Preparing Your Home for the Holidays

Summer is slowly (and regretfully!) coming to a close, which means one thing - the holidays will be sneaking up on you sooner than you think! As much as everyone enjoys seeing their loved ones and exchanging presents, there’s a lot of preparation that has to go into your home before the winter holidays arrive - follow our advice, plan ahead, and (hopefully) the process will go smoother than expected! Staying Warm

As the outside temperatures drop, you may find yourself stretching your budget to stay warm. Turning down the heat could lower your energy bills, but if you're expecting guests during the holidays, you'll want them to be comfortable. You can increase the comfort level of your home and lower your heating costs by having energy efficient windows professionally installed before the winter season arrives. This is a home improvement project that will save you money throughout the year and improve the look of your home!

Cleaning and Tidying

Before you begin decorating for the holidays, you may need to do some cleaning - we know, it’s never the most exciting part but you can have some fun with it. The holidays can be a perfect excuse for you to rearrange your furniture or look into any small-scale remodeling projects you’ve been considering, like re-organizing your bookshelves or making room for a Christmas tree! Speaking of holiday decorations...

Decorations

When you begin decorating you might be excited to put out all of your favorite decorations right away, but remember that the more things you use, the more you'll have to pack up. Less is more is a good plan when putting out holiday decorations. Consider using a minimal number of impressive holiday decorations rather than a hodge-podge of numerous holiday trinkets. It's easier for people to focus on individual aspects of your decor when they aren't experiencing visual overload.

The Guest Room?

If your guest room is used infrequently, you might need to freshen up the room before your holiday visitors arrive. New bed coverings and rugs can quickly revive an out-dated or mundane decor. Your new vinyl windows can be enhanced with window treatments, such as thermal blinds, that will help keep the room warm cozy for your guest. A small gift on the bedside table is a great way to make overnight visitors feel special.

We hope our tips help out, and think about this - if you get started now, you may even be done by the holidays! Good luck, and have fun!

3 Things To Consider Before Buying New Windows

Maybe you’re slowly working through your list of ideal home improvements, and it’s finally time to replace those old windows. Maybe you already have an idea in mind of what you want to install - something to protect your home from the elements and keep the heat in, or maybe even just a good investment to maintain your home’s value and improve its looks. Before you settle on the perfect sort of replacement windows, here’s a few things to consider and decide on. Climate - The Biggest Factor

Where you live, and the climate you live in, plays a huge factor in the type of replacement window you purchase and the material they were made from. For instance, if you live in a cold climate, you need to look for windows that have a low unit heat loss, or ‘U-value’. Consequently, if you live in a hot climate, you need to look for windows that have a high U-value. In areas with a mixed temperate climate, you may need to make a determination based on how high your temperature gets. Another less-common factor to consider when picking a window is their solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) capability. The SHGC is, in essence, how much heat the window lets in and how much visible light it transmits, which are both important factors to consider.

Current Frame and Style

This is an important factor to consider for the following reason. Choosing the wrong window style can bring down your home's market value. You need to consider how the window will fix in your current window opening. Does it match the architecture of your home, or does it feel ‘out of place’ when you look at it?

The wrong window could also cause a major issue with heat loss and energy efficiency. You definitely need to consider size and placement of new and existing windows. Wrong placement can mar your home's value, especially if you are considering putting in a new window instead of replacing an old one.

Durability

Durability is essential when choosing windows. Energy efficient windows are not just cost savers, they are also quite durable and will last much longer than older or more ‘traditional’ windows. Vinyl windows, for instance, are both durable with their tough exterior and energy efficient with their honeycomb of chambers. Wood framed windows are proven to be quite durable but can be expensive to repaint and stain. Aluminum frames conduct heat too easily and are prone to condensation, but are also highly durable. This is why you really need to look at the style of your window first before you look at the durability factor.

Once you have this information, you should be able to make an intelligent decision about replacing your windows. As always, if you have any further questions or want some more information about the window products we offer, contact Wallside Windows today!

Reasons to Renovate Your Home

Reasons to Renovate Your Home It's easy to find a list of home improvements projects that can enhance the appearance of your home, but it might be harder to work up the motivation and find a good reason to go through all that effort. It might help to know that implementing some of these ideas can make your home more appealing to potential buyers and also increase the value of your home. In addition to livening up your home, many home improvement projects also carry extra benefits you might not notice right away!

Enhancing Your Home's Curb Appeal

Improvements such as updating the landscape, replacing the roof, adding siding or painting the exterior of your home can enhance your home's curb appeal. Curb appeal is considered one of the most important aspects of maintaining a home’s perceived value and attracting potential buyers when it’s time to sell! Adding features such as a blooming garden, ornamental outdoor lighting, or replacement windows can make a dramatic difference in how your home looks to those passing by or driving into your driveway.

