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Content Tagged with installation + Windows
Replacement Window Review: What’s Best for You?
If you’re considering upgrading your home windows, hoping to capitalize on the energy efficiency the best replacement windows offer, you’ve got your work cut out for you. There are a myriad of replacement window options in the marketplace today. Wood replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, and vinyl replacement windows are all available in a wide range of styles, sizes, and prices.
It can be confusing. How do you select the best replacement windows for your home?
There are three considerations to take into account: Energy Efficiency, Style, and Price.
Energy Efficiency is becoming ever more important. Fuel prices are raising, sometimes going up substantially in a single day! Luckily, the best replacement windows can help you save energy and money. Look for windows that include double or triple pane glass, insulating gas pockets, low e coatings, insulated frame construction, and more.
Style is a critical consideration. After all, our homes are our castles! We want to have a residence that reflects the residents: your home should be as welcoming, vibrant, and engaging as you are! Wood replacement windows are often the option of choice when trying to match a classic or colonial style home — however, the high price of wood replacement windows can stop a remodeling project cold! Vinyl replacement windows and fiberglass replacement windows are available in a wide range of styles, and can be used to enhance even the most classic homes.
Finally, let’s look at price. If we’re installing replacement windows in an effort to save money, it’s clear we have a budget. It’s important to consider how many windows you’re going to replace, as well as the size and style of window you want to have installed. Wood replacement windows are far and away the most expensive, with fiberglass windows close behind. Vinyl replacement windows offer all of the benefits: energy efficiency, style, and an enhanced enjoyment of your home, all at a reasonable price. Truly the ultimate bang for your buck!
First Things First: Where Do You Start When Replacing Windows?
Installing replacement windows is a great way to save energy, enhance the appearance of your home, and in many cases, improve the functionality and security of your residence. However, whether you opt for wood replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or vinyl replacement windows, you are looking at a considerable financial investment.
Many homeowners, particularly those with many, many windows, know that they can’t replace all of the windows in their home at once. Finances dictate that the replacement window installation must be spread over several seasons.
The question then becomes: where do you start? Which windows are the best ones to replace first?
The first thing to take into account is the condition of your existing windows. Any windows that are damaged, with cracked or broken glass, rotten sills, or compromised frames, should be the first candidates for replacement. Damaged windows simply cannot offer the same energy efficiency as intact windows! You’d be amazed how much air and moisture can penetrate through a crack or hole.
Next, consider which rooms of the house you use the most. If you spend most of your time in the family room and a pair of bedrooms, there’s no sense spending your time and money upgrading the kitchen! Don’t forget the bathroom: most people use their bathroom regularly, and the moisture rich environment can really impact a window negatively.
Functionality plays a role in decision making. Patio doors, sliding glass doors, and French doors can enhance a home — but they can also leak a tremendous amount of energy. If you’ve got older, inefficient patio doors, sliders, or French doors, you may want to address those long before you replace any windows.
Many original construction windows do not open the way they should. Replacing non-opening original construction windows with fully functional replacement windows should be a priority.
Finally, consider size and cost. The larger the window, the higher the cost! Therefore, it may be more prudent to replace several smaller windows first, and then address the large window: incremental progress is progress just the same!
User:john7447: replacement windows
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Replacement Windows Healthier for Children: 3 Benefits You Need to Know
If you’re a parent, you know that nothing is more precious than your child’s good health. Our first priority is to help our children achieve and maintain ultimate wellness. That’s why we buy fruits and vegetables. That’s why we visit the pediatrician so often the nurses know us by name. And increasingly, we look to our homes and the impact they have upon our physical well being.
There are three top benefits where replacement windows – whether they’re vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or wood replacement windows — can help you create a healthy environment for your kids.
Benefit #1: Eliminate a Common Source of Lead Exposure
Lead — a naturally occurring element that was once commonly used in house paint — can severe negative impact on children’s health. Behavioral problems, hearing and learning imparment, and delayed growth can all result from lead poisoning. By replacing older windows, which may have been painted with lead paint, with vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or wood replacement windows, you can eliminate one of the most common sources of lead exposure — interior windowsills painted with lead-based paint.
Benefit #2: Minimize Exposure to Environmental Allergens
Modern replacement windows minimize both air and moisture penetration, which means that exterior air stays outside. That’s great news, especially for children who have allergies. Many allergens are air-borne — which means that when a chilly draft sneaks through your leaky windows, pollen, dander, dust, or man made irritants come along for the ride. Replacement windows allow you to take greater control of your interior air quality, which means everyone can breathe a little easier!
Benefit #3: Reduce Ambient Noise
Honking horns, screeching brakes, the melodious early morning journey of the street sweeper. Lawn mowers and noisy neighbors. We live surrounded by noise that makes it into our homes — distracting kids who are trying to do homework, hang out with their friends, or simply sleep through the night. Healthy kids need eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep — and grades go up when there’s a quiet place to study! Modern replacement windows help buffer exterior noise so your home can be a restful oasis in the midst of the world’s chaos.
Replacement Window Sizes
One of the most common questions we hear about at US Home Improvement is replacement window sizes. Customers want to know what sizes windows ‘come in’. They’re curious about ‘stock sizes’.
Guess what?
There’s no such thing. At least not in high quality replacement windows!
Homes are like people: they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Some are tall and narrow, others are short and wide. Some feature long, sloping roofs, while others have flat tops. Some people enter their homes through a double door that opens into a grand foyer, while others have a simple entryway that leads into a cheery kitchen.
