Heartlands Building Company

While it is now too cold to enjoy an outdoor room, it's amazing how quickly the weather changes, especially in the St. Louis area. Before you know it, the holidays will be over and we'll be tired of cold and snow and eager to resume spending time outdoors. What a great idea it would be to give the gift of a new, low maintenance screen room, deck or covered area to ourselves and our families. Start planning it now and it could be a reality by Spring.

Houzz.com is like Pinterest but just for homes. Once you register, you can view photos of building projects uploaded by individuals and companies by style, type of space, and metropolitan area. You can create idea books and copy photos and information you see there for inspiration and future reference. It’s the digital equivalent of a wish file. People used to clip photos, articles and ads and place them in a folder so when they were ready or able to afford a project, they could pull out the file and start making phone calls or sketching up a plan. Now, you can view, store, and copy photos within houzz.com or copy from there to Pinterest as well. You'll find some great photos of Heartlands projects on both houzz.com and pinterest.com. You can also post a question about a photo and read interesting articles sorted by topic. You can find building and design professionals in your area and read and write reviews of their work. It’s kind of like going to a home show, but without the

St. Louis County like many others requires a permit if you are building a structural addition to your home. This is necessary to ensure zoning compliance and that proper materials are used and building codes are followed. This protects the homeowner as government inspectors make sure your builder has done everything to follow the plans and building code. Penalties are assessed if you don’t get a permit. For more information on St. Louis County permits, visit: http://www.stlouisco.com/YourGovernment/CountyDepartments/PublicWorks/Permits/BuildingPermits/#CommOcc

Flashing is impervious material used as a drip edge to prevent water from entering a structure.   Proper flashing is crucial because when applied correctly, it prevents water from entering your home at all possible seams such as windows, band boards and the roof structure.   Water intrusion can cause a host of problems, from wood rot and mold to structure failure. A classic example of the critical need for flashing is during the building of a deck connected to your home.   If the break in siding where the deck structure meets the home is not properly flashed, water will be allowed to flow down the wall of the house.   The ledger board, or the board bolted to your home, will then take on this water.   At that point, the water can make its way into your home through the fastening points of the ledger board.   On the inside of your home, this can cause mold to form on framing lumber that is not treated for outdoor exposure causing it to become soft or rot. On the outside, if this hap

If you have been thinking about finishing your basement, right now is the time to start planning. By the time you decide what you want to do and have plans drawn up and approved, the holidays will be over and winter will be upon us. Winter is the best time to have interior remodeling done as construction workers generally have fewer projects underway and the weather may prevent them from doing outside work many days so your weather-proof project will get more attention. Having a construction project completed more quickly is definitely a plus for most homeowners. First, you’ll need to decide how you want to use the new space. Do you need extra bedrooms? Maybe you could use a kids’ playroom, workout room or a teen hangout? Maybe it’s a man cave or a general space for all types of entertaining. Be sure to discuss with potential contractors how you plan to use the space so you will get the most practical plan. Next, you need to determine what you have to work with. You will need

In order to answer that, the question to ask yourself is: Which activities would you and your family like to do in your new space? If the answer is that you would like a space to relax or entertain in the fresh air out of direct sunlight then you may want a covered patio, deck or screen room. An outdoor room is the perfect transition from your indoor space to swimming pools, spas, gardens and other outdoor activities. The addition of ceiling fans and insulation in the roof will help make it bearable on all but the hottest days. Adding a fireplace or gas or electric heaters will extend its use into early spring and late fall. Making it a screened room will give you insect protection. Using retractable screens will give you space options if you invite a lot of guests or prefer the space open to other activities in your yard. If the answer is that you need more year-round family living space or like to entertain mainly around the holidays, you may want a sunroom. If you have se

The Heartlands website is full of photographic examples of the beautiful work we do. The photos are beautiful because the projects are beautifully designed and built. I take most of the photos, but the best ones you’ll see on our site and on our showroom walls, were taken by Gordon Kummer. Gordon enjoyed a successful career as an engineer, but upon retirement, took up photography as a hobby. Since then, he’s honed his technical and creative skills all over St. Louis and many other areas of the country. Here is Gordon taking photos of one of our latest projects,  a fantastic outdoor room. To see those photos and others he has taken, just visit the photo gallery on our website: www.heartlandshome.com.

