How To Open Your Vacation Home For The Summer
Chatham, MA | Custom Built by Kenneth Vona Construction; Photography by Richard Mandelkorn
After the winter we’ve weathered, second homes and summer retreats are calling like never before. Get that getaway ready for the high season with these tips from home maintenance and landscape pros.
Kistler & Knapp Builders, Inc.
Those first few weekends at your seaside or woodland retreat, the summer stretching out before you, are nothing short of heaven. We’d venture to say that the opening of your place in the sun is as hotly anticipated as that first pitch at Fenway Park (which is saying something, considering the diehard fans in this region). Before you can truly relax, however, there’s work to be done. And relaxation is the goal, after all.
Landscape by a Blade of Grass
Many of Boston Design Guide’s landscape and building professionals offer estate care and home maintenance. These experts know just what needs to be done to make that summer home and its grounds all the more inviting.
Landscapers
While the latter doesn’t travel too far afield from its home base, a Blade of Grass has plenty to say on the topic and can tend to your primary residence while you’re summering elsewhere. We’ve asked them to break from their busy schedules to share what they’re working on now and offer advice on how to prep that second home for the summer.
Phil Mastroianni Corp, the luxury home maintenance company in Waltham, can help you ready your pools for the plunge. They will check irrigation systems so that grounds are lush and hydrated to withstand summer’s hot rays. Landscape lighting is also being tested for safety’s sake (think well-lit driveways and pathways), as well as aesthetic reasons, like shimmering water features or creating that ambient glow that gives summer nights a true vacation feel.
Builders
Kistler & Knapp Builders, Inc.
Kistler & Knapp Builders, Inc.
Kistler & Knapp, one of the most highly respected construction firms in the Boston area, will schedule regular maintenance with homeowners or work with you on an as-needed basis. They maintain that having regular checks and following good maintenance throughout the year can identify potential problems and stop them before they become serious—“and costly”—problems.
C.H. Newton Builders, the custom homes builder in the Boston and Cape Cod areas, will also schedule maintenance work for your home. The “ounce of prevention” philosophy is a guiding principle of C.H. Newton Builders’ Estate Care division; and they’re as dedicated to your peace of mind as they are your property. They have both in-house teams and subcontractors ready, willing and able to protect your investment.
Kenneth Vona Construction; photo by Warren Zelman
Kenneth Vona Construction, a premiere Boston-area construction firm, are happy to work with homeowners on set projects, or to schedule work in advance. Of course, year-round property checks are a must to make sure there aren’t any surprises come summer. “With this past winter being so brutal, we were constantly checking our properties,” says Jon Fox, Business Development director at Kenneth Vona Construction.
In addition to keeping homes safe and secure when the owners aren’t present, these companies can step in—and fast—for emergency situations (read: the boiler shuts down, a pipe bursts, etc.) and check in on your property after extreme weather conditions from deep freezes to high winds. But enough about severe weather…we’re here to talk sunshine.
So what are these firms working on right now?
1) System Checks
Kistler & Knapp Builders, Inc.
Indoors, these companies are checking the electrical systems and generator service, says Fox, and “starting all of the HVAC and cooling equipment” to ensure that your home is comfortable and cool (if your temps aren’t contingent on sea breezes or the shade of stately pines). Also, don’t forget to replace any lightbulbs and smoke alarm batteries.
2) Repairs and Special Projects
C.H. Newton Builders offers specialty services like water damage recovery, window replacements and dock repair, as well as the fun stuff, like building a homeowner the perfect porch swing or outdoor shower or creating custom French doors for your terrace.
Parterre Garden Services; photo by Eric Roth Photography
Landscape companies have shared that they’ve had to do considerable damage control after the winter we’ve had. They’ve been busily assessing the health of plants, and engaged in structural and aesthetic pruning of trees, shrubs and blooms, like cutting back rose bushes to ensure later grandeur or pruning hydrangeas so that the iconic seaside flower blooms in just the right shape as it fills in, says certified horticulturist Heather Lashbrook Jones of a Blade of Grass.
3) General cleanup and beautification
After all systems are go and repairs have been made, it’s time to add a little polish. Home exteriors should be washed and “any necessary painting—indoors and out”, says Fox, should be touched up. There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to brighten the home’s interior. Plus, running the brush over exterior trim instantly makes the façade shine.
Kenneth Vona Construction; photo by Dee Sullivan
Thorough window cleanings are also a must; picture windows should be picture-perfect. Whether it’s your elbow grease or another’s, you and your visitors will want a crystal-clear lens through which to take in those gorgeous views.
Landscapers have their own tidying up to do, and are tasked with raking out the gravel, cobblestone or crushed shell driveways, removing any stray debris or wayward leaves from the pavers, sweeping the terraces and fertilizing, mulching, edging and mowing the grounds to achieve a well-manicured look.
Outdoor kitchens and grills also require some TLC to be sure they’re ready when you fire up the barbie! You’ll also want chopped firewood (and s’mores makings, too!) for those nights by the fire pit.
After the terrain is tidy, the thoughts of landscapers turn to color. Annuals are now ready to keep the perennials company, says Lashbrook Jones, and containers bursting with color and cascading blooms can grace window beds, doorsteps and terraces as if to say welcome.
4) Furniture Setup
Lastly, you’ll need to haul out, clean and arrange the outdoor furniture. Get those lounge chairs to the pool, deck or garden, open up those umbrellas and plump and place any new cushions you’ve purchased. Polish that dining table and encircle it with chairs for when the crowds come calling, because they will. Above all? Put your feet up! You deserve it.
C.H. Newton Builders, Inc.; photo by Brian Vanden Brink
