Form Meets Function

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Form Meets Function

Windows and doors add style, light, entry and insulation to your home. Whether it’s time to upgrade to a more energy-efficient option or update to the latest trends, there’s a product to fit your budget, style and needs.

Custom Options
The latest trend in windows and doors is customization, from choosing the shape, size and color to hardware selection. Homeowners also continue to demand low-maintenance choices. Options like fiberglass doors, which require minimal upkeep, and aluminum-clad wood windows are becoming some of the more popular choices. Windows that allow easy access from a home’s interior for cleaning are also sought after.

Green Outlook
The biggest trend by far in home improvement and design is utilizing environmentally friendly products and services. For window and doors, eco- friendly and energy-efficient benefits are typical sales features. For example, a a product’s insulation value, UV coatings and the types of materials used are all “green” factors.

Selecting a Style
There’s a window design to suit every homeowner’s style, including bay and bow, awning, picture, double-hung, sliding, transom and casement. When it comes to choosing a new entry or exterior door, there are three common types: wood, steel and fiberglass. When choosing windows and doors, make sure to consider energy efficiency, durability, maintenance and available style and color choices, as well as the cost.

The Payoff
While finding the right windows and doors for your home may take some research, investing time and money in quality products is well worth your while. Doing so can increase your home’s resale value and lead to lower utility bills, while maximizing its curb appeal at the same time.

Did You Know?
Storm doors can be as decorative and beautiful as their entry door counterparts, while providing security, privacy and insulation. The most versatile options for storm doors include flexible design features such as full-glass panels that can be switched for a full screen or self-storing styles in which the glass panels and screen stay in the door together year round.  
— Pella Windows and Doors, www.pella.com


Eco Options
➤    ENERGY STAR designation identifies energy-efficient products
➤    U-factor measures how well a product keeps heat from escaping; generally between 0.20 and 1.20—the lower, the better
➤    Multiple panes, double- or triple-pane options offer better insulation
➤    Low-E (emissivity) coatings help reflect radiant heat
➤    Gas fills between glass panels provide thermal insulation


Helpful Sites
➤    www.wdma.com
➤    www.energystar.gov
➤    www.doors.org


Installation Issues
National statistics prove that properly installed windows will perform up to specifications for longer than the warranted life of the window. Excessive condensation, air leaks, heat loss, warped or out-of-square windows are the result of faulty installation—not faulty manufacture. Unfortunately these problems won’t usually show up until months after the installation and are not covered by the window warranty.
—American Window and Door Institute, www.awdi.com

 

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