Back to the Future – Traditional Old homes and Sustainable Remodeling

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

The building industry has transformed over the past decade because of new technologies and designs that make our homes more comfortable and more economical. Traditional homes valued for their quality craftsmanship or architectural significance can now undergo renovations to bring them up to modern building standards without compromising the beauty of the original home.

Remodel with Marvin Casements

The benefits of remodeling or building a new home using modern windows, skylights, doors, siding, sunrooms and other building products means you can create sustainable designs that enhance your life and support the environment.

Keep the vintage façade of your traditional home while upgrading everything else. Windows and doors are indisputably one of the most important elements to focus on in order to improve the efficiency of your home. Marvin Windows and other manufacturer’s can replicate the scale, proportion, profile, configuration, and appearance of the old windows in your traditional home.

Begin by focusing on insulation, draught proofing, ventilation, and the orientation of windows and doors, and you can create the efficiency of a modern home without loosing the beauty of a traditional home.

Insulation

Wood is still the best insulating material for window frames and with Argon gas filled double pane glass makes the biggest insulation impact. Today’s high-end windows such as Marvin and Andersen use warm-edge spacers and weather stripping materials to further insulate their products. Lastly, professional installers,like Woodland, install the windows using high-grade insulation, caulk and weather stripping, and their years of experience to ensure an airtight fit before they close up the space.

Transoms For Air Flow - Marvin Windows

Draught proofing

All windows are not created equal when it comes to draught proofing your home. Pay attention to good-quality detailing around the window, which includes the window design, the fit, and the quality of the installation. Another important consideration is how the windows operate because some operating types have lower air leakage rates than others. Consider how that north wind whistles through your old windows in the winter and replace those windows with awning windows that hinge at the top and open outward. Since the sash closes by pressing against the frame, they generally have lower air leakage rates than sliding windows do for example. Casements also have better leakage rates than double or single hung windows.

Ventilation

Operable vents are back. Remember your grandparent’s old home with the dusty louver windows? Natural ventilation is a key design principle of modern sustainable homes because; who can argue that the simplest form of ventilation is as simple as opening a window. Select from a wide assortment of awnings, hoppers, and other operable venting solutions that allow you to have a cross breeze through your home, while keeping out the elements. Worried about security by leaving windows open at night? The added benefit of the new louver and awning window solutions is that you can leave vents or high awnings open overnight to cool down your entire home during the hot summers.

Orientation of windows

Louver Windows are Back - Australian Home

Carefully planning the location of your windows to allow more natural light to flow in, while at the same time reducing intense heat gains, is the art and science of passive solar design methods. Don’t just replace your windows with new, but identical window sizes or locations. Rather, use this opportunity to make larger window openings on the north side of your home to let more light into dark areas and add a special low-e coating or laminated glass to a south-facing window to prevent overheating a room. Conversely, use your south facing windows to collect heat to warm your house in the winter. If you hear too much street noise, remodeling is the perfect time to select custom windows designed to dampen sound.

You can have the perfect house by remodeling with the new technologies and designs. Preserve the visible beauty of your traditional home while completely upgrading your windows, doors and other elements of your home with cutting-edge products and sustainable design practices. Love your old home and enjoy the conveniences of a new home.

Replacing Windows - Keep Your Criteria to Three

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

To broaden your chance of selecting the right replacement window, narrow your criteria.

Choosing the right replacement window can be an overwhelming task because of the seemingly limitless options available today. If you focus on only three criteria, you’ll triple your chance of choosing successfully.

The three essential criteria to weigh are, your window budget, the window U-factor and the window warranty – everything else is ancillary.

How much do you want to spend?

It’s common when asked, what is your budget for replacing your windows most people try to skirt the question, because they think it will prematurely eliminate options. Replacement windows can range from inexpensive windows at around $150-400 all the way up to $750-1000 per window. The reality is that when it comes to replacement windows knowing what you want to spend per window is the best place to start. Price narrows the material choices, wood, fiberglass, composite or vinyl.

In a nutshell, wood windows will be the most expensive and if you want stain options, you’ll add additional costs. Fiberglass windows look like wood and will also be in the higher price range. Composites usually cost less than Fiberglass and promise similar durability. If you want a less expensive window you can select from a range of vinyl options.

Marvin Integrity Series

Vinyl windows may not be as durable as the other three options, but if you select the best vinyl windows you’ll have a better product. Window manufacturers offer a range of products and within a particular product category; such as vinyl, they will offer lower end lines and high quality lines. The upper end lines typically have lifetime warranties, better U-factors, higher quality weather stripping and extrusions.

What is the U-Factor?

One of the primary reasons to replace your old windows is to realize the benefits of more energy efficient window technologies. How well the window insulates is measured by how much heat transfers from the inside to the outside, this is the U-factor.

Warm air always travels toward cold air, so without a well insulated window, you home looses heat in the winter and gains heat in the summer. High performance double-pane windows can have U-factors of 0.30 or lower. The lower the U-factor number, the better. The full glass pack U-factor is the only number that matters, so if someone gives you a very low number, it likely being measured from the center of the glass, which frankly is meaningless.

Ask for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) sicker, which contains the window’s U-factor among other measurements. Window lines offer different features, which makes direct comparisons difficult. Rest assured that it doesn’t matter what additional features a window has if it’s not as good in energy efficiency.

Who is the manufacturer and what is the warranty?

Many window manufacturers offer lifetime warranties, but what good is a lifetime warranty from a company that ceases to be in business? Our advice is to read the fine print in the warranty and buy your windows from a known manufacturer who has a proven track record.

Again, to broaden your chance of selecting the right replacement windows, it’s simply a matter of narrowing your criteria to three essential items, your window budget, the window U-factor and the window warranty.

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.