(This post is brought to you by Hestia Home Services.)

Is your home feeling drab and uninspiring? Before you get ready to hang up a sale sign, check out the ideas below for ways to give your space new life.

The Kitchen

There’s a reason upgrading the kitchen is one of the top ways to increase your home’s value. This room is often considered the heart of the home. So it makes sense that this is one of the top spots for renovating. To give your kitchen a facelift, consider getting in some new appliances if yours are on the older side. You can also replace the countertops or simply paint the cabinets. Finally, if you want to go big, you could do something dramatic like knocking out a wall, adding in an island, or redoing the floors.

The Bathroom

Another essential area in your home is the bathroom. It may seem like the room you spend the least amount of time in, but it’s also a significant contributor to your home’s value. Doing some simple things like adding in a new counter or bathtub can go a long way.

According to Houston remodeling contractors Hestia Home Services, when it comes to kitchen and bathroom renovations, “Simple things like choosing quartz counters over marble and quality fittings reduces our maintenance woes. Likewise, installing LED lights, opting for insulated windows cuts energy bills. Not to mention, brighter designs makes it look larger and more relaxing.”

Bedrooms

Next, you’ll want to consider the bedrooms in your home. Start with your own bedroom. When was the last time you replaced your mattress? Does the furniture go with the rest of the room? How do you feel about the paint color? Your bedroom is supposed to be your safe haven away from the stresses of the world, so make sure it’s a place you love to spend time in.

After that, move onto the other bedrooms. Perhaps your kids have grown out of their old furniture and need an upgrade. Or maybe you plan on having guests over more often and want to upgrade your spare bedroom. Again, small changes can go a long way, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to transform a bedroom.

The Basement

If you have a basement, consider fixing it up a bit. When done right your basement can turn into a great place to entertain guests or simply spend time relaxing. Of course, many basements are dark and dank naturally, so you’ll have to do some work to make it homey. Consider adding an electric heater or fireplace, installing more lights, and getting some comfortable furniture. Add in a television and you’re good to go.

Your Yard

Finally, don’t forget about the outside of your home. Remodeling the inside is great, but if you want to improve your curb appeal, while also giving yourself a relaxing place to spend time outside, you’ll want to fix up the yard. This means doing some landscaping, maybe adding in some patio furniture, or installing a water feature. Here are some great yard ideas for inspiration.

How to Prepare for Your Remodel

To get started with your remodel, you’ll first want to decide on which room you’re tackling first. Is it your kitchen? One of the bedrooms? After you choose one, start coming up with a list of all the things you want to do. For now, don’t worry about the budget, just let your imagination run wild.

Once you have a pre-remodeling checklist, you can start pricing everything you want to do. As you go along, you’ll figure out which items are possible within your budget, and which ones will have to go by the wayside. No matter which methods you choose, you’ll have to find a way to pay for them. The best thing you can do is start saving up early, and make sure you know all the costs before you start any of the work.

Finally, if you’re planning a big job, get some help. Find a local remodeling service to help give you ideas and do the work for you. This will save you time and ensure the job gets done right. Hopefully this guide was able to get you started thinking about remodeling your home, and it won’t be long before you’ve transformed some problem areas into spaces you love.

(A big “thank you” to our friends at porch.com for sponsoring this post!)

Moving is stressful at best (we don’t need to remind you about the countless reports that have been commissioned on that). However, when you are relocating to a completely new area, you have even more factors to fuel anxiety.

Even with help from pros like those at Den moving companies, there are a lot thing you need to sort out before committing to a big move.

Research, A Lot

First, you need to invest some serious time into conducting the right type of research. That includes making getting information from non-biased sources or people who know the area but don’t have a vested interest in having you move there. This might mean speaking to several real estate branches in various areas. You can also look into statistics about areas you are considering. Learning about things like the median price and sized of homes, average commute times, access to goods and services, and crime statistics can provide a big overview of an area.

Are there any warning signs?

Once you think you have found your area of choice, continue to scrutinize it. After all, a mistake at this point could be costly and keep you from enjoying life in a new city.

