OCR Text |
Show ' " ' Because of difficult economic times and the new home market being what it is, more and more people are upgrading existing homes instead of moving to more expensive homes. More popular improvements include patios, upper decks, cantilevered decks over sloping terrain, water fountains, garden furniture and all of the other out-door amenities that make for gracious outdoor living. Decks and patios are great for outdoor eating events, dancing and parties. Randy Bates, owner of a landscape firm, says, "Business is the best it's ever been for us in the older home field. People can't afford the bucks for a new home." Money is definitely tight. Which means the home owner is more likely to build his own patio or deck with professional plans and a little advice. The cost of outdoor improvements depends on how grandiose the project, whether a contractor does it all or the home owner helps or the home owner does the complete job. Plans for wood deck or concrete-base- d patio arrangements can be purchased from landscape designers and materials pur-chased from lumberyards and retail outlets. And it is not impossible for the home owner to comnlete a modest outdoor livinu DECK--C- . Barranco admires his carefully landscaped yard from an upper deck added f to his home. CNS photo by Tony Doubek. I scaping firm, says landscape firm manager Vivian Akers. If the plans are simply general guidelines for the placement of the deck or patio and plants, the price could be as low as $350. For schematic diagrams with all building specifications included, prepare to pay Continued on page 12 design over a period of severai weekends with diligent, sustained effort, providing he or she has a sensible plan. The cost of such an effort might be kept under $1,000. But an ornate development with features including lattice roofs, redwood decking, furniture, water fountain, shrubbery, trees, fencing requiring substantial materials and the talent and labor of professional land-scape architects and craftsmen could cost in the range of $35,000. Concrete patios also very in price, depending on materials used and the size of the project. Total cost rests on several factors. Will it include landscaping, lights and other special features? Price depends, too, on materials used, redwood being more ex-pensive than some other woods. can bring those costs down considerably, as much as 40 percent of what a landscaping firm must charge for labor and expertise, says Charlie Turner, manager of a landscape firm. Residents who are thinking about deck projects on their own would do well to purchase plans from an architect or land-- ROYJBERKX & SOUS Termite & Pest Control 1717 W. 80 So. IProvo Home And Yard Care Trees & Shrubs Fruit Trees Yard Spraying Lawn Fertilizing Weed Control Sterilizing All phases of Pest and Insect Control Free Guaranteed Satisfaction Inspection 1 Residential - Commercial 0Wqs Dam Canvas Attention Farmers, Save Water & Make Irrigation Easier. Dam Canvas Waterproofed Duck ' I 18 Oz. Mildew Master - . I 6" Wide J 'J 6 FT. WIDE $ A 9 5 I DUCK "gff t- - American Made Utility Tarps Knee Boots 5x7 to 24x36 J49V6995 H $1995 YOUR WORK AND SPORTS STORl EDEDBOB'S ARMY NAVY STORE ZZi ZZT DIVISION OF BOB'S RETAIL CORPORATION 418 North Stale Orem.UT 84057 PH. Do-it-vou-rs elfers increase Nearly half of all Americans are in-creasing their activity, a national survey shows, and a majority of these people are young and highly educated. These are some of the findings of the report, America's Search for Quality: The Whirlpool Report on Consumers in the '80'. The report is based on interviews of 1,000 Americans. Sixty-seve- n percent of 18 to 24 year olds and 57 percent of 25 to 34 year olds say they pursue more activities than previously. Only 20 percent of consumers with an eighth grade education or less engage in more work, while 55 percent of Americans with some college, 53 percent of high school graduates and 44 percent of college graduates do more projects and repairs. Automobile and home repairs are the most popular activities. Twenty-si- x percent perform home repairs at least once per month and 24 percent repair their autos at least once a month. Prevent digging surprises Springtime means yard work, often in-cluding the digging of post holes and ex-cavation for repair or remodeling. Un-fortunately, such digging can result in more than was bargained for - the cutting of underground utility lines and cables. To prevent such "shocking surprises," Utah homeowners and contractors are asked to call the Blue Stakes Center at 0 or before digging. The center is financed by Mountain Bell, Utah Power and Light, Mountain Fuel Supply and several other companies as a free service to the public. Manager of the center is Roger Swensen, who says a computer is used to discover the location of underground cable. "People's calls to us are recorded to protect them in case problems or disputes occur later," he says. "People who don't call and receive verification may be liable for damages." Utah State law requires citizens to call at least two working days (48 hours) before breaking ground. Blue Stakes personnel will check for cable locations. If there is cable in the area, they will mark it. If not. callers will be notified. Swensen requests that digging near marked cable be limited to the use of shovels or other hand-hel- d equipment to avoid damaging cable. Those who do ac-cidentally cut or chip cable are asked to call the Blue Stakes Center or the utility involved immediately so repairs can be made quickly. The center is open from 7:35 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. Monday thru Friday. "Early planning now can prevent costly repairs later," Swensen concluded. |