Tag: craftsman home

pexels-photo-187815.jpeg

10 Home Exterior Color Palettes

February 7, 2017News

Are you classic or bold with your home design? Show your style outside your home, draw inspiration from these exterior paint color schemes that offer serious curb appeal and tell the world what exquisite taste you have.


Brown + Gray + Yellow-Gold

A neutral palette of brown, gray and gold expresses a modern aesthetic. Choose the lightest brown to cover the majority of the home, and use darker accent colors to highlight the home’s architectural details.

Yellow + Cinnamon Brown + Pure White

This a great combination for a beach house or home with lots of natural sunlight. The sun warms the yellow creating a lovely glow, paint the front door cinnamon to ground the home and use white accents on the windows to create a crisp and clean vibe.

White Putty + Taupe + Olive Green

Classic American homes like a Craftsman look great in a neutral color palette. This is simple, sophisticated combination.  Choose a soft taupe exterior with an accent of olive and white to pair perfectly with a natural landscape.  

Green + Celestial Blue + White

A sweet trend in paint selection is to pair the home with the natural surroundings. A traditional home’s with a soft pine green base pops with an accent of sky blue and a creamy white door.

Slate Gray + White + Deep Turquoise

A blue-gray color palette tells the world you are sophisticated and elegant. Accented this combination with white trim for truly regal curb appeal. For a touch of fun paint the front door a dark almost navy turquoise to compliment the slate gray.  

Taupe + Beige + Brown + Brick Red

Root your home into its landscape with an earthy palette of taupe, beige, brown and red. Select muted hues to blend more naturally.

Peach + Reddish Brown + Cream

In the style of the old Victorian home this color palette is soothing and simple. Paint the siding warm peach while using the red-tinted brown and cream for the trim.

Gray + White + Moss Green

This combo has American Craftsman written all over it. A warm, neutral palette in gray and white is welcoming and friendly. Make the porch pop with the unexpected touch of painting its floor a natural green.

Classic Black + White

Be timeless with a black and white palette. This is one color scheme that will definitely not go out of style.

White + Dark Chocolate

A twist on the classic black and white. This combo is great for high contrast landscapes. The beauty of this color combo? Any accent color can be chosen for outdoor furniture and decorations.

To learn more about BlackRock Construction, our team and what we can build for you contact 802.861.1120 or info@blackrockus.com.

Home-Toolkit.jpeg

Home Toolkit Must Haves

January 20, 2017News

Having the proper tools is key to being able to do simple home repairs and odd jobs yourself. The long and the short of it is there are simply some essential tools that every home just must have. Here is our list of the essentials …

  1. Drain Snake … this tool is IMPERATIVE. You can easily avoid a much larger plumbing bill if you simple DIY a clogged drain with this handy tool. 9 times out of 10 a backed up drain is a simple clog.
  2. A ladder. No you may not need an extension ladder for your simple home project needs but a simple step ladder is a must.
  3. A portable jump starter. This is an especially useful item to have at home if you life in the country. How many times have we all left the lights on and woken to a dead battery. Help yourself and keep one of these handy to easily get yourself on the road again.
  4. A snow shovel. Two words … Vermont winter.
  5. A X-ACTO knife kit. You will use this more than you would have imagined. Super Sharp and lightweight the X-ACTO is great for jobs from scraping tape or paint off a glass surface to getting the perfect cut from a roll of christmas wrap.
  6. Wire Cutters. Yup, you will use these! Great for their namesake cutting wire and other too tough for scissors items in the home.
  7. Duct Tape. This is literally the #1 most useful item to have at home.
  8. A portable compressor. Save your breath! This handy item will inflate all your inflatables from tires to air mattresses.
  9. A collection of bungee cords in various sizes and strengths.
  10. A hand truck. While this may not be an item you use every day it sure will make a whale of a difference when you need it.

And now for the basic, no surprise here list!

  1. A 50ft extension cord.
  2. A measuring tape.
  3. An adjustable wrench.
  4. Pliers.
  5. A hammer.
  6. A box cutter.
  7. A shop vac or vacuum capable of taking care of wet spills.
  8. A plunger.
  9. Needle nose pliers.
  10. A tarp.
  11. A high powered flashlight.
  12. Glue. Super glue is nice … but try Bish’s Original tear Mender or Sticky Ass Glue instead.
  13. A glue gun.
  14. WD40
  15. TWO screwdrivers … a flathead and phillips head are essential. And you must own both.

While not all of these tool items are what we would think of as conventional. They are all item you will find yourself saying “I wish I had …” on more than one occasion.

 

To learn more about BlackRock Construction, our team and what we can build for you contact 802.861.1120 or info@blackrockus.com.

architecture.jpeg

Home Architecture | Styles We Love

November 4, 2016News

Every house has a style. Some have two or more; due to renovations and new, eclectic mixes, fitting a home into one specific category can be tricky. “Throughout history, buildings have been pushed, pulled, poured and stretched into all sorts styles.” Architecture is truly a tangible reminder of evolving tastes and interests. Here are just a few of the many styles to choose from.

Townhouse – Mostly found in urban areas, the row house, more commonly known as the townhouse, became popular in the early 19th century due to limited space and the financial benefits for the architect and builder. Homes built in this style can be built quickly and on a smaller area of land. Row-house design is dictated by practicality; typically, they are two stories or more with a traditional layout, and a smaller outside space.

Craftsman – Craftsman style homes came out of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The emphasis is on natural materials such as wood, stone and brick. Expansive front porches and low-pitched roofs are commonly found with this style of home. Within the home an open floor plan often features built-in furniture, large fireplaces and exposed beams.

Contemporary – Contemporary refers to the building styles of today, this can vary in design and appearance. This style tends to connect indoors and outdoors. Contemporary homes emphasize energy efficiency, sustainable materials, lots of natural light and the use of recycled non-toxic materials.

Colonial – Colonial architecture originated in the 1600’s, due to the mix of American settlers the styles varied greatly. Colonial architecture is known for symmetry and characterized by evenly spaced shuttered windows. Evenly proportioned dormers, columns and chimneys also complement this formal style.

Mid-Century Modern – Born in the early 1940’s mid-century modern architecture flourished through to the 1980’s. This style is based on new ideas, mindsets and a forward-thinking style, and characterized by flat planes, large windows and wide open space. Simplistic style and integrating nature are very strong traits of this home design style. World War II brought new materials such as steel and plywood to architecture and design. Post war there was also a focus on building neighborhoods and this style was a very popular one during this evolution.

While these are just a few of the many home design styles you will find throughout the world they are some that we see often in Vermont and find comforting, familiar and beautiful.

To learn more about Architectural Styles visit: https://www.architecture.com/Explore/ArchitecturalStyles/Architecturalstyles.aspx

To learn more about BlackRock Construction, our team and what we can build for you contact 802.861.1120 or info@blackrockus.com.