Are there an unusually high proportion of people interested in moving away?  Does it look like a place where you would feel comfortable living? Do you want to live in an area with meticulously groomed landscaping? Or are you more interested in finding a neighborhood where people are playing outside with their kids? If the neighborhood doesn’t “feel” right when you actually visit it, it’s probably worth reconsidering whether you’re willing to making a short commitment to rent—or a long term investment if you plan to buy a home.

What will the area offer you?

Of course, you can live in the “best” neighborhood in the land, but that doesn’t mean to say that it is suitable for your needs. If you are the young and trendy type, there’s every chance that you will want bars, coffee shops and the like on your doorstep. Or you might also want to focus on finding an established neighborhood with mature trees.

If you’re considering an upscale neighborhood that will likely stretch your budget a bit, also consider other costs you may incur as a result of relocating to that area. Will the property be expensive to maintain in a manner that will meet community standards? When you compare yourself to your neighbors, will you feel pressure to purchase more expensive cars and furniture?

If you have children who will attend nearby public or private schools, try to learn something about the school culture. Will you feel comfortable having your kids in that environment? Even if you’ve selected what’s commonly considered a “good” neighborhood, you need to make sure it will really be the perfect place for your unique family.

How does it impact your work life?

Finally, you don’t want to base your choice of location only on the proximity to work. However, you do need to make sure the commute will allow you to still have a good quality of life. In some cities, even a five-mile commute can take hours to complete. That means you distance isn’t the most important factor. Use a software, such as Google maps, to see how long the driving time is estimated to take during the times you will most likely be traveling to and from work.

(This post brought to you by North Coast Financial Inc.)

Great home staging can make all the difference between a disappointing experience listing a house for sale and experiencing phenomenal success in today’s home market.

Whether you are selling your family residence to upgrade or need to make the most out of your investment property financing, learning to make a home attractive to buyers is well worth the time commitment and reasonable expenses incurred.

Take a look below for some areas you may want to focus on to make the most of your listing.

Exterior and Curb Appeal

In the real estate market, first impressions are incredibly important. Thankfully, proper landscaping can make a huge difference. Be sure to trim back overgrown trees and replace tired plants. If needed, invest in fresh sod.

Also consider whether it would pay to resurface a cracked driveway, add an off-street parking area, and repaint or replace fencing. Don’t forget to also consider the condition of house numbers and the mailbox. Some simple and inexpensive changes can make a big difference.

Make Sure Flooring is in Good Condition

Take a critical look at the flooring. Professionally cleaning, stretching, or replacing carpets may be necessary. Refinishing wood floors will also greatly improve the overall appeal of the house when potential buyers step through the door.

Upgrade the Kitchen

Since it is the heart of the home, the kitchen is one of the best areas to invest in prior to selling a home. That said, be carefully to invest strategically since the sky is the limit when it comes to the amount of money that could go into a kitchen renovation. Smart money can be spent giving it a fantastic facelift by replacing hardware, painting cabinets, and updating lighting.

Renovate Bathrooms

Potential buyers are also attracted to homes with clean, comfortable, bathrooms. Consider replacing an old vanity, cleaning grout, updating hardware, and replacing an old toilet seat. You may also impress budget-conscious home buyers with new fixtures including eco-friendly taps and shower fittings that will conserve water.

Focus on Lighting

A dark, depressing atmosphere is likely to turn away potential buyers. Consider ways to make the most of available natural light and consider investing in new fixtures to give dark areas a light and airy atmosphere.

Maximize Storage

These days home buyers are likely to prefer homes with great storage areas. This is especially important if you’re trying to sell a small house. Great shelving can make even a small home extremely functional—and help buyers imagine how the home could be the perfect fit for their family.

(A big “thank you” to our friends at Get Assist for sponsoring this post!)

The red and orange leaves of autumn are falling as cooler temperatures swallow up the last warmth of summer. With a little hard work, the same yard that hosted backyard cookouts with children running across the lawn can be transformed into an entertaining hotspot during the fall months.

