is most likely your most lived-in ecosystem, and increasing its energy efficiency also means increasing its air quality. If enhancing your home’s ability to maintain comfortable temperatures decreases the need for temperature correction from air conditioning and heating, it also means less chances for airborne pollutants to enter and circulate through the home, reducing the chance that existing conditions like asthma can be triggered while you relax in your own home.

Reliable energy efficiency can also mean more chances to air out your home during warmer months, allowing for new, fresh air to circulate into your indoor spaces.

 

How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient with the Best ROI Upgrades

Reaping the above benefits requires projects that equip your home with what it needs to become energy efficient. This allows a home to operate at the optimal use levels, only consuming available utilities when absolutely necessary. The upfront cost here can be higher than other home improvement projects—that’s the main disadvantage of energy efficient homes—but these endeavors will save you money over time and raise the value of your home.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of how to make your home more energy efficient, it touches on some of the most popular ways homeowners improve the efficiency of their dwellings.

Before undergoing an improvement project, you may want to consider getting an energy assessment, sometimes called an audit. Some utility companies will perform this at free or reduced cost, but if you’re unable to find an organization to perform one for you, visit the United States Department of Energy website to learn about your other options.

 

Upgrade Your Entry Door

When it comes to energy self-sabotage, exterior doors can be one of a home’s worst offenders. It all starts with the material your door is made of—wood and steel are popular choices for a reason, and both have their upsides. However, when it comes to choosing the most energy efficient material for your entry door, wood will actually absorb heat away from your home while steel requires costly interior insulation to be sufficiently effective. That’s why fiberglass doors should be at the top of the list.

Fiberglass is weather resistant and doesn’t conduct heat well, so an entry door made with the material will help keep outside elements from having an impact on the indoor ecosystem you’re attempting to establish. 

Enhance the benefits of a fiberglass front door by being sure to correctly install the door, utilize weather resistant caulk around the door and apply weatherstripping where necessary. It’s hard to say what makes the most energy efficient home, but fortifying your residence at its exterior door is a necessary step towards that goal.

At Plastpro, we’re committed to creating sustainable products that balance environmental, economic, and social goals. Our fiberglass doors offer a green alternative as they are durable, have a longer lifespan, are energy efficient, and environmentally friendly.

 We use proprietary foam core that provides superior insulation, complies with the Environmental Protection Agency’s SNAP 20 regulations, and utilizes sustainable alternatives for foam blowing agents. Additionally, the fiberglass material itself is designed to last for decades, reducing waste and requiring less maintenance than traditional wood doors, making them more cost-effective over time.

 

Replace Your Windows

Doors and windows are responsible for the large majority of heat lost in a home, so assessing the state of your windows should be your next step towards building an energy efficient home. If you feel a draft when it’s windy or the area around your windows is colder than the rest of your indoor space, they’re probably going to act as a huge detriment when attempting to make your home more energy efficient.

Depending on the number of windows you’ll need to replace, this can be a relatively short project that’ll pay for itself almost instantly or a costly endeavor you’ll have to wait years to see the return on. Either way, replacing outdated windows with weather resistant models like storm windows is almost a necessity if you’re striving for peak efficiency.

 

Replace Your Electronics and Appliances

While it’s understandable to dread that moment when the refrigerator or washer finally go, they should be replaced before they reach their final, sad moments in service of you and your family.

Each appliance has an average lifespan—when they start to reach the end, they’ll become less efficient and require more energy to get the job done. Planning to replace these big-ticket appliances as opposed to spending when the need arises stops you from near-impulse buying just to replace the broken fridge. You can take time to look for a good price on the appliance that’s right for you, and you can make efficiency a priority while you shop.

As our world becomes more connected, the efficiency of your electronics becomes important, too. Pay attention to the amount of energy your current computer, television, video game systems and other large electronics use. When it comes time to replace them, try to choose a low consumption model and opt for options that have low power modes.

If you aren’t one for large projects, prefer spending money over longer periods of time, already did what you could with your doors and windows, or have an electronics-heavy lifestyle, this is how to make your home more energy efficient.

