Replacing Attic Windows, Dormer Windows, and Upstairs Windows

Home replacement windows are a popular upgrade, allowing many homeowners to enjoy enhanced energy efficiency, an improved appearance, better home security, and a more comfortable living space. Often, if a homeowner is not replacing all of the windows in their home at once, they opt to first replace the windows in the rooms that are used most often: the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and master bedroom.

This is a sensible decision, but it often means other, critical windows are neglected during the process.  For the purposes of this blog entry, we’re going to consider some of those forgotten windows and look at what you need to know about replacing attic windows, dormer windows, and upstairs windows.

Point Number One: Heat Rises!

No matter where you live or what type of home you have, one fact remains consistently true: warmed air rises toward the ceiling and beyond, while cooler air lingers near the floor.  Inefficient attic windows, dormer windows, and windows in upstairs rooms can allow a tremendous amount of this rising warm air to escape into the cold sky — not what any homeowner wants.  Replacing attic windows and dormer windows with vinyl replacement windows, fiberglass replacement windows, or wood replacement windows can minimize this heat loss significantly.  This reduction is due to the enhanced energy efficiency of replacement windows with double or triple pane glass, insulated frames, insulating gas pockets, and low e coatings, such as Alside Excalibur windows.

Bonus Tip: Boost the energy savings by using ceiling fans to push warmed air back down into living areas before it has a chance to escape!

Point Number Two: Replacement Window Size Really Matters!

Attic windows and dormer windows are seldom ’standard sized’, especially in older homes.  Opting for replacement windows found at a discount store may seem to save some money, but when you take into account the substantial amount of work it will take to properly fit and install these windows, the savings evaporate.  The custom sizing and quality installation associated with top notch replacement windows, such as Champion, Alside, Harvey and Pella, can eliminate both the extra hassle associated with smaller windows and any worries about air and moisture infiltration.

Should You Use A Replacement Window Finding Service?

Here at US Home Improvement, we’re seeing lots of online activity about ‘new’ replacement window finding services.  These websites will, for ‘free’, take some information about your upcoming renovation plans.  They purport to match you with the best replacement window company for your project.

It sounds ideal, doesn’t it?  You tell them your zip code, time frame, your contact information, and a little about your planned project, and they connect you with the very best replacement windows available on the market today.  These services are ecuminical: they recommend vinyl replacement windows,  fiberglass replacement windows, and wood replacement windows.  You don’t have to do any of the legwork: you’ll receive a list of great replacement window companies to choose from without doing making any effort. What could be better?

What could be better is injecting a little bit of reality into the replacement window finding service model.  What is presented as a free customer service is, in fact, not necessarily so benign in nature.  Remember the first rule of business: There’s no such thing as a free lunch.  If someone is willing to do all the work involved in identifying and researching the appropriate replacement window company for your home improvement project, they’re going to be compensated for thier efforts.

Now, they’re not getting that money from you, the consumer.  So where is the money coming from?

By and large, replacement window finding services are lead generation services.  They gather information from you, the homeowner, package it, and sell it to businesses who are interested in selling replacement windows.  The replacement window companies recommended by replacement window finding services have, often, paid to have their company listed among the results for a given range of zip codes.  That’s about the extent of the ‘research’ and ‘vetting’ provided by replacement window finding services.

Does this negate the value of their results? Not necessarily — if you’re smart about using the information you’re provided.  The list of vendors you’re given? It’s not the end of your ‘find a replacement window company’.  It’s the beginning.  You can use this information to help you direct your research; identifying companies that do offer replacement windows in your geographical location.  But remember, these lists are not exhaustive, nor are they objective.  You will need to do additional research to augment these results, particularly if you’re determined to have the best replacement windows for your home.

Installing Home Replacement Windows In Your Basement

Basement windows don’t receive a lot of attention. They’re not a focal point, the way an large picture window might be in your living room, nor a bay window in the dining room. However, while they’re often not decorative, basement windows do have several important functions, which you should consider when selecting replacement windows.

Basement windows often provide vital fresh air ventiliation.  Basements can be close, stuffy spaces. Without adequate air exchange, this can be unhealthy.  Additionally, a lack of adequate air circulation can lead to enhanced mold and mildedw growth, which creates countless headaches for the homeowner.  Installing replacement windows in the basement to ensure adequate ventilation can lead to several health benefits.

Often, original construction windows do not open.  Older replacement windows or original basement windows may have been painted shut or damaged over the years.  This makes them difficult, if not impossible, to open.  A closed window provides no fresh air. On the other hand, replacement windows open easily.  In fact, many have specially designed frames which allow a homeowner to have the basement window open enough to facilitate air exchange without presenting an attractive entrance for vermin or thieves.

Security is another concern homeowners must consider.  Missing, weak, or broken windows present an opportunity for would-be thieves to enter your home.  Research has repeatedly shown that the criminal element looks for easy ways to enter a home; if a target is too difficult, they move on.  This is where you can see an immediate benefit to installing home replacement windows in your basement: the rigid construction, triple pane glass, and optional security features can make it anything but easy to get into your basement.

Installing home replacement windows in your basement can enhance the overall energy efficiency of your home.  Often overlooked, basement windows are close to the ground, where the air is coldest.  Energy efficient vinyl home replacement windows can block or minimize that cold air infiltration: double or triple pane glass with insulating gas can help make sure warm air stays in and cold air stays out — which makes for a much warmer living space for everyone above the basement!

Future-Proofing? Why Replacement Windows TODAY Mean a Greener Tomorrow!

Here at US Home Improvement, we thought we’d seen all the latest building terminology.  But then we read about Future-proofing.  At first we didn’t get it: why would you want to build a home to save you from the future?  And what does Future-proofing have to do with selecting the right home replacement windows for your family?

Then we caught on.  Just as Baby-proofing a home ensures that everything’s safe for your little ones, Future-proofing is the art and science of building a home that will be safe, efficient, and most of all, sustainable, in the days to come.

This is actually a fairly radical concept.  For all of recent memory, homes have been built with the underlying assumption that they’d be easy to heat and cool.  This assumption is based on low energy costs — but if you look at the news lately, you’ll discover that energy prices have been anything but low. In fact, they’re hardly what one would call stable!  Last year saw record home heating costs in the Boston area, and we’re hardly alone in that experience.

Future-proofing takes climate change as a given.  The weather we’ve always known may not be what we can expect, going forward.  Summers may be hotter.  Winters, already frigid in this corner of the world, may become even colder.  All of this in the face of unstable energy prices means that an emphasis on energy efficiency and quality construction are absolutely mandatory!

Home replacement windows can play a pivotal role in a home’s overall efficiency.  In fact, installing vinyl home replacement windows, fiberglass home replacement windows, or wood replacement windows can help you reduce your overall energy consumption.  New windows can mean lower utility bills!

Home replacement windows reduce cold air and moisture from entering your living space.  This results in an overall more comfortable living space.  Double or triple pane glass windows, particularly those with insulating gas pockets, help retain warmed air inside.  Older windows can lose as much as 40% of a home’s warmed air — that’s a staggeringly expensive situation to be in!  Reduce this loss and save energy and money by installing high quality vinyl replacement windows, such as Alside’s Excalibur line of windows, today!

By installing vinyl replacement windows, you’re taking a valuable step toward a future-proof home! No matter what the winds of change might bring, you’ll be prepared!