Seating

Why let cooler temperatures drive you inside when you can create warmth and fun outside? How could you make your outdoor space just as inviting as your living room? The solution may be found in comfortable outdoor seating. Purchase a few outdoor couches and chairs where guests can lounge and converse. Make sure you design your seating layout so that small groups of people are encouraged to talk to each other.

 Fire Pit

Consider purchasing or building a fire pit. In the fall fire pits can be ideal gathering places for guests who get chilly. They’re also a built-in party activity. Who doesn’t enjoy roasting hot dogs and smores over an open flame? Check out this website to get some creative recipe ideas that will work for your fire pit.

There are so may things you can do around a fire pit. Try stargazing on a clear night or hosting a game night. Put up a sheet and host an outdoor movie night or organize a cider tasting party complete with appetizers. Be sure to have extra pillows and blankets on hand for guests to use.

Landscaping

So much can be done to maintain and enhance your outdoor space in the fall. Give your lawn one last cut before colder weather sets in. Rake your leaves and shred them to create some free mulch. Check your driveway and your walkways for cracks in the concrete or asphalt and fill them. Apply a sealant to protect these areas from the rain and freezing temperatures. Water your evergreen trees so they don’t risk dehydration in the winter. If you feel like you don’t have the time or the energy to stay on top of your yard maintenance check out Get Assist to find a local professional near you.

Lighting

There’s no reason to come inside when the sun sets. String lights are a festive addition to any outdoor space. Landscape lighting can be added to illuminate walkways and driveways. Outdoor lanterns can add light in dark corners. Don’t party in the dark invest in some quality outdoor lighting.

A new construction home can be exciting, right? Everything is new, but it also can be a challenge – everything is new! In fact, it can be an expensive investment that requires a lot of thought and careful planning. It’s easy to feel like you’re lost at sea when you enter the real estate market, particularly if you’re considering a new construction home. There are many benefits to new construction, but there are several things to watch out for as well. Make sure you’re going into your home purchase in the best possible way by following these tips for buying a new construction home.

First Time Buyer? How to Choose a New Construction Home

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Remember the Necessities for your New Construction Home

The idea of being the first to live in a new home is attractive to many people, but it comes with a down side that many do not anticipate. When you buy a new construction home, you are buying just the home. It will be a sort of blank canvas for you to paint upon. This means that you will have to worry about things like fences, appliances, landscaping, and a dozen other concerns. Be sure you’re ready to make the investment in turning your new house into a home.

Consider the Location when Looking at New Homes

New construction has a tendency to stand alone in areas that were largely unoccupied before. Be sure to think long and hard about the location of your new home. Some new construction is built on lots in already established neighborhoods, while others may be part of large residential development projects. There may be an uncertain future for your home’s location–try to gather as much information as possible about the surrounding area to get a feel for the new neighborhood. We like these tips when choosing a new home.

Beware of Defective Construction

One of the biggest problems that new construction home buyers run into is a latent defect. Your new house might appear to be perfectly built, only to present with expensive problems later on. You might find leaks when the first rain storm hits, or you could be surprised by poor electrical wiring when your power fails. Be sure to research your builder’s reputation before you enter into any agreements, and have the home professionally inspected before you officially take possession of the home property.

Ask About a Warranty When Looking at New Homes

Many areas now require a warranty on new construction homes according to law. This is meant to protect buyers from the danger of possible defects in construction. Be sure to ask lots of questions about your warranty–you don’t want to simply take the builder’s word. Whether you’re dealing with a reputable builder or a newer upstart, be sure to get all the details on a possible warranty before making any agreements.

Check Your Builder’s Past Work & Reputation

It would be a good idea to get a look at a few builders’ previous work when you shop for new construction. Research if they have or have had construction insurance when building your home. Ask for tours of some previously built homes to get a feel for the kind of work you can expect. You should never go blind into a new construction deal. Get the straight story from your own two eyes, and believe it when you see it. Always be cautious about new construction–you may love your new home, but only if it’s built right.