 

Increase Your Home Value with Plastpro

That ever-growing group of consumers and home buyers looking for the most environmentally friendly way to spend their money is going to value Earth-conscious decisions around your home. A fiberglass door from Plastpro lasts longer than doors made of wood or metal while retaining more heat. This means less waste and less wasted utilities.

If you don’t plan to sell anytime soon, though, added home value and energy efficiency won’t be the only positives you’ll enjoy with a Plastpro fiberglass door. Fiberglass is sturdier than its counterparts, meaning less time and money spent on maintenance. It’s also adaptable to most doorway sizes, architectural styles and design aesthetics.

Our fiberglass doors are among the most energy-efficient building products available due to the insulation provided by their high density Polyurethane foam core. This insulation helps to reduce energy consumption and building operation costs by sealing out the elements. As a result, our ENERGY STAR Qualified Doors provide homeowners with cost savings on electricity bills, increased comfort and environmental protection.

 Meet with a Plastpro dealer to discuss options for your home and lower your utility bills while raising your curb appeal.

 

You may be a new homeowner with a list of things you’d like to change or repair around your new dwelling. Or, you may have already spent years living at the same residence only to decide you no longer like certain aspects of your home. Whatever the case, taking on new projects around the house can help improve your own opinion of your home while also possibly improving its value, curb appeal, overall safety factor, and other important aspects of any good home.

The possibility of undertaking one of these important improvements comes along with an unavoidable set of challenges, but once you overcome them, you can enjoy the benefits of a job well done.

 

Where to Start with Home Improvement

So, you’ve decided to pursue a project that’ll change and improve part of your home. Now, it’s your job to take that stated desire and push it forward, make good decisions along the way and turn what started as just an idea into a real, fully visible alteration to your home. Intentions can help guide your journey through the world of home improvement, but when it comes to execution, planning ahead can help relieve much of the stress associated with projects of this magnitude.

The project budget may be the single most important piece of the entire plan. A budget can help guide your artistic vision, materials choices and entire scope of work. However, a budget can also stop a project in its tracks if it isn’t properly created and adhered to. This can cause costs to balloon and budgets to break down under the pressure.

As a rule of thumb, plan for your home improvement costs to exceed estimates by the tune of 5-to-10% as a contingency for any costs that may be more than what you budgeted for.

 It’s also better to have more money for the project as opposed to not having enough, even if your initial estimates come in spot on or under what you actually end up spending in pre-project materials and estimated labor. If you’re in the middle of a project and end up requiring more materials or man hours than you initially bargained for, it’ll come in handy.

If you’re a first-time homeowner or unfamiliar with the costs of housing materials, labor and other project expenses, crafting a budget that covers all the different ways you’ll end up spending money may not be easy for you. Be sure to keep track of those costs as you encounter them—if you’re researching materials, try to have a handle on the amount you’ll need and keep track of the total cost so you have enough on hand to complete the job.

Keeping a running tally of the approximate cost of each project facet will not only allow you to make better decisions with your money, it’ll also help inform your materials and design decisions. Sticking to your budget may lead to creative combinations of materials, ideas, or looks, or let you splurge on something with saved funds.

You should also consider a project’s long-term impact before deciding to allocate time, effort and money to it. Is this project necessary or should you prioritize other projects around the house that could help keep you and your family safe, lower the costs of energy bills, or otherwise raise the quality of life inside your home? Does this project raise the value of your home as much as other possible improvements could? 

If the answer to one or both of those questions is, “No,” consider investing a little more money into a home improvement project that could potentially pay dividends for years to come.

 

Home Improvement on a Budget: Ideas and Inspirations

Are you looking for inspiration—or dealing with so many possible projects that you’re aiming to narrow your scope? The following budget home improvement ideas vary in cost, required skill and potential labor, but they’re all quick and affordable ways to make positive changes to your home.

 

Kitchen and Bath Upgrades

Even if you only spend enough time in the kitchen or bathroom to eat or shower, you probably still care about each room’s look and upkeep. In both rooms, renovations can get costly—especially if a plumber needs to get involved. However, painting or refurbishing the cabinets in either room can instantly revitalize the space.

