How did the historically severe blizzard treat you this year? While Kansas City may not have the worst winter in the U.S., we are not immune from heavy snow, freezing storms, and violent winds. When harsh weather is present, having the right type of generator for your home is key because the last thing you’d want is to have no backup during a power outage.
There are three common types of home generators that will keep you protected during outages caused by winter weather:
Standby generators: also known as whole-house generators, designed to support core major appliances or the entire home
Portable generators: designed to support small appliances such as a space heater or keeping your lights on
Inverter generators: produce electric currents to charge your phones, tablets, laptops, etc
Types of Home Generators
Type
Cost
Capacity
Home standby generator
$5,000 – $25,000
Whole house
Portable generator
$400 – $5,000 depend on capacity
Can support one or two key appliances
Inverter generator
$500 – $2,000 for most standard models, but medium and large models can cost a lot more
Mainly for sensitive, complex electronic devices like your phone, laptops, or modern appliances
Home Standby Generator
Home standby generators, also known as whole-house generators, are the most powerful type of home generator and the only type of generator designed to actually power your major house appliances during an outage, such as HVAC, refrigerator, electric stove, lights, and the security system in your home.
Home standby generators cost from $5,000 to $25,000 on average, depending on brand, model, and output capacity. Most standby generators have an output between 20 and 26 kW, though higher-end models can go up to 30 kW.
Portable Generator
Portable generators vary in cost and capacity. Smaller portable generators can cost as little as $400, whereas more robust ones can go up to $5,000. While these generators cannot keep your house running on full capacity during an outage, they will be able to keep a space heater or a few lights running for a couple of hours while you wait for power to be restored. Their output capacity typically ranges from 500 to 3,000 Watts.
For safety considerations, your portable generators should be placed on the outside of your house and at least 20 feet away from windows, vents, and doors. This protects you from carbon monoxide poisoning, which kills approximately 70 people each year in the U.S.
Inverter Generator
Ranging from $50 to over $5,000, inverter generators are designed for sensitive electronic devices, such as your phones, tablets, laptops, or smart TVs and ACs. These generators convert AC electric current into DC electric current, then invert it back into AC for a cleaner energy output.
Small inverters, or recreational inverters, mainly only work with your phones or laptops. However, medium and large inverters can safely power a heating unit, your smart refrigerator, and a few other things.
Large, high-capacity portable generators are essential for those living in areas that frequently lose power due to inclement weather.
Types of Generators by Fuel Usage
Most generators use one of the following fuel options: gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane. Each type of fuel comes with unique advantages and challenges.
Gasoline: Primarily used by portable generators that need less frequent refueling due to its shorter shelf life and flash-point temperature.
Diesel: Works for whole-house generators or standalone generators mounted to a trailer. Fuel may run out and needs to be replenished regularly.
Natural Gas: one of the most efficient and cleanest fuel options. No refueling needed as natural gas generators are directly connected to your gas supply line. But is subjected to outages and cutoffs during natural diaster. Also requires more routine maintenance.
Propane: Usually used as an alternative to gas generators not connected to the supply line or when the natural gas supply is down. Less efficient, but has an extremely long shelf life. Natural gas generators need a conversion kit to use propane.
How to Choose the Right Generator for Your Home
Finding the right generator is key for your home’s safety and comfort without burning your budget. Generally speaking, you should take into account the minimum necessary wattage for core appliances, the outage frequency and severity in your area, and your funds when evaluating different home generator options.
Know Your Wattage
What is the minimum wattage needed to keep your home comfortable during an outage? For most single-family homes, a portable or inverter generator with an output between 5,000 to 8,000 watts would be more than sufficient to keep the heater, refrigerator and a few lights running. Apartment complexes or multi-family homes typically rely on higher capacity generators to ensure core functions shared by all units, such as central heating and cooling, are not interrupted. This also means if you live in an apartment, you may opt for a smaller portable generator to run a space heater during the winter for emergency purposes, or rely on a recreational inverter to keep your phones and small electronics powered.
Know Your Outages
Do you have inclement weather that leads to frequent outages? The more outages you have each year, the more you’ll want a trustworthy generator. Outage frequency also affects your generator fuel type. Small or mid-sized propane generators would make more sense if you barely ever have an outage since propane tanks can sit on the shelf for a long time without deteriorating. On the other hand, those who frequently lose power in the winter might want to invest in a standby generator or a large portable generator.
For example, the latest blizzard left thousands of homes in Kansas City without power. In situations like this, having a portable generator at home would definitely come in handy. If you live in more remote areas where it may take longer to restore power, you may consider investing in a standby generator. However, those living on the city grid might do just fine with a medium-capacity portable that can keep them warm until the power comes back on.