Our homes are as individual as we are.
The same holds true for the windows we’re talking about replacing. Picture windows can be huge, framing a beautiful view, and absolutely making a living or family room a special place. Powder room windows tend to be petite: far smaller than the ‘stock size’ replacement window models you’ll find in a discount home center.
A reputable replacement window specialist will measure each of your windows. Then they’ll order customer sized windows, made for that particular window, to ensure that the vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or wood replacement windows that you’ve selected will fit perfectly.
This is the best way to minimize air and moisture penetration: the two primary causes of cold drafts, heat loss, and an uncomfortable environment.
Custom sized replacement windows fit better. This means they look better, enhancing the appearance of your home — inside and out!
What about those stock-size windows? The truth is that it’s like fitting a square peg into a round hole: with enough will power and make-do methodology, you can sometimes ‘get by’ with something that doesn’t look too bad. You’re compromising the energy efficiency benefits of installing replacement windows, and often, you don’t have the warranty protection that comes with quality vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or wood replacement windows.
That might be okay with you — but most people want something better for their homes!
User:john7447: replacement windows
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Windows
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Worried About Winter? The Benefits of Alside Excalibur Windows
Hurricane Ike has just finished moving through the region, and in that mighty storm’s wake, we find the first hints of winter’s impending arrival. Nothing’s going to stop the cold weather from coming. With the cost of home heating rising every single day, it’s time to consider how vinyl replacement windows can help you save money and stay warm while winter winds blow.
In this piece, we’re going to talk specifically about Alside Excalibur windows, as Alside Excalibur windows offer the ultimate in energy efficiency, durable and attractive construction, and functionality, all at an affordable price.
Alside Excalibur windows feature fusion-welded mainframes and sashes. This means that your windows are designed to stand up to tough New England winters. They’re not going to buckle and bend when the wind delivers freezing rain. Sloped sills help deflect rain and melting snow away from your window, reducing moisture penetration — a major source of energy loss, mold, mildew, and cold drafts.
Alside Excalibur windows also have insulated glass units, with PPG Intercept Warm Edge Spacer Systems. What this means for you is an energy efficient unit, designed to keep warm interior air inside and frigid winter wind out. The more warm air that stays in, the less you have to run your furnace — saving energy and money!
Finally, we all want to have an attractive home. Our homes are sources of pride to us: we want to be able to show our colleagues and peers an impressive facade. We want our neighbors to be happy we live close by! Our homes are a tangible demonstration of the love and respect we have for our families. Alside Excalibur windows feature a slimline, crisp style that works with almost every decor, highlighting your dedication to quality and comfort!
User:john7447: replacement windows
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Replacement Window Warranties: Focusing on the Fine Print
Replacement windows are a substantial investment. You’re upgrading your home in an effort to save energy, enhance your home’s appearance, and create a more comfortable living space for your family.
If you’re like most homeowners, it’s not that you mind spending the money. It’s that you want to make sure you’re spending your money wisely! You want to ensure that the vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or wood replacement windows are a good investment.
That’s why warranties are so important.
Recently, with so many smaller replacement window companies folding, we’ve been hearing a lot of anxiety about replacement window warranties. Here’s what you need to know to put your mind at ease:
Get a Copy of the Actual Warranty
When your windows are installed, insist on being provided with a copy of the actual warranty. You need more than a document that says “These windows carry the Brand X guarantee!” You want the paper that spells out what the Brand X guarantee says: all of the terms and conditions.
Keep this paper in a safe place!
Understand What Is Covered by the Warranty
Read through the fine print. Every replacement window warranty is different. Discover what is covered: the glass, the seals, the frame construction, the hardware. Look for language surrounding conditions of use: are your windows warrantied for residential use? Commercial use? Make sure you read any clauses covering what will void your warranty: painting windows can do this, or having the windows installed by someone other than an authorized replacement window specialist.
Understand Who Is Issuing the Warranty
Generally, the manufacturer’s warranty will cover the windows. Your local replacement window specialist will warranty the installation of the windows.
User:john7447: replacement windows
replacement
Windows
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Every Dollar Counts: How Vinyl Replacement Windows Can Save You Money
Every Dollar Counts: How Vinyl Replacement Windows Can Save You Money
As this entry was being prepared, the US Senate leadership was frantically working on last minute additions to make the bailout more palatable to legislators. Economic unease is the order of the day. As major Wall Street firms collapse like pine trees in a mudslide, those of us who don’t have golden parachutes to cling to have to watch every dollar.
This is especially pertinent as cold weather approaches. The cost of heating our homes this winter is likely to be higher than ever before. Saving money is the order of the day.
Vinyl replacement windows can help you save money. There’s the immediate obvious benefit inherent in vinyl replacement window’s energy efficiency. Experts tell us that as much as 40% of a home’s energy can be lost through leaky windows — stopping that loss by installing a high quality vinyl replacement window, such as an Alside Excalibur Window is one way to eliminate that waste.
Vinyl replacement windows keep the cold drafts and frigid breezes outdoors. Maintaining a warm, comfortable interior temperature is one way to help your family’s immune system stay strong, keeping everyone healthy and minimizing expensive trips to the doctor.
Additionally, because vinyl replacement windows make it easier to maintain a consistent interior temperature, your heating system runs less often. This saves money two ways: you use less fuel, and you experience less wear and tear on your heating system.
There are a number of ways vinyl replacement windows can help you save money, from the immediately apparent to the more subtle.