There are other quick, relatively inexpensive projects that can transform these spaces, too. In the bathroom, consider repurposing a large old dresser by cutting off the top and turning it into your bathroom counter. You could also switch up the light fixtures around a mirror or repaint the space to take on a new theme.

 Speaking of light fixtures, kitchens often feature hanging lights that can be switched out to make a quick impact on the room. Backsplashes have become popular ways to add personality to a counter space, with a variety of cheaper removable options available.

 

Enhance Your Curb Appeal

Use accessories like potted plants, benches or rewired hanging lamps to add massive curb appeal to your primary entry door. There are a variety of ways to change up the exterior of your exterior door, so don’t be afraid to get creative and utilize available space!

When it comes to the door itself, adding trim can alter the way people see your door without doing much in the way of repair or replacement. However, painting or replacing the door can make a huge impact, too. If you’re in the market for a door replacement or considering one as a home improvement project, Plastpro’s fiberglass doors are versatile options that can be customized to a wide variety of desired sizes and styles. 

From modern looks to classic wooden appearances, fiberglass doors match homeowner’s needs while providing strong impact and environmental resistance. They also help keep energy costs down and save money by lasting longer than their wood and steel counterparts.

 

Bedroom and Living Room Projects

These rooms are where you’ll do most of your relaxing, so they should invoke a welcoming comfort while also acting as a celebration of you. Achieve both of those goals in the living room with recess shelving for your books, movies, artwork, or other treasured possessions. You could also mount a television on the wall in either space and surround it with pleasing arrangements of shelving or artwork.

If the paint job, flooring or crown molding of either the bedroom or living room doesn’t suit the space’s intended purpose, update any and all of them to add a new dimension to the home.

 

Home Maintenance and Upkeep

Fix what’s broken! Not only will this help your home keep its value, it’ll make your life less stressful and may help you pinpoint new innovations that can help future proof your home. A new aesthetic upgrade can help transform your home, but it may not be what your home truly needs right now.

 

Home Improvement Budgeting: Factors to Consider

No matter how cheap a project is, if you haven’t properly prepared your budget for any home improvement endeavor, you could find yourself stalled and waiting to complete your undertaking for an unspecified period of time. This unfinished state can cause a strain on your finances and inconvenience at home, where you’re now host to an active work area. Proper budgeting and planning can help you avoid this situation, with the extra 5-to-10% budgetary failsafe in place to avoid any unforeseen costs catching you off guard.

So, what needs to go into this planning beyond estimated material cost, skill/labor investment and extra money in the budget? If you seek advice from professionals, you can emerge from the planning process better prepared to execute your home improvement vision.

Speaking to a contractor will help you take care of one very important cost right out of the gate: permits. A professional in your area will be able to tell you which kind of permit you need—if any—for the type of project you’re aiming to complete. You can also speak to your local government or do your own research on the permitting process. In addition to the proper permits, you may want to consider insurance for larger projects.

If you aren’t comfortable completing the type of labor required for your specific project, you can also acquire a labor estimate from the contractor. When planning your budget for a project, roughly one-third should be allocated for skilled labor. Reducing costs should not be done by reducing labor. It’s very important that whatever you’re changing, adding or replacing is done so correctly.

Lastly, don’t forget to budget for any impacts your project may have on your life. If you have workers in your kitchen, you’ll need to eat out or order in that day. If you’re unable to function at home throughout the course of the improvement, you’ll need to arrange other accommodations. After work is complete, factor in any costs or labor necessary for proper cleanup.

 

Upgrade Your Home with Plastpro

Installing a fiberglass door isn’t just an easy way to provide a massive curb appeal bump, it’s also a great option for your safety and your wallet. Stay on the successful home improvement plan by finding a Plastpro dealer and discussing materials, costs and available options.