Updating the Interior of Your Home

Many interior updates or improvement projects such as replacing flooring, painting, and updating appliances can impact your home’s interior in a positive way. New flooring has been shown to help a home maintain its value more than many other remodeling projects, and a fresh coat of paint can both change your home’s look and draw the eye of anyone looking to purchase your property. You’d be surprised what a positive change this can make for the appearance of your home, its value, and even your mood!

Improvements that Offer More Than Looks

Any time a home improvement project can yield multiple benefits, you should put it at the top of your priority list. For example, installing more energy-efficient windows can help reduce your heating and cooling costs, or renovating your bathroom can reduce water usage and further lower your utility bills. Potential buyers are always looking for completed projects that will save them money over an extended period of time, and you can consider it a return on your investment!

The Difference between Asphalt Paving and Sealcoating

When to Take Notice of Your Driveway

If you’ve been a homeowner for over five years and have yet to take notice of the condition your driveway is in, now might be the time.  Driveways that haven’t had any maintenance done to them in five or ten years might have cracks, weeds growing through those cracks, or a level imbalance of the driveway.  All of this can be fixed with the simple service of asphalt paving.  If you’re city government allows it, your best bet is to have your whole driveway redone and be put on a yearly maintenance program.  Some people get confused though of the terms asphalt paving and sealcoating though.  They’re not the same thing, but similar to each other.  One of the biggest differences though is the price of each one.  A new asphalt driveway would also go great complimenting your new vinyl replacement windows you just had installed by Wallside Windows.    

Asphalt Paving

If you do happen to get your driveway totally redone, after all of the old concrete gets disposed of asphalt paving would be the next step in the process which is steamrolling the asphalt onto the area where you’re driveway is.  Although, this is the process of putting in a whole new driveway, this is also the process if you want another layer put on top of the asphalt driveway that you already have.  This process can be done relatively quickly depending on the size of your driveway.  This is also the much more expensive one out of the two.  

Sealcoating

The process of sealcoating is the cheaper one of the two and it’s for great reasons.  Sealcoating may sound difficult, but can actually be completed in minutes and isn’t very costly.  Many asphalt and sealcoating companies recommend that you go on a yearly maintenance program to avoid any long-term problems that your driveway may encounter.  The yearly maintenance program would include an annual sealcoating procedure that extends the life of the pavement, and protects it from common weather conditions like rain and snow that would cause it to erode otherwise.  Yearly sealcoating can sometimes double the lifespan of an asphalt driveway and will save you hundreds of dollars in the long run.  Sealcoating instead of asphalt paving is also ten times less expensive in some cases.  

Now that you know the difference between asphalt paving and sealcoating, you can go on with maintaining your driveway the proper way.  We want to save you money in the long run just like we want you to save money on your windows in the long run by having Wallside Windows install the proper windows necessary.  Your driveway will look brand new after you have it properly asphalted along with having it sealcoated every year after that.  

The Case For Above Ground Pools vs. Inground Pools

Why do you Want a Pool?

Before you totally write off inground pools, you have to consider why you want a pool in the first place.  While there are many more benefits to purchasing an above ground pool, inground pools can be useful for specific purposes.  If you’re into synchronized diving and swimming exercises, an above ground pool isn’t for you because it’s not deep or long enough.  The deepest an above ground pool will usually go is five feet which restricts you from diving and the diameter doesn’t usually stretch longer than 15 feet or so, which doesn’t make fun to swim extensively in.  Above ground pools are made for families to relax, float around, or perhaps to teach their young ones to swim in.  One of these reasons are why people want a pool in the first place.  

Show Me the Money

While inground pools may look nicer and increase the value of your house, they also cost sometimes five times as much just to have it installed.  The installation and kit for an above ground pool will cost you between 5,000 and 12,000 dollars while the cost range for an inground pool is between 40,000 and 70,000 dollars.  All it takes to set up an above ground pool is you and a few friends while you need to hire a specific construction company to come and dig out your whole backyard to even begin installing an inground pool.  Also, with an above ground pool you can set it up at any time of spring or summer, where with an inground pool it’s suggested that you have it only installed at the end of summer when the conditions have to be just right.  

While you’re making changes around your home, check out the windows around your house and make sure they’re all up to date.  If you need window replacements, contact Wallside Windows and we’ll be glad to help out by installing nice vinyl replacement windows.         

Family Safety

If you’re looking for the safer option between an inground and an above ground pools you’re definitely going to want to go with an above ground pool because of the fact that it’s harder to get into.  You can set up a foldable ladder with an above ground pool that you can put up and lock into place when you’re done using it for the day, but with an inground pool there’s nothing stopping a toddler from getting too close and falling in.  Although, this is a sad circumstance it has happened throughout the course of history.  You can control when your child goes in and out with an above ground pool.  Although, above ground pools may be harder to clean out, it’s worth it to know that your children are safe from stumbling it at all times.  

Make sure to have tons of fun with your above ground pool when summer comes around.  You’ll be glad you made the investment when you’re relaxing on your inflatable raft, soaking in the sun’s rays.