Add Pet-Friendly Nooks to Your Home

A popular spin-off of room additions is creating specially designated spaces for your pet companions. It's the step up from everything else we provide for our dogs and cats, from the travel gear they get for road trips, to extra snuggly carriers and accessories they get for accompanying us on errands and cuddling with us at home. In the hands of a Nashville general contractor, you can create creative built-in shelving for cats to recline upon, or a tucked away resting nook that your pup will adore.

Here are some ideas from Clayton Construction on how to turn your home into a more pet-friendly oasis:

• Mud room and adjoining wash area: Nevermind a season room for your own relaxation as part of the residential construction plans, but a mud room for active pups is a great way to contain dirty paws. Putting in an area where you can also conveniently clean them up makes their bouncy energy easy on everyone.

• Outdoor shower: As an alternative to the interior bathing room, consider an outside shower nook for a building addition. This may make it more comfortable for dogs to shake off excess water or soak up sun to dry.

• Catwalks: Here's where your imagination can go wild as you add funky touches to the walls, along stairs, and wherever else you think your cats may appreciate. Linear tunnels, diagonal stepping squares, and mazes that resemble cinema scenes make remodeling fun.

• Platform feeding stations: Eliminate messy floors, and store large bags of food in an adjacent drawer.

• Sleeping niche: Take advantage of odd corners and watch Nashville home improvement ideas turn recessed areas into walls or closets that your pets can call their own.

Share your thoughts with Clayton Construction, and contact us to give your pets the special spots they deserve!

Is A Room Addition Right for You?

Changing times have meant that generations are staying together under one roof, and the home office is becoming more and more common. Rooms are designated exclusively for guests, and even just for pets. Many desire an entertainment rooms or the proverbial “man or woman cave,” where you can retreat and indulge into personal space. Here are some things to consider about room additions:

Aesthetic Appeal: Although you may fall in love with a online or print remodeling idea, make sure that it really does work for you. Aesthetics are just as important as the financial and size aspects of adding a space, so you should be confident that the design is really how you want your house to look. This can also be a deciding factor in Nashville curb appeal, should you decide to rent out or sell.

Practical Purpose and Longevity: Coinciding with the aesthetic appeal is the long term practicality of having such an addition. Is it part of a multi-unit construction project to increase living space and how will it affect rent? Is it something like a basement apartment that can be utilized as something else if the person leaves, or will it become dead space? Will the construction work be within an already existing framework, or affect roofing or walls? Discuss with your Nashville general contractor if it's part of storm damage repair, how you're spending a financial windfall, something that's been planned for a long time, or the solution to a sudden change in circumstances.

Affect on Neighbors: If it's an outside addition, will the neighbors be affected? Will it change the scenic views, or dim or obstruct natural lighting?

Clayton Construction has over 60 years of experience with home improvements, repairs, and renovations. Contact us today to see what the best plan is for adding on to your home!

Eco-Friendly Options for Insulation

As part of new residential construction or tackling that to-do list that needs to be finished, readying a home for the cold season is one of the most important things you can do financially and personally. You and yours will feel more comfortable when inside and not in direct contact with the lower temperatures, and you'll save money every month from not running up high heating bills. Our last blog post talked about getting started on Nashville home insulation, so here are some things you should know about different types of materials:

Cellulose: Made from fluffed up clumps of recycled paper, this is perfect for filling in gaps that are too small or difficult to remedy with other substances. When addressing insurance repairs, this is an option for making sure no spot is left bare.

Cotton/Denim: Recycled jeans to the rescue! Denim and cotton fibers are a great eco-friendly option that are free from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and also provide a nice degree of noise reduction. Talk to your Nashville general contractor about using this in original or remodeling designs.

Structural Insulated Panels: Another sustainable option, this is good when insulating present walls or new room additions. SIPS are a worthy investment if the best route is large boards that will form tight seals, especially in areas commonly afflicted by drafts, such as attics and basements.

Soy Spray Foam: This is an insulator that expands to neatly fill all of the spots it's applied to. They're also free of VOCS and resist mold.

Contact us at Clayton Construction today, so we can discuss what kind of insulation is best for your house's needs and your budget. Our extensive experience includes building additions, fire damage repairs, framing, and roofing, and we're readily available Monday through Friday to get your Nashville home set up for the Winter!

It's Time to Check Your Home's Insulation

Cooler temperatures are here, so it's time for flavored warm beverages, sweaters, and cozy blankets. If you have a dog, you may start using a jacket or booties for him or her. For your home, though, it's just that time when heating bills increase, right?

Higher electric and gas bills don't have to be your house's way of dealing with colder months. Whether as part of a Nashville repair project, or something to tackle in a new move, insulating a house makes quite a difference in comfortability as well as in utility bills. If you own a rental unit, doing this as tenant improvements will also add to the property's value and appeal.

You can start to get a sense about where insulation is needed by checking for cracks or gaps in floorboards, walls, windows, and doors. Although kitchens and baths are great for giving off heat during cooking and hot showers, don't be fooled that they may not have areas where damage repair or remodeling are needed. If you're familiar with double or triple glazed windows from hotel travels, you'll recognize that as one solution (plus it'll help reduce loud outside noise that may be distracting!)

