Fabulous East Cobb Designer Home Makeover

Modern East Cobb Home Makeover!

Photography: Elizabeth Granger

We love this giant home renovation we did in Green Ridge! It was an incredible collaboration between our building expertise and the client’s design prowess. The homeowner is an interior designer, Design & Creations, so she showed us her vision, and then we worked together to completely transform this newly purchased home built in the 90s. She found Atlanta Curb Appeal through a recommendation from a neighbor.

We worked on a tight deadline because we wanted to complete the project before her family moved in. This project included updates to almost the entire house, including a complete overhaul of the back deck, a reconstructed fireplace, and an updated living room. We completely reworked the kitchen with changes in the floor plan, framing, cabinets, appliances, and quartz countertops.

We also replaced the tile in the sunroom, painted the upstairs, and refinished the hardwoods. Because we were on a limited timetable, we worked on the every aspect of the project at the same time, and we were able to complete this entire project in just two months!

One of our favorite features is the cedar beams in the living room. These are constructed using cedar boxes, which are much easier to work with and more affordable than solid beams. We also love the simple change of painting the window trim, which has a dramatic effect without installing completely new windows.

We also loved working with this client. Our strengths played well together to rework a home in a beautiful and efficient manner.

She is happy with the finished product and how quickly we were able to complete the project. In fact, we are now discussing a basement renovation! We have also begun referring our clients to each other. A big endorsement and a fantastic final product for this beautiful “new” home!

“We enjoyed working w Avi and his team. They were great at communicating and open for feedback.”

See her Client Post Makeover Video here. which includes early 3D drawings.

Want to read another Makeover Story? How about this exterior renovation in Indian Hills! 

Designer: Design & Curations on IG

Photography credit: Elizabeth Granger 

 

Amazing! New Addition in East Cobb!

Could this be the year you decide to create an addition for your home? Atlanta Curb Appeal helped this East Cobb family add a new wing to their home. And they are in love!

Originally, they found Atlanta Curb Appeal because we had already worked on several homes in their East Cobb Chimney Springs neighborhood. At first, this project started out as a simple add-on. The homeowner wanted a master bedroom built above the garage, but as the homeowner started talking about options with us, they decided to go even bigger. Great ideas just kept piling up! When all was said and done, they decided to also update the exterior of the house and refresh the kids’ bathrooms.

Home additions are always fun – and often full of surprises. This one was no different. The initial idea was to build a new room above the garage, but as we began demolition of the attic above the garage, we decided to take a different course. We knew that the existing garage would not be a good foundation for a new room, so we decided it would be better to rebuild a stronger garage and foundation first. In this case, renovating an old space would have caused more issues than starting fresh.

There are a few other things besides foundation that you should consider before starting a home addition project. For example, will the home addition location be ideal for new plumbing, electric, and HVAC pipes and ducts? Will you need to add more HVAC units to keep the home cool/warm? Also, local inspectors will want to see wiring, smoke detectors, and new breakers in the circuit panel. The other factor is flow. These are all things that ACA can help you determine when you are thinking about an addition.

What are some of the features we love on this addition?

The custom cedar flower boxes we suggested for the second floor!

The family loves the new, large master bedroom, and the kids are happy to have their own rooms and bathrooms! As they drive by, many have commented on the beauty of the final product.

Are you ready to get your East Cobb addition built? Give Atlanta Curb Appeal a call. Additions are $50,000 to $200,000 and can take a few months to build, but the results are worth it!

Spectacular Chimney Springs Porch Delivers Serenity!

Spectacular Serenity and Zen in the Backyard!

If you have to stay at home, why not make your back porch an oasis?

The global pandemic due to COVID-19 has forced most people to remain at home, and that means many people are taking this opportunity to start home beautifying projects, especially outdoors. It’s obvious people are making changes because home improvement sales have risen steadily during the past few months!

This particular East Cobb Chimney Springs homeowner is an Atlanta Curb Appeal returning customer. She was pleased with the home addition and kitchen renovation ACA did for her in the past, and so when the time came, she knew exactly whom to call.

For her latest project, she wanted ACA to create a tranquil new space using her back porch. At the time, she had a simple open porch with flagstone tile and no roof. ACA’s solution was to build onto the existing footprint to create a beautiful enclosure.

A new screened-in porch was a perfect option for a cost-effective way to add entertaining and relaxation space to this home. It is an additional place to host groups of people or a quiet place to just enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the mornings. The screens and roof protect the porch from falling leaves, pollen, and mosquitos. The project added additional space without the expense of insulation and a heating and cooling system.