For more moving tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Beautiful flowers shouldn’t be reserved just for the spring and summer months! Whether it’s flowering shrubs, perennials, or wild flowers there is a way to have beautiful flowers throughout the year. We can find ourselves wishing we could have flowers all year long. While it may sound impossible, it’s really not! With careful planning, you can create a fantastic four-season garden. So sit with back with a cup of tea as we venture into the world of year round gardening.

How To Plant Beautiful Flowers Year Around

Building a Garden with Flowering Shrubs & Beautiful Flowers

It’s always helpful to use a planner to watch your garden’s growth and to keep track of what is growing each season. By recording the seeds you planted, you can see which plants are faring well and know which ones are in bloom. Secondly, you will need to study the appropriate flowers in your area. What grows in Southern Georgia isn’t necessarily going to grow well in Wisconsin. Utilize a combination of hardy perennial wild flower seeds, annuals, and container plantings to add color and life to your garden. For cooler regions, look to foliage for added color and dimension to the garden. We may not think of lush greenery as interesting but when it’s cooler outside with no spring color, that lush green can add life to our home. Another trick is to ensure the beauty of the garden by planting at least two items that will grow together in harmony. You don’t want one plant to overpower another but to rather be gracious roommates.

These 17 Beautiful Flowers produce year around color from HGTV.

Beautiful Flowers for Your Garden Planters and Flower Beds

Always be sure that your garden area is filled with plants that will do well with the amount of sun and shade your area provides. Our next suggestion is to incorporate plants that are native to your area, it promotes healthy support of local plants and foliage so that they continue to thrive. Those of us working closely with the land can respect the importance of supporting the growth of the natives! A few suggestions for your year round garden include:

Spring Flowers Varieties 

• Pansy
• Tulip
• Peony
• Snowdrop
• Daffodil
• Crocus
• Hellebore
• Grape Hyacinth

Summer Blooms

• Coneflower
• Zinnia
• Bee Balm
• Black-Eyed Susan
• Hydrangea
• Guara
• Nasturtium
• Verbena
• Marigold
• Hibiscus

These summer gardening tips will help you have beautiful flowers!

Fall Flower Types

• Asters
• Mums
• Begonia
• Sumac
• Beautyberry
• Goldenrod
• Russian Sage

Winter Landscaping and Flower Types

• Camellia
• Holly
• Firethorn
• Chokeberry
• Winter Jasmine
• Cotoneaster
• Nandina

Read our best winter gardening tips here. 

The Best Gardening Tips for Container Plants

If you wish to utilize containers in your gardening, you can plant just about anything in those to spruce up your window boxes and decorative containers. Some plants really should be in containers, such as any kind of mint, because of their invasive nature. There is nothing worse than planting an invasive plant in the ground and having it completely take over your garden. Here are out top picks for your containers:

Beautiful Flowers for the Spring

o  Cineraria

o  Oxalis

o  Heuchera

o  Edibles (Oregano, sage, thyme, mint, parsley, lemon balm)

Summer Flowers for Container Gardens

• Ageratum
• Coleus
• Double Impatiens
• Ivy
• Petunias

Fall Flowers

• African Daisy
• Snapdragon
• Twinspur
• Sweet Alyssum
• Coral Bells

Sunflowers make gorgeous container flowers!

Winter

• Yucca
• Japanese Pieris
• Boxwood
• Japanese Sedge

Year round gardening is possible with a little know-how and some tenacity. Be sure to consult your local gardening center to help with finding the right plants for your area. Even picking out the right sunflower will ensure a successful and beautiful garden that will brighten your home no matter what season you are in. Gardening in all seasons will teach you plenty about your property and how to care for the soil in ways that will ensure healthy gardening in years to come.

For more beautiful flowers and gardening tips on Stagetecture, click here.