An infrared thermometer will help point out where insulation is needed, and is a handy guide when purchasing a multi-family unit and estimating how much you'll need the services of a Nashville general contractor. Having a professional handle repairs and modifications will mean that everything is set and you can focus more on the cozier aspects of Winter weather. In our next blog post, we'll talk more about types of insulation.

With over sixty years of diverse experience, Clayton Construction is Nashville's top source for handling all kinds of residential and commercial services. Call us at 615-969-9758, to make sure your home is ready!

Choose Clayton Construction for Your Roofing Needs

Roofs take the brunt of weather and whatever else the outside elements bring. It's a building's component that should never be delayed when something needs to be addressed. Although it may seem like a daunting re-modeling project, in the hands of experienced contractors, a makeover or a roofing repair can be done in a time and cost efficient manner.  Some of the most common roof types are:

Dimensional Asphalt Shingle: Asphalt is valuable for its durability and waterproofing, and for staying in good shape for several decades. Since dimensional roof shingles have more than one layer, they're even stronger, and as the name implies, adds a multi-dimensional appearance. There's a variety of shapes and colors to choose from, so if you're interested in the aesthetic appeal as well, this is a good choice.

Raised Panel Metal: Stylish, incredibly long lasting, and ecologically friendly, this option can also lower heating costs and help you stay cooler.

Single-Ply Flat: Available in a variety of materials, flat roofs include options such as green and solar. Green roofs combine the pleasing look of a garden, with the benefits of reducing air pollutants and energy costs. Depending on how strong your roof is and how much sunlight it's affected by, solar panels may be a viable solution.

Clayton Construction has 50+ years of experience with all aspects of general contracting, including roofing, and with serving the needs of Nashville Metro customers. We work with residential and commercial clients, and on every kind of structure, from ones being built from scratch, to ones that need a little maintenance, to older buildings that require renovations. Whether you're interested in one of the options above, or prefer something else, let us know, and we'll get on it. Available Monday through Friday, from 7:30a.m – 5:00p.m., call us at 615-969-9758 to schedule an appointment for your new roof!

Built-In Storage Maximizes Space and Comfort

No matter how much you try to downsize, there's surely still to be stuff that requires considerable space and easy access. One of the easiest and most cost and space effective solutions is built-in storage, which works for all kinds of homes, from multi-family units to single family dwellings. Here are some ways a licensed general contractor can help you with creative and practical ideas for storing and displaying items:

Shelving: The possibilities are endless! Whether room additions for books, toys, and knick-knacks, better organization in closets, making sure that laundry or gardening supplies stay in one convenient place, garage or workroom space for tools, holiday wraps and decorations, or art or craft supplies, whatever you need it for, recessed shelving is the way to go.

Cabinets: Cabinet/shelf combos in the foyer are a great way for everyone to have their own space for outerwear, footwear, and accessories such as hats, gloves, scarves, backpacks, purses, umbrellas, and other miscellaneous items commonly needed when going out.

Seating: Up the cosy factor in your home with window seats that offer private nooks for reading, working, studying, or just taking a much needed break to relax or catch a power nap. Add cabinets for extra blankets, candles, seldom used kitchenware (perhaps the fancy plates that only come out at the occasional special occasion?), and whatever else could benefit from hidden display. Window seats are also neat lounge spots for cats and dogs!

Almost any space can be transformed during remodeling, such as below or alongside the stairs, within a kitchen island, nooks by the bathroom sink, or that awkward empty niche in the wall that you know can be filled with something. Clayton Construction has extensive experience with new residential construction, as well as restoration and repairs. Contact us today, to enhance your Nashville Metro home!

Adding Green Features to Your Home

The benefits of adding green features to your home are numerous. In addition to obviously helping the environment, eco-friendly materials also decrease utility expenses, and reduce if not eliminate potential health problems. They also add value to your house, whether or not you sell it, rent it out, or keep it within your family. Here are a few of the main elements in your home to consider, from Clayton Construction:

Windows: First, don't forget about the possibilities and the benefits of extra shading. Awnings, shutters, external blinds, and even trees can reduce how the temperatures filter through your existing windows. If you do still decide or need to replace windows, go for double panes, insulated frames, and/or low emissivity glass.

Roof: How about a green roof, literally? A layer of moisture and root resistant material is placed upon a section of the roof, and plants grow. It results in heating and cooling effects for your home, a reduction in pollutants in the air, and a unique aesthetic characteristic.

Flooring: In lieu of carpeting, try recycled glass, bamboo, sustainably sourced wood, or even cork. If you decide to still have carpeted floors, find companies that use natural fibers for the backing as well as the top layers.

Insulation: A safe alternative to common fiberglass is cellulose, which comes from recycled paper, particularly newspapers. Another option is cotton, which is made from recycled denim.

Paint & Stains: Choose paints that have little to zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Milk based paints are a favorite, and for staining, choose products that are based in water, not oil.

It's important to work with general contractors who are familiar with green materials. Call us at 615-969-9758, to discuss how we can help improve your Nashville Metropolitan home with the environmentally friendly features that you want!