Add Furniture: Seating is key to any entertaining event!  Arrange seating conversationally, as you would inside the home, to encourage discussion and relaxation spaces.  Don’t forget to consider the size of your space – if your outdoor room is small, consider scaled down furniture to avoid overwhelming the area.  Also, invest in products made for the outdoors.  For example, when choosing sofas and seating, look for weatherproof furniture that hold up to rain, wind and direct sunlight.  Waterproof wood and metal components to keep them from succumbing to rain or other elements.

Locate Lighting: Add lighting to ensure your guests can continue their conversation well into the night!  A variety of outdoor lighting options are available including hanging lanterns, torches, solar lamps, or insect repellant candles.  Don’t forget to consider the angles at which your lights are placed.  In general, exterior lights placed in a downward position create ambience by providing a soft and cozy glow.  Alternately, exterior lighting placed upward accents architecture by spotlighting specific areas.

Decorate and Dazzle: While muted tones may be perfect for your understatedly elegant living room or demure bathroom, quiet colors will blend in with their surroundings when placed outdoors.  Instead, decorate with bright and bold primary colors.  Hues that would seem overwhelming indoors – think bright reds, yellows, and blues – will add a punch of playful panache when used outside.

Invite Beautiful Butterflies: Butterflies add whimsy and fun to any outdoor space.  But how do you get them to visit your home?  Plant a garden of nectar-rich flowering plants and enjoy regular visits from monarchs and other winged guests.  Prime plants to incorporate into your butterfly garden include asters, black-eyed susans, and lantanas.

Add A Natural Element: A water or fire feature can help to set the mood of your space.  For example, a backyard fire pit can provide the perfect focal point for outdoor entertaining while also lending warmth and ambience to your space.  On the flip side, water features such as a fountain, waterfall, or garden pond can provide serenity and tranquility.

Enjoy the season of outdoor entertaining!

1. Gutters and Drains: Spring is prime time for gutter and drain usage.  Make sure yours are in fighting form by replacing any old gutters and ensuring that all downspouts are pointed away from your home’s foundation to avoid flooding.

2. Decks and Sun Porches: Get ready to fully enjoy the summer with the addition or deck or sun porch.  Available in a variety of shapes and sizable and customizable to any budget or timeline, decks and sun porches are a great way to expand your usable outdoor living space.  Start on this project now and have a new area for socializing and dining come summertime!

3. Siding: While we were indoors staying warm, our home exteriors were enduring the brunt of winter.  Have your siding inspected to check for any signs of damage and consider replacing it or upgrading your home’s exterior altogether.

4. Driveways: Like siding, driveways and sidewalks don’t always fare well in the winter months.  Take this opportunity to check both for signs of damage and make repairs where necessary.  If you are considering resealing your driveway this year, now is a great time to get that project underway as well.

Start your spring home improvement projects now and have your home in tip-top shape just in time to enjoy summer!  Contact us today to get started on your home improvement plans.

To begin with, all of the home’s carpets, counter tops and walls were upgraded and replaced. The outside of the property received a face lift as well, complete with custom-made flower boxes built by Andrus. A sliding glass door was also cut into an outside wall allowing residents access to a custom-built deck.

To make the home accessible to all, a long ramp, built to handicap-accessible specifications, was constructed in the garage. Next, Andrus Built worked with an elevator installation expert to place a 750-pound capacity commercial elevator in the home. In preparation of the monstrous device the kitchen was modified to include an elevator frame and shaft.

Jackie relied on Doug and his team heavily through this part of the process as the group worked to determine where the elevator should be located: “Doug entertained several locations. His ability to analyze where the elevator would land on the lower level from the upper level was phenomenal…I couldn’t visualize that at all. He worked very cooperatively and met with the elevator installation folks on specifications for this addition several times,” Jackie recalled.

The end result was a functional amenity that meshed well with the overall aesthetic of the home! The addition of the elevator not only allowed multi-floor access for wheel chair bound residents, it also made weekly tasks, such as hauling laundry from one floor to the next, easier for all!

The project was expedited by the knowledgeable Andrus Built team. “Doug was very instrumental in getting contractors specialized in each area to assist with selections. It would have taken me months to decide on all this if it had not been for Doug!” explained Jackie.

And the end result? A dream come true for Jackie and a new home for her residents!

Home Theater:

Are you looking to avoid long lines and

exorbitant ticket prices? Bring your theater viewing experience into your home. The ideal space for a home theater is 20’ in length and 13’ feet in width. However, home theaters can be constructed through something as dramatic as building a theater wing off your basement family room, to something as simple as converting a spare bedroom that is at least 12’ x 12.’

Common elements of a home theater remodel include insulating interior walls to help contain sound and pre-wiring your room’s surround sound system for optimum audio quality. Create great lines of sight by sloping the floors to aid screen viewing, installing theater seating, or by relying on platforms to form graduated seating. Installing wall sconce lighting and other dimming light options, will create the perfect viewing atmosphere.

Basement Bar:

Are you still looking for that bar where everybody knows your name? Build your own in the form of a basement bar. For the most entertainment options, consider a wet bar complete with a sink and

plumbing system. In addition to the bar itself, great bar projects should also include conversational seating and entertainment in the form of a billiards table, jukebox, or television focal point! For the wine connoisseur in your family, consider adding a climate controlled wine cellar.

Craft Space:

Are you looking for the perfect room to complete your scrapbook, finish a sewing

project, or just work on crafts with the kids? A dedicated space is perfect for the home crafter! Open work spaces, bright lights, and plenty of storage space for supplies and works in-progress will help turn your drab basement into an inspirational retreat.

