Another home in south Naperville is seeing some big changes thanks to the Crimson team. The owners loved the existing home, but its kitchen was small, dark, and did not take advantage of the views to the beautiful back yard.

Our solution: a 300 square foot addition that would add ample light and space to the kitchen, making it the centerpiece of the home.

Now, the walls and drywall are up, and it’s all coming together.

As you can see, the addition blends seamlessly with the existing structure and features plenty of windows to provide light and views to the backyard.

Soon, the hardwood floors and cabinetry will be installed and it will really come to life.  The kitchen design includes ivory painted inset cabinetry by Fieldstone Cabinetry, a built-in range hood, plenty of pantry storage, and a large central island with seating.

The galley-shaped design will keep the kitchen feeling open and easy to move around in.  The large island will act as a central gathering place, encouraging the family to cook together and making it perfect for entertaining.

The space by the windows will serve as a nice sunny spot for the dining table and even enough room for some extra seating.  Stay tuned to watch this beautiful space unfold.

Do you remember this old concrete patio in St. Charles?  This is what the patio area looked like just eight weeks ago.  By this time, we had already replaced the patio door and cut-in two new Pella windows to overlook the new deck.  You can see the door and windows in the upper left corner of this photo.  Since this time we have been busy with backhoes, bobcats, saws, shovels, concrete trucks and landscapers to get the project to its completed state.

The new deck has Azek composite decking making up the floor, skirts and benches.  The new rails are constructed of stainless steel posts with stainless steel cables for balusters.  It’s a very cool look that goes great with this contemporary home!

You can see in the photos the new concrete storage shed that we constructed underneath this deck.  The shed is 8 feet by 14 feet and has fiberglass doors to keep out the weather (and critters).  Check out the great stone wall constructed by Western DuPage Landscaping.  The two walls together hold back about seven feet of earth and make for some great planting beds.  In the next couple of years once the plantings fill in this will be a great space.

The new deck and storage shed are now framed and the landscape work has begun.  This week there were several crews on site from Western DuPage Landscaping building retaining walls from block and natural stone found on the property.  The lanscapers also created a new walkway from the deck to the driveway and they have started on a new paver patio in front of the house as well as a new front sidewalk and porch.

Next week we will begin to trim out the deck with Azek deck boards.  We will also add low-voltage lighting in the deck to illuminate the stairs at night.  The railings have shipped and will be installed soon.  They are all made of stainless steel posts and cable.  Very modern!

The landscapers will soon have the hardscapes done and will move on to plantings and grass.  It won’t be much longer before the owners can enjoy and quite evening on a marvelous deck!

We’ve been invited back to St. Charles to work at this gorgeous property once again.  You may recall that last year we spent a few months gutting and renovating over fifty percent of the interior of this fifties ranch to make a new master bedroom suite.  Evidently the owners really liked what we did, because they asked us to come back this summer and make a new outdoor living space for them.

We started by cutting in two new windows and a patio door into the brick exterior of their home so they will be able to take advantage of the great new view we will be creating.  As you can see, our masons and to disassemble most of this wall to bring these views into the home, but it will be well worth the work!

The main scope of the project is to take a fifty year old concrete patio (with a pool buried somewhere underneath it) and turn it into a great new maintenance free deck with storage space underneath. The concrete is crumbling from fifty years of weather and it will be good to remove it and make something newer, safer and much more useable.

The new deck will be made with Azek decking (one of our favorites).  It will have two levels, built-in benches, hidden lighting and stainless steel railings.  It’s been a shame to waste these great backyard views.  A new deck will be just the thing to make backyard lounging a great pastime!

My wife, Jennine, and I spent the morning renovating the landscape.  We, along with other volunteers of the Oswegoland Park District, spent the morning planting native prairie plants in the Waubonsie Wetlands.  This watershed connects the Waubonsie Creek to the Fox River.  Over decades of development the natural topsoil has been removed and replaced with clay, sand and gravel.  The park district is attempting to return this area to its natural environment.

We spent the morning in 80+ degrees weather digging holes in the rock-hard clay for new plants. The plants include: liatris, prairie dropseed grass, black-eyed susan and prairie geranium.

Dave Margolis, Oswegoland Park District’s Natural Resource Manager, was very pleased with the progress we made this morning.  We planted over 200 plants!  Not bad for a hot day.  Dave hopes that by next year the roots have taken hold and the plants are multiplying to fill the entire area.

Is your home’s curb-appeal starting to look a bit drab or dated? The first impression of your home is a critical component to its appeal and value. When considering a landscape project, improving the front yard has the biggest impact in the perception of a home.

In any economy, but especially in the current economy, landscape improvements have a big impact on a home’s value. A study done by theUniversity of Clemson and theUniversity of Michigan found that consumers value a nicely landscaped home up to 11.3 percent higher than a home with basic landscaping.

When creating a new look for a home it is important to consider removing overgrown plantings, adding new plantings, reworking walkways, and adding lighting. All elements have a great impact individually. Together they completely transform the look and character of a home.

Plantings provide scale to the front of a home. Plantings also are important for vertical elements to frame views to a home or providing screening. Front plantings used in larger masses create more impact from a distance. Usually people view a front landscape from the street, or along the public walkway, so having fewer varieties and larger groupings looks much nicer. Seasonal interest is another important element in the front yard. A balance of plantings with interest in all seasons will make the front of the home much more appealing.

It is also important to think about what the front landscape will look like from inside the home.

Often the landscape is pressed up against the foundation of the home and doesn’t take advantage of views from front rooms looking out into the front landscape. Capitalizing on such opportunities can make the front yard equally enjoyable from inside the home.

A new walkway can dramatically improve the appearance of any home.Extending the walkway out into the yard away from the home can make for a nice design element and create a more interesting entry.New paver and stone materials used in walkways or even driveways add a lot of interest to a home and can compliment the architecture.

Along with new plantings and stone work, landscape lighting is another element to consider adding to your landscape. The finishing touch of lighting makes a dramatic difference in the curb appeal of a home and extends the interest of the landscape into the evening.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money Magazine a well designed, installed, and maintained landscape can add up to 15% to your home’s value. Feel free to contact Western DuPage Landscaping, Inc at 630-416-0072 for a free consultation to see how they can increase the value of your home by improving your landscape. In the meanwhile you can view photos of their projects at www.westerndupagelandscaping.com. Crimson and WDL can also work together on any remodeling/landscape project to make your life easier.

Enjoy,

Matt Haber, Western DuPage Landscaping