 Window technology has advanced substantially and new set of windows can refresh the look of your house and make it more energy efficient. So you decided to start shopping for new windows and a bit puzzled about what kind of windows you should get.
Well first of all, you should ask yourself why do you want to replace your existing windows. The reasons can be different, like you can't open your windows, because the window sashes are stuck, or still you can't open windows but you can feel that cold draft blowing into the house, or may be you just tired of painting and cleaning of the windows you have, or may be you are just tired of your windows look and want something new, that nobody else has in your neighborhood. Most of the people these days choose Vinyl Replacement Windows, which are Low-E, Argon Gas, double glass windows. What does it mean to buy that kind of windows? It means, once these windows installed you can enjoy worry free life, barbecuing with your family and friends, and all that is possible at the acceptable price. We have a wide range of companies who manufacture these windows: United Window & Door Manufacturers, Ideal Windows, American Craftsman, Wincore Windows, Simonton Windows. The price for these windows usually starts at $400 per window and can go up to $900, labour and material including. When you don't want to be like everyone else and you like all kind of new technology, then you can go with Fiberglass Replacement Windows, which is more durable than vinyl and does not fade as much. These windows are slightly better energy efficient than vinyl and as well virtually maintenance free. When you are able and capable to buy these windows, then you should definitely go with them. Main manufacturers of these windows are Marvin Integrity and Andersen Windows. The price tag on these windows starts at around $1200 and goes up to $2000 per window, labour and material including. If you still like the genuine look of the wood, then you can go with Wood Windows, which are gonna be as energy efficient as vinyl or fiberglass replacement windows. Most of the time we install these windows into historical houses, when it is the requirement of the township. When you buy a house in a historical part of the town, you should check with the township what kind of the windows you can install. The only thing you should bear in mind, that these windows are not gonna be maintenance free, you are gonna have to paint them every five years on the outside and from time to time inside. Quite a few window companies left who manufacturer a 100% wood windows, these are Marvin, Andersen and Kolbe. The price tag on these windows starts at $1100 and can go up to $2000 per window, labour and material including. When you travel a lot to Europe and you have noticed, that they have windows, which are different, then you can go with Tilt and Turn Windows, which boast unsurpassed energy efficiency and noise reduction capability. These windows are made from U-PVC material, which is more durable than vinyl, but less expensive than fiberglass. We currently offer these windows at a $750 per window of a regular size, labour and material included. Whatever choice you make, just make sure that you get windows that fulfill all or most of your dreams and desires, so when you use your windows you can be happy about the right choice you made!
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You have made your mind to replace windows in your house. Now you have some worries and questions how in the world are they gonna do that window installation. May be you have just paid for the installation of new trim around the windows and painted them into your favorite color and now you question yourself what's gonna happen to all that interior work. Then you might be troubled what is gonna be done to the outside of the wood trim you have right now.
The answers to these worries are simple. The window installation can be done 2 ways from the inside the house or from the outside. When the window installation is done from the inside the house, then usually most of the work is done inside. In that case you should ask your window installer what is he gonna do to your freshly painted trim. Sometimes it is possible to install the windows from the inside without the removal of the interior trim, but it is very rare. Most of the time all the interior trim has to be removed to install the window. In that case, no work is gonna be done on the exterior wood trim of the window. We prefer to do installation of the windows from the outside, because this way we don't have to disturb any wood trim inside. The only thing that we do inside the house is caulking around the window frame. Most of the work is outside. When the old window is removed, we check the soundness of the wood, if any of it is rotten we replace it with new one. Then the new replacement window is installed and adjusted. After that we use window insulating foam sealant for better insulation around the window. As the last step the outside window frame is capped with aluminum, so you don't have to paint it anymore and it is gonna be maintenance free. So anyway, what kind of installation is more money saving for you? When the window is installed from the inside you get new wood trim as well, but then you would have to paint it yourself or hire somebody to do it. I would suggest that the outside installation is more money saving for you. When it is done you get new window installed and the outside wood window frame capped, so you don't have to paint it again or hire somebody to do it, especially if it is second floor. So when you hire window installation company, just make sure that you understand which way that installation is gonna be done, so you know what to expect.  Most people would say, it is easy, google the companies or if you are old style, pick up yellow pages book and start working the phone numbers, setting up the estimate appointments. Right? WRONG!! That's what most people do and then they are puzzled how in the world happened that they paid $15000-$20000 and got the cheapest siding, that is cracking after one year. And I can tell you how -- you were sold by an extremely experienced salesman, who "knows it can be done". He told you that your new siding is gonna be made from virgin vinyl with Himalayan pigments, therefore it is gonna last forever and you believed it. But the worst thing is -- you allowed to be sold like that, because you failed to do your homework.
So when you made your mind to replace siding,think a bit about your house, ask yourself why do I want to replace siding, what do I like about the the exterior of the house, what do I hate about it and definitely want to change. May be you are tired of painting, may be you hate the color or you want to cut energy bill. On our website on SIDING page we have an option for you to visualize your house, so you can play with colors and styles. Now when you got that mental picture of your remodeled house, pull out your balance book and figure out how much you can spend, set the lowest amount and the the highest you can go. After that you can start to research what kind of material you want to use. Drive around your neighborhood and see if you like any siding color or style, talk to your relatives and friends and see what kind of siding they have, finally go online and google it. Each siding type has it's strengths and weaknesses. We usually offer two choices the premium siding and traditional siding. That's it, we believe you should drive the most expensive BMW or good reliable Toyota. Again, everything depends what kind of budget you can afford to devote to your siding project. By this time you did your homework, you know different types of siding, understand what is soffit, fascia, aluminum capping. You know what you want! Now you are prepared to schedule appointments for estimates. When we do estimates, we start from presentation to give you ideas what kind of product we are gonna use, explain warranties, timeframe of the project and answer any questions you have. After that we go outside the house to show you exactly what are we gonna cover and how it is gonna be covered, either with siding or aluminum capping. We offer maintenance free house after completion of the siding project, so you can relax and enjoy some good time with your family and friends barbecuing. So just make sure that the siding company representative who is doing estimates for you understands, that you dumped your dusty paint brush and don't have any slight desire to get another one. Happy Estimates! We hope, that this post makes a bit easier for you to make the right choice!  Replacing windows is not an easy decision. I do remember windows at my uncle's house, they were those old style single glass wood windows. So every time I stopped by at his place I was pressing him to replace these rusty windows, but he always said that windows are fine. His wife always was on my side, but he is a tough guy to persuade. One day I do remember, his wife was complaining that she can’t open the windows to refresh the room, but he said instead: "What are you talking about hun? Look!", he placed his hand next to the window, "I can feel the fresh air coming in to the house and the beauty of it you don’t even have to open the window". Yep, no doubt it was a lot of fresh air in the house, especially in winter time.
So, if you have too much uninvited fresh air in your house, it might be time to think about window replacement. But lets not rush our horses and see when you don't have to replace your windows:
Now let's see when you definitely need to replace your windows and that is:
All in all, whatever you decide to do, just remember that window replacement is not an expense, it is more of an investment. When your new windows are installed the value of the house goes right away up and stay there for many years to come. In this video you can see how easy to use tilt and turn windows in the places where you have a limited access. You can tell how much pleasure it is to be able to open the window and clean the glass without a big effort. With these windows it is just a worry free life! |
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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