From all of us here at Andrus Built, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! May the holiday season bring you pleasant memories and much happiness.

Though each of our clients’ projects and homes are unique, every now and then we meet someone whose story is truly exceptional. Eric is one of those people. In 2008 Eric contacted Andrus after realizing that he had gone to high school with one of Doug’s cousins. He had been looking for a contractor for some time and was happy to find someone who not only had the professional credentials he desired, but who was also personally connected to his family. Since family, after all, was the driving force behind the project.
In 1991 Eric’s mother passed away from cancer leaving Eric, his father, his sister, and his two brothers, one of whom is developmentally disabled. Built in 1974, the family home had served its owners well for many years.  But with his aging father’s decreased mobility came a series of realizations that the house could no longer function properly in its current condition. There was no way for people to enter the house through the garage, forcing them to walk around to the front door every time, and the layout of the interior didn’t support the single-floor lifestyle Eric’s father was transitioning into.

Initially Eric suggested the possibility of his father moving into a new house entirely, but his father’s answer was immediate and steadfast. Not only was this the home he had shared with his late wife, but it was also the place where his developmentally disabled son, Tom, came to visit him each and every month. He wasn’t going anywhere.

So, Eric came up with a new option. He began working with an architect to discuss some rough ideas for renovating the house, and in 2008 he met with Doug to further develop those ideas and turn them into a practical reality.

Over the course of three years Eric and Doug worked together to make the house more single-floor living friendly. They remodeled the kitchen, pantry, laundry room, basement bedroom, basement bathroom, upstairs bathroom, and deck, and added an accessibility addition with an entry so that Eric’s father no longer had to walk to the front of the house every time he wanted to go in. Eric’s father was living in the home throughout the entire process, so it was essential that each project went as smoothly and quickly as possible. The sub-contractors were always on time, and Doug was always right there with them when he needed to be. Often, Doug would be the one sweeping up at the end of the day.

The end result was a huge success. The open floor plan supports a single-floor lifestyle, but is still spacious enough for family gatherings and holidays. Eric’s father can finally live comfortably in his own home, and Eric couldn’t be happier with his Andrus Built experience.

“It is very clear to me that Doug does what he does because he loves it–all of it, and it shines through in the quality of his work.  In the Twins Cities Metro area, he is the only builder I recommend.”

Want to spice up your home and banish those winter blues with some winter whimsy? Lucky for you the world’s leading color expert, Pantone, has come out with a 2011/2012 winter color palette that is sure to do just that. Appropriately titled “Wonder,” the winter color guide focuses on three main themes: Blue Sky, which represents fantasy and freedom; Science, which represents the marvel of discovery and exploration; and The Cult of Nothing, which represents the fun of rediscovery and appreciating the slow moments in life.

Nice ideas, but maybe a bit too abstract to glean any real decorating tips from, you say? Well, Pantone’s got your back. Here are some more specific breakdowns of the themes and the paint colors that go with them.

Blue Sky
Embracing imagination and fairytales, the Blue Sky theme suggests balancing rich, cool tones (like reds and browns) with airy neutrals (tans and beiges) to create an ethereal but calming feeling.

Science
Pantone breaks this theme down into three palettes: Pharmaceutical (brown, beige, and pink bases), Crystal Formations (warm, shimmery tones like reds, roses, and rouges), and 100% Pure (bolder, more striking colors like cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).

The Cult of Nothing
A bit more intangible than the others, The Cult of Nothing theme is also broken down into three parts: Family Ties (“A complex grouping of close tones that emerge out of the shadows. The colors in the half-light become de-saturated, creating a dreamy and tender softness,” according to the Pantone website), Surprise of Being (neutrals combined with oxygenated greens), and Lunar (calm greys cut up with surprising reds and softened with calm golds).

If this guide still isn’t enough inspiration for you to whip out the paintbrush and create your own winter “Wonder”-land, have no fear! The Pantone website is full of color suggestions for any season or personality. Who knows? Maybe the best way to banish the winter blues is to decorate your home in summer colors! For more color ideas, tips, and tricks, visit the official Pantone website.

Have some little ones that can eat more sugar in one night than you’ve eaten in your entire life, but can’t handle the spooks and scares of  regular night of trick-or-treating? Luckily, there are tons of events in Saint Paul this holiday season made especially for you and your treat-loving tots. Get the spirit of the season without the sobs by skipping a spooky night in the neighborhood and checking out these cool events instead.

What: ZooBoo
Where: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
When: October 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30. 4:30-7:30pm

ZooBoo is an annual family-friendly Halloween festival aimed at children between the ages of 3-10 that takes place on the Como Zoo grounds. Children are encouraged to dress up, explore the magically transformed zoo, get their fill of treats, and interact with over 200 live costumed characters. Tickets are $7, but you can feel good knowing that all the proceeds are going right back into supporting this event and the free Como Park Zoo and Conservatory 365 days a year.

For more information visit the ZooBoo website!

What: Old Time Halloween
Where: Gibbs Museum (2097 West Larpenteur Avenue)
When: October 30. Noon – 4pm

Here’s a tricky concept: Halloween can be both fun and educational. If you want your child’s Halloween to have a little more substance this year (other than than the chocolate and caramel kind), check out this great all-ages event at the Gibbs Museum near the University of Minnesota campus in Saint Paul. Get a slice of history with your piece of candy and take the trick-or-treaters over to Jane Gibbs historic house. Activities include making popcorn balls, searching for pennies in a haystack, and drinking a sweet cup of good old fashioned cider. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for Seniors, and $5 for children (ages 2-16).