 

The rustic look is extremely popular right now, and for good reason—or, to be exact, reasons. The rustic aesthetic is a timeless one that harkens back to the days when our lives were more intertwined with nature. This imbues the style with a welcoming sense of homeliness that greets homeowners, family members and visitors each time they experience rustic wood entry doors on a house.

So, how can you achieve a rustic look for your entry door? Luckily, there are ample choices for homeowners looking to add some worn and weathered appeal to their exterior doors.

 

Rustic Front Doors

A rustic front door begins with an old-world style that celebrates traditional building materials and methods. They’re usually made from solid wood—either mahogany or other knotty alder woods—and require all the upkeep that comes with a wood door. Today, it’s possible to obtain a rustic look while taking advantage of modern materials, like fiberglass.

 

Components of Rustic Doors and Styles

Giving an entry door the rustic treatment can be done by addressing different aspects of the door’s appearance and presentation. 

For example, adding a wood frame—whether clean and neat or constructed from thick beam-like pieces of wood—can instantly add a natural, raw appeal to a home’s entry area. 

When focusing on the door itself, rustic exterior doors usually come with panels, metal accents, etched design work, purposeful weathering or some combination of those aspects as a way of adding texture and personality to the entry door. Adding double doors is also a great way to embody the welcoming aspects of a country home. A large entry door paired with the right decorations can also inspire guests to think about other classic country staples, like the barn door.

 

Tips and Tricks for Making a Door Look Rustic

The rustic look is a versatile look, as evidenced by the many ways to help you take advantage of the style that’ve already been discussed. However, while trim and door size can certainly do their parts, what’ll really bring the look home is the door itself. 

 

Door Accessories

Rustic is by no means plain, and door accessories can help push a rustic door from curbside contender to champion of the entire block. 

First is the Clavos which look like rivets in the entry door and come in a variety of geometric shapes. They can be joined by hinge straps which add some straight, bold lines to any door. Dentil shelves can add a third dimension to the door and enhance decorative options, while SDL kits allow homeowners to incorporate glass into their exterior doors. 

Another option is the speakeasy, which carries a name that’s indicative of its Prohibition era roots. A speakeasy is what we call the tiny, private window doormen would open to vet customers before letting them inside. They’re usually placed to sit at eye level and, while they may not open into a home, their purpose throughout history is usually clear and understood by most visitors. Adding a speakeasy to a door doesn’t just add character, it adds history. There’s nothing more rustic than that—except maybe wood.

 

Weathered Paint

Speaking of wood, adding a weathered look to that wood or stained door can do wonders for a rustic appearance. This type of stylization can enhance the character of an entryway without losing heat or maintaining less secure exterior doors—all downsides of doors that are actually weathered. 

 

Staining Solutions

Staining kits can help you apply the desired wooden look to a front door that’s made out of another material, like fiberglass. Wooden doors are classic options, but achieving that classic look doesn’t need to come with the downsides of a wooden door. Fiberglass options keep in more heat, provide better security and withstand the elements better than their wooden counterparts. Staining solutions make sure they can look good while doing it.

 

Decorate Your Exterior and Porch

Homeowners striving to capture that rustic look for the main entrance of their home have ample options when it comes to exterior doors and their accessories, but the expert utilization of decorations can ramp up the warm factor for any front door.

In keeping with the stylistic theme, decorations should be made from wood or look wooden, though the use of reclaimed metals can also be used to decorate around a rustic home’s wood door and porch. Add chairs and a table for that comfortable, lived-in feel, or focus on art pieces to make a striking statement that carries a lot of curb appeal.

 

Achieving a Rustic Look with Plastpro

Plastpro’s fiberglass accessories replicate the rustic look while maintaining their ability to withstand the elements, and available stain kits give fiberglass that “broken in” wood look perfect for a rustic-themed entry door. The doormaker also has an entire line dedicated to helping homeowners go classic rustic while staying with modern materials. Click here to find a Plastpro dealer near you and begin your home’s rustic transformation today!