The new exposed beams and wood ceiling give the space a modern pagoda Zen look. It features a skylight/cupola in the roof that lets in daylight and the up-lighting gives the space a great feel at night. The openness allows you to fully experience the fresh outdoor air while having some shelter. Nature has never felt closer, while keeping the bugs and heat away.

The homeowner was thrilled with the results! Her new back porch is her new serenity destination with its merging of hard and soft features. It’s like traveling to an outdoor retreat, but just steps from her kitchen.

If you think a backyard upgrade is in your near future, ACA can help you get started! Or if you are working at home, you might be itching for an upgrade to expand your workspace; a beautiful back porch addition like this one would be a great place to start. Plus, even when you go back to the office, it will still be great for entertaining and relaxing for years to come.

 

Be Blown Away by this Amazing Deck Transformation!

A client recently found us on a Facebook group of East Cobb moms. They were looking for a new addition to their home that would open up their entertainment space. The results are simply fantastic, and we have lots of photos to share! Originally, the exterior was just a painted open deck with plain wooden railings and a backyard that was not very functional for the family.

Atlanta Curb Appeal, of course, was able to take it to whole new level!

What made this new screened porch addition interesting is the grand entrance to it. Instead of typical sliding doors, adding a folding glass door wall made it feel like one great big room. They now have twelve feet of open space when the doors are fully open. The porch stays cool with industrial strength ceiling fans for the summer and a new fireplace to warm everyone up in the winter.

The fireplace is a custom gas log unit with a faux stone exterior. The amazing cedar mantelpiece works to blend in but also stand out from the overall design. The walls of the screened porch are a different shade and are also made from a beautiful cedar. Two coats of a gorgeous Sherwin Williams stain will keep it fresh for years to come. Extra electrical outlets were added to compensate for the television in the corner. It is now a fantastic space to enjoy a meal or play games as a family.

The client already enjoyed outdoor living and cooking, but a new, functional outdoor kitchen made it so much more accessible! Talk about convenience! No more trips from the grill in the middle of cooking. This modern outdoor kitchen includes a built-in stainless steel grill and a Big Green Egg stand. To keep the meat and drinks cold, a small refrigerator was installed under the wet bar. Now it’s time to party!

Moving from the wooden deck are a set of steps to the new backyard! The client had significant draining issues and was not able to grow a lawn back there, so it had to be completely redone. Atlanta Curb Appeal had some substantial hardscaping to do. To start with, a bobcat was brought in to level everything. Leveling allowed for drainage improvement and a new retaining wall installation. These two items redirected the path of the previously pooling water. French drains were also installed to pipe out the additional water flow and all the backyard downspouts. The most significant benefit to this new backyard is the increased safe space for the parents to watch the small children as they play and new fencing to keep the dog protected and contained.

The biggest surprise for the family was the timeframe that the project was completed in. They were pleasantly surprised that we were able to be flexible and make changes to the original schedule, yet still only finish one week longer than the original promised completion date.

Items Added to Schedule of Original Timeline 

-New cedar fence to enclose the backyard and make it safe and private

-Drainage problems sorted out and backyard graded

-Retaining wall built

-Additional concrete pad and wood burning fireplace.

-New 12×10 dry storage under the deck with an electrical charging station

-Cedar ceiling and wall inside of screened porch instead of beadboard and old yellow stucco

-Concrete walkway from the front yard to backyard

-Relocated the HVAC condensing units to create easily-hidden storage space for trash bins

The children love their new space and the family as a whole are thrilled that they can get the full benefit of their new dry backyard. The kids can play on the lawn or in their new sandbox or even ride toys on the concrete pad all while Mom and Dad sit on their beautiful porch to keep an eye on them.

Must See! Beautiful Sunroom with Fireplace Near Walton

East Cobb Porch Installation

Recently, we wrapped up a new porch installation in East Cobb near Walton High School. The clients initially found us by an online search for recommended East Cobb contractors. Atlanta Curb Appeal set up a meeting to examine the home. After a thorough examination of the property, the process of creating a complimentary estimate for them began. The age of the homes in their neighborhood is about 10-15 years old. Thus, they were ready for an update.

Attached to the home was the original small deck and pergola. However, their dream was to have a screened porch. After 15 years of exterior wear and tear, their wooden deck was showing signs of deterioration. During our consultation, they also leaned heavily towards adding a new outdoor fireplace if the budget could accommodate.

Clients often have a difficult time deciding whether to add a screened porch or sunroom. Building a new sunroom involves a whole new set of costs and changes to a home, including new HVAC duct work, insulation, electrical work, and support walls. The beauty of a screened porch is that you are still connected to nature. You can hear the morning song of the Georgia birds, the rustling of the fall leaves, and the feel of the breeze on your skin during the spring.

