 You have decided to install new vinyl windows into your house. You make several window estimate appointments. Many sales representatives are gonna come to your house and show you different types of vinyl windows. But what about glass? You should know that the window is as good as it’s glass. About 70% of the window is glass area. Definitely you would want to know types of Low-E coating on the glass in your new vinyl windows. So what is Low-E? It is special low emissivity coat, that goes on top of the window glass. In other words, when there is some kind of heat source inside your house or outside, the Low-E glass bounces back that heat inside the house or leaves it outside. In winter time, when hot air touches the glass inside the house, the Low-E coat prevents cooling it off. In summer time all the hot air stays outside the house. So at the end of the day you are saving money both in winter and summer times. When we talk about Low-E we should know that it is not only adds energy efficiency to the vinyl window, but beauty as well. There are two types of Low-E glass coat: hard coat and soft coat. And you might imagine they have different properties. These two coats even look different. The hard coated glass has slightly bluish tint, while soft coated glass has greenish tint to it.  Hard coat Low-E glass is made by pouring a very thin layer of hot tin on to slightly molten glass surface. The glass with hard coating becomes very durable and it is hard to scratch it or remove the coat from the glass.
Soft coat Low-E glass is applied by adding zink, silver or tin. The glass of the window is placed into a vacuum chamber filled with gas and then it is electrically charged. The coating is pretty much delicate, that's why it is called soft. These two types of Low-E coating have different energy efficiency ratings. As you can see from the table, soft coat is more energy efficient, than hard coat. The hard coat adds more durability for the window glass and more beauty. While soft coat adds more insulating qualities. So now you familiar with these two types of Low-E glass coats and you can choose the one you like for your new vinyl windows.
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 When you have old windows in your house and tired of wearing thick sweater, then you should listen to the simple truth about vinyl windows. In Hamilton or Willingboro New Jersey, there are many houses with old wood windows. When we get to these houses to make estimates, many people complain that they have ten windows in the house and can open only one or two. Especially with the fall around the corner, right now might be the best time to make your windows working again. On the picture below, from one of our window projects in Willingboro NJ, you can see the look of the old wood windows with aluminum screen windows. The paint is peeling off, these wood windows no longer can be opened, draining energy of the house and your wallet.  We replaced them with new Harvey Slimline double hung replacement windows. Right away you can tell what a big difference. This house in Willingboro NJ changed the whole look. When we pulled out the old wood windows, the exterior old wood frame we capped with luxurious aluminum casing. The glass of these vinyl windows has Low-E coating and argon gas between the two glass panes. It adds to the energy efficiency of a window, as well as makes it more shiny and beautiful.
The bottom line you should know, that the windows of the house is like the eyes of person. They have the greatest impact on the appearance of the house. Sometimes replacing the windows is the cheapest way to make your house shiny again. The homeowner in Willingboro NJ is going to enjoy these windows for many years and then if he sells the house, the value is gonna be there.  You live in your house for many years. You like your place and do not even think about moving. But in life never say never. You may get better job offer, your family gets bigger or the price of the house skyrocketed so much, that you decided to cash in and retire. Whatever your situation is, before putting your nest for sale, you should make it shining again and be ready for a home inspection.
The most important step to make it ready for sale is to do the preliminary inspection. You should do the inspection of the windows, roofing, siding. What the home inspector is looking at? He is gonna check the roof of the house and see if any roofing shingles are missing. If this is so, then you are gonna have to repair it. He looks at the siding and makes sure that all the siding panels are attached to the house and there are no damaged panels. Both roofing and siding usually is easy to repair, because all that material is available in store. The biggest problem is with the wood, vinyl or aluminum windows of the house. Now is the question how the home inspector is gonna check the vinyl or wood windows of the house? Well first of all he is going to get to each window in a house and open it. He opens the window to make sure that both sashes of the window stay open and do not fall down. If the sash of the window does not stay open, it means that the balance system of the vinyl or wood window is broken. Many people call us and ask to repair their balance systems. The problem is, most of the time the windows of the house are very old and nobody knows who is the manufacturer of the window. It is not always possible to find the proper balance system for the vinyl window. Then the only option is to replace the whole window. All the windows are custom made and usually it takes about 2 weeks to get them in from the date of order. Sometimes people have the closing sale in five days and cannot do it, because of the problems with the windows. If you have old wood windows in the house and the inspector can’t open some of them, make sure that you cleaned the dry paint where the two window sashes meet each other. We always recommend to our customers to inspect each window personally before the inspection. The inspector is gonna go outside as well and check the wood frame of your windows. If there are any rotten spots, you are gonna have to take care about it. All the rotten frame must be replaced and repainted or capped with aluminum casing. So when you are thinking about selling your house, make sure that your roof, siding and windows are in good condition. Do not procrastinate in replacing your old wood, vinyl, or aluminum windows. When you do that right now, you are gonna be able to enjoy them for several years and when you sell the house, still you can get the value back. |
At Siding & Windows Wizards LLC we like to take care about people's houses and like to share ideas about vinyl siding, replacement windows, fiber cement siding, roofing, or anything else that can make people's life easier. Categories
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