Nine Fun Facts About Wallside Windows

As a preeminent manufacturer and installer of vinyl replacement windows for Michigan and northern Ohio, Wallside has accrued a number of impressive factoids to its name. Provided below are some fun, interesting facts about the company.

• Founder and Detroit-native Martin Blanck started the company in 1944 after finishing his service in the army.
• On average, Wallside handcrafts 800 replacement windows each day in its own factory run out of Taylor, MI. The window styles range from single-hung, double-hung, casement, bay and bow, and many other varieties.
• As many as half of new Wallside customers are generated from referrals from satisfied customers.
• Wallside offers it services to an estimated 25,000 residences every year.
• The Wallside factory is located out of Taylor, MI and is 72,000 square-feet in size.
• Each window is custom-sized, designed, and shaped by our in-house team of experts.
• All customers are entitled to a 35-year guarantee.
• Wallside is the largest home-improvement company in the United States to serve a single geographic market.
• Folks interested in installing new replacement windows are permitted a free in-home estimate.

Main Culprits of Defective Home Insulation

Energy efficiency is important to any homeowner. No matter where you live, there’s always some form of battle to cultivate the right temperature for your living quarters - and for good reason. Without a properly regulated home climate, it could lead to a gamut of threats concerning your health and general comfort level. In order to conserve your home’s energy, be on your toes for the following major causes of energy loss. Outdated Windows There are many signs that a window is past its prime and in need of a replacement. If you notice a recent spike in your energy bill yet you’ve followed the best practices to conserve energy, the culprit may be your home windows. Give yours an inspection to figure out if they need to be replaced or perhaps just require some upkeep. Drafts, poor ventilation throughout the house, and obvious damages to the frame are all common symptoms of an outdated window. If you’re unsure if your windows are faulty - even after giving them an inspection - speak with a member of the Wallside team to learn how we can help.

Faulty Gaps and Seals When heat or cool air is generated in a room, there are many ways it can possibly escape. Gaps and crevices between doors, windows, floors, and other apertures in the general structure are all opportunities for energy to leak from. Apply caulk to obvious areas of leakage such as gaps in window frames. For doors, use sealant around the jamb or use a door draft stopper - which can be purchased at the store or built yourself.

Worn Attic Insulation Whether it’s due to liquid damage or pests such as unwanted animal guests, it’s not uncommon for attic insulation to need replacing after a certain amount of time. Energy loss from the rooftop is one of the main places energy loss occurs, so it is crucial to routinely check. To avoid possible injury, speak with a professional such as a roofing contractor to examine your attic and decide which aspects of the insulation job need attention or possible replacement.

When it comes to knocking the zeros off of your home energy bill, it takes more than following best insulation practices (although it does help). Follow these tips to help reduce your monthly home expenses and also conserve energy.

Key Features of Home Replacement Windows

When home replacement windows are brought up in conversation, two main factors are usually mentioned: the price and energy efficiency. Though these are chief indicators of their performance, they’re not the only features to take into consideration when considering the prospect of new windows. Scroll below to read about other factors that determine a window’s quality.

Grade of Glass Beyond the frame, glass is a critical component to the functionality and performance of a window. The glass influences the U-factor, which is a measurement used to assess the amount of heat that a window loses; thus, the lower the U-factor, the better of an insulator it is. Wallside uses low-e coating to insulate either heating or cool air, depending on the current climate.

Type of Frame There is a lot to consider when deciding on the type of window frame to use for your windows. Between each type of frame there’s a large disparity in cost, frequency of upkeep, painting, and general aesthetic. Wallside produces vinyl windows due to their great prices, durable structure, protection against the weather, and various other compelling benefits.

Quality of Sealant Although the sealant technically isn’t an actual part of the window, it’s an indispensable step to insulating them. Properly sealing gaps prevents drafts, fog accumulation, mould, and harsh weather conditions. If you are unsure how to seal your windows, talk to an experienced member of Wallside’s team for advice.

Amount of Window Panes Double and triple pane glass windows are greater at conserving energy than one singular pane. The additional layers are used as extra protection so that less energy is expended and more is kept within the home. Additionally, argon gas is kept between panes to enhance thermal performance. These additional features lead to a smaller energy bill and greater control over your home’s climate.

