Stay Cozy with a Custom Barrel Sauna

As the summer comes to an end, the cool weather starts moving in, and before we know it, it'll be fall. Although the change in season can give some of us the chills, we're over here dreaming up ways to keep cozy.

This year, it's all about custom barrel saunas! That's right: a custom sauna for your home or wherever else you want to create a space for relaxation and luxury. We all know how nippy it gets in Central Oregon, and these blissful builds are exactly what you've been waiting for. Barrel saunas are simple, functional, and look beautiful in any backyard. We build each one to order, so it perfectly fits your space and personal needs. Share with friends or keep to yourself, your custom barrel sauna will not disappoint. 

Now you're probably wondering what a barrel sauna is and the answer is pretty simple, the difference is the design. A barrel sauna looks just like a wooden barrel, tipped on its side. Compared to a rectangular or square shape, the cylindrical barrel actually heats up faster and distributes warm air more evenly.

They are extremely low-maintenance and have all the same benefits as saunas of different shapes. Barrel saunas can have benches or shelves, even hooks on the inside or out. Windows, doors, you can take your pick!

Not only do our saunas look and feel great, but they also have tons of health benefits when used regularly.

Saunas can help with:

• Detoxification

• Pain Reduction

• Blood Circulation

• Skin Rejuvenation

• Relaxation and Reducing Stress

Seems like a win-win to us!

Our team provides quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service; we'll be able to guide you in the right direction when it comes to creating and maintaining the sauna of your dreams! This all aligns straight with our Vision Statement:

"We are here to make your dreams a reality with innovative ideas, building strategies, and forward-thinking in the construction industry, all the while promoting relationships that compliment both our business model and your construction needs and expectations."

Our team has multiple decades of knowledge and hands-on experience that we put to work for you! There is no job too large or too small. In addition, we find it very important to have long-term relationships with our clients, providing exceptional services they can count on year after year.

So, before it’s too late, add value to your home and your life with a custom barrel sauna or one of our other services!

Call our office at 541-647-0213, email us at info@mytotalhomesolutions.com, or submit your information at mytotalhomesolutions.com/contact.

We look forward to working with you!

Home Maintenance Tips to Wrap up Your Summer

While you’re probably still enjoying all kinds of summer fun, it’s time to start thinking about any projects you want to complete while the weather is still in your favor. Home projects may not be the highlight of your summer, but being sure to keep up on regular home maintenance will help prevent any long-term damage.

Follow this home maintenance checklist to close out the season and keep things looking their best all year long!

Clean your gutters

This might seem like a spring project, but leaves and other debris can build up all year long. When water can’t flow through the gutters, it can overflow and damage your foundation and basement. Be sure you have a sturdy ladder for this, and place it somewhere where it can’t shift underneath you. Spread out a tarp below the gutters and remove debris with a gutter scoop. These can be found at the hardware or home improvement store, but a spatula or child’s sand shovel works great too! Rinse everything with a hose when you’re done to get all remaining debris washed away.

Inspect your Roof

While you’ve got the ladder out, take a look at your roof. Remove any buildup of debris or leaves that you see both on top and beneath the eaves. If any shingles are buckled or curled, they need to be replaced. If the majority of your shingles look like this, it may be time to replace the entire thing. Take a look at the metal strips around chimneys and vents as well. If anything is loose, make needed repairs to prevent water damage.

Freshen up the exterior

If you have a buildup of debris on the outside of your home, consider power washing the exterior. Just make sure you use the right amount of pressure for your siding. Hot weather can also fade paint, so, when you’re done cleaning, consider having the outside of the home painted. You could just opt for the spots that seem to get the most sun exposure.

Clean up your landscaping

When summer really starts to come to an end, start doing some clean-up around the yard. Prune flowers, bushes, and trees away from your house, pull weeds and remove extra debris. When the leaves begin to fall, you’ll have much less to clean up as you rake. This is also a great time to plant bulbs for spring blooms!

Replace old windows

It’s hard to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home if the windows are old or aren’t properly sealed. You don’t want to have your heating and cooling systems running more than they should. Consider replacing single-pane windows and filling gaps with caulk to keep your home efficient during the colder months. While you’re at it, fix any broken or missing screens.

Clean your fireplace & chimney

Building a fire might not be at the front of your mind right now, but if you have a wood-burning stove or fireplace, now is the time to have them cleaned and inspected. Burning wood produces soot and creosote that can build up over time. This is the dark residue that you see coating your firebox. This substance is highly flammable and should be removed every season to prevent chimney fires. Take time to have it cleaned now so you can be ready to get cozy when the cold temperatures hit!