The days of outdoor furnishings consisting of folding chairs with nylon woven strips or wrought iron tables and chairs are over. The increase in popularity of outdoor living has spurred on the development of many new features and accessories rated for the outdoors. Let’s start with built-in features. Gas grills and fireplaces that are vented and connected to your home’s gas line are extremely popular with our customers right now. There are so many models intended for outdoor rooms and so many choices of material to surround them. While natural stone is quite expensive, you can get a realistic look with cultured stone (man made concrete stones that can be tinted to simulate a wide variety of masonry and stones). Traditional brick is still a good choice, but cement board finished any way you choose might offer the most options. Of course for some, nothing beats the appeal of a wood burning fireplace or fire pit, and the available surround materials are the same. If you choose to go w

http://www.stlouishomesmag.com/article/cozying-outside The October 2012 Issue of St. Louis Homes and Lifestyles Magazine features an article about the outdoor room of the Heartlands built home of owner Larry Brost.

Check out the Fall 2012 County Living Magazine! The project on the cover and an article inside on page 8 feature one of our beautiful Heartlands outdoor living room projects. This particular project features a lot of the special qualities of a Heartlands project. The usual attention to detail and quality materials are there along with retractable screen walls, masonry surrounded gas fireplace, gas grill cooking area, and a beautiful ceiling. The most important aspect of course is how it blends with the existing home and adds so much to the lifestyle of the homeowners.

This is not the first time a happy customer has shown us this type of appreciation, but it’s certainly not the norm. Today, a family whos project is not quite finished, is so excited about the installation of their built-in grill and imminent completion of their outdoor living area, that they hosted a barbeque for all those working hard to get it done for them. Originally, they were going to build a vacation home an hour away, but reconsidered, deciding instead to create a vacation space in the back yard of their Wildwood home. Despite not being quite finished, you can see that it's becoming quite the retreat, with features to entertain practically all year round.

Heartlands is a St. Louis based company specializing in the design/build of custom outdoor living areas.    Having designed and built 100’s of projects throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area and the adjacent 6 state area, we are ready and skilled to deliver a fabulous custom design for your home. Design Renderings Architectural Plans Construction The Heartlands team is prepared to work with you to create a unique design that complements your home and lifestyle.   The design process can start with a phone call and evolve to meetings online, at our design center and at your home.   Beyond design and product selection, we can assist you throughout the project with estimating, construction plans, municipality approvals and project management.   If you wish, we will also build the addition from the ground up! Screen rooms Decks Patios and Porches Outdoor Fireplaces Grills and Outdoor Kitchens Lighting Under Deck Systems Pergolas Outdoor Furnit

You might think that an outdoor room would be a poor investment if you live in a variable climate like we have in Missouri . Would you get to use it more if you lived in a more temperate climate? Probably, but the outdoor season is actually quite long here, even in a record hot year like this one. Let’s consider the calendar. In December and January, most people don’t really give much thought to spending time outside unless they are ice skating, sledding or skiing. By February and March, spring fever usually starts to set in and we can’t wait to be able to spend time outdoors again. The addition of infrared heaters or a gas or wood burning fireplace to an outdoor room will make it comfortable enough at this time of year to enjoy a patio or screened room on those less than frigid days that start to get longer. April, May and June and September through the beginning of November are generally perfect for enjoying your outdoor spaces, but in July and August, you can still enjoy

We’re always telling people how much they will enjoy having a screen room built by Heartlands, but one of our customers even made a flip video showing their room under construction and then he and his wife enjoying their completed room. http://sharing.theflip.com/session/8284227557d8163651d367ae0d0d7925/video/150838551

As much as you enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, we know that your pets do too. Outdoor rooms aren’t just for the perfect addition for your family, but with some added features they are the ideal place for your pet too. The addition of a dog door to your screen room wall or door will allow your dog to come and go at will from your screen room to the outside and back. A screen room is a great transition space that can be easily cleaned of fur, or other messes from a wet or dirty pet. It’s also a space that your cat or dog will enjoy feeling like he is outside without having access to other animals or wandering the neighborhood. One of our customers requested an extra wide railing on the inside of his screen room so his cat could enjoy an elevated perch on which to keep watch over the yard, even while the family wasn’t home. The bottom line is that Heartlands will design custom features into your outdoor room to enhance the outdoor living experience for both you and your p