Know Your Budget
Finally, your budget naturally poses some restrictions on the types of generators you can afford. As a rule of thumb, inverter generators cost more than their portable counterparts with the same output because they produce cleaner, safer energy. Then, standby generators, or whole-house generators, will almost always be the heftiest investment.
A standby generator costs between $2,000 and $30,000 with automatic start functions or up to $10,000 with a manual start. A portable generator strong enough to power major home appliances costs approximately $2,000 or more, whereas smaller, lower-capacity portable generators can cost as little as a couple hundred dollars. Fuel type, inverter vs. non-invertor, manufacturer, and warranty coverage also affect the price.
At Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping, we want to thank you for another wonderful year of exciting projects, great customers, and growth for our team. We are truly passionate about designing and building landscapes and taking care of properties and plants so families can enjoy their outdoor living spaces together.
Our New Office and Shop
We Moved
This year, we upgraded our facilities to our new office and shop at 4600 Martha Truman Road in Grandview, Missouri. Our new location allows us to better serve our customers by being closer to them and having the space to bulk inventory items that we regularly use. This helps us to provide your service more efficiently and effectively and gives our team more resources to serve our customers.
The Blue Crew works on this new irrigation system for a happy homeowner.
We Expanded Our Services
Our new building came along just in time. We have expanded our offerings and now provide irrigation installation, repair, and inspection services. Our garden care and planter subscriptions remain popular. Each fall, we offer subscriptions to our bulb planting service so you can have masses of tulips to enjoy in the spring.
The Blue Crew at the Summer Summit with Jeffery Scott
Team Building
This year our team grew by adding new positions in both our leadership team and the field staff. We participated in group educational events and even a team photo shoot.
Blue Crew – Leadership Team
Awesome Projects
We had the pleasure of helping some wonderful people with some outstanding projects this year. From keeping our garden care customers’ homes looking lovely with colorful flowers…
Clean & Colorful Garden Care Property
To revitalizing the curb appeal for this family to be proud of everyday when they arrive home.
Total Rehab of Curb Appeal w/ new plants and flower pot
We also created some amazing entertainment spaces, from pools to screened porches or outdoor fireplaces, helping families spend more quality time together outdoors.
Our happy clients with their family enjoying their new pool just in time for summer
Reviews
A review is the best compliment we get. Leaving a positive review of our services on any of the review sites can help people discover our business. We really appreciate it when our customers tell people about how happy they are with our services, and it truly is the best way you can help us continue to grow and find more families to serve. Here is a link to leave us a 5-star review and share your story of how the Blue Crew helped you.
At Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping, we are already planning for 2025. We would love to create a wonderful landscape for you or build a new outdoor living space for your family. If you want to improve your property, schedule a consultation with us to get the ball rolling. Happy New Year from all of us to you!
As you consider those last-minute gifts for the special people in your life. Don’t forget to think outside the box and shop local businesses with landscape services. I know it’s not your typical gift but think of the opportunity to stand out and give something that brings joy all season long.
Who do you know that needs help with their landscape? Perhaps they moved into a new home this year, or they are avid outdoor people who’s busy lives keep them from keeping up. Does your grandmother love her lilacs and daylilies but have a hard time caring for them the way they deserve?
There are several ways you can give the gift of landscape this season with the help of the Blue Crew!
Landscape Design Field Sketch $225
The early spring is a perfect time for someone to improve their property. If your family member or friend talks about wanting to change their landscape, this is the gift for them.
You can give them a 90-minute in-person landscape consultation with a professional landscape designer. They will discuss what’s working and what’s not in the landscape and craft a vision for the possibilities. Together they will create a wish list and set goals, and then a Design Field Sketch will be created as a plan and a place to begin. Work areas may also be discussed and possibly a phased strategy to implement projects over time. This is an affordable way to gift a vision for the future for your loved one’s property.
Meeting with a Garden Care Specialist $75
Every yard has a problem area, some corner that you can figure out how to deal with, or a spot under a tree where the grass doesn’t grow. Maybe you know someone who has tried planting several species, and they just can’t get anything to thrive. Give them some help and expert advice with a Garden Care Consultation.
Our landscape care expert will come out and analyze the landscape. Over the course of 45 minutes, they will look at what is working in the landscape and suggest some changes to address problem areas. Your loved one will receive a copy of her landscape analysis to keep along with a step by step action plan to implement the solution to their garden challenges.
Seasonal Planter Pots $149-$349
Planters full of seasonal color are a wonderful way to decorate porches, patios, and other areas you want to emphasize. Do you know someone who loves flowers, but can’t find the time to arrange a beautiful focal feature? Why not consider the gift of professional planter pot arrangements for their front porch? You will certainly be remembered for such a unique thought and a gift that keeps giving through the season.