Clean your deck

Your deck might be looking a little rough after all those summer BBQs! Spend a weekend cleaning off all debris, and giving it a wash. A hose and a gentle scrub with soapy water will do that trick. Be careful with power washing as some decks are not suited for it. When you’re done cleaning, take a look and see if any boards are loose. If any are damaged or rotting be sure to remove and replace them. Loose and broken deck boards can be a hazard for you and your guests!

Owning a home can be a lot of work, but if you follow this end-of-summer checklist, you’ll save yourself time and money by preventing future damage. If you’re feeling a bit out of your league with some of these tasks, don’t worry! We can help.

One of our many services is property maintenance. Whether you’re looking for annual home maintenance, property management maintenance, or commercial and industrial maintenance, we’d love to help you with the upkeep of your property.

You can count on Total Home Solutions to provide quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service in everything that we do. We bring innovative ideas, building strategies, and forward-thinking in the construction industry, all the while promoting relationships that compliment both our business model and your construction needs and expectations.

If you have home maintenance or any other projects you’d like to get started on, we encourage you to reach out soon as we’re in our busiest season of the year!

Call our office at 541-647-0213, email us at info@mytotalhomesolutions.com, or submit your information at mytotalhomesolutions.com/contact. We look forward to working with you!

Rental Renovations

Mountains, rivers, sun, music, food, beer… need we say more? What’s not to love about the wonderful town of Bend? If you live here, you know, and if you’re planning a move, you’ll soon find out. But you may not realize the rising cost of living that you must pay to enjoy its perks. Fortunately, homeowners can take advantage of our growing little city and high demand for housing with rental properties like apartments, homes, ADUs, tiny homes, and vacation rentals of all shapes and sizes. Bend is scattered with housing and properties, old and new, and those who can afford them can usually benefit from renting them out at least temporarily.

So, let’s say you do own or are planning to own a rental property in town. Whether it was just built, or you scored a fixer-upper in the historic district, you’ll need to keep it up and maybe even make some (or many) changes. But before your tenants move in, make sure to do the basic checks for any water damage, need for an exterminator, change any filters, test all smoke detectors, and either has you or a management company available for periodic requests from your incoming tenants.

Now, let’s talk renovations and remodels. You know, the stuff WE can help you with. Take note, that there is a difference between renovating (updating or restoring an existing structure or feature) versus remodeling (changing the entire function of a room or feature design).

Buying a property is an exciting undertaking, with so many options within reach. Whether you’re looking to:

·      Revamp a kitchen

·      Add a fresh coat of paint to any room

·      Update flooring, carpet, or fixtures

·      Make repairs

or increase your rental potential as well as the value of your rental property… we’re here to celebrate your new home and we can help!  

Our team has multiple decades of knowledge and hands-on experience that we put to work for our valued clients to help make their dreams a reality. We know the area, the trends, and how to make your vision come to life. And we’ll be as honest with you as we can about your home’s potential. We find it very important to have long-term relationships with our clients, providing exceptional services they can count on year after year.

Bathrooms, window and door installation, siding, custom projects, concrete, roofing, ADA renovations, fencing, decks, porches, flooring, stairs, handrails, cabinet installation, there is no job too large or too small for us and that’s the truth!

We’ve also created the perfect network of professionals to get all your home’s needs met because sometimes, it takes a village to reach your project goals as a homeowner. We have long-term subcontractors in all trades that are part of the THS team to help bring your vision to life. Our team’s subcontractor network includes professionals in:

• Electrical

• Plumbing

• HVAC

• Tile setting

• Custom cabinet design

• Architects

• Interior and exterior design

• Exterior and interior painting

With an array of professional partners in these fields and more, our team is truly able to meet your total home needs!

Circling back to trends, here are a couple we’ve noticed that are popular this year for rental (and other) property renovations and remodels:

·      Luxurious spa-like bathrooms

·      Improved outdoor living spaces, decks, and gardens

·      Large window banks

·      Multifunctional kitchen islands and countertops

·      Built-in storage

·      Spacious mudrooms

·      Rooms that double, multifunctional spaces

Let your imagination run wild! When it comes to your rental, your options are endless.

We provide quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service while maintaining the highest level of dependability and professionalism in the relationships we cultivate with our clients, vendors, and employees. It is the culture of our company, and we believe that "Teamwork makes the dream work," and everyone plays a crucial role in the success of the project!

By consistently offering reputable solutions and services at a fair market and competitive prices within a reasonable timeline, we tackle your home’s needs with the intent to earn your repeat business and referrals.

Reach out today to get things started, we are heading into our busiest season of the year!  

