Author: Vmax Custom Homes

How To Clean Algae Off Vinyl Siding

Vmax Custom Homes

Vinyl siding is one of the most popular siding choices for homes of all shapes and sizes. While there’s certainly merit in choosing stone, brick, stucco, and other materials, the reality is that vinyl makes more sense in many situations. 

If exterior areas of your home are in the shade and hold moisture, they can develop unsightly green algae. The mildew and algae are feeding on sugars, dust, dirt or other things that are attached to the siding. Many people are unaware that trees, both evergreen and deciduous, often broadcast ultrafine aerosols of sugars at different times of years.

algae on vinyl siding

To keep vinyl siding looking its best, it should be washed periodically to remove the mold, mildew, dirt, and chalky oxidation that collects on the surface. You should get your house washed every two years. Some lighter colors of siding that are in the shade a lot may require washing every year.

power washing richmond va

Normal cleaning with laundry or dishwashing detergent can remove new algae formation, but it’s necessary to use a stronger cleaner and method of cleaning for older algae. Pressure washing can remove dirt and grime from siding, or you can combine pressure washing with the use of a cleaning agent.

Far too often, untrained and inexperienced people rent a pressure washer for their siding cleaning needs. When pressure washing is done improperly, they often find that they caused far more damage than was worth the effort. Using the wrong pressure setting, method, or cleaning agent can result in damage to the siding and leaks. The water that’s ejected from the tip of the pressure washer wand can be driven into cracks and crevices where water is not supposed to go. The intense water stream can and will erode the lighter-colored spring wood in your wood siding, causing it to look older than it actually is. It’s best to check your manufacturer’s recommendations and warranty information before going this route. They should provide you with some tips or things to avoid. You should never spray water up at the siding, or you may force water underneath the siding and cause damage. Wear safety glasses or another form of eye protection when working with a pressure washer.

It is highly recommended that you hire a professional pressure washing contractor for help. When you hire professionals to clean the exterior of your home, you do not need to worry about any of the above mentioned issues. All you need to do is sit back and relax while your residence is restored to its best possible condition. You and your family are guaranteed to be complete satisfied with the results. You will always know who to trust with your future siding cleaning projects.

Contemporary Cool

Vmax Custom Homes

Originally published in Richmond Magazine

A sleek and modern renovation gives new life to a 1980s West End home | Photos by Anna Zagorodna
by Elizabeth Cogar
January 30, 2017

Contemporary home renovation Richmond VA
LIVING ROOM: Jessica Berliner’s contemporary home follows a calm color scheme with black, white, many shades of gray and an occasional cool blue — such as the pair of CB2 chaises that face the newly installed gas fireplace in the living room.

When California native Jessica Berliner moved to Richmond in 2000, she searched for a house that felt like home. She chose her West End neighborhood for its proximity to coworkers and her workplace and because the family-friendly community has an architectural mix of traditional and contemporary homes, her personal preference. At the time, contemporary houses were less expensive in Richmond than in other parts of the country, she found. “Nobody wanted them!” she says in disbelief — and delight.

The 1980s brick-and-glass house sits on a bluff on a quiet cul-de-sac. Over the years, it served the family well with minor updates here and there, but, even though there was enough room for three children and an array of pets, the interior space never felt quite right to Berliner. “The house is a contemporary, but the way it was designed inside was not contemporary. … it was more traditional,” she says. The floor plan felt awkward and inefficient. The sunken living room had potential but was never used, and she wished for a guest room to host visiting family and friends.

Newly single in 2015, Berliner felt the time had come to modify the house in ways that would accommodate demands of children and her hectic and varied physician’s schedule. “I wanted to open it up and modernize,” she explains. Kid and fitness activities occupy her time, and she wanted her living space to be easy to maintain with a streamlined aesthetic. The resulting interior that she envisioned is spectacularly sleek and modern, not your ordinary house in the ’burbs and not what one might expect of a 1980s residence.

“Our goal was to open up the floorplan.” —Maks Zagorodniy

Berliner knew that transforming her home would require expertise in modern family vernacular. Looking at interiors on Houzz.com, Berliner discovered that she liked a number of spaces by Richmond-based Circle Design Studio. Once Circle Design was on board and had completed design drawings, builder Maks Zagorodniy of VMAX won the contracting bid and joined the team.

“Aside from modernizing the look for the entire main floor, Jessica wanted to make use of the sunken living room, which sat empty and unfurnished for years,” Zagorodniy says. “Our goal was to open up the floor plan, making the kitchen the central ‘hub,’ with visual openness between all spaces but also separating the areas that would be used by adults and the children.”

Work began in the summer of 2015 and was complete a year later. It encompassed total renovations of first-floor common areas — living, dining and family rooms — plus a master suite addition that was added to the job midway through. With direction from Berliner based on photos she saw on Houzz, John and Theresa Dorlini of Circle Design Studio made selections for everything from furniture and rugs to kitchen surfaces and lighting fixtures. “I knew I’d like whatever they did,” Berliner says.

Meanwhile, Zagorodniy peeled back the layers of structural and cosmetic details that no longer fit the plan — walls, fixtures and tile — with a few obstacles along the way. “The biggest challenge was uncovering structural problems in the original framing,” Zagorodniy says. “We investigated the root cause of the cracks in the ceilings and sagging floors overhead, and we fixed them during the renovation. Also, the construction of modern details requires additional time to coordinate between quality craftsmen to achieve the clean-lined look.”

The new look is light and breezy with easy-to-maintain surfaces and furnishings. Laminate cabinets in wood grains, quartz countertops, aluminum and Thermador appliances combine for a look that’s both retro and contemporary in the kitchen. Where Berliner’s three children once romped, she and her and guests now enjoy a serene living space with sophisticated seating including two chaises that face the fireplace. Attaching the 1,000-square-foot master suite addition — bedroom, bathroom and personal gym — to the house required some fancy footwork, but Zagorodniy finessed it with flair. A carefully curated group of photos and artwork is the only personal décor. “I can’t stand stuff,” Berliner says. “No knickknacks!”

Truly a happy ending, everyone involved is pleased with the work. Berliner is a thrilled homeowner, and the Dorlinis and Zagorodniy enjoyed their partnership and have worked together twice since completing this project. “I absolutely love the way this project turned out,” Zagorodniy says. “I am happy to see more modern work around the Richmond area, but it takes a mutual partnership between the builder and designer to achieve a stunning end product that pleases our customers.”