Home Improvement Projects to Tackle This Fall

Kansas City is beginning to see a little glimpse of fall, beginning with slightly cooler temps, shorter daylight in the evening, and of course the start of the KC Chiefs season! It’s common to have a laundry list of tasks that eventually need to be done, but we have a few to help you check off the Home Improvement Projects to Tackle This Fall.

#1: Clean Out Those Gutters

Yes, this isn’t a luxurious task, or one that you will see drastic improvements with, but it’s important. Think ahead at the rains heading our way… if the gutters are clogged, this can cause some serious water issues. The gutters work overtime in fall and winter, both battling water, ice, freezing temps, and leaves/tree debris. Clear gutters will help the water flow away from the home, reducing the amount of damage and stress on the roof and home.

There are several options for cleaning out your gutter. Check out some tips here: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-clean-gutters/

#2: Irrigation Systems

We all know the first freeze is right around the corner. Kansas City can literally go from 70 degrees to 25 degrees overnight, or even within hours. It’s important to consider your irrigation system before the cold weather hits. Your irrigation system should be blown out to remove any water, which could cause freezing in the pipes. While you’re at it, store your garden hose, and shut off the water to the exterior faucets. The last thing you want to encounter are frozen/broken pipes.

#3: Replace Old Windows

An opportunity to increase your home’s energy efficiency, while raising your property value shouldn’t be dismissed. There are many window companies in the Kansas City area, however Wineteer Construction takes it a step further and finds the most energy efficient window and doors that fit your budget. If you’re beginning to feel the cold air seeping in, or see ice around the trim of your window, you may want to consider a free estimate on your windows and doors.

#4: Repaint and Refinish

Another one of the top Home Improvement Projects to Tackle This Fall is repainting and refinishing. Once the warm weather is sadly gone, it’s time to think about pulling in your grilling equipment, and prepping the patio for the winter elements. Now is a good time to wash all of the cushions, re-stain and refinish your deck, and clean up the area.

If you’re ready to tackle some projects beyond your scope, reach out to discuss some remodeling and renovation ideas. Our team is equipped to put the design phase of the process first so we can all visualize the end product, and understand expectations before beginning the process. The Wineteer team is ready to tackle your kitchen, bathroom, whole home, door/window, or outdoor renovation.

5 Ideas for an Exterior Home Remodel

As with any home remodeling project, there are many factors to consider. Everything from your budget and timeline to space optimization and trendy colors, homeowners around the Kansas City area are turning to contractors like Wineteer Construction to complete a whole home, or exterior home remodeling projects. This article will provide 5 Ideas for an Exterior Home Remodel to consider as we can enjoy all four seasons in the Kansas City area. Let’s begin!

#1. The first of the 5 Ideas for an Exterior Home Remodel is the exterior paint and aesthetics. Many neighborhood associations will flag homes in dire need of a paint job, so the exterior of homes around Kansas City are well maintained. However, with an exterior home remodel, you may want to revamp your existing paint color from the browns and tans to the grays, or even white palettes that are trendy in 2023. In addition, homeowners have many other considerations when it comes to the actual exterior texture of their home.

Are you keeping the brick? Wood facade? Siding?
If you change the exterior paint color, will you need to change the trim? Garage door color?
Do you want to add a pop of color on the garage doors or front door?
Is now the time to consider window or front door replacements?

There are endless options when it comes to remodeling the exterior of your home. When homeowners decide to proceed with a home remodel, one of the first spots they tend to “research” is on Pinterest, Houzz, or simply Google. Homeowners can easily become overwhelmed with the amount of options available for home remodeling. So many of our clients around Overland Park, Lenexa, Olathe, and all of Johnson County, have found that partnering with a reputable contractor like Wineteer has made the experience entirely different and enjoyable. With Wineteer, the process is different than other Kansas City home remodeling contractors. We take the time to listen to the client from the very beginning and understand their desires, wants, non-negotiables, while offering our expertise on design choices and spacial suggestions. Together, the partnership is unmatched.

Another aspect of the exterior paint and aesthetics are the windows. Replacing the existing windows and doors can have a huge impact on many factors of your home, including energy efficiency, temperature regulation, appearance, and overall an increase in your home’s value. If you’re in the Kansas City area, reach out to Wineteer Construction for your window replacement needs!

#2. The second of the 5 Ideas for an Exterior Home Remodel is the landscaping. Before we begin the exterior of the home, will any of the landscaping be impacted, moved, changed, or added? Is the homeowner changing the shrubbery surrounding the front door? Will the stones to the doorway change? Will the flower beds be extended or replaced? All of the landscaping impacts the home’s exterior and should be considered before the exterior home remodel begins.

#3. The third idea for an Exterior Home Remodel is adding character. Have you ever driven into a neighborhood and each house looks the same? Same paint palette, same configuration and elevation, same landscaping, etc. While you’re considering an exterior home remodel, or any home remodel, why not add some charm? Now is the time to add that pop of color to your front door or garage. Have you wanted to do some cool outdoor plants, or solar lights? Now’s the perfect time. Adding any character, or charm, to your home truly makes it yours. These are the simple, and inexpensive, details that people will notice, and fall in love with!