John and Fran first called Heartlands Building Company in 2007 inquiring about adding a screen room to their Wildwood home. At that time, they weren’t ready to commit to the expense for the design they originally had in mind.   Four years later, upon seeing another Heartlands ad, they called back, requesting a new solution for their outdoor living area. This time, Larry presented them with something really different; a screen room with a deck set beneath it, leading across the back of the home. In addition, he proposed adding of a folding door that would completely open their breakfast room to the screen room with an unobstructed view to the lake beyond. When the project was completed, they sent this nice note: “We have been meaning to send an email to you to tell you how much we enjoy our entire project.  We could not be more pleased with the design, the workmanship, the appearance, and the functionality of the entire project.  The screen room, with the Wieland door is absolu

In case you missed this article when it first ran: http://countylivingmag.com/county-living/blending-home-gardens-and-a-relaxed-lifestyle Town & Country homeowners connect indoors and out with a great outdoor room. John and Cassandra McKearn have lived and traveled all over the world, but have chosen to make Town & Country their home. They originally came to the St. Louis area when John received a fellowship at Washington University, and fell in love with the St. Louis area with its abundance of arts, particularly the Missouri Botanical Garden. When they moved to San Diego, the McKearns enjoyed the southern California lifestyle afforded by the temperate weather and ocean breezes, allowing them to open their home to enjoy the outdoors. By 2007, the McKearns were empty nesters and ready to return to the St. Louis area. Their yard here is a blend of nature and gardens, prompting San Diego friends to comment that they must have bought a national park. They built a beau

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the Heartlands Showroom is all the project photos on the wall. We are very proud of the beautiful homes, additions and outdoor rooms we’ve built for our customers so we have filled our walls with them. We also have several displays so you can experience the quality of the materials and workmanship we use on our projects. Because all the work Heartlands does is custom, you’ll only see samples of some of the building products we use. Every project is different and there are so many choices now for composite decking, railing, balusters, trim, cultured stone, decorative concrete, ceiling materials, screens, and extruded aluminum. And that’s just for outdoor rooms! Visiting our showroom will allow you to put your hands on materials to really experience the difference between our custom construction and some of the lower cost alternatives.

1. They block the sun without blocking your view Retractable solar screens are versatile because you can raise or lower them with the sun. In addition, they don’t completely block the light and view when in use like indoor mounted shades or draperies. 2. They keep insects out Screen edges are “zipped” into guide rails and operate manually or by remote control or switch from inside your home or outdoor room. 3. They reduce energy costs Solar screens are effective at blocking heat and glare from the sun because they are mounted on the outside of your windows, preventing them from reaching the glass. The screen fabric comes in different colors and densities for different levels of protection. 4. You can re-claim your outdoor living space           Retractable screen walls are great for outdoor space difficult to enjoy because of the direction they face.   Use them to “close in” an outdoor room whenever the heat and insects make it necessary. The denser nature of s

1. Are you licensed, a member of any professional associations and rated by the Better Business Bureau?   The correct answer here is obviously yes. Licensed companies that are members of their local HBA or other associations have put down roots in their communities and have often invested in training through them. Companies do have to pay to be members of the Better Business Bureau, but they ensure through their rating system that companies provide honest advertising claims and settle any complaints they receive. Angie’s List members pay for their service because they know that all reviews are unsolicited and left by other members. Companies cannot “join” Angie’s List, they can only be reviewed by members. While online reviews can be helpful, there’s little or no oversight when it comes to who can and does post reviews. 2. Are your employees covered by workers compensation and liability insurance ? If they aren’t, YOU can end up being liable for injuries that occur on your propert

A True refrigerator is the perfect addition to your outdoor kitchen! Stop by our showroom to see our display and sample a beverage cooled in one of these American made refrigerators. For 65 years, True has been the leader in commercial refrigeration and now they’re bringing their superior quality and service to the residential market with these outdoor-rated, undercounter beverage refrigerators. Not only are True products manufactured in the USA , they are headquartered right here in Missouri in O’Fallon! You can see more information on their offerings including wine storage, refrigeration drawers, and convertible dual-tap beverage dispensers at true-residential.com.

Of course you can! Now, don’t start wheeling your charcoal grill into your screen room and throw a match in there or you might want to start dialing 911.   But, I’m serious; you can barbeque inside a screen room. After all, you are outside! Check out these photos of outdoor rooms where Heartlands has included a barbeque, or more descriptively, an outdoor kitchen. As long as building and fire codes are followed, you can enjoy outdoor cooking all year round and in all types of weather. Run a gas line to a built-in gas grill surrounded by non-combustible materials and vent it to the outside.   Add a granite counter top as work and serving space. Then, add extras like cabinets, drawers, refrigerator and decorative stone. You’ll want some task lighting as well, but then bring on the steak, kabobs, or whatever you’re cooking!