No Regrets Remodeling – Start with the Basics

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

When we think about remodeling our homes, we imagine a kitchen, bathroom, more space or maybe an outdoor patio. Few people dream about remodeling their home’s infrastructure, windows, doors, siding, heating and cooling systems, that sort of thing. The secret to no regrets remodeling is to start with basic home improvement and finish with the nice to have luxuries.

Home Maintenance

Marvin Integrity

It’s a well know fact among realtors and contractors that homebuyers prefer homes that have been well maintained.  If the windows are leaking or the patio slider won’t slide, buyers don’t care how beautiful the kitchen is. Buyers want the basic systems to work, well aware that maintenance can be costly, and people are afraid of that. On the other hand, if a buyer knows they don’t have to spend money replacing the basics, they’re more likely to buy the house and dream of their new kitchen.

Curb Appeal

The old adage that curb appeal speaks volumes about your home still holds true for real estate today.  If your home doesn’t feel welcoming because the windows need painting, the original front door is dated or perhaps the siding is faded, prospective buyers will simply drive by.

Where to Start

Don’t assume that every window or door has to be replaced. Take an inventory and note the location and condition of the windows and doors. You can begin by replacing the most damaged, highly visible or frequently used with new products.

If your home currently has wood windows and you want to do a partial replacement and you’re best advised to select from the new clad-wood replacement windows. With a wide range of color choices, including the option, with some brands to choose a custom exterior color, you’ll get the best match to your existing windows and the benefit of low maintenance. Marvin Ultimate is a good place to start. We also recommend other clad-wood replacement windows such as Marvin Integrity as a less expensive alternative or compare other top products like Andersen 400 Series or Woodwright and Pella Proline Designer or Architectural Series.

Ultimately if your plan is to replace all of your windows, then you may also wish to explore fiberglass windows as a less expensive replacement option. With fiberglass replacement windows you can get the look of wood exterior windows and choose to have a real wood interior to match your existing wood windows. Marvin Infinity windows are a great choice if you’re trying to match existing wood windows because they are made of Ultrex®,a pultruded fiberglass that offers greater strength than the comparable alternatives. This means that Marvin Infinity can create narrow profiles more similar to wood windows.

If your home currently has vinyl windows and you simply want to replace your old windows new vinyl windows it’s likely that they can be matched closely enough to allow you to replace them in phases as well.

New windows shine brightly and work effortlessly and that doesn’t go unnoticed from the curb or close up.

If you start with the basics, you’ll never regret your home investment and prospective buyers will be reassured that your home has been well cared for.

Next week we’ll look at where to start when replacing your old doors.

Low-E Gets Personal

Submitted by: Ken Mariotti

Perhaps no term is uttered more frequently, in the world of windows, than Low-E. By now, most people think they know what that means, but few know what it means for their home. This is because continued advances in glazing (glass) technologies allow you, with a little advance planning; select from different Low-E finishes for different windows in your home. With minimal effort your budget will go further and you’ll get a more energy efficient home.

Marvin Windows Gallery

A Northern Climate

In a nutshell, our northern region climate is dominated by heating energy use. Our summers can get hot and humid requiring air conditioning, but heat waves are usually short lived, while winter is cold and long. It’s a straightforward decision to choose windows with a higher SHGC (solar heat gain co-efficient), which means the window, will reflect heat back into the home, collecting more solar heat.

Window Orientation

In addition to our northern climate, you want to consider the orientation of the windows in your home. Specifying Low-E requirements for different windows allows you to maximize your home’s comfort and spend your money wisely. In other words, it’s no longer, one size fits all, and instead Low-E comes in a sophisticated array of options to meet your exact needs.

Here are simple northern region strategies to consider when planning a remodel or new home.

South facing windows: Choose a high SHGC glazing – above 0.40. South windows are a good source of passive heat in winter, but if you use this strategy you also need a roof overhang that provides shading in the summer.

West facing windows:  Choose a low SHGC glazing to reduce much unwanted afternoon summer heat gain. Overhangs don’t work well against the low evening sun.

Marvin Windows Gallery

East facing windows:  Like west facing windows, keep the size of these windows to a minimum in order to control unwanted solar gain or loss. Most people select a low SHGC, however some prefer a high SHGC glazing as a good way to warm cool mornings.

North facing windows: Minimal contribution to the temperature control of your home’s interior.

In closing, once you’ve arrived at your overall requirements, you can further specify select Low-E options that will reduce fading, increase your visible light, improving insulating values or lowering condensation problems, to name just a few.

EPA Guidelines: Hire a Contractor That is RRP Certified

New EPA guidelines on how to deal with lead paints in remodeling projects was effected in 2010. This caused significant changes in the cost and procedures involved with remodeling old homes. Also, the new EPA guidelines require homeowners to hire contractors that are RRP certified. Exposure to lead dust during the painting, repair, and renovation process can pose a health risk since lead is extremely toxic. Although most countries have banned lead based paints, such paints can be still found under older painted walls and other surfaces, such as in schools, residential buildings, and even in hospitals.
 

To reduce the possible health risk of lead based paint exposure in older locations, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requires contractors to inform their clients about the potential dangers of lead based paints. Contractors are required to offer their clients a copy of a booklet about lead hazard information before starting any renovation work. If a contractor is working on a building constructed before 1978, then the contractor is required to conduct lead tests to determine whether or not there is any trace of lead. This test can only be carried out by a contractor that is RRP certified.
 

If the home happens to contain lead paint, the contractor should use specific, safe methods to remove it. According to “Lead-safe Work Practices” the contractor is required to use special clothing, techniques, tools, and equipment. This is meant to eliminate or reduce the risk of the lead dust caused by the remodeling job. However, contractors that have not yet registered with EPA are not allowed to do this job. Only EPA recognized renovators and remodeling teams that have gone through special training can perform lead testing and removal.
 

The new EPA lead paint guidelines have affected remodeling work in several ways. The application of lead-safe work practices and tests for lead will increase costs and time of completing a remodeling project. A contractor might be forced to increase the remodeling fee in order to cover the extra costs, such as for the special equipment required to perform the task, or for a lead-safe work removal fee. The fee will depend on the size, condition, and scope of the work involved. Once the project has been completed, the homeowner should be provided with a certificate signed by the contractor. This will confirm that the lead removal work was properly performed.
 

If you are interested in knowing whether or not a contractor is RRP certified, you simply need to request a certificate from the contractor confirming that he is licensed to perform lead paint removal and remodeling work. As a matter of fact, many buildings constructed before 1978 have a high chance of containing lead based paints. Any renovation work that disturbs the lead painted area could emit toxic lead dust, which is especially dangerous to your health. For this reason, the safest thing to do is to make sure you hire a contractor that is RRP certified and is an EPA recognized renovator. Be sure to ask them to provide you with written evidence showing that he or she is truly qualified to handle the special assignment.