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Fabulously Functional: Tips for Remodelling with Beautiful, Efficient
Windows
(ARA) - Despite the nation’s bumpy economy, today’s homeowners aren’t scrimping
on remodelling. They’re spending more time at home, often taking advantage of
low interest rates and refinancing to make improvements. Whether it’s creating a
comforting bedroom retreat or enhancing a kitchen to allow for more entertaining
at home, one efficient way to increase a home’s functionality as well as its
beauty is to upgrade the windows.
With the hundreds of window styles and configurations available today, where to
begin? “To get the most out of new windows, it’s important to go into the
remodelling project with a good sense of your home’s structural style and blend
that with your personal style,” says Dave Whelchel, director of sales and
marketing for Wisconsin-based Hurd Millwork Company, which specializes in custom
crafted windows for new and remodelled homes.
Here are some tips for blending style and functionality into window remodelling
projects:
Start a portfolio of ideas. Before spending any money, make an investment of
time. Look through magazines and clip photos of rooms that you like. This will
make it easier to describe your wishes to designers and contractors and save
money, too by speeding up the decision-making process. Include photos of
windows, flooring, furnishings and decorative touches that you admire to help
describe your personal style, too.
It’s possible to get big results on a small budget. Many window upgrades can be
accomplished without changing the size of the wall opening. For example, you can
dramatically change the look of a room by replacing a simple sliding glass patio
door with a set of fashionable French doors -- and you won’t have to spend extra
money to redo the wall.
Look at the room from the outside in. Keep the outside of your home in mind when
you remodel on the inside. A welcoming window in a beautiful shape, such as an
arched curve-top design, can set the stage for guests and give a hint of what’s
inside. Hurd offers applied arch tops for traditional, rectangular windows.
Crafted of rounded wood, the arch top combines the aesthetics of curves with the
functionality of premium double-hung windows -- without the high cost of other
arched designs.
Understand the light. From what direction does the light come into the room? It
could impact your choice of windows. For example, consider the beauty of morning
sun streaming through individual panes of glass, casting patterns throughout the
room as the day’s light changes. You can achieve that look by adding window
grilles -- ornamental pieces that visually divide the glass to give it the look
of individual panes.
Keep fresh air in mind. When remodelling with windows, take the room’s airflow
patterns into consideration. You can dramatically change the feel of a room by
adding cross-ventilation, or installing a window that brings in the fresh breeze
off a lake.
Save energy with windows. According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), an average household spends more than 40 percent of its annual energy
budget on heating and cooling costs. To help cut down on energy costs, look for
windows and patio doors that display the ENERGY STAR(R) label, a national symbol
for energy efficiency.
Invest in a design professional or custom homebuilder. It could actually save
money by helping you avoid mistakes. Talk to people who have recently remodelled
and ask for recommendations or visit online resources such as the American
Institute of Architects at www.aia.org, the American Society of Interior
Designers at www.interiors.org, or the National Association of Home Builders, at
www.nahb.org.
For more window remodelling ideas, call (800) 2BE-HURD or visit www.hurd.com
Courtesy of ARA Content |