Insulation Technology Beyond using multiple panes of glass and coating, windows can be imbued with additional types of energy-conserving technologies. For instance, warm-edge spacers are popular for their benefits of bolstering the insulation between panes of glass. They also reduce moisture collection while simultaneously keeping argon in. Wallside includes warm edge stainless steel spacers into each of its windows for maximum energy efficiency.

How to Promote Healthy Indoor Air Quality

There’s a reason why stepping outside to “get some air” is such a widely used phrase. Although it may not be visible to the naked eye, it’s fairly common for indoor air to be polluted with a plethora of different pollutants. According to a startling figure provided by the Greenguard UL Environment, the air we breathe indoor is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. This is generated by a collection of contributing factors such as molds, gaseous substances from cooking, secondhand smoke, and an overall poor stream of airflow throughout the home. To counteract the composite of indoor pollutants, follow these tips for an overall healthier home environment.

Clean Away The importance of maintaining a clean household at all times cannot be stressed enough. Amongst many other worthwhile reasons, living spaces should be kept tidy in order to keep allergens, dust particles, and multiple other types of grime at bay. Thoroughly vacuum, mop, and dry your carpet in order to most efficiently purge these contaminants. Use a duster to eliminate dirt from other surfaces that these substances may be found atop such as cabinets and other hard-to-reach places.

Incorporate Plants as Air Filters Plants have a built-in biological air filtration system that can be utilized to purify our home’s air. This doesn’t go for all plants, though. The filtration capacities varies with each plant based off of size and species. Position these plants by a garden window that casts a large spread of sunlight so that your plants are healthy and can fully perform their air filtration abilities.

Enact Strict No-Smoke Policy The effects of smoking go beyond impacting just the smoker - it impacts their surrounding environment, too. The secondhand smoke sticks to furniture, clothes, and other areas of the home. Lay down a no-smoke law in the house to foster cleaner air.

Encourage Air Circulation This may be common sense, but the importance of it cannot be understated. Quality outdoor air works wonders for refining and freshening up a room. Likewise, it works great for clearing out congested smells or revitalizing a room with stagnant air.

Sources: http://wellnessmama.com/12209/improve-indoor-air-quality/ http://greenguard.org/en/consumers/consumers_iaq.aspx http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/best-air-filtering-houseplants-according-to-nasa

Best Locations for Picture Windows

Picture windows are unique due to the fact they are a large, single pane that, unlike other windows, don’t open or close; their strengths lie in the expansive views and large views of light that they promote. Positioned in conjunction with a scenic view, picture windows offer a vast, picturesque panorama of the outside landscape. Read below for some tips to use picture windows to your advantage by positioning them in their most appropriate room. Dining Room For family dinners and other social gatherings, the right amount of natural lighting on a pleasant afternoon adds an invaluable touch. Thus, to promote outdoor light, add replacement windows into your dining room. Around dusk or late afternoon, this will be extra helpful so that you don’t have to deal with irritating artificial lighting.

Above the Kitchen Sink Placing a large picture window above the sink offers a visual escape from the kitchen’s hustle and bustle. In order to also provide opportunities for an inflow of outside air (kitchen cooking can get steamy), consider adding double-hung windows on opposing sides of the picture window. This will create a balance of an open, pleasant view while also allowing the option for ventilation with the double-hung styles.

The Office The home office is used for getting work done, so the idea of implementing a large window may sound counterintuitive. However, with the right placement, it can bring forth a revitalizing tone to brighten up the air during a long day of labor. Position it near the front of your desktop to avoid glare while also applying fitted window treatments to block light and distractions when needed.

Living Room Although picture windows are known for coming in one large, singular size, it doesn’t mean they can’t be divided up into smaller sizes for decorative purposes. One thing to be mindful of when planning out where to install them, which a Wallside contractor can assist you with while giving you an estimate (which is free, by the way), is to watch out for areas that a possible glare may occur. This goes for the television, seating, and other parts of the room that might be adversely affected by the light.