Spring Into Action: Replacing Your Doors and Windows | Part 1

With spring just around the corner, it’s time to put the cold weather behind us and start thinking about sporting events, cookouts, and trips to the swimming pool. But spring is also the perfect time to be thinking about summer remodeling projects, and especially about preparing your home for next winter. As much as we may not like to think about it, the cold weather is going to come back, and chances are you spent a good portion of the winter months thinking about replacing that drafty window or door. Once summer hits, it’ll be easy for those cold weather thoughts to slip your mind, so now is the time to consider replacing your doors and windows, while the winter chill is still fresh in your memory.

Replacing doors and windows with more energy efficient models is one of the best ways to save money on home heating and air conditioning costs, while also making your house cozy and attractive, and increasing the value of your home. It sounds like a winning proposition all around, but replacing doors and windows can be a big project, and a lot of people find reasons to put it off.

While energy efficiency has become a popular topic in home improvement circles in recent years, it wasn’t that long ago that homes were still regularly being built with unreliable single-pane windows and doors that let in more than their share of heat and cold. According to the U.S. Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in 2006 around half of all homes in the United States still had single-pane windows. Even if your home is less than 10 years old, there’s a good chance that your windows may not be up to modern energy codes. Today’s solar control, low-E Energy Star windows are vast improvements over even the best windows available a decade ago, with means that even if your house was top-of-the-line when it was built, you could still see significant energy savings from window and door replacement.

The best modern windows are made of non-conductive materials, and include vapor barriers to keep moisture out, UV protection, and sound-dampening design to reduce outside noise. They can also be designed in any size, shape, and style, to fit any home. More than just a way to save some money on heating and cooling bills, modern windows are the highlights of your home, and can add beauty and functionality to any room.

New windows and doors are a great way to give your home a “facelift,” while also addressing the practical concerns of energy efficiency, UV protection, safety, and comfort. It’s a big topic, though, and more than we could fit into one blog article, so join us in part 2 of this article, when we’ll talk more about energy efficiency, and also focus on doors. Click here to read Part 2 of this series.

This article was brought to you by Continental Siding in Kansas City, your Midwest vinyl siding company. We’re a leading provider of home improvement products and services that aim to help them keep homes looking great and performing well.