A backyard transformation could be in order if you’re tired of the way it looks and feels. If a blah backyard patio has got you down but you don’t have a ton of cash on hand to add curb appeal, don’t fret. There are all kinds of ways to enhance the natural appeal of your outdoor space without breaking the bank in the process. You might not be able to install the water slide your kids are begging for or the outdoor furniture  you saw in the Pottery Barn catalogue, but you can always hit up garage sales for furnishing and décor items (that can easily be fixed up with some spray paint and new cushions). And in terms of making the overall space more appealing, here are a few budget-friendly tips to try.

Budget-Friendly Ways to a Backyard Transformation

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Colored concrete for your Backyard Transformation

If a fancy mosaic of pavers isn’t in the cards due to the cost of materials and labor, then consider colored concrete as a viable option. Whether you want to spice up your current patio by having a pro come out and stain it for you or you’d like to create a unique pressed mosaic by laying your own concrete slab, embossing it with a mold while wet, and then hand-staining it yourself, this is a less expensive way to get the custom look you crave and add some visual interest to an otherwise bland backyard.

Backyard Sanctuary ideas – Create islands.

Planting is a great way to add color and variety to your yard, but limiting yourself to beds and garden planters around the perimeter of your house and fence line can be a bit passé. Instead, draw a scale model of your yard and experiment with the placement of islands. Once you’ve found a configuration you like, tear out the sod, add a mound of dirt, tamp it down, and then plant. You can add trees, shrubbery, and a variety of flowering plants that will bloom in different seasons. And all you have to do is add cypress wood mulch or wood chips for a finishing touch that will keep the plants in place and help the soil to hold moisture until the ground cover fills in.

Patio arbors and pergolas.

Building a covered deck or installing a motorized awning simply might not be in your budget. But if you want some less expensive cover that will also add beauty to your yard, a pergola or arbor may be an ideal solution. They’re not terribly difficult to build (although you can find some low-cost prefab options) and you can train a variety of vines to grow up and over the slats in order to create a leafy, shade-giving roof in the summer.

Improve your landscaping and lawn areas:

Brown, patchy lawns are uninviting and off-putting. Weeds create a miniature backyard jungle harboring unwanted pests and rodents. Nobody likes a dead lawn or one that is infested with crabgrass. Basic, fundamental lawn care practices can help bring life back to your backyard without breaking the bank on expensive fertilizer programs. For example, is the right type of grass planted in your backyard? The backyard is usually where all of the gathering takes place and definitely where the family dog spends most of his or her time. So, homeowners are going to want to have a traffic resistant grass type in their backyard. For example, homeowners in a place like Birmingham, Alabama are most likely going to want to have Bermuda grass because it’s fast repairing, handles traffic well, and requires less maintenance than most grasses. To save money you can use seed instead of uprooting the entire lawn and replace it with sod. Because Bermuda grass (though a beautiful lawn choice) is also one of the world’s most pesky weeds it can easily overtake a lawn by spreading enough seed. Of course, other things come into play like mowing once a week and watering deeply and infrequently. However, switching your type of grass can be easy to way to boost your backyard aesthetic.

Hanging Lanterns and Outdoor Lighting

Installing lighting fixtures and outdoor lighting. throughout your outdoor space can be incredibly pricy, but luckily there are less expensive ways to implement the illumination needed to keep your afternoon soirees going late into the evening. You can purchase colorful paper lanterns at import markets or even dollar stores, in some cases. And hanging them is a cinch. You can either place poles strategically throughout the yard and run light strings between them (hang the lanterns on after) or you might dangle individual bulbs from tree branches. You could even hang lights from the edges of your pergola! From there it’s easy enough to hide the main power cable under the turf as it runs back to the outlet on the side of your house.

We love these outdoor lighted planters for your backyard.

DIY water features for your Backyard Transformation

Adding custom logo water features to your yard won’t help you to save money, but you can still get the serenity of a garden water feature by implementing your own aquatic installation. There are all kinds of tutorials online that will help you to create a water wall, koi pond, or drip system, just for example, and many require just a few basic items from the hardware store and a little creativity on your part when it comes to adding a touch of beauty.