Call our office at 541-647-0213, email us at info@mytotalhomesolutions.com, or submit your information at mytotalhomesolutions.com/contact.

Gather some inspiration for your next remodel!

It’s no secret that the housing market in Central Oregon has been a wild ride over the past few years. People have come from far and wide to enjoy everything this little mountain town has to offer and it’s made buying a home here incredibly competitive. This has left homeowners in an interesting situation. Sure, you could sell your home in Bend for much more than you may have purchased it for, but could you really find somewhere else to go without finding yourself up against multiple other buyers and paying far more than you’d like to?

Enter: the remodel. You’re ready for an upgrade, but you’re not ready to leave the town you love for a less competitive housing market. Your job is here, you’ve got relationships with friends, and you love how easy it is to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Why not make the most of what you’ve got and invest in a new kitchen, bathroom, or addition to your house? Hold onto everything you love about living here while making your home feel brand new.

A great way to get started on a remodel is to gather some inspiration and check out what’s trending in home design. You might not be a fan of everything that’s trending right now, and that’s okay! It’s more important to focus on choosing finishes that you’ll love for years to come. Plus, if you ever do decide to sell your home, you’ll want it to have a timeless look that doesn’t seem out of date 5 or 10 years from now.

Right now we’re really seeing a focus on organic, natural materials that bring a sort of tranquility to the home environment. These are things like wood and stone and they are often paired with muted, neutral paint colors in shades of green, clay, and cream. Linen, wool, and cotton textiles pair beautifully with these finishes to bring the whole design together. Check out this fireplace we recently completed; we were able to achieve a timeless look while taking inspiration from trends in natural finishes and modern clean lines. It calls back to Central Oregon’s rocky, volcanic landscape while giving the room a beautiful feature that acts as a piece of sculptural art.

If you’re looking to go a bit out-of-the-box, another 2022 home trend that’s starting to emerge is the use of unique tile. Tile can really bring a pop of personality to your kitchen or bathroom, especially when it’s paired with more toned down finishes on your cabinets and countertops. This trend can look vastly different depending on the style of the home and the way that it is utilized. Maybe your tile is a super bold color, it could be textured giving it a 3-dimensional appearance, or it’s fashioned from a material not often seen in traditional design styles.

The tile we used for this next project is anything but traditional. Its graphic illustrations, bold text, and vibrant colors combine to create a feature unlike any other. Forget the all-while kitchen, marble countertops, and modern aesthetic - this kitchen breaks all the rules. Don’t think you have to stay in any kind of lane when it comes to your remodel! It’s your home after all, you should enjoy what you’ll be looking at every day. If you’re worried about what the next buyer might think, just remember that everything can be changed, and most people will want to do some kind of upgrading to their new home anyway. And who knows, the next homeowner might just have as much personality as you do.

If you’re really stuck on what to incorporate into your remodel, don’t worry, you can always go back to the basics. Trends, unique features, and bold choices are fun, but if you’re just looking for an upgrade that will add value to your home and to your daily life, there’s nothing wrong with following some tried and true design guidelines. This next project is a great example of that.

Quality is the shining star of this kitchen remodel. While the design itself is quite simple, it’s easy to see how much of a difference it makes when the materials you choose are well made. From the cabinetry to the gorgeous island and countertops, this kitchen brings together a beautiful neutral palette to create a clean yet cozy feeling. The appliances pair perfectly with the other finishes, and the lighting and seating choices really complete the space. This is a great example of a kitchen that’s just plain nice. It doesn’t look like an obvious trend was used here, and it will stand the test of time and look just as beautiful if the homeowner ever decides to move on from it.

No matter what you decide to go for with your remodel, know that Total Home Solutions is ready for the job. From the kitchen to the bathrooms, we’re able to provide all the services needed to make your home feel brand new to you. No job is too big or too small.

With multiple decades of knowledge and hands-on experience, you can depend on our team to get your project done right. We value quality and service, and we work hard to make sure the relationships we build with our clients are positive. It’s important to know and trust the people working in your home - it’s your personal space and we want to treat it well! We hope that at the end of your project, you’ll be excited to reconnect with the people who helped you along the way should you want to start another renovation.

If you’re looking to get started soon, we encourage you to reach out to us as soon as you can! It’s the busiest time of year for us and the sooner we get things started for you the better. We make sure we have everything we need to complete your project before we start it, so it’s important to get on the books early.

Call our office at 541-647-0213, email us at info@mytotalhomesolutions.com, or submit your information at mytotalhomesolutions.com/contact. We look forward to making your current home feel like your dream home!