Fall For Windows

Fall is here, Is your home ready for the Seasons!  

Feel Drafts?

First, check around your windows to see whether they’re letting a lot of air in and out. How do the edges look? How is the base of the window? Is your sliding storm window collecting moisture on the inside? Close your windows and place a thin piece of paper near the edges. You can also place a draft snake across the leak. Draft snakes are tubes that are stuffed with fabric. You can place these across the bottoms of windows are doors, but they aren’t as efficient as caulking the actual leak.If it moves, you have air moving in and out of your house. You can usually seal window leaks by caulking around the window.

If you notice a lot of moisture around the window and rotten wood, or the air motion seems to be very large, it might be time to call in a professional to make sure that your windows and frames are structurally sound.

Placing Barriers Across the Windows

To prevent heat from moving out of the windows, you can place a barrier across the windows. If you have blackout blinds from the summer, these thick blinds work well as a window barrier during the winter. Keep them closed as much as possible. Cellular shades also act as a window barrier, providing some entry for the light while keeping windows from losing a lot of heat. You can also place a thick layer of window film plastic across your windows. This plastic acts as a temporary barrier to seal up the window for the winter and can be removed when the weather warms up.

The Blower Door Test

Perhaps your windows aren’t your biggest source of energy leakage. If you’d like to determine how to make your entire house more energy efficient, you can find the sources of leaks using a blower door test. This test is done by a professional and reveals where air moves in and out of your house.

Take the time to do these 3 basic checks, you will be happy you did. This season don't let your heat go out the window!

Time For Storm Windows

If you are looking to improve the energy efficiency of your home, as well as to enjoy other added benefits, then you should consider purchasing and installing storm windows. By using storm windows on your existing windows, rather than replacing the windows with completely new ones, you will be able to reap many of the benefits that replacement windows offer without some of the drawbacks, expense and hassle. This makes storm window installation an intelligent addition to your home.

Storm windows are energy efficient. By installing storm windows along with your existing windows, the storm windows help to make your house more energy efficient. Storm windows reduce drafts by providing an airtight seal around your windows. This seal keeps heat from the interior home inside the house and stops cold air from the exterior from seeping inside. By reducing air leaks, you increase efficiency.

Storm windows keep your home cleaner. The airtight seal, in addition to conserving energy, also prevents dust, dirt, sand, soot, air pollution and other small particles from coming in through any cracks or joints in your existing windows.

Storm windows keep your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The thermal barrier created by storm windows keeps warm air in your home and cool exterior air out in the cooler months and conversely keeps cooler air in your home and warmer air out in the warmer months.

Storm windows protect historical or vintage windows. This benefit is especially useful for homes with historical properties or a vintage look that the homeowner wants to or has to preserve. By installing storm windows over the existing windows, the beauty and value of the existing windows can be preserved, while the benefits of higher energy efficiency are realized. In some homes or buildings, homeowners are not allowed to removed or change windows that are part of the historic nature of the building. In fact, the Department of Interior has stated that there is no excuse, even for energy conservation, to destroy existing historic windows since they can be made more energy efficient through other means that will preserve the historical value and aesthetics of the window.

3rd Avenue Window Supply is your #1 source for window replacement, repair, and storm windows! They have the background and experience to make sure that your home is beautifully enhanced with fresh new windows! Choose 3rd Avenue Window Supply for all your window needs!

Tips

Window Materials - This is a big purchase, so giving yourself some flexibility post-purchase is a smart move. Consider the interior. Do you make changes often? Do you want to be able to control the look of your windows on the inside – changing color whenever your décor changes? If so, you'll want to investigate paintable windows. Or are you more the set-it-and-forget-it type?

What kind of pane should you get? Single-pane is highly inefficient and practically obsolete. Most likely single-pane windows are what you're trying to replace. Double-pane windows are the most common and efficient choice, but triple-pane windows (even more efficient) are also available.

Other features that can improve energy efficiency are gas fills and Low-E coatings that can reduce heat transmission, and guard against the damaging effects of sunlight (fading). Some manufacturers also offer a self-cleaning coating. A gas fill can be standard with some manufacturers and an upgrade with others.

The type of Low-E coating and your U-factor rating (this measures the rate of heat transfer) will depend to a great degree on what type of climate you live in, and what direction your windows face. In the summer, you might not want heat to enter through the windows, but blocking that entirely would adversely affect you during the winter, when a little (free!) winter heat can help lower your heating bills.

After the energy-saving features come the easy-maintenance features. Some windows – awning, hopper, and some double-hung windows – tilt inward for easy cleaning. Some are easier to tilt in than others, so take them for a test drive in a manufacturer's showroom or at your home improvement retailer. Other features that could impact your decision are the opening mechanisms on casement, awning, and hopper windows (how durable is the crank assembly?), dual locks, screen locks, vent locks, and so on.

Single-hung windows mean that only one half of the window, either the top or bottom sash (usually the bottom), can open. Double-hung windows mean that both the top and the bottom can open, although only one half at a time. Both sashes on double-hung windows usually tilt inward. Double-hung windows are much easier to clean!

3rd Avenue Window Supply is your #1 source for window replacement and repair needs! They have the background and experience to make your home more extravagant than ever! Choose 3rd Avenue Window Supply for all your window replacement and repair needs!

How to Hire the Right Window Contractor

Where do you find these window replacement contractors? The internet has enormous resources for window replacement contractors yet dealing with them with precaution is required heavily. Here are guidelines on how to find the best and trusted contractor in town:

• Gather a Variety of Contractors. As a homeowner, having a long list of contractors for home jobs like window replacement is a great and powerful tool for comparison of prices, styles, design, and sizes. If you have a gift of gab for negotiations, this will surely help you get the best quotations.