#4. The fourth of the 5 Ideas for an Exterior Home Remodel is to consider your home’s concrete, including your sidewalk, driveway, walk way, porch, patio. This seems like such a boring consideration, but think about it for a moment. Your home’s concrete driveway and sidewalk are one of the first aspects of a home that people see. If your concrete is damaged, uneven, or cracking and crumbling, this is simply an eyesore. In addition to the aesthetic displeasure, this can be a dangerous situation. The #1 visit in hospital emergency rooms is due to falls. Be sure your exterior concrete is safe, secure, and level.

There’s also a layer of creativity you can add to your home through the concrete. This article, 22 Concrete Driveway Ideas to Enhance Your Home’s Curb Appeal, showcases some really cool creative ways to draw attention to your home, including concrete tiles, pavers, colored concrete finishes, polished and stained concrete, and even two-toned concrete.

#5. The final of the 5 Ideas for an Exterior Home Remodel is a home addition, including a new patio, extended kitchen, outdoor kitchen, or renovation the front porch. When it comes to considering the home addition path, you should consult with a local design and build form. Companies like Wineteer Construction help homeowners in the Kansas City, Overland Park, Leawood, Olathe, Lee’s Summit, and Brookside complete the most beautiful and seamless home renovations. There are so many options out there when you begin the journey of a home remodel. Feel free to reach out to the team at Wineteer Construction for design and budget discussions. Click here to begin the process.

Style and Personal Touches: A Wineteer Office

We had the opportunity to complete a unique office remodel project recently in Nick’s main office! This came about when the pandemic hit and we had to start meeting with clients via Zoom initially. Nick wanted to have a more professional background for these meetings that also reflected his personal style.

We turned a section of his office into the zoom background but also made it functional. Just like any project, we want to incorporate both form and function! The backdrop of this space works as a blueprint table and allowed for the Wineteer sign to be placed in the background, branding the space and background.

This space does not only reflect Nick’s personal style but it is sentimental as well. Nick had 100-year-old barn boards from his grandma’s house. Some of it is southern yellow pine salvaged lath boards. Southern yellow pine is one of Nick’s favorite wood species! We often incorporate personal touches to our client’s spaces through artwork or color schemes, so it was special to get to do this at our office as well.

The door in the lower-half of the office remodel is from Fort Riley, KS during the WWII era. How did Nick come into possession of such a piece, you may ask? Well, it came from his grandma’s house who helped to demo some of the houses there. We cut the top quarter of the door off and the shelf above is the top-half of that door, allowing us to use all pieces of the door in the background. The door shelf features the original hardware.

We duplicated the style of the door in the cabinet doors at the top of the piece and added in some personal touches for decoration. The bicycle picture is from Nick’s personal travels to Glacier National Park. The frame around the photo is lath from old lath and plaster house with a disc break from Nick’s personal bicycle. Some of the decoration also includes planer blades from crown mold, as woodworking is dear and true to Nick’s heart. It’s how he first got started in the remodeling industry and he keeps it up as a hobby whenever possible.

The lines in the wood wall are consistent from piece to piece in that there are smaller boards throughout followed by a larger board on top. This may seem like a small thing, but this attention-to-detail allows the space to feel cohesive. We’ll bring that same attention-to-detail to all of our projects to ensure our remodels have a finished feel. This wood wall isn’t just pallet wood, but actually reclaimed old growth material from Nick’s grandparents’ house and Fort Riley KS, which helps to create the rustic industrial style. This project is clearly full of character and your next home remodeling project can be too! Give us a call today so we can help you create your one-of-a-kind space!

Zero-Entry Showers in Bathroom Remodeling

Zero entry showers, also known as barrier-free showers, are a beautiful addition to any bathroom remodeling project. Barrier-free showers also have the added benefit of being accessible for those who need some additional assistance entering the shower threshold. Removing the lip on a shower can increase the aesthetic appeal and the accessibility of the space. Wineteer is a design model home remodeling company that offers aging in place modifications. Zero entry barrier showers are an element of allowing aging homeowners to live safely and securely.

Barrier- free and Zero-Entry Showers in Bathroom Remodeling can give any space a new and modern feel. They also give the opportunity to show off unique floor tile work and patterns that would not normally be seen with a traditional tub or lipped shower view. This function gives the opportunity to show off your new bathroom remodel to friends or family and let them know that Wineteer Construction created the bathroom of your dreams!

At Wineteer Construction our waterproofing method is second-to-none for bathroom remodels! Whether using Wedi Board or Hydro-Block our barrier-free showers keep mold out. If you are hesitant about pursuing a zero-entry shower in your bathroom remodel because you are not sure that your new shower will be waterproof, you can rest easy with a barrier-free shower from Wineteer. We create a completely waterproof box including the full height of the walls. The sole purpose of this waterproofing method is to keep water inside your shower. The tile work we overlay on top is simply there for designs and aesthetics. The tile is installed with the latest modified thinset mortars and hydraulic grout systems to give you maximum protection against staining and cracks due to movement. This gives us the freedom to be outrageously creative with our tilework and give you the shower of your dreams, all while providing peace of mind that your new space will not leak!

