Curb appeal can transform your home, taking that fading paint and well-loved front porch from “worn” to “wow!” in an instant. Outdoor transformations are often the missing piece, whether you’re fixing up the house for summer guests or trying to increase property value for a home sale. But how can you update the great outdoors without creating an eyesore? Ace of Gray offers our 3 Best Tips for Creating Summer Curb Appeal.

How to Create Summer Curb Appeal

1. Clean up. Before you can transform your outdoor spaces, take stock of what’s not working. Trim wild bushes, uproot dead flowers, and reorganize the tool shed. It helps to find a partner who can offer unbiased opinions about the state of your landscape. (That means a friend or neighbor, not just your spouse). Sketch a quick blueprint of your yard and determine what’s too boring, what’s too busy, and what’s just right.
2. Color up. There are two major ways to fail when adding color for curb appeal: adding too much and not adding enough. Balance your landscape with rich green shade trees, vivid flowers, and woody bases that look great whether they’re bare or blooming.
3. Back to basics. It’s easy to get swept up in what’s currently blooming, but it won’t be warm forever. As you plant fresh perennials, tend ornamental trees, and dig out a bed for a summer vegetable garden, don’t forget to plant trees and shrubs with winter appeal, too. Not sure where to start? Hardscape elements look beautiful in any season! Add a rocking chair to the porch, a stone bench to the garden, and an artsy bird bath to the backyard.

Our Garden Center offers a full stock of perennials, succulents, and other plants that thrive in Georgia gardens. Pick your favorite plants, peruse the aisles for something new, or ask an Ace of Gray gardening expert how to update your landscape for summer.

How many times have you reached into the cabinet for a skillet, only to have pots, pans, and lids come crashing down around you? Kitchen storage is a challenge all homeowners face, whether they have a tiny apartment or a custom-designed kitchen. Luckily Ace of Gray has a few easy DIY projects to improve kitchen storage.

Easy-Grab Cookie Trays

Do you find yourself digging through piles of trays to find the cookie sheet you need? Nobody likes horizontal storage for flat cookware, but that’s often the only option. If you don’t have a built-in tray cabinet, you can make one in a few simple steps.

1. Visit Ace of Gray and purchase ¾ inch wooden dowels or two flat plywood boards.
2. Measure your cabinet vertically and cut the dowels or plywood pieces to the correct height.
3. Glue and nail in your new dividers, spacing them according to how much space you’d like for each section of your new cookie tray cabinet. If you’re using dowels as dividers, add them in both the front and the back to prevent trays from catching together.

Hanging Kitchen Storage

If you have loose lids, drawers overflowing with plastic bags, or an over-full coffee cup cabinet, hanging kitchen storage is the solution. For efficient, aesthetically pleasing coffee cup storage, add a row of hooks beneath your hanging cabinets. Space the hooks so that coffee cups can hang by their handles without touching. To sort loose lids, screw two parallel u-brackets into the door of a lower cabinet. The brackets form easy slots to store tupperware lids. You can install nails, screws, or hooks into sturdy cabinet doors to hang the lids of pots and pans. If you’re constantly digging through grocery store bags to get to the cleaning supplies, install a DIY or store-bought plastic bag holder inside the cabinet beneath your sink. Voila! Instant organization.

Looking for more quick projects to increase home storage? Stop by Ace of Gray and chat with our home improvement experts about DIY storage projects.

photo from flickr

Turkey season marks the end of the 2014-2015 big game season for Georgia hunters. As a turkey hunter, you want to be well prepared for the upcoming season with outdoor gear, ammo, and a hunting license from Ace of Gray. Get the information and equipment that you need before the big day to make the most of the season.

Ace of Gray has all of the tips and tools required for turkey hunting season in Georgia. You can pick up your hunting license and stock up on supplies all in one trip. We offer a wide range of camouflage gear including hunting blinds and folding chairs, allowing you to stay hidden from the game. Make sure to check out our emergency supplies, alert whistles, batteries, and first aid kits. You can also stock up on ammo with us.

Are you in the market for clothing or footwear? Warm weather hunting gear such as hand warmers, thick jackets, and propane lanterns are essential for staying warm, dry, and safe on chilly, wet spring days. Ace of Gray keeps more than 1,000 pairs of boots in stocks from all of the top brands including Ariat, Durango, Georgia Boot, and Rocky. Shop rugged work wear with Carhartt, style and comfort with Columbia, and cutting edge technology with Drake Waterfowl.

The 2014-2015 turkey season in Georgia runs from Saturday, March 21 through Friday, May 15, 2015. There are three turkeys allowed per season, which includes the special opportunity season. Please plan accordingly. The special opportunity season is for adolescents age 16 or younger and individuals with mobility impairments (i.e. single-leg amputation above the knee, paraplegia). Hunters participating in special opportunity must be accompanied by an adult who is not allowed to take or attempt to take a turkey.

Photos by FreeDigitalPhotos.net from papaija2008

Maintaining a lawn mower has never been easier with the professional services at Ace of Gray. At an affordable cost, residents of Gray, GA have an opportunity to make sure their lawn mowers are serviced as the spring season approaches.

Take your lawn mower to a qualified professional at least once per year to have it thoroughly inspected and maintained. Meanwhile, here are some of the do-it-yourself tips that will keep your lawn mower working this spring season:

Drain all the oil before storage- Ensure that the remaining oil is drained during winter when the machine is not in use for a long time.

Change the oil regularly- If you don’t change the oil for more than a season, impurities such as dust and leaves may ruin the mower’s engine.

Ensure the air filter is always clean- The air filter blocks impurities from damaging the engine. Accumulated dirt can be washed away by dipping the filter in a detergent. If the air filter does not come clean, you should consider replacing the filter.

In addition to these simple maintenance tasks, there are many other moving parts to keep maintained to ensure the best cut for your lawn. Sharpening or replacing mower blades, repairing broken gears, or replacing old gears will help keep your mower in working condition.

When your lawn mower is properly maintained, you will be able to expect:

• Grass will be cut uniformly leaving your lawn neat.
• The lawn mower will have its lifespan increased.
• You will avoid impromptu repair costs since the lawn mower will hardly break down.
• You’ll be motivated to keep your landscape healthy and presentable.

Ace of Gray provides full service lawn mower maintenance. Now is a great time to bring your mower in for maintenance before the spring season is finally here.

Photo by foto76 via FreeDigitalPhotos.net