Showing posts with label windows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label windows. Show all posts

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Our New Windows Welcome Summer

Today was a great test of our new windows installed by Certified Home Services. The high was 87 degrees F; maybe even higher.

We opened the windows last night to cool the house off. I shut the windows and blinds late in the morning today.

The inside house temperature reached 80 degrees. To me, that is not hot. I WAS IMPRESSED! We would have been melting by now if we still had the old windows.

It is now just after 7:00 p.m. and we are getting ready to open the beautiful new windows to let in some cool air to start our routine over for tomorrow (I DON'T miss the humidity in Chicago). Tomorrow we are supposed to be 89.

Have I mentioned how much I love our new windows?!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Windows - before, during and after

What can I say? I LOVE the new windows that Certified Home Services installed! I told John that I couldn't wait for the next huge wind storm. He looked at me with the "who are you and what did you do with my wife" look. I think I would diagnose myself with Ancraophobia- Fear of wind. I can't sleep when it is windy; my heart races as I hear it whistling at night. I think being in Hurricane Hugo had some lasting effects on me ...

We had our first wind storm with the new windows two nights ago. At least that is what I heard on the radio. I didn't hear a thing!

So here are the pictures of the window project.

We had several windows in sad shape in several areas. The bottom of the windows were rotting out. In fact, when those 4 windows were removed, the bottom wood frame disintegrated as they lifted it out. Thankfully we didn't have moisture in between the panes. I could hear the wind whistling and saw the blinds moving on a windy day even with the window latches locked.


The front of the house before:

The front of the house after:

Notice the difference? Before: Grid Lines

After: NO GRID LINES! I love the unobstructed view!

(I spy a cute Jaley in the front window!)

Before: Kitchen corner window

After: Kitchen corner window

Before: Dining Room


After: Dining Room (Kerst has it all set up for a formal game of Apples to Apples Jr. - Kendall added his touch with setting cards out in a rainbow design)


Before: Kitchen eating area

After: Kitchen eating area


Before: Living Room/Piano Room


After: Living Room/Piano Room ... no grid lines - you can't see the effect in this photo. I love the view so much that I have not hung the blinds back up in this window.
Before: Family Room. You can kind of see the blue tint to the windows. I put Gila film up on the windows shortly after we moved in to cut down on the heat from the sun that was beating down on us ... even in March! It made a huge difference having done that but didn't solve the inefficiency of the windows (drafty, etc). The far window on the right doesn't have the film as the sun doesn't hit that window.
During: I was able to watch the window installers remove the family room windows while I was ironing the curtains (5 hours of ironing). Tony had to cut out the nailing flange on the original window from the outside of the house. 34 windows kept him busy for quite some time! Tony even told me that he has these windows that he was installing for us in his own home ... which means we made a good choice!

Tony's crew removed each window. Here you can see the difference the Gila film made on the brightness of the room. I didn't notice the difference until ...

They installed the new window.

It doesn't look like there was one in there! Notice the circle on the window to the right of the head of the installer standing inside. It is a suction cup! What a neat tool! The installers used 1 to 2 of these suction cups to install the windows ... even the large picture windows that were 3 stories above ground! Tony told me it was like having another set of hands.
Look at the difference! Now I understand why I was squinting for several days getting used to the beautiful new efficient look!

After: Family Room

And the finished product in the Family Room. I changed the curtain arrangement ... a rod originally ran all of the way across the top with the curtains where they are. I shortened the rod to fit each curtain section. I love it so much more!
Here is a before and after all in one shot. The windows by the deck are new. The upper windows have not been installed yet.



Thanks Joe L., Tony and John R. ... we love the windows!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The windows are IN!

Certified Home Services gets 5 gold stars and two thumbs up from me. From Joe explaining their patented glass developed by a Lockheed Martin Employee (and that argon only remains in the windows for 18 months - 2 years like John suspected) and importance of virgin vinyl ... to John calling to update us on the progress of the production ... to Tony and his crew installing in record time, I AM HAPPY!

It took 2 full days to remove and install. I took photos of the progress and will post those soon, but I wanted to tell the world how beautiful the windows are and what a HUGE difference in efficiency.

Tony and his crew replaced all of the windows in the basement and part of the main floor on Monday. AT 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, I placed my hand in front of a new window and then moved to one of the old windows facing the same direction and on the same floor. WOW. What a difference. I am anxious to see the difference in the heating (and cooling) bills.

I had put film up on the windows to protect the furniture and floors and to keep the heat down in the summer (gila film). I can't believe how bright our home is now with the new windows.

Thanks Certified Home Services (Joe, John and Tony!) ... one very happy family here!

Friday, February 12, 2010

17 - give or take ... Windows

We had our windows measured by Certified Home Services. We got approval from our HOA to leave out the grid lines so we can have a clear view.

17 days (give or take) before the installation begins!

34 windows ... phew.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Windows - the BIG decision

With the tax credit expiring at the end of this year, we have been thinking about replacing our windows.

We looked into a couple of companies ... one company claimed how great their radon gas windows are. Their scientific experiment in our home was impressive. John, my scientific math minded guy, knew that radon gas didn't last long in the windows. So we were still on the hunt.

We found the right fit. Joe, the window rep, was extremely knowledgeable of his product and others and backed up John's thought that argon gas didn't remain long in the window (18 months). He introduced us to a glass that was developed by a Lockheed Martin employee. This glass has a special coating on it similar to LoE 366.

These windows are made right here in Colorado with virgin vinyl (unlike the local hardware store window selections - we did those in IL in our sun room ... but with a whole house and in CO sun and heat, we needed something that would survive!).

We are looking forward to Certified Home Services improving the look, feel and efficiency of our home!

I'll keep you posted on the progress!!!

Now John will have an even more difficult time getting me to move from our home. Wood flooring, dream kitchen, and now AMAZING WINDOWS!