 

While here in Earth’s northern hemisphere it’s still technically fall, the decorations aisle of your local retailer is probably beginning to look a lot like winter. There’s nothing wrong with a little preparation, and if you’d like your home to match the store’s enthusiasm for the season, you can make it winter ready in a variety of fun, trendy ways—and do so without breaking the bank during one of the most expensive times of the year. Here are top picks for showing off your love for the season with your front door! 

 

Not Flying South

Creating a themed wreath for use in nature—such as hanging from tree branches or part of your porch—is a great yet subtle way to extend your winter decorations out into your yard. Grab a twig wreath, glue on sleigh bells or chimes for added cheer factor, and position a photo-realistic winter bird on the inside with more glue. Hopefully, this wreath will invite more feathered friends to perch and spend time in your yard!

 

Bear with Us

When it comes to holiday door décor, this piece is unique. 

At the craft store, grab a medium-sized wooden star or other holiday-appropriate shape, take a teddy bear (don’t use one with sentimental value, as this will go outside), and use a small piece of rope to affix the bear to the star. You should be attaching the bear by its paw.

Feel free to make changes to the wooden shape, such as adding fake snow to it or covering some of it in fabric. With its focus on browns and emphasis on the cute teddy bear, this porch décor is sure to add farmhouse style to your winter months. Include some simulated winter frost and you’ve got a welcoming piece with rustic appeal.

 

All Arrows Point to Bows

Creating a winter wreath from loose bows purchased as gift décor allows you to give those bows a new, prominent position as door décor that’ll last you throughout the holiday gift giving season. While store-bought wreaths are nice, they’re also expensive and carry little-to-no emotional weight compared to a unique project that could be completed as a family.

A door wreath is one of the best winter decorations for a front porch. It can transform the front porch into a more welcoming entryway for both the family members who appreciate it and the guests who see it for the first time.

 

All Wrapped Up

Utilize a large bow made from a durable material like burlap to turn your door into a large present, ready to be opened and enjoyed by any who choose to visit your home. Put a door hanger into action to avoid hammering holes in the door to affix decorations like this.

Large bows can also be used on wreaths to create minimalist statement looks. The larger the bow, the more you should consider foregoing any other decorations on the wreath.

 

A Garland Frame

Garland is a strong statement decoration that can help invoke the flora of the season. Usually, the best application of garland involves draping it around the desired area and mixing in other decorations, like lights.

Garland goes great paired with an evergreen wreath to match.

 

A White Christmas—and every other day, too

With this wreath style, chunky bits of white fabric should be connected and offset with other comfortable-looking materials, like flannel, to create an appealing, homely look. Utilizing white during this time of year can evoke a snowy winter scene or a feeling or contentment. Use white pom poms and thick white yarn to enhance that effect.

 

Door Tree

The evergreen tree is a classic symbol of the season, and you can add that de facto mascot of winter to your door by wiring small cedar wreaths to each other in the shape of the always green tree. 

For added effect, hang the tree with a large, thick red bow.

 

Metal Winter

The silvery look of metal pairs well with the deep green of the evergreen garland that’s prevalent during this time of year, so don’t be afraid to let any of your entryway’s metal accents shine in a sea of evergreen garland.

You can also purchase small metal trees to place around your entryway.

 

Upgrade Your Winter Exterior with Plastpro

There are a lot of ways to decorate your door for the winter, but those decorations aren’t a replacement for a sound entry door. Plastpro’s doors are fiberglass, meaning they’ll save you more on your energy bill than a traditional wooden door while requiring less maintenance. They’re also available in a wide range of styles and stains, from the traditional wood look to a modern cut with muted colors.

No matter which Plastpro door you choose, it’ll be ready for its winter and holiday accessories—visit a Plastpro dealer near you to begin the process and bring yourself one step closer to an inviting, reliable entry door.

It’s a good thing rustic is such a strong word, because it has a lot of different connotations to shoulder and expectations to live up to. 

When you hear the word rustic, your brain probably goes to work automatically, painting portraits of woodgrain and wood frames and large wooden doors. While that isn’t far off from the truest essence of the word, it’s also selling this broadly encompassing style short and imposing limits on what you may be able to achieve in a rustic space.