Garden Care Subscription $179-$699/month
If you know someone who loves plants but has some trouble maintaining their garden, give them the gift of garden care. Our team will come out every month and make sure their plants are cared for diligently. In the spring we clean out all the beds of leaves and debris, and re-define the edges of the planting areas before we top dress the mulch and apply a pre-emergent weed preventor. We will prune the shrubs regularly and dead head perennials while keeping the weeds under control during the summer. In autumn, we renew the mulch again and clean up leaves as they begin to fall. Our monthly inspections allow us to pull any weeds that sneaked through, check plants for pests or diseases, and make sure everything is growing as it should. This is a top notch service, ideal for the ones you care about the most.
Lawn Care Subscription $39.99-$69.99/month
Lawns take a lot of care to look nice. Our lawn care subscription takes care of your turf grass, so it looks nice. We apply pre-emergent, fertilizer, and post-emergent to keep you yard looking its best all season. We also monitor for fungus and grubs to catch them early and prevent damage to your turf grass. If your loved one’s lawn is having problems, we can diagnose the problem and make suggestions for treating them. This makes a great gift for adult children with kids of their own and a busy life. Or grandma and grandpa who enjoy their lush lawn and need a little help.
Our irrigation specialist will keep your loved one’s sprinklers working properly.
Irrigation Subscription $49.99 – $109.99/month
Irrigation systems also need some care and attention. They have to be turned on and checked in the spring, inspected, and adjusted for hot weather, and then blown out and turned off for winter. Our team has packages to help keep your loved one’s sprinklers running their best all year. Depending on the level of subscription, we will come out and inspect the system throughout the summer for optimal operation so the plants and turf can thrive.
The holiday season is in full swing. Need help decorating your outdoor space? Follow these tips for decorations that wow.
Create a theme
Choose a theme for your Christmas decor to avoid style clashes and a haphazard appearance. Yours could be based on your favorite Christmas movie, or traditional vs. kids themed. The choices for a theme are only limited to your imagination. This theme will then influence your decisions on all of the details to follow.
Colors
Chose a pallet of colors that will unify your decorations. One option is to choose different shades of the same color, such as white, pink, red, and burgundy. Another option is to choose several colors that go well together, such as green and red, or you could even go with a multicolored approach if it fits with your theme.
Select A Style
Another way to unify your landscape decorations is to select a style of decorating. Do you want big, fun decorations like inflatable snowmen, Santas, and elves? Or do you prefer elegant and refined without all of the characters in your yard. Of course, you can have different styles in the front yard and the back yard but try to stick to one style per area, so your decorations look deliberate instead of random.
Doorway & Porch Decor
Your front door area is the first area most people see up close when visiting your home. Use a Christmas-themed wreath such as holly branches dotted with candy canes or ornaments that can welcome people. Pair the wreath with a pair of planters or large standing ornaments on either side of the door, framing it and channeling people to the entrance of your home. You can replace your regular doormat with a festive holiday one.
If you have columns on your porch, wreath them with festive lights or garlands wrapping around them from floor to ceiling. Porch rails look festive with garlands wrapped around them, as well. Colored fairy lights hanging from the roof or porch ceiling complete the scene.
Christmas Lawn Decorations
Lawn decorations can be a fun way to show your Christmas spirit. Inflatable decorations like a nativity scene, snowmen, elves, and Santa look joyful and maybe a little silly. Use small clusters of inflatables with space between them so the decorations do not look too busy. Large candy canes that serve as lights can line the sidewalk from the street to your front door.
If you are going for a more elegant look, line the walkway with solar-powered columns of light. A natural-looking nativity scene can remind your guests of the birth of Jesus. Using silver and blue as your colors can add elegance to your display.
Evergreens & Poinsettias
Evergreen plants, with their dark green color, can be used to create a more natural display. Line your walkway with pots of poinsettias (artificial if outdoors in our climate) interspersed with potted evergreen trees. Evergreen holly in large pots with pine combs, red ribbons, and red bows make nice containers to use for this.
It gets quite cold in December, so choose plants that can take the cold. Bringing the plants indoors after the party can keep them looking nice for the next event. In most cases you will not want to leave the potted plants outside overnight if the temperature is very low or the roots will be injured.
Potted plants dry out faster than plants that are in the ground. Water the plants when the soil feels dry to the touch. Keeping the soil moist will help the plant’s roots absorb the water they need to survive the cold. Poinsettias will bloom again next Christmas if you follow a strict schedule of 14 hours of darkness and 10 hours of bright light next fall.
