An Easy Guide to Successful Window Maintenance

An unsealed window can end up costing you a lot of money in wasted energy bills. Window maintenance is therefore necessary in order to save you costly repairs.

Doing a 6 monthly maintenance check on your windows is the best. Should you notice any flaking paint or varnish, give them a touch up. You can even paint UPVC windows. There is a paint available for just about any surface these days and the color charts are considerable. However, once you start painting window frames, you have to keep painting them or they can become very unsightly.

To make sure you get the best life span out of your wooden window frames, it is best to varnish them every six months. Should you notice any signs of rotting in your frames, treat these immediately. Most Nashville windows contractors can replace a section of the frame if needs be without having to replace the entire window frame, thus keeping the costs to a minimum. Replacing aluminum frames can be a costly exercise. Discuss with your Nashville contractor the best option for your home, Click here for more information


Hinges are an important part of the maintenance of your windows. Applying a lubricant such as a Teflon spray can increase their life expectancy. Doing this every couple of weeks will ensure that you will not need to replace them for a long time. It also means your windows will open and close with ease.

Check for drafts coming in through window frames. Installing draught excluder strips to the join of the window to the frame will keep warm air from leaking out of the windows and making your home drafty.

Maintaining your windows will also increase the security of your home. Most burglars gain entrance to a home through windows that are broken and do not close properly. By constantly maintaining your windows you can make sure that you are not an easy target.

Sliding windows can begin to rattle from wear and tear. To prevent this from happening all you need to do is replace the felt strip inside the door. This will not only stop any annoying rattling but will also put an end to any leaks or drafts.

While maintenance can be a chore it is always better in the long run to keep your hand on things before they get out of control. Following the above simple tips can save you money and time.

What would you do with a Sunroom?

As a homeowner, you have probably looked around your property more than once and asked yourself what you could do to improve functionality and possibly resale value. Many people consider a pool the ultimate home accessory, but quickly find it is actually considered one of the worst investments from a purely financial perspective. Sunrooms on the other hand, provide a way to give your home a unique vibe while increasing the square footage and giving you a beautiful view of the outdoors. The question is, however, should you add one to your home?

Over Improving

Who would think you could over improve your property? Before you begin calling Nashville windows contractors or general contractors about adding a sunroom, you need to do a little reconnaissance. What is the average size of a home in your neighborhood? How does your current square footage compare? If you make your home the most expensive domicile on the block, you run the risk of losing most of your investment in the addition.

Uses
 
What would you do with a sunroom? Do you have a bit of a green thumb or are you rarely home enough to water the one plant you have? This is an important question to ask, would you get any use out of a sunroom? These types of rooms are very versatile and if you choose an insulated four-season sunroom, it can be enjoyed year round. Some possibilities include:

•    Artistic- do you paint? If you need just the right light for your artistic endeavors, this could be the perfect addition for you.
•    Reading Area- are you always searching for a calm, quiet and yet well-lit area to read?
•    Greenhouse- sunrooms are a great place for your indoor plants to flourish year round.
•    Sitting Area- for some people a sunroom is simply a place to sit and enjoy the outdoors and company.

Investment 

How much will your sunroom cost? Without an appraisal by a professional Nashville contractor, it is impossible to give an accurate figure. Pricing depends on a number of variables including, but not limited to:

• Insulation- Do you want a four-season sunroom?
• Current Construction- How difficult will it be to construct the additional room?
• Flooring- What type of flooring will you use?
• Materials- aluminum, wood or vinyl?
• Size- Larger sunrooms, of course, cost more to construct

Final Thoughts

Adding a sunroom to your home can have personal as well as financial benefits, but only a licensed Nashville contractor can give you a complete picture of what it will cost and if it is worth the investment in your area. Many people opt to call in a professional appraiser to get a better idea about potential return on investment. Of course, if you simply want an indoor/outdoor place to call your own, hang the price and call a contractor today!

Nashville Contractors Stress Importance of Gutters

You have heard the old saying, if it ain't broke don’t fix it? This is the prevailing attitude when it comes to gutters on your home. Most people pay little if any attention to them unless they overflow at the front door! This could be a costly mistake for several reasons and your Nashville contractors want you to understand the importance of solid, properly functioning gutters for your home.

Water

Water is a fact of life, and it is the one element you try desperately to protect your home from at all costs. Inside the home, you would never tolerate leaking water pipes, because eventually wood will rot and mold will grow. You should have this same attitude with the gutters on your house, if they leak or do not operate properly, you are not getting the protection from the elements you desperately need.

Gutter Function

Gutters and rainspouts have a specific function and that is to channel rainwater to a safe area away from your home. When installed and maintained properly water will flow around your roof in the gutter system to exit at a predetermined area where the water can further be channeled away from your home. Why is this so important?