For more outdoor ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Are you thinking it’s hard to start a budget garden this season? Your garden is an excellent place to create an eco-friendly masterpiece. It is a natural canvas where you can showcase your creativity and resourcefulness in making a landscape. Home gardening should not be a costly hobby or project. All you need are readily available in your home.

Whether you are decorating your budget garden with decor or you are trying to keep your gardening herbs and plants beautiful, there are tips that can help. Your garden can be beautified with recycled decoration, and your actual plants can use these green tips to ensure it thrives during the season.

How to Maintain your Budget Garden this Season

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Here are effective landscaping ideas to help your garden efforts:

Cheap Garden Pots Save Money:

One of the best ways to organize your plants in the garden is to place them in pots. Instead of buying commercial pots, recycle your empty cans, containers or jars. You can use empty milk cans, coffee containers, noodle cups, cracked jars and many other materials you can use as a flower pot. You can wrap it with colorful foils if you want to cover the brand name and have them arranged in different colors. Try these helpful budget garden ideas for saving water with your plants.

Budget Gardening Starts with your Own Compost:

Making garden compost is not that difficult to do. An effective compost heap can be done through a mixture of most organic waste in your kitchen. It can be a mixture of vegetables, egg shells, coffee grounds, food scraps, and vegetables. Mix it up with your garden soil and use it as a fertilizer. This is a great alternative to commercial fertilizer and saves a lot on your gardening budget.

Cheap Landscaping Ideas: Remove grass and weeds

This is quite a simple yet effective way to save water consumption. Grass and weeds can create competition in terms of water absorption with your plants in the garden. Other than water consumption, grass and weeds can acquire nutrients from the soil intended for your plants. Try these cheap landscaping ideas to beautify your outdoor home.

Being green with your garden is not only a budget-saving practice but also a satisfying means to help our environment. Always remember to reuse, reduce and recycle! Your garden is where you enjoy beautiful blooms, delicious scents, and a refuge from the everyday world. Use these ideas to bring decoration to your outdoor home and eco-friendly tips to your garden practices.

Looking for another budget gardening tip?

Try a pallet garden!

For more outdoor home ideas on Stagetecture, visit our gardening tips archives.

An outdoor kitchen or a “summer kitchen” is a perfect place to combine relaxation, entertaining and nature in one area of your outdoor home. Perhaps scraping the ice off the windshield and driving slowly to work in congested traffic on a regular basis brought on some winter blues. Perhaps staying indoors for long periods and feeling miserable as soon as you stepped outdoors dampened your usually cheerful disposition. Creating a welcoming outdoor entertaining area with the ability to cook and enjoy your friends and family can be the perfect “getaway” for the warmer season!

How to Create a Great Outdoor Kitchen this Season

One idea to cheer yourself up considerably is to start thinking about and planning your outdoor barbecue parties. If you love great food and good company, then it’s time to start thinking about your “must have this summer” list and plan-of-action for your outdoor kitchen and bar.

Create an Outdoor Bar to Enjoy Nature

Think of your deck or patio as an extension to your house. Think of it as an “extra room” where you can enjoy warm, balmy days and pleasant evenings with family and friends. After spending so much of your time indoors during the winter, it’s only natural for outdoor decks or patios to become the best place for convivial social gatherings. We love these outdoor bar and kitchen ideas from DIY Network.

However, rather than simply filling up the space with chairs and tables and a modest grill, why not go all out and make it the favorite “room.” Yes, convert your deck or patio into a fully-functioning outdoor kitchen with all the comforts of a den.

Here are 4 outdoor kitchen ideas that go far beyond simply tossing hotdogs and hamburgers on a grill and eating at a wooden picnic table:

1. A Gas BBQ Grill

A built-in bbq gas grill is probably the first thing to think about when it comes to designing a great outdoor kitchen. Think about how many people usually come to your parties when you’re buying a grill. If you get something too small, then you won’t be able to cook all your meat, corn, and potatoes at the same time. It will be difficult to serve uniformly hot food to your family and visitors.