String Lights
Strings of fairy lights or larger holiday lights are fun to decorate with. LED lights are the most energy-efficient. Many of them can change colors to match a theme. Be safe when stringing the lights, and make sure any lights you use are in good condition.
Wrapping rails or draping the lights over the fence can look festive and illuminate your landscape. Some LED lights can be programmed to change colors in a pattern to blink on and off, adding motion and energy to the display.
Lanterns & Candle Holders
Lanterns and candles are elegant fixtures to illuminate the landscape. These classic lights put off a warm glow. You can get LED lights in lanterns and as candles, so you do not have an open flame but can safely accent a table or a walkway. If you use candles and lanterns with real open flames, do not leave them unattended. Put the candles and lanterns out before going to bed to avoid causing a house fire.
Christmas-Themed Cushions & Throws
Festive cushions with winter and Christmas scenes can accent your landscape decor. Place them on sofas and chairs throughout your outdoor living area. Throws with Christmas scenes can be draped over the back of chairs and sofas. Guests can use them to stay warm if the air is a bit nippy for their tastes.
Pre-Party Clean Up
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can clean up your outdoor landscape before your big holiday party. Just give us a call at (816) 825-2524 to get on our schedule before it’s too late.
Tis the season to decorate your home for Christmas and show the neighborhood your jolly spirit. It also happens to be a season when emergency services see surges in accidents and home fires. To make sure you are not part of this dangerous trend, follow these guidelines for safely decorating the outside of your home using Christmas lights.
Untangle and Inspect
If you are going to use lights that have been stored, be sure to inspect them closely. Don’t leave tangles in the wires. If you find breaks or cracks in the coating of the wires, you should repair the coating or replace the lights. Bare wires are a shock and fire hazard. Older, pre-LED lights can put off significant heat, so replacing them with new LED lights can avoid problems. LED lights are also more energy efficient.
Use caution when hanging Christmas lights.
Buy Safe Lights
When buying new lights, look for lights that have been inspected by an independent safety laboratory. Counterfeit lights can use cheaper components that are not rated for the load on them. They can short out and start fires or shock the unwary. In general, the lights at major big box stores are safe. Some discount stores or online sites may sell unsafe lights. Make sure that any decorations are intended for outdoor use. Indoor lights are not intended to get wet or really cold and can malfunction or start a fire.
Avoid Trip Hazards
Never run electrical cords across sidewalks or driveways. It’s especially dangerous during inclement weather when the surfaces can be very slippery. No one wants to see a family member take a trip to the emergency room during the holidays. If you have to cross a path tuck the wires near a step riser or place an outdoor mat over the top to keep the cord down and avoid those nasty falls.
Keep cords off walking paths to avoid TRIP HAZARDS.
Plug In Safely
Plug your outdoor lights into a weatherproof outdoor socket. These outlets contain ground-fault circuit interrupters, which turn off the circuit if they detect a ground fault. This is the same type of protection included in plugs near the sink in your kitchen. These safety outlets also include weatherproof covers that snap shut to keep the water out. You don’t want to get shocked because you touch a string of lights when it is damp outside. Do not plug outdoor lights into indoor plugs at all, but especially not by running an extension cord through a door or window. Do not link more than three strings of lights together, either.
Use the Buddy System
Bring a friend or other responsible person outside while you hang your Christmas decorations. In addition to being more fun, your buddy can call for help in the event of a mishap. If you do not have a buddy, at least make sure someone knows you are working outside and can come check on you if you are gone too long.
Ladder safety is crucial to avoid injury.
Ladder Safety
Ladders can be a major hazard. Inspect the ladder and observe the weight limit for it. Stay off the top two rungs of the ladder. Use a longer ladder if necessary to avoid those rungs. For every four feet of height, the base of the ladder should be one foot farther from the wall. Make sure the base is set on firm ground and won’t slip. It is best if your buddy holds onto the ladder while you climb it.
Ladderless Hanging Tips
Some people do not do well with ladders. Telescoping painter’s poles can be used to hang hooks off the gutters around the outside of your house. You can then use the pole to hang the lights from the hooks. You never have to leave the ground. This also avoids damage to the wires that stapling or nailing them to the house causes.
Lights Out at Bedtime
Turn your lights out when you leave the home or go to bed. You don’t want to wake up to a fire in the middle of the night. The easiest way to automate this is to use an outdoor rated timer where you can have it come on at dark and shut off 4, 6, or 8 hours later.
Happy Holidays
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping wishes you and yours a very happy holiday season. If you need help getting your property cleaned up and ready for Christmas, don’t hesitate to let us know. Give us a call at (816) 825-2524 or schedule a consultation today.
