Replacement Windows Save Energy, Money, and The Planet

Pomona Valley - Chino - Riverside County - North Orange County - Remember the days when the smudge pots added even more smog to the skies around Mt Baldy and Big Bear.  There was a reason for those smudge pots.  Save the orange crop from FROST!  Uh huh!  It gets cold in those neighborhoods in the late Fall and Winter.  So here is the story of a couple who had a plan to save some money, carbon based fuel, and even the planet Earth.  (Names and places have been changed to protect the innocent.)

 

My husband and I like to think of ourselves as pretty handy people. We both like to make things and we take pride in saying that we did something around the house without professional help. Any household repair, large or small, finds one or the other of us hammering, plastering, gluing, wiring or sewing whatever needs fixing until it is nicely done. It seemed natural, therefor, when we decided to change out all the large single paned windows in our house for double insulated windows, that we would consider doing it ourselves. 

    You have to understand that, besides being proud of our self-sufficiency, we are frugal folks. As charming as our little house was, it leaked hot air out and cold air in during the winter and was unbearably hot in the summer, despite our liberal use of fans. We needed some way to improve our energy efficiency and reduce our monthly utility bills, even if it meant making a sizable investment in the short term. Plus, we really wanted whatever improvements we made to the house to increase it's value when the time came to resell.

Double insulated windows have two or three panes of glass with insulating air space in between. Higher end double insulated windows have a layer of inert gas, like argon, between the panes, increasing the energy efficiency even more. The most energy efficient windows sport a special coating called "Low-E" that contains metal particles and significantly reduces heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.

    Internet research encouraged us that double insulated windows were easy to install even for the beginner. We found precise directions to complete the project from taking the initial measurement all the way through to adding the finishing touches to the trim. We took time to look closely at our budget and balance that with our needs. We have eleven windows total in our house, but we figured that it would be best to tackle the six largest windows first , since they represented the biggest energy drains.

    We measured all of our windows carefully, as instructed in our DIY guidelines. Fortunately, it looked like all we needed were replacement windows, which more or less fit right into the existing frames. We didn't want the extra mess and expense of replacing the outside and inside trim, which installing full frame windows would have involved. We started to get excited about our new project!

    We had fun pricing windows and looking at all the beautiful options available. We realized that installing the new windows would not only drop our utility bills way down, but it would significantly improve the value of our home. It seemed like a better and better idea all the time.

    Then we began to scour our schedules to find blocks of time sufficient to accomplish what was shaping up to be a pretty big task. Scheduling didn't look good. We figured that, given our lack of expertise, we would need at least one full day per window to complete the job. With my husband working full time during the week and my schedule full of caring for our baby, working part time and taking care of the daily household tasks, all we really had were weekend days to devote to our window project. Even then we would be sacrificing precious family time for at least three weeks. Suddenly our DIY adventure was losing some of it's appeal.

    I started to research the possibility of finding a reasonably priced handyman or contractor in our area, "Just in case!" I told my husband. Reluctantly, he agreed. To my surprise and delight, my cursory search for "handyman + Inland Empire" (we live in beautiful Claremont, California!) turned up a YouTube video! I watched it and knew at once that I had to contact the contractor that was featured in the video.

    Julio Canton is an accomplished General Contractor with over thirty years of experience under his tool belt. His video portrayed him as knowledgeable, friendly and easy going, and the work that it featured on an extensive remodeling job was impeccable. I called Julio for a consultation and he was able to accommodate us right away.

    Even our initial phone consultation was encouraging. "Replacement windows can save you between 10 and 25 percent per year on heating and cooling if you have single-paned windows. They can also make your home more comfortable, quiet, and attractive," Julio told me when I called. "It's one of the easiest ways to increase the value of your home, too," he added. Julio also assured me that, with so many new options available in double insulated windows, he was sure he could help us find something that would meet all of our goals and still stay within our projected budget.

   Although I share my husband's zeal for juicy DIY projects, I have to admit that the prospect of turning over this particular task to the capable hands of Julio Canton and his experienced crew makes me sigh with relief. My husband, on the other hand, seems pretty disappointed. I'll just have to remind him that we still have shelves to hang in the baby's room and the raised beds and irrigation system to design and plan for next summer's garden. That should cheer him up a little!

    If you have a DIY project that turns out to be bigger than you bargained for or even if you have more repairs around the house than you're willing to tackle yourself, give Julio and his crew at JC Construction a call. They can bring their expertise to any project no matter how big or small, and the consultation s always free! JC Construction, is fully licensed and does custom home construction, room additions, patios, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, carpentry, handyman services, concrete work, sky walks, framing, drywall, door hanging, office tenant improvement, and, of course, window replacement and repair. 

    Check out Julio's YouTube video to see the quality of his work.  Give Julio a call today at 909-268-2762 to set up your free consultation. With what you save in time, money and peace of mind, you'll be glad you did!

 

This story is a fictional account of very real circumstances.