• Background Check. Do some personal investigations about the contractor. Some reliable sites offer help on company reviews or product reviews, in here you will find relevant information about the service of contractors. It is a crucial factor to discover more information about the contractor from outside sources.

• Professional and Strict Negotiation. Maintain a professional approach when dealing with window replacement contractors. This will initially give them the idea that you mean serious and good business. Ask for references of clients from their database. Then call these references and ask for feedbacks. In addition, find out if the contractor is a licensed contractor, too, by asking for their license numbers and verifying them to the licensing boards.

• Insurance You Can Trust. A good contractor will present a good insurance contract with the client. You can also ask for certificates of insurances. This insurance is will hold them liable in case something goes wrong.

• Red Flag. Identify the warning signs of a bad contractor. A bad contractor will refuse to provide references of previous clients. They will put pressure on you to make immediate decisions. They will also request for instant payments.

Efficient Replacement Windows

Select New Efficient Replacement Windows

1. Window Replacement or Retrofit Options

When replacing old windows, the first question is what window parts this will involve:

1.    Is the full window being replaced, including the frame?

2.    Is a retrofit window inserted into the existing frame?

3.    Are just the sashes being replaced with a new sash kit?

Your energy auditor or replacement contractor can help you determine the best option based on your homes window and wall conditions.

1.    Full Window Replacement - The existing frame is removed and the new window placed into the same position that was occupied by the old window. This is an opportunity to fix issues such as water or air leakage that may have occurred around the old frame.

2.    Inserting windows in existing frame - The old sash, side jambs and trim are removed, but the original frame is left in place. The new window is inserted into this opening. Accommodate slightly out-of-square conditions of the existing frame if possible. Significant out-of-square conditions should be fixed with complete window replacement.

3.    Sash replacement - Many manufacturers offer replacement sash kits, which include jamb liners to ensure good operability and fit. This option allows for relatively easy installation, but the existing frame must be in good shape so that air and water tightness is ensured.

Among each of these options you can find products with a variety of energy efficiency features and rated energy performance. Choosing among different energy-efficiency options can be complex. Contact us and we can help walk you through the replacement window process. 

Invest in Your Home

3rd Avenue Window Supply can be the best investment you will make in your house. Take care of your home both inside and out, and  a great start is to include new windows by 3rd Avenue Window Supply.

The cost of heating and cooling our homes is rising on a regular basis, and there is no relief in the foreseeable future. With this in mind, homeowners are continuously looking for ways to optimize the energy efficiency of their homes. One of the long-lasting ways to do that is to install new windows, such as vinyl replacement windows, that help maximize the efficiency of a home's heating and cooling systems.

Replacing the windows in your home sounds costly, but one of the advantages of vinyl replacement windows is their relatively low cost. In fact, they are one of the least expensive choices when it comes to buying replacement windows. And because of the higher energy efficiency of replacement windows, they wind up paying for themselves in a few short seasons. With a moderate to high R-value, (a measure of resistance to heat flow) vinyl replacement windows are so cost-effective that they can save the average homeowner anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars in heating and cooling costs over an extended period of time.

It's time for Screens

Summer is here and perfect time of year to check the condition of your screens.  

If you need to replace your window screens, first visit your local hardware store to determine what type of new screen would be best. Mesh fineness is measured by the strand counts in each direction, per inch. Typical household screens are a mesh of 18" x 14" or finer.

You might also need to pick up a few tools that might be missing from your toolbox. Depending on the method you choose, you'll need a hammer, staple gun, some C-clamps, spline, a screen installation tool (or a putty knife), and scissors (or a utility knife) that can cut your screen from the frame.

Wood and metal frames require different approaches. If you are removing a screen from a wood frame, pry off the molding by starting in the center of a strip and moving toward the ends. Don't break the molding! Additional information on wood replacement windows.

You will also need to stretch the new screen fabric tight first in order to make sure the new screen lasts and performs well. To stretch the screen, buy some 1x2 stock longer than the width of the window, and some 1x4 stock that you can use to saw out wedges. Lay the frame down on a horizontal surface. Cut your new replacement screening a minimum of 1 inch longer and wider than the frame, and center the screen width over the frame.

Staple one end of the screen to the top of the frame, then take one of the 1x2 lengths and affix it firmly to your work surface just beyond the bottom end of the window frame. Stretch the rest of the screen over this 1x2 and nail another 1x2 to it, with the new screen in between.

Take the wedges you've made and place them between the edge of the 1x2 cleats and the bottom of the screen frame. Tap the wedges in to this space until the screen is taut. Now, staple the screen at the bottom of the frame, and then up along the sides, spacing the staples about an inch or two apart. Trim off the excess screen, and use brads to reattach the moldings. Countersink the brads, the fill the holes with wood putty.

Another way to attach the new screen, aside from using wedges, is with clamps and sawhorses. This method works better with larger windows, such as picture windows.

Take a couple of sawhorses and saw some 2x4s the same length as the screen, then lay them end to end across the sawhorses to create a rough frame. (Or lay a sheet of plywood across the sawhorses instead of the 2x4s.) Lay the stripped frame across the boards, and use C- clamps to hold the screen tight in the middle.

Lift each end of the frame and insert small 2x4 blocks. The objective here is to bow the ends of the frame upward, although this needs to be done gently so that you don't accidentally snap the frame.

Staple the screen in place, starting at the C-clamps in the center. When you're done, remove the 2x4 blocks at the ends, and the screen will be very taut! Replace the screen moldings, and you're ready to go.

3rd Avenue Window Supply is your #1 source for window repair and replacement! They have the background and experience to make sure your home only continues to become mroe beautiful! Choose 3rd Avenue Window Supply for all your window replacement and repair!