 

What is Rustic Architecture and Style

Creating a space to live in 1800s America was difficult but simple. Families on the move brought next to nothing with them as far as furniture is concerned, as the space and weight something so large would take up was considered better used transporting other items. Thanks to this sudden need to furnish any home that members of these massive migrations chose to make once they decided to settle, local materials were used to quickly address needs. 

Rustic styles use these natural, locally sourced elements to create basic but welcoming interior items that often feature raw, unfinished stone and wood. This lets the natural beauty and craftsmanship shine through, celebrating the character of each unique piece.

At-home rustic inspiration can come from looks seen at a lodge or cottage, but modern takes on the style are also drawing from traditional Tuscan design, as well as the relaxing sun-soaked wooden aesthetic of coastal lifestyles. Rustic certainly proves it’s possible to adhere to tradition while simultaneously enjoying the positive aspects of change.

 

Key Characteristics of Rustic Architecture

Previously discussed materials like wood and stone go a long way towards establishing a rustic approach, but the incorporation of other organic elements, such as leaves, is encouraged where possible. The endgame is a space that’s as natural as it can possibly be, devoid of the clean lines and color palettes of modern architecture.

That isn’t to say modernity is lost on those who decorate with the rustic style. Metal is being used inrustic displays for door hardware, like the door handle on barn doors, but also in more prominent roles, like support for tables or braces for a home’s support beams. Two of the most common metals used in rustic design are irons: wrought iron and cast iron.

 

How to Incorporate Metal

Wrought iron is large and chunky, matching the rustic profile perfectly. It can also contain its fair share of texture, giving off a grainy look that pairs well with wood. Cast Iron is a cleaner, darker metal, but that doesn’t mean it’s too modern for the rustic look—picture a rough-looking camping skillet and you’ve got the perfect idea of rustic cast iron.

One of the best ways to incorporate metal accents into a rustic style home is through interior and exterior doors. If you’re in the market for a metal door knob, they can be reclaimed or purchased anew. Same goes for door pulls or other door hardware, such as large, decorative hinge straps or rivet-like clavos. Additionally, the use of a decorative door could be a great way to introduce metal—and a touch of elegance—to a rustic dwelling. 

In keeping with the spirit, some may suggest metal used in rustic decoration remains as-is, rust and all. If you’re going to leave rust for aesthetic effect, be sure to take precautions—especially if you have children in your home.

 

How to Incorporate Accent Pieces

The goal of rustic design is to appear or invoke a natural existence. It’s comfortable, so use a lot of handmade rugs and blankets, along with recycled or reclaimed deer racks, furs, or other naturally sourced decorations. It’s warm, so accent those wooden browns and off whites with muted versions of yellow, gray, red, green, and blue.

Items are up to snuff for your rustic look if they feature imperfect lines but are still inviting—if you aren’t feeling that sense of inviting personality that comes with handmade imperfection, the item may just be unusably incorrect.

 

How to Incorporate Decor

The rustic look may present as simple, but that’s achieved with a precise attention to detail that breathes a personal touch into every inch of a space. Accenting fireplaces, furniture, and doors with the right combination of reclaimed decorations, comfy throws and metal accents dials up the rustic charm.

For many homeowners, their interior design is reflected to the outside world through their main entryways, and exterior doors are a great way to add rustic curb appeal to a home. Wood is the look of choice here, but it’s possible to outfit your home with that wooden rustic look while still taking advantage of modern advancements in entry doors.

 

Achieving the Perfect Rustic Look with Plastpro

While they aren’t wood, fiberglass doors can be molded and treated to resemble a number of different stains and finishes—all while providing the same perks that put fiberglass over wood as the preferred door material. Plastpro’s fiberglass doors, including the our rustic series, are more durable, last longer and provide better energy efficiency than their wooden counterparts while still lending an inviting, natural look to any entryway. 

Options to enhance that rustic look include door size customization and additional accessories, like speakeasies. To discuss available options, find a Plastpro dealer near you who will help turn your current exterior door into a tone setter for the rest of your rustic-themed dwelling!