Owning any kind of property, especially a home, requires you to care about numerous things in order for it to have a long life span. Frequent renovations and upgrades are necessary if you want your home to last generations, to give the family a comfortable place they will always want to return to.
One of the things people change most often is windows and doors. Depending on the kind of property, the materials used, the age of the building, and the overall care it has been receiving, windows and doors need to be changed at different times. Is there the right time to do this, however? In this article, with the help of the oakvillewindowsanddoors.ca we will provide you some useful information.
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Replacing Windows and Doors
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First of all, you may not even have to change them completely. Improving or upgrading the existing doors and windows could prove like a better solution in many cases. There is a wide range of solutions to consider when mending your home, and homeowners and contractors must be on the same page and make a joint decision. Sometimes, a very low budget and easy to complete DIY fix is all you need. For example, replacing the weather-stripping or installing new window films is something an average handy homeowner is able to achieve alone. On the other hand, capital investments and intensive repairs could require you to take out an old window in favor of a new, modern one, and this is hardly something you can do yourself.
Unfortunately, many homeowners end up making their decisions without consulting professionals and without understanding what their windows and doors actually need. It is hard to evaluate the needed changes on a larger scale and determine how your home will be better with new additions. The question of this article really is this: how much time should pass until you need to install new windows and doors?
Most professionals in this industry agree that quality windows and doors last anywhere between 15 and 20 years. During this time, they will do exactly what they are made to do, which is to keep everything that is not supposed to gen into your home outside. Furthermore, most contractors offer warranties of between 10 and 25 years, depending on their practices. Such a long period of time essentially means you will have a warranty for the full expected life expectancy of the product. Of course, this does not always happen, and you might have windows that have long outlived their warranties, or have a door that had a short warranty and now needs mending.
Without regular repairs and care, windows and doors can greatly vary in life expectancy and efficiency, which is why you should pay close attention to how they behave. There are certain signs that will clearly tell you that you could do better with new windows or doors, so make sure to inspect your own property for the following five indications that they need changing.
1. Cracked Doorframes and Windowpanes
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The most obvious sign of a bad window or door that needs changing is physical damage. All doors and windows will have some wear and tear after years of use, especially if they are wooden. Carefully inspect all the doors and windows in your home and check if they have some serious damage to them. Are the frames and panes whole? Do they require reinforcing, or perhaps a complete swap? Maybe you just need to care for it better and it could be saved. Remember that damaged doors and windows are not just unattractive. If the damage is too large, your bills will be bigger because of the compromised insulation, heating, and air conditioning. Small cracks and crevices also let in the always annoying insects and small vermin, especially in summer. There are lots of things you can save your home from if you have strong windowpanes and doorframes.
2. Fogged Glass
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You should only worry about this if you have double or triple windows. Glass tends to fog up because of condensation, as the water gets trapped between the glass panels. Of course, this results from badly installed windows or small, barely visible holes that are present on your windows. If you notice water between the glass after rain or snow, or even when you clean your windows, they are probably leaking somewhere and need changing or replacing. It not only looks bad from both sides, but it also makes your overall window efficiency weaker.
3. Soft Frames
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Most people still have wooden windows, especially outside of the city. If you are a homeowner with mostly wooden windows on your property, you may have experienced too much softness on your window or door frames. This happens due to the excess moisture con the premise and it is a serious problem for everything made of wood. If your frames are soft to a light touch, a full replacement should be considered. The wood practically started rotting from the inside because of the humidity and too much moisture over the years. This is especially true for older homes and weekend houses that were originally built almost exclusively with wood.
4. Stuck Doors and Windows / Hard to Close
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As you continuously open and close the windows and doors, dozens of tiny divots and grooves will appear. Give it enough time