Raleigh Durham Remodel Auction

Replacing your home’s original windows has the single greatest impact on reducing your carbon blue print.  The average American home produces more pollution, every year, then a S.U.V. traveling over 100,000 miles!  Most people realize that home heating creates pollution, and uses quite a bit of energy.  What most people do not realize, however, is that cooling the same space uses 200% more energy!  Additionally, the average home’s total glass area equals about 25% of the total wall area.  Replacement windows can, and will, increase the energy efficiency of a home exponentially.  A good replacement window system will reduce your impact by a minimum of 30%.  A great (triple paned) window system will reduce it by more then 40%.  When shopping for windows, be sure to look closely at the warranty, specifically the aspects of the window that make them so efficient.

Conserve Energy Dollars With Great Lakes Seabrooke Windows. Energy costs are way up, across the board. Between oil, and rising natural gas prices, homeowners are looking for economical ways so conserve their hard earned energy dollars. What a lot of homeowners do not know is that the right replacement windows can go a long way. Great Lakes Seabrooke Replacement windows are guaranteed to reduce the cost of cooling, and heating, a home by no less then 30%! Homeowners that opt for the ultra efficient triple paned glass options are guaranteed to reduce these costs by at least 40%! that can save over $1500.00 a year. Not to mention the impact these types of windows have on reducing pollution. Make the right choice, choose Great Lakes Seabrooke Windows for your home today. http://www.seabrookewindows.com/

A lot of people want to know what Masonite or hardboard siding really is. The short answer is garbage……..Here is the long answer. Masonite is the name brand of a wood based siding that begin its tragic tale in the 1970′2. Georgia Pacific paper company produced a very good version of it up until the late 1980’s. The early version was easy to cut, and easy to paint, and would last for 20 years or so. Changes in the product were made about 1990. The more recent version is basically produced by mixing wood byproduct with glue, and compressing. Humidity in the southeast is not a good mix with hardboard siding. Hardboard’s biggest issue is a phenomena know as wicking. The product acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture from the inside out. By the time hardboard shows degradation (wrinkling, rotting) the backside of the hardboard is saturated, and molding. To compound this problem, most homes built with hardboard have it installed on a backer known as blackboard. Blackboard is a paper building product that is a less expensive alternative to real plywood. Plywood is much more tolerant of moisture then blackboard. It is imperative that hardboard issues be addressed right away, to prevent messy and expensive structural issues. My preference is to install Crane-board solid-core siding on Masonite homes. http://www.vinyl-siding.com/Exterior_Portfolio/craneboard.aspx

We also offer to remove hardboard siding and replace it with Hardiplank or CertainTeed Weatherboards FiberCement siding. We prefer the CertainTeed version, because of its superior price point, and realistic appearance. Check it out at http://www.certainteed.com/certainteed/undefined/fibercementsiding/

Because of Hardiplanks high silica count, it is quite green unfriendly. Craneboard offers an extra R 5 insulation value to your walls, and needs NO maintenance for the lifetime of the home.

and as always call us for a free estimate, and an installation brought to you by factory trained, VSI certified technicians.

With the mild weather we have been enjoying, many customers are thinking about how nice a new porch or patio would be. When building a new screened in porch, or deck, there are a couple of things to remember. Number one is that the project should definitely be permitted, and inspected. This makes certain that your new space is up to code, and saves you hassle if and when you ever sell your house. The next thing to think about is whether or not to use regular pressure treated lumber, or one of the alternatives. Pressure treated lumber has a tendency to twist or warp as it drys. This can be eliminated if you use Kiln Dried pressure treated lumber. Kiln drying will add about 10 to 15% more to your material cost, but will look better longer. The third option is to use one of the many composite materials now available. Composites have a ton of nice features, but add about 50% to the cost. Porches can run from $10K to upwards of $50K, depending on size, type of material, finishing touches. Screened porches are an excellent place to entertain friends and family during these beautiful days.

Congratulations to our big winner, Deborah from Wake Forest. Deborah entered into our “Guess the Cash in the Sash” contest at this year’s Southern Ideals Home Show. Her guess was $390.00 and the Actual count was $391.00 The Cash was stuffed into the upper sash of a Great Lakes Bayshore Window, which features Lo E glass and Argon gas. These windows are extremley efficient, Energy Star rated, and can save $800 to $1000 a year in energy. Congratulations again to Deborah. http://www.greatlakeswindow.com/news/bayshore.html

     Americans spend around $160 billion a year to heat, cool, and live in their homes, and this energy bill continues to grow.  Our homes use around 21% of the energy we use as a nation each year and consume a substantial amount of electricity and natural gas.  Considerable opportunity still remains for better home efficiency.

      Many households can save about 25-30% on their energy bills through cost-effective home improvements.  Vinyl windows are among the most economical and energy efficient upgrades for your home.  Aside from being an inexpensive choice, vinyl replacement windows prevent heat loss better than wood or aluminum windows, which makes them the most efficient when it comes to heating and cooling your home.

http://www.remodelauction.com/

      While remodeling your kitchen is not only satisfying to your own enjoyment, it also has a high return on investment.  The kitchen is arguably one of the most used rooms in your home, so it is important to keep it up to date.  For most people, your home is your greatest asset, so it is important to make smart investments to keep it that way. 

     Homeowners typically see around a 90-95% return on investment when remodeling their kitchens.  This is true for both minor kitchen remodels and major kitchen remodels.  Minor kitchen remodels can include replacing cabinet fronts, countertops, sinks, faucets, and flooring and installing new energy efficient appliances.  Major kitchen remodels can include replacing cabinets and cabinet boxes and installing new professional grade appliances, tile flooring, and solid surface countertops.