•    Attic- leaking gutters can allow water to stand or seep into your attic for days or even months before you notice anything. At this point, your insulation is likely saturated and water could have made its way into your interior walls.

•    Siding- even if water does not make it inside your home, bad gutters can allow rainwater to get behind your siding. This can lead to mold, wood rot, termites and extensive damage to the exterior of your home.

•    Landscaping- do you take particular joy in your yard? Imagine what pounding rain could do to your well thought out landscaping!

•    Basement- have you noticed large amounts of water standing around the perimeter of your hour? Water that is not properly diverted can seep through the soil and into basements, garages and more.

Gutter Replacement

When do you call Nashville contractors to discuss gutter replacement? There are several signs that replacement or repair are in order. The next time it rains, take a tour around your house and look for leaks, separated joints, sagging gutters or water stains on vinyl gutters. Properly maintained gutters can last a long, long time but once they are worn out or damaged there is little option but replacement. Thankfully, in most cases, gutter replacement is one of the cheaper home repairs you can have done.

Conclusion

You should clean your gutters out at least once per year. Leaves, debris and squirrels can pack your gutters full causing water to overflow. Some Nashville contractors may suggest gutter covers, which will cost you more initially but can make your gutters practically maintenance free.

Vinyl Siding Isn’t What it used to Be

Your home is your castle and for many people the single largest investment they will ever make. This means keeping your home in good repair is usually at the top of your to do list, and it might be time to reconsider vinyl siding. If you had sworn off the possibility of vinyl because of the many horror stories you have heard, you will be happy to know there is a new insulated vinyl siding that offers better performance and can match nearly any architectural design.

Insulated Difference

Traditional vinyl siding, or what is known in professional circles as hollow back siding, became very popular thanks to affordability and easy maintenance. Across the country, homeowners began updating their home exteriors with vinyl. It was not long before the negative side of vinyl siding reared its head, buckling, warping and more.

Insulated vinyl siding is the new kid on the block, so to speak, and takes the versatility of vinyl and adds a layer of firm insulation boarding. In a side-by-side comparison, you will quickly see a major difference between the two products in rigidity. When held out in front of your traditional vinyl will bend easily while insulated products remain stiff. Other benefits over traditional vinyl:

• Added insulation
• Covers irregularities in your wall
• Increased sound barrier to outside noise
• Impact resistant
• Less risk of dents or bending
• Better wood like appearance
• Wide variety of styles and colors

Choosing a Contractor

Do you need to find a good Tennessee contractor to install your insulated vinyl siding, or give you more information about your options? What are some basic criteria for choosing a Nashville or Knoxville contractor? The first thing you want to examine is their experience, how long have they been in business overall and how long have they worked with this particular product? The Better Business Bureau and references are your best source of information on both these accounts.

Talk to references and if possible drive by and view the finished project. (This will not always be an option, especially in large urban areas where people value privacy)When you talk to previous customers, ask pointed questions about the quality of the work, adherence to budget and schedule and whether they would recommend them to others.

Never succumb to high-pressure sales tactics that demand an answer, Today! Reputable contractors have secured their product lines and pricing which means a one-time only special price should be subject to suspicion.

Conclusion

Insulated vinyl siding offers a number of benefits when compared to traditional vinyl. Couple a better product with a good Tennessee contractor and you have a recipe for a beautifully finished home. By taking care of your home, you ensure it functionality and potential resale value, so it might be time to give vinyl a second glance.

Upkeep Tips From Your Knoxville Contractor For Wooden Decking

The wooden deck is a beautiful addition to any home. But your deck is only as strong and long-lived as the quality of the upkeep that it receives. Starting with quality materials is a great base, as your Knoxville contractor will tell you. If you don't take care of those materials, they will succumb to the elements. Rot can set in during a single bad rain storm through a simple crack in the wood, so you must be prepared.


As your Knoxville contractor, have seen some pretty beat up decks in our day. When you start with a wooden building material, you must remember to take proper care of it. Failure to do so will result in cracking and splintering, creating dangerous situations to walk on or to use for everyday situations. As your Nashville windows and roofing provider, we have to stress that the same maintenance that goes in to other parts of your home must be taken for your wooden decking.


Even if your wood is weather treated, you should take steps to give it extra protection. A solid weather sealant is the best option for your weather abused wooden decking. This should be applied promptly after the deck is constructed, and kept in good condition thereafter. This sealant will protect the wood of your decks against the majority of the weathering that it will encounter.


Once the wood has begun to splinter and crack it is generally too late to try and save it. Home owners try various methods, such as applying thick coats of paint to try to cover the cracks, but the water damage has already begun at this point. The only thing the paint will do is make the decking too hot to walk on in the sun, and visibly hide damage until the board is so weak and rotted from within that it falls apart beneath you.


