KELLER HEARTH ‘N HOME

Homeowner Jason Stahl and his family moved into this beautiful home in 2015 and has been progressively improving it ever since. When he first moved in, the home’s backyard was nice, but in need of some updating in areas like the outdoor kitchen which was showing signs of wear and needed to be replaced. To help with his backyard renovations, Jason contacted Mike Keller, the owner of Keller Hearth ‘n Home, who helped him turn his new home’s backyard into a beautiful place for relaxation and gatherings.

When Jason moved in, in addition to the outdoor kitchen, there already was a deck and pergola. The yard itself was well kept, but needed new landscaping, especially after a rough winter that killed many of the yard’s trees. The first order of business was removing the old outdoor grill island and replacing it with a new one, which in this instance required a crane.

“When Mike said he was going to have a crane come in to remove the old one to bring this one in, I was like, that doesn’t make any sense. I came home for lunch, and there was a crane overtop these trees, and my neighbors were all outside watching,” recalls Jason, laughing. “They took it up out over the trees and brought in the new one.”

While a crane may seem like overkill, Mike explains, “Sometimes you just take the easiest route. To have a crane show up for an hour is a lot easier than trying to have a lot of guys out here. We do whatever it takes to get things in place. Cranes are probably the extreme, but when you’re on a location like this, it’s required.”

The grill islands Keller Hearth ‘n Home installs are customizable to each client’s specific needs. “We help design based on what their wants are, and these are custom-built, so that makes it easy to do what the customer wants,” says Mike.

Next for Jason, Keller Hearth ‘n Home added fire tables for ambiance and a few deck furniture items, like the large party table adjacent to the grill island and the chat table. The various alternative tables make it easy to host large gatherings or to sit around with a small group and chat on a quiet evening.

“My three nieces, my brother, and my parents come over here, and we grill whenever we can,” describes Jason. “The outdoor areas are used for board games, a lot of Yahtzee, Farkle, Qwixx, or just an occasional glass of wine, whatever you’re going to do, just hanging out.”

Having an outdoor space like this makes it easy to soak up every last bit of warm weather. “We treasure this time of the year, the spring, the summer, the fall. This [outdoor area] helps extend that if you can spend a night outside, throw a jacket on and enjoy the fire and company,” says Mike.

Not only does having an outdoor space like this extend the time you spend outside, but it also extends your living space from just inside your home and makes use of the acreage outside the home too. “We talk about the fact that it brings the outdoor alive,” Mike explains, “It extends the party. It makes it your outdoor break room, your outdoor living area.” And Jason has been taking full advantage of this outdoor living. “It’s rewarding to see that something that was sold is actually doing what you expected it to do,” says Mike.

Creative Wood Designs is a master at pulling together their client’s wants, needs, and personal styles to make a beautiful space. Blair Lindsey and her family moved into their new home last May and enlisted the help of Creative Wood Designs with their cabinetry. The Lindseys love to host, so they wanted an