Replacing Windows to Improve Energy Efficiency

Do you live in the Knoxville Tennessee area and are wondering what you can do to improve energy efficiency in your home? Windows are a primary area for energy loss and even if you cannot afford total replacement, there are things you can do to minimize the loss. Here are a few tips for weatherizing your windows to improve energy efficiency and save money.

Weather Stripping

Depending on what type of window you are dealing with, you may be able to cut out a lot of energy loss by applying weather stripping. These are thin foam sheets backed with an adhesive that can be cut and formed to the edge you are covering, which is typically the bottom edge of the window or inside the window frame where the window meets the sash. This type of weatherization is fairly easily done and unless you have, hundreds of windows will not require the assistance of a Knoxville window contractor.

Caulking

Windows with several smaller panes are common in older homes and doors. Each window is generally held in place by caulking and sometimes wooden trim. Problems arise as your home ages and the caulk begins to chip away or shrink. Caulking can also help fill any stationary cracks or holes in and around your window. Before applying new caulking it is important to thoroughly clean the affected area, sometimes this means scraping peeling paint as well. Once the area is free of debris or loose paint clean the area with soapy water and allow it to dry completely before applying new caulk.

Plastic Sheeting

There are situations where even your best efforts fail to completely seal a window, and if you are not quite ready to hire a Knoxville window contractor, you still need a way to stop the energy loss. Plastic sheeting is a great temporary solution, especially during the cold winter months. Home improvement stores and even big box retailers usually carry the equipment you will need which includes staple gun, staples, plastic and perhaps weather stripping. A really nice alternative is clear as glass plastic, it is applied with double-sided tape and you then use a hair dryer to pull the plastic taut. The end result is plastic so clear you cannot even tell it is there.

Replacement Options

If you are in a situation where the only answer is replacement or you are just ready to modernize the home, there are several great energy efficient products on the market. This is a big project, but one that will make the biggest difference in the value of your home and its energy efficiency. Work with a local Knoxville window contractor to determine the best replacement options for your needs, home design and wallet!

Final Thoughts

You would never go to an open window and through your hard-earned money into the wind, yet that is exactly what you are doing when you have energy losses. There are many ways you can address the issue, both temporary and permanent fixes, so why live with energy loss anymore? When you are ready to remodel, remember the only thing worse than needing replacement windows is having new windows improperly installed. Call a Knoxville window contractor today for more information.

Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

The kitchen

This is, and remains as always, the heart of the home. It is important to remember when remodeling a kitchen to keep it within the same style as the rest of the home. In other words, if you have a cottage style home, then do not install an ultra modern stainless steel kitchen. It will just not work. So, while updating is necessary, conformity to existing architecture is a must. The kitchen should be in keeping with the rest of the house. The experts maintain that you can get back between 60 and 120 % on what you invested in your revamped kitchen as long as you have not gone over the top! In other words, don’t over capitalize on one room in the house. Keep it simple and clean.

Install energy saving appliances. Granite counter tops are long lasting and heat and stain resistant. They also come in a variety of colors. You don’t necessarily have to replace cupboards. Using existing carcasses and just redoing the doors and putting on new handles can have a magical effect on any tired kitchen.

The bathroom

Letting a contractor upgrade a bathroom is a very good way of adding value to your home. If you have a very small bathroom you may even contemplate removing the bath completely and only having a shower. This will create more space and save on your water bill. Adding a second bathroom if you only have one is another excellent way to enhance the value of your home. Finding the space to do this is not that difficult. Look for that space that never gets used, such as under the stairs or large cupboards that are not being utilized. Bathroom fittings need not be expensive. Look out for sales and reduced items that may have been used as floor models. White is a good color to stick to as it does not limit you to the type of tiles you are going to use, and in the future tired tiles can always be replaced.

Adding windows that are energy efficient

Drafty old single pane windows are a thing of the past. Not only will replacing these with energy efficient windows done by a windows contractor save you money, but it will enhance your value by leaps and bounds. New home owners are very keen on greening their homes and will be very impressed if the home already sports these features.

Create an enticing outdoor space

Build a deck. The cost of this all depends on what kind of material you use and what size deck you are installing. A contractor would be a good way to go in getting advice on which materials are best used in the installation of the deck and where to place it. More and more people are staying at home to relax rather than going on vacation. If you can create a special place in which to do this, you can only increase the value of your home. Here is the example of home Improvements project (www.weathertamer.com/home-improvement-projects)

5 Ways Installing Vinyl Replacement Windows Can Increase Your Home's Value

Homeowners everywhere are concerned about the value of their property. This value is determined from many different sources, including the condition of the home and the land around it. One of the easiest ways to improve your property value is by updating your windows to modern vinyl replacement windows.

Here are 5 reasons this simple and relatively inexpensive improvement can help your property value increase.

Curb Appeal
While your home may have been built with wooden or aluminum windows, your Knoxville windows specialist will be the first to comment on their appearance versus the modern window style. These older window styles are often set deep in their settings and have been damaged by the elements over the years. They rarely match the rest of the house in appearance, and become the proverbial sore thumb to your home's value.

Weather Damage

Non-vinyl windows have multiple weak points, all of which have been exposed to the elements since the day the window was first installed. For wooden windows, it is rare that the wood has been treated appropriately throughout its life. This wood needs to be oiled and varnished on a regular basis in order to prevent warping and weather damage. Aluminum windows have a bad habit of developing rust spots in the tracks, which often prevent the window from being opened properly. Installing vinyl replacement windows will deal with any existing weather damage in the process.

Proper Insulation

As any home inspector will point out when trying to sell your home, older style windows are rarely properly insulated. Whether single or double paned, these older window styles allow cold and hot air to pass directly through them with little resistance. Your Knoxville windows team will show you how upgrading the windows around your home can not only improve your home's value, but save on your heating and cooling costs as well!

Consistent Appearance

Older windows, even old vinyl ones, rarely had the correct color options available to make your windows stand out or blend in like your home's appearance needs them to. Whether you want your windows to make a statement, or to become a hardly noticed part of your home's appearance, modern vinyl replacement windows will provide you with the colors and styles that you need to get everything looking just the way you want it.

Draft Problems

Older windows commonly suffer from minute changes in the home's structure over time. As the ground beneath the home shifts, an ongoing process in all corners of the globe, the windows come out of their proper setting ever so slightly. This results in hairline cracks around the window that, although not visible, allow air to seep through them and play havoc with your cooling costs. Allowing your Knoxville windows specialists to replace your windows with modern versions will seal these hairline cracks over and provide your home with the protection it needs.