One Day Savings: Sign Now — And Pay for A Lifetime!

“They told me that if I signed the contract today,” Rosemarie Hutchin said, a thick sheaf of papers in her hand, “they’d drop the price by $1,500 — just because they wanted to use me as a reference.”  She shook her head, sadly.  “I should have known my name wasn’t worth that much money!”

 High pressure sales techniques used by disreputable replacement window salespeople are on the rise: not surprising as the economy tightens, and more and more homeowners are drawn to installing vinyl home replacement windows, fiberglass home replacement windows, and wood replacement windows to capitalize on their energy efficiency and lower home heating costs.  With every dollar dear, high pressure techniques are being used to force individuals into bad decisions.

 Reputable replacement window specialists are proud of the products they represent, and can inform you about how the windows are made, what benefits they offer, and perhaps most importantly of all, how they compare to other replacement windows in the market.

Beware of salespeople who dismiss the competition with a simple “They’re just trash windows” comment.  There are so many high quality replacement windows out there that no reputable replacement window specialist could legitimately say that. 

 Be particularly careful of salespeople who pressure you to make a decision immediately — and those who offer substantial, several hundred or thousand dollar discounts just to get you to sign.  Good replacement windows are a large investment, and responsible, ethical replacement window specialists are willing to take the time to help you make a good decision — not rush you into a bad one!

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 windows the best choice

With rising heat and cooling costs, homeowners are faced with a very important choices when updating their windows. Energy efficient replacement windows have been around for over 25 years. The standard replacement window comes in double pane glass that has low-e glass and can have argon gas in between the two sheets of glass. These replacement windows are a big improvement over old single pane windows with storm windows. Standard replacement windows have a U value of between 0.35 to as low as 0.29.

Today, homeowners can chose to upgrade to triple pane replacement windows. Triple pane has three sheets of glass with two insulating gas filled spaces and two coats of low-e. Triple pane replacement windows are the most energy efficient windows you can get for your home, and they have U values from 0.23 to as low as 0.15. As you can see, they can be twice as efficient as double pane.

If you have waited many years to update your old windows, you should consider using the best replacement window and that is clearly triple pane.

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!