2. A Functional Outdoor Kitchen

There are three things that make a kitchen a functional place for culinary craft: electricity for appliances, plenty of countertop space for food preparation and placement, and refrigeration. There is no reason why you can’t have all three in your outdoor kitchen, too.

Electricity: It will make a huge difference to the quality of your small gatherings to have electricity to plug in your appliances. While you’re waiting for the food to cook on the grill, you could blend up smoothies or use a food processor for fresh salad dressing, meat sauces, and prepare quick and easy recipes. Instead of sitting around feeling hungry as the food heats up in the grill, you could be sampling drinks and appetizers.

Countertops: What’s the most frustrating thing about cooking in a small kitchen? It’s the lack of enough countertop space. So when planning your outdoor kitchen, be sure that you have enough countertop space for preparing your food and placing it after it’s cooked. Things will go a lot smoother if you’ve got all the counter space you need to stay organized.

Refrigeration: Imagine how convenient it will be to have a refrigerator under the countertop. This will save you the bother of running into your kitchen every time you need sauces and veggies. You’ll also be able to serve chilled cans of beer or bottles of wine.

3. A Full Outdoor Bar

If you tend to have many people at your fabulous outdoor parties, then a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine isn’t going to cut it. You need a wet bar to practice all your mixology skills. It will also make it much easier to have a sink for cleaning up glasses and dishes.

4. An Outdoor Kitchen with Brick Fireplace

If you really want to get cozy, then think about adding an outdoor brick fireplace. After you’ve enjoyed your drinks from the wet bar and eaten a delicious meal, everyone can lounge around the fireplace in comfortable chairs and enjoy the ambiance of firelight.

Naturally, the more area you have available, the more you can do to create a magnificent outdoor kitchen that everyone will love. However, these simple ideas will help you get off to a good start.

For more outdoor kitchen ideas on Stagetecture, visit our outdoor home archives.

Whether you are looking for durability or beauty a natural stone combined with other rustic outdoor elements can transform your home’s exterior. Natural stone is gorgeous when used in outdoor applications such as a stone fireplace, or when landscaping stone is used in walkways, garden stepping stone locations and more. Curb appeal in any season is essential to bring warmth and a welcoming appeal to your home. If you’re considering adding an entertaining area to your backyard or if a stone wall used around your plant beds is more of what you have in mind, look at these creative tips to transform your home’s exterior.

How to Transform Your Home’s Exterior with Natural Stone

Stone Wall Advantages: Why is Building with Natural Stone Better?

Stone is durable enough to withstand the elements and holds its beauty for generations into the future. A stone wall is not only strong, it is made from a sustainable material that is available worldwide. Mother Earth News has 7 Reasons to Prefer Building with Stone to consider.

Your Outdoor Entertaining Stepped Up with a Stone Fireplace

Whether it is snowing outside or it is a cool, brisk evening, your backyard can always use a gorgeous stone fireplace for guests to gather around. While there are several materials used for interior fireplaces such as brick, metal and ledge stone, stone is one of the most common for an outdoor entertaining area. Consider using stone products for areas such as the fireplace surround, hearth, mantle. A lower stone wall for guest seating can be an inviting area for guests to mingle.

Garden Stepping Stones Help Define Soft Landscaping Areas

Whether you are a garden enthusiast or just love the combination of soft and hard landscaping, garden stepping stones are a beautiful way to lead guests throughout your yard. Flat stones are perfect for walking on when placed correctly into the soil or grass surroundings. Ask The Builder has great suggestions for natural stone stepping stones. Some of the best stepping stone materials are flat sedimentary or metamorphic natural stone work best:

• Slate
• Flagstone
• Quartzite
• Limestone
• Stone fireplace

This season decide how you would like to transform your outdoor home. Whether you are looking to add a subtle garden space with decorative natural stone or if you’d prefer to build your mountain home with a stone wall, the options are limitless. Natural stone is a great option for any budget and demographic as it comes in various kinds, sizes and styles for you and your home’s architectural style.

For natural stone ideas for your home’s interior, take a look at these tips.