Red Flags to Watch Out for While House Hunting

Purchasing a home for the first time is a milestone in any person’s life. It’s a landmark step that signals the progress you have made both mentally and financially. But this doesn’t change the fact that it’s something you’ve never done before. Similar to up-taking any other new venture, it’s best to know the pitfalls to look out for before beginning. It’s for this reason that we’ve assembled a list of red flags to keep an eye out for during your home search. Noticing any of these doesn’t mean you should immediately cease to consider the home you’re looking at - yet they are still very important to be aware of for many reasons. Read below to learn more.

Insufficient Space How much space do you need to aptly accommodate all of your goods? Is there an adequate number of rooms for additional people to live there in the future - like a baby? Without enough room to store your essentials in a comfortable, accessible way, it could mean you’ll have to either sacrifice some personal belongings or live in relatively cramped quarters.

Weathered Windows The quality of a home’s windows are directly correlated to curb appeal, insulation technologies, and energy bill. Upon inspecting a house, be sure to give the windows a thorough examination. Check to see if the slider works, the weatherstripping is in decent shape, search for any cracks in the glass and any signs of a draft. For best window functionality, these factors need to be in top shape.

Beat-Up, Faulty Roofing The roof is a primary agent of defense against rain, winds, and other types of external threats. If possible, ask about the state of the roofing and see if the present homeowners have had any recent problems with it.

Poor Ventilation With stuffy pockets of stagnant airflow, it could be difficult to breathe and just overall uncomfortable for guests and inhabitants alike. If you have any questions about the way windows impact a home’s airflow, speak with a professional at Wallside today for expert advice.

Foundation Damages The foundation is the backbone that supports the rest of the home. Possible issues with home foundation could be cracking in floor or walls, sticky appliances, and various other defective instances of the home’s infrastructure. Damages to a home foundation can be a serious safety hazard and result in serious issues if not properly dealt with.

Popular Exterior Siding Options Chosen by Homeowners

Along with replacement windows, a home’s siding is a definitive component to its visual appeal, structural integrity, protection against exterior elements, and insulation capacities. This said, each type of material proffers its own pros and cons. Listed below we’ve ranked today’s most sought-after siding materials.

Vinyl Among the most widely used materials for siding is vinyl, which is renowned as an attractive option due to the small amount of maintenance required and affordable price. Vinyl siding comes in an eclectic variety of colors that most of the time won’t need to be re-painted for over a decade, on average.

Stone There are multiple options to choose from when it comes to stone siding, such as:

• Natural stones: Display an earthy, durable outer surface and are grouped together in large collections.
• Faux stone: Designed to provide a stone-like look yet are noticeably different enough in appearance to natural stone; they’re also relatively light in weight, require a straightforward installation, and have boundless styles to experiment with.
• Stone Veneer: Like faux stone, stone veneer is used to recreate the look of actual stone material and is celebrated for the diverse variety of surfaces, color schemes, and patterns they come in. Moreover, stone veneer tends to be rather light compared to its natural stone counterparts but still provides strong insulation abilities and a resilient defense against weather.

Brick Another popular option, there is a wealth of advantages to adding brick siding to your home. Traditionally sealed with cement, brick requires very little upkeep and - with the right color - can exude a sharp, attractive contrast to other elements of your home. It provides a reliable defense against external damages, reduces outside sounds (like raining and noisy neighbors), and does a great job at preventing water damage.

Wood Although definitely not as economical as vinyl, there certainly are a large number of advantages to wood siding. The possibilities for customization outweigh the creative freedom that many other siding options allow. With so many aspects such as the grade of wood, the finish applied, and style of siding (horizontal or vertical, and placement), you’ll surely be able to meet the vision you have for your home’s exterior appearance.

Mix it Up Installing a singular type of siding for your home is usually the most cost effective and timely way of getting the job done. However, to really enhance your curb appeal, many homeowners will implement a couple of different siding options to their home. For example, a strategically-executed balance of stone veneer with vinyl siding can really make exterior elements such as the replacement windows and landscape pop.

Even though each siding option varies in price, the overall cost will waver based off quality and amount of material used. If you hire a professional, they will help you assess the cost and give you an approximation as to the budget required for the job. On the other hand, taking the job on yourself is a sizable project to handle; it can take a whole weekend, require expensive equipment, patience, and reading if you have never done it before.

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.