Dear ye olde windows.
How you’ve failed my pocketbook.
Despair floods our home, as our air conditioning floods out of you.
Speaking of floods, you are defenseless against the rain.
Your wood has split; your glass has fogged.
Yet the last straw that broke this camel’s back was the notice received from the postman.
Not a friendly letter from Uncle Joe, nor a thank you card from my sister Sue.
My electric bill was $300. Goodbye old windows.
We feel your pain, everyone. Electric bills are sky-rocketing this summer. Many areas of the country are experiencing record-highs for weeks at a time. So stay cool, by keeping your air-conditioning on the INSIDE, not the outside. We’re sure the squirrels, the birds and the bees appreciate your cold air. But we are also sure that you don’t appreciate the bill you get in the mail every month. Cut those costs.
If it’s time, give us a call. If not, we’ll be here when you need us.
It is CLEAR that there are numerous horror stories in the home remodeling business. Installers making a mess, taking 3 weeks longer than planned… Jobs being completed incorrectly (which is NOT okay,) and more…
If you’ve fallen victim to any situation of this sort, we would like to tell you #1. how sorry we are that this happened to you, and #2. how you can avoid EVER letting something like this happen again. In the following photo, you’ll see the likes of a home who trusted in the wrong company. Notice the gaping crack between the window and the home…
Photo of an Installation Gone Wrong- Courtesy of ActiveRain.com
To start off with:
When your “window consultant” or “home energy consultant” comes to your home to give you a sales presentation… Be sure to ask where his/her office is located. If they answer “my car” or “my home,” kick them out instantly.
Believe it or not, there are people posing as contractors, buying the materials themselves at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc… And completing jobs with no license and limited-to-no knowledge on what they are doing.
If you are lucky to have booked a guy who has at least some knowledge on installing new windows, he may do a decent job, but we can tell you right now that no such thing as a ‘warranty’ exists in whatever contract you signed with him.
Now that we’ve gotten that off our chest, here are a few other things to add to your checklist when choosing a window company.
1. Look for a website. Some buyers (even though it’s 2011) still don’t take the time to utilize the internet when researching a company. Phones are great, but they can also direct you to some shack in North Dakota where this window company’s “call center” exists. Take the time to see how detailed their website is. Do they offer a wide range of products? Colors? Materials?Are their offers listed on the website with terms and conditions? (So you know what you’re getting yourself into when they say “50% Off!”)
2. Check their rating with the Better Business Bureau. (Do I have bragging rights if our rating is an A+?) The BBB is infamous for even being strict on the offers that window companies feature. For instance, we recently ran an offer of “Buy 2 Windows, Get 2 Free” in our Cleveland location. We actually received a call from the BBB wanting us to prove that we were giving away that many free windows… Reality check, we so were. If you missed it, we still have fantastic deals, don’t worry. 🙂
3. CHECK THE WARRANTY. (A full post to come on this later.)
Definition: “In business and legal transactions, a warranty is an assurance by one party to the other party that certain facts or conditions are true or will happen; the other party is permitted to rely on that assurance and seek some type of remedy if it is not true or followed.” (Wikipedia.)
Be sure that you’re covered, folks. Lifetime warranties are unbelievably important. *Nobody should have to replace their replacement windows.*
4. Be sure the installers are FACTORY-TRAINED AND LICENSED installers. Incorrect installation contributes to the majority of window problems.
5. Be sure the company’s products are Energy-Star Rated and qualify for the yearly tax credit! If they don’t they are not quality windows and won’t do anything for your home. If you’re going to invest in new windows, you may as well have lower heating bills every month, right?
Now, don’t you feel a little more ready to attack the world of windows?! These may seem like obvious things to check off your to-do list, but in reality, many people still make the mistake of ignoring these steps! Don’t let it be you!
Until next time friends, take care!
Brittany, Window Nation
I figured it would be a good idea to write our first post as informational, and enlighten our readers with, well… information. There’s an abundance of reasons why many people (like yourselves) need to invest in replacement windows, you just don’t know those reasons.
Aren’t you lucky you stumbled across our lovely little blog?
LET’S TALK BUSINESS
We are not in the business of taking your money. We are in the business of saving you money! Wait…What? How is it that YOU are saving money, when paying US for windows? Doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it? It will in a few moments.
Next chance you get, I’d like you to examine a window in your home. Place your hand around the edges, do you feel cold air seeping through? Is the glass ice-cold? That my friends, is evidence of your money going right out the window. (No pun intended…)
During the winter, you probably find yourselves leaving the thermostat up to 73-75 degrees ALL DAY, in an attempt to keep your home warm. Ready to put 2 and 2 together? If your warm air wasn’t seeping through your windows… You wouldn’t have to keep that thermostat on ALL DAY! Your warm air would be staying put, cozy inside your home.
Therefore, saving you money on heating bills, EVERY MONTH. Voila!
Summertime? You betcha, it’s the same idea. Keep that cool air inside your home!
So let’s keep YOUR money in YOUR pocket! Rather than in the hands of your electric company. The return on investment of your windows will break even in a year, (maybe less, maybe more, depending on how many you buy…) and then begin paying you. What a beautiful thing.
Check out the U.S. Department of Energy for more information.
LET’S TALK SOME MORE BUSINESS
It isn’t an enjoyable subject… But the economy is not in it’s best shape right now. Many are losing their homes while others can’t get approved to buy a home! Perhaps you are looking into selling yours. It’s disheartening to note how much your house would sell for right now, compared to how much it’s really worth.
How to make light of this situation – You guessed it… Invest in new replacement windows.
They will increase the value to your home! In case you haven’t noticed, the government is all gung-ho on GOING GREEN these days, and is rewarding people for making their homes more energy efficient!
Let’s re-cap… Replacement windows increase the value of your home AND qualify for a tax credit? Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.
LET’S TALK … DESIGN.
This may or may not be more for women… But hey, if you happen to have the Y chromosome, we hope you read it anyways!
Don’t we all dream of that beautiful country home, sipping coffe in a sunroom full of white furniture and windows extending from ceiling to floor? Welcoming the sunset as we see it dance through the windows… Sorry, where was I?
Oh, right. Design. Windows are a beautiful way to refresh your home! Add some color, a wood finish! You may not have that country home with a sunroom, but you can still have that beautiful look and feel. Take a look at some of our photos below and take note of how the windows truly bring out the best in these homes.
No, no, no. We aren’t theorists boggling our brains to figure out why we humans exist. What we mean by “Why We’re Here” is… Why Window Nation has decided to blog. We know exactly what you’re thinking. How on EARTH do these people expect to write about windows… AND MAKE IT INTERESTING? Well, friends. We’re here (no pun intended) to tell you…
We’re making windows sexy. How are we doing that? Not with famous models or spokespersons, not with false photographs that make even the least expensive window look like a high dollar item… We’re doing it au natural. By giving it to you straight, the Window Nation way.
We plan on blogging (our new favorite word) about all the things YOU need to know as a consumer! We vow to give you every bit of useful (and maybe sometimes useless yet entertaining) piece of knowledge that we can conjure up, when it comes to your home and your money.
They say “the eyes are the windows to the soul.”
We say “windows are the soul to your home.”
Cheesy quote? You bet. Prepare yourselves for more of those along the way.
-Window Nation
Window Nation 