As with any significant changes to a home’s footprint, there can be county inspections and paperwork to complete. For some neighborhoods, approval by the HOA is required, too. In our experience, we recommend that the homeowner get the HOA to sign off before work commences. Atlanta Curb Appeal was able to provide the client with CAD drawings from an architect and facilitate the process of county permitting. We helped with the application process for building, electrical and plumbing permits. Finally, we met with the various inspectors during the process and paid the fees.

One of the challenges to our design was that the home had an arched brick wall full of windows. This curvature required us to attach the porch differently than we normally would. The inspectors made us build it as a free-standing structure. He also wanted us to provide an additional engineer’s letter to make sure that we made it to county specifications. The wall shape was unusual, and as such they wanted us to over-reinforce it with massive beams. This porch will not be going anywhere for the next 200 years!

Another great addition to this structure was the installation of a new fireplace. Together we selected a custom-designed stone front facing style. A beautiful cedar mantle was cut and shaped for it by hand. It’s gorgeous and durable. Altogether, this particular sunroom took about 5 weeks to finish. This was a typical timeline. However, if your home doesn’t have an arched brick wall, it could be less.

The final results are that the clients are so excited with their new sunroom! They love it and have already given us a great review online. In fact, when we went to pickup the last payment, they asked us to start renovating their basement! We are happy to say that we are now nearly finished with this project, too.

See more photos of other Atlanta Curb Appeal projects in our online Porch gallery here.

Want to read another makeover story?

Atlanta Curb Appeal, 770-778-1172, http://atlantacurbappeal.com/

 

Amazing East Cobb Sunroom Renovation

Sometimes the answer to dissatisfaction with your home isn’t to move, it’s to grow where you are. For this East Cobb family, they were looking for a larger space to enjoy the beautiful view of trees on their lot while basking in the natural sunshine.

The Backstory

Their original old deck was slowing falling into disrepair. The decking was warped and full of splinters. Sadly, both the sun porch and deck didn’t get much use because of the unusual floor plan. The awkward layout didn’t encourage the family to stop and enjoy the view.

Initially, the family thought the outer deck structure was salvageable. However, we discovered that after removing the top boards, the underlying joists were not only weak but also not level. It would be unsafe and short-sighted to build on top of this. What a shame it would be to put a beautiful new deck and porch on such a crooked, irregular frame. After a short meeting, the family decided to bite the bullet and start fresh from the ground up. Another benefit to starting over would be an expansion of the foundation. Increasing the square footage would also boost the home’s value.

Going Up!

With the new foundation installed, the structure started to take shape. A new detail to this sun porch was the EZE Breeze windows. EZE Breeze windows are different than your typical residential windows because they are made of vinyl. Benefits include a lifetime warranty. Most interesting is that they fold up or down and can stack into four pieces. Modularity allows for more creativity, especially when the screens are open and there is airflow. Plus they are excellent at protecting your furniture during Atlanta’s dreaded pollen season!

Another style upgrade to the sun porch is the addition to the ceiling. Behold the beautiful dark brown cedar beams! The overall color scheme chosen is a gorgeous shade of white with complementary browns. The natural color of the cedar in the beams and detailed columns give great warmth to the room now. We used 2×6 smooth cedar decking outside and finished it with an oil base tinted stain. It should be noted when designing a new porch, the price of cedar raises the overall cost quite considerably.

Efficiency Year Round

The key to keeping the temperature stable year round on a sun porch is insulation! The walls and ceiling were the first to receive the treatment. In a later phase, the floor will get insulated too. Georgia summers can be brutal, so we installed a massive 72″ ceiling fan. It’s doing an excellent job keeping the room cool when some of the windows are vented.

Skylights were installed to overcome the vastness of this larger porch. Skylights help bring some natural light inside; it’s beautiful to see the sky and clouds pass by while sitting down enjoying the day.

The final dress-up to this sun porch was the myriad of lighting selected. Outside, we installed under soffit can lights. Inside, we placed indoor can lights on two different dimmer switches; this allows for ‘atmosphere dimming’ to set the mood. The new wall-mounted decorative lights look fantastic on the columns.

 

Have you heard of shiplap? It’s the latest style in renovating and it looks sumptuous on the inside wall against the house. We used different-sized wood planks and gave them a whitewashed finish. It’s a trend that’s here to stay.

According to the client, the most popular part of the sunroom they have found themselves using is the sitting area. It’s getting daily use now along with the long table when they host friends.

Are you ready to get your porch ready for Spring and Summer? Call Atlanta Curb Appeal to get a free estimate today at 770-778-1172.

Want to read another makeover story? See the beautiful Outdoor Kitchen with Cedar Deck we built for this family!

See the Atlanta Curb Appeal Gallery here.