As your Knoxville contractor, we urge protecting the wooden components of your decking properly from the beginning. Even if you only stain the wood with traditional wood stains, you are still giving it more of a chance against the elements than it would have otherwise. It is this protection that will make your investment last and give your family an area that they can enjoy for years to come.


When your deck has simply had too much stress on it, and needs to be replaced, we suggest doing so as promptly as possible. Once those boards start cracking and rotting, there is little that you can do except replace the porch. For your own family's safety, have the deck or patio fixed as soon as is possible. Letting the wood continue to warp and rot away under your feet is only asking for a disaster. Avoid potential lawsuits and accidents on your property by inspecting the wooden planks of your existing deck or patio today.

Planned Sunroom Installation For An Entertaining Parlor

Before the decision to have a sunroom installed on your property is made, American home owners commonly want to have a justified reason for the sunroom's finished use. When considering the list of purposes that your finished sunroom might serve, don't forget to keep the entertaining parlor in mind! As your Nashville windows specialists, know all about the need to give your sunroom a purpose other than simply being a sunny spot to enjoy in your home.

Before you consider your sunroom installation, you need to think about how often you entertain guests, and how nice the option of an entertaining parlor would be. The sunroom itself would be a wide area, either attached to the home or detached and sitting on your property, where you could entertain guests by the dozens.

When you let your Nashville windows experts know that you want an entertainment parlor, the very design of the sunroom will reflect your decision. A wide, open area will be constructed, with bright, sunny windows and ceiling panels to let in plenty of light for your guests to see by. You could also include an opening area that can be slid back and held open, a sliding panel style door, which would lead into an outside entertainment area. This would permit the party to take place both outside and inside at once.

Your Nashville windows experts have seen plenty of entertainment parlor sunrooms before. For your family's personal use, this wide area will provide plenty of natural light for reading and relaxation. Add in a few comfortable chairs and a table or two, and your children can do their homework by the sun's natural illumination, helping to keep the family's electrical bill down.

In its natural state, your sunroom will provide your everyday guests with a sunny, bright place to sit and talk for a while. An exterior entrance can even allow you to bypass the home if it is terribly messy, allowing your guest to walk through your garden and into the relaxing sunroom area. Here, you can serve cold drinks from a small included kitchen or bar area, and relax in the sunlight with your company.

For the larger entertainment needs, the sheer size of the sunroom comes into play. Since your Nashville windows experts knew your plans for the sunroom from the start, it won't be difficult to transform your regular sitting area into a party zone. Simply move the chairs to the side of the room and position the tables so that the food is served on them at one end of the sunroom. Instantly, your sunroom installation takes on a dual purpose that your party guests will love.

Finally, for enjoying those starry evenings, or just for staying dry when it rains on your party plans, your sunroom will serve your guests well by making sure that it's never too stormy to party at your house.

Energy Efficient Gardening Answers From Your Tennessee Contractor

If you are the type of homeowner who enjoys gardening, then you know all about how keeping those crops watered can be murder on your water bills. As your Tennessee contractor, we have an answer for you to consider that is not only drought friendly, but also energy efficient: installing rain barrels on your property.

The rain barrel is often thought of as a problem waiting to happen, with stagnant water becoming a breeding ground for all sorts of flying pests. Modern rain barrels are not these open topped water collection places that people think of. As your Tennessee contractor, it have seen all types of rain barrels, and highly recommend their use on your property as a way to not only keep your water costs down, but to recycle your rainwater for good use at the same time.

Your Nashville contractor will be happy to show you how these rain barrels can be added directly into your current gutter system without a drop of rain wasted. But before installation can begin, you must understand the basic modern rain barrel unit.

These units commonly come with tight fitting lids that secure directly to your gutter system. In this way, they keep pests and other problems from gaining access to your water supply. They likewise prevent evaporation because of the tight seal they provide. The common unit has a spigot or other common place where a hose can be attached. Although not under pressure as we would understand it, the water will flow from the rain barrel to your garden area, so long as it isn't up too steep of a hill.

The more advanced units contain an emergency overflow valve inside, so excess water will continue to flow into the water runoff system that your rainwater flowed into initially. This will prevent leaks from too much water being present in the barrel.

Now that you understand the rain barrel design, you can see how you could cut down on your water usage and protect the environment by letting your home's gutter system collect the garden water for you to use. Your Tennessee contractor can install these units easily enough, including trimming your existing gutter down pipe to the proper size for the rain barrel system you have purchased. They can also seal the lid and the emergency overflow properly to prevent excessive evaporation.

If you believe that the rain barrel system is an upgrade that your home could make wise use of, then order the rain barrel and give your Tennessee contractor a call! Your Contractor are the one to take care of the entire installation process for you, or just check over your seals and make certain you are set up for the most energy efficient use possible. We are always eager to see our customers make improvements for themselves, and any improvement that helps the environment is worth its weight in gold.