The advantages of double glazing

While doing my 2010 review, and going through all the paperwork, emails and old notes; I noticed how many times during the past year I had been asked about the advantages of getting double glazing windows fitted. Do I recommend them and why? Is it worth investing in them? Well, after many years in the trade, and having seen many problems derived from single glaze windows, I think it definitely is worth it. Here you have my three favourite reasons to get double glazing in your property:

A safer home

Windows made with a single sheet of normal glass can be dangerous. When hit, those windows will break into long and sharp pieces that are a potential risk. Double glazing gives you the opportunity to choose a glass that is safer on breaking and double glazing is also less likely to break at all. Your choices here can go from security glass to shatterproof, giving you and your family a safer home.

Be secure

So, we know that single glazing is very easy to break. Certainly a thief knows this too. The process of letting themselves into your home is as easy as breaking one of the window’s panes. However, security is closer related to the frames you use and the locking systems you can fit. A double glazing window can have one of many different frames that ensure security in the home. Don’t forget to choose good locking systems that secure form the inside.

Saving energy

Did you know that fitting double glazing in your home can help to reduce heat loss by up to 50%? That means cheaper energy bills, a warmer house, less condensation and a smaller carbon footprint. If you have got big or bay windows in your house, the difference can be dramatic.

In case these three points are not enough, think about the great styles you can get with double glazing, the ease to maintain (even reduced to zero with PVC-U windows) and the years they will last.

If your New Year’s resolutions include improving your home, don’t think twice about getting double glazing. Ask the expert, shop around for windows and make sure you find the best supplier you can – a good tip is to always ask for testimonials.

Wishing you a happy, warmer, safer and more stylish home!

We'd love to help you with your new windows design and advice. How about a chat with us for some free tips tailored to your home and your necessities?

Don’t just dream...get a porch fitted to your home

One fine day you found yourself thinking how wonderful a porch would look at your front door. You would choose some warm tinted wood for the floor and a nice matching door flanked by windows where you would hang baskets with flowers. In the warm months those baskets would sport some campanulas with Christmas bells and by autumn you could see yourself filling them with Fragrant Panama roses.

Then you think about the cold months, standing in front of your door – from the inside! – thinking how that porch you imagined in summer would be perfect for stopping cold drafts from coming through the door or warmth escaping from inside.

Well, the advantages of a porch go further than these. Cold, mud and humidity are brought into your house every time someone opens the door and lets themselves in with soaking coats, dripping umbrellas and soiled wellies. Many people come to me because they want advice on how to stop this from happening (without stopping all visitors!). A porch is the best option.

Add quirky little wooden shoe boxes, decorative coat hangers and umbrella stands; make a cosy porch that will keep you warm and clean inside and give your house facade a noticeable revamp. Add plants and flowers and a few sensor or dimmer switch lights.

Every home is different and can benefit from a porch. Security doors in composite and well insulated windows in PVC-U will need very little or no maintenance, adding more security and warmth. So, just like fashion, you can blend in with the existing look or add character by making a statement. The possibilities are up to you, give me a call to chat further.

Porches are us! We'd love to help make your dream a reality, we'd love to advise. How about a chat or some free tips tailored to your home and your necessities?

How to keep warm, dry and secure in Lancashire

It’s Sunday morning and you’re enjoying a bit of a sleep in, snuggled under the duvet. Why not? Aha, then you receive a text from your friend: ‘Hey, have you seen the snow?’

Snow? You jump out of bed and wish you hadn’t. You’re already shivering when you peer through the curtains – with a distinctly damp chill in the air. It’s coming from the puddles on your windowsill.

Your single glazed windows have a lovely film of condensation which is busy running onto your sill. The window frames don’t look well sealed, not like those intact PVC-U ones you see. So, to add to the cheer, the draft coming through the window edges is making your bones feel cold. The heat from the radiator is making its way windwards, you could say. You groan at the thought of your next energy bill.

Oh well, you wipe away the water, shiver a bit more whilst words like durability, security, warmth float through your mind. Don’t look too hard at the mildew spotted peeling paint, and with a longing backward glance at the duvet you restrain yourself from turning up the heating dial a notch or two. The winter stretches on...and on. Look, if you’re up here in snowy, blowy Lancashire, it can be a really icy, dicey stretch.

This is getting ridiculous, all this draught, heat escape, cracking, flaking, discolouring and repainting. The pounds you’re throwing away might as well pay for new windows. Oooh, double glazed, airtight, watertight, secure tight. To put it in a nutshell: a nice tight fit, a one off cost and the job done: double glazed windows in PVC-U and four creature comforts:

- heat stays in

- cold stays out

- no more re-painting

- super low maintenance.

Oh, and a warm Sunday morning lie in, Lancashire snow, wind and rain et al.

We'd love to help you with your new windows design and advice. How about a chat with us for some free tips tailored to your home and your necessities?

Tel: 0161 737 3503
Fax: 0161 737 3505
Email - andrew@balmoralwindows.co.uk