View our bathroom remodeling projects here:

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Our showers can be fitted with either tile or Onyx. While tile is a traditional approach to finishing

large zero free shower with black grab bars

the shower space, Onyx is both more cost effective and faster. Onyx is a solid surface product that comes in sheets. It is still solid and slip resistant just like tile, and despite the name, it comes in a variety of colors. While there are many colors and textures to choose from with Onyx it does not have quite to the amount of variety that you can achieve with custom tile work. For example, we do not produce unique designs with Onyx like we do with our tile work. Wineteer Construction is experienced with creating custom bathroom and shower spaces using creative tiling, but not every bathroom renovation needs that unique tile lay. Some bathroom remodels call for a simpler approach and that is when we may suggest going with Onyx in lieu of tile. With Onyx, you still have the capability to have a varying wall and base color to include a unique element in your new space.

If Onyx does not seem like a good fit for you, we of course enjoy completing custom tile work. As a design-build company we can turn your ideas about your bathroom into reality. We specialize in taking not-quite fully formed thoughts about your new shower to full-fledged 3D designs that will make you want to get started yesterday! Whether you’re looking for a 100% unique tile-lay or out-of-the-box Onyx, either option is available to you when considering a zero-entry shower.

As Certified Aging-in-place specialists, we are intimately familiar with creating a beautiful bathroom remodel that is also accessible. We’ve thought through the entire process giving the caregiver and the patient the spaces they need to be safe! We add various features to your shower to allow as many different uses as possible. Hand-held showers on slide-bars, flip-up shower seats that look like spa seats, designer grab bars strategically placed for a patient’s individual needs can make the impossible possible. Add a steam shower for sinus or arthritis and you’ve really increased the functionality of a shower for physical needs.

We frequently combine form and function in our bathroom remodels, but the designs are always a part of the conversation. Barrier-free showers look elegant and can create a more seamless transition from shower to bathroom, especially if you elect to install full-glass shower doors. While the type of shower you elect to create is ultimately up to you as the homeowner, we do recommend pursuing a barrier-free shower in your next bathroom renovation. When we start a new project, we’re not just thinking 1 year out or even 5 years out; we want to remodel for life. Are you a middle-aged empty nest couple that may have your in-laws move in with you in the future? How much easier would it be if you already have a barrier-free shower installed! Think about when you begin to have your grandkids over and how much less of a slip risk you create when there is no barrier to entry. A zero-entry shower can also help make your house more appealing and sellable in the future.

If you are on the fence about including a zero-entry shower in your new space, we can help answer any of your questions and determine if a barrier-free shower would be a good fit for you. All
our home improvement projects start with us asking our clients what works for them in their current home and a bathroom renovation is no different. Fill out this online form to discuss your bathroom remodel with our team.

Homeowners Remodel Homes for Greater Return

After nearly a decade of putting off any construction upgrades that were not seen as essential, like structural fixes and water leaks, homeowners are eager to take advantage of rising home values and low interest rates. A Boston Globe article, “Home remodeling, rebounds as economy improves,” estimates that “overall retail sales of home improvement products will grow 6.5 percent this year and another 7 percent in 2015.”

This rise in home improvements is a mix of homeowners hoping to finally capitalize on a returning boom in home sales and couples more confident in spending money to update an important, and often challenging, space. Either way, fully updated bathrooms offer the most bang for the dollar, significantly increasing the value and enjoyment of a home.

The recent recession took a toll on the construction industry to an extent that hasn’t been seen for decades. But this year, spending on home remodeling is on track to surpass levels not seen since 2006. No one is more excited than the Wineteer Construction team for the rebounding economy. Now is the time to update your space with modern, high-end materials.

Before you enter into a big renovation, the first steps include developing a list of renovation priorities, establishing a budget and compiling a few design ideas. At Wineteer Construction, our expert designers have experience overcoming space challenges to create the perfect bathroom remodel to fit your style. Wineteer Construction can ensure that your bathroom is practical yet stunning and soothing retreat.

At Wineteer Construction, we use the design/build concept. We will give you a written proposal and consult with you about the design and construction process. An architect may not be required because the design/build concept incorporates both design and budget planning. We offer a spacious showroom complete with sample renovations and a variety of materials and surface options to choose from.

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Loose Park Third Floor Bathroom

Many of Wineteer’s clients combine several rooms into their renovation plan. Some of the most popular combinations are bathrooms – master paired with guest bathrooms. Or, the whole home renovations… kitchen, living room, mud room, and a kitchen renovation. For this specific Kansas City homeowner, the below guest room bathroom was the third and final bathroom project. The materials utilized for this project had a similar motif as the other two to streamline the look and feel of the renovation. Using stone elements and a running bond tile pattern gives it an attractive appearance, although scaled back as compared to the other bathrooms.

The zero-entry shower was a must for our clients as they observed universal design adaptations that would enable folks of any age or ability to function safely in the space. This is yet another example of smart design not having to look institutional. As homeowners continue to age and determine the desire to live in their home for as long as possible, there are many options to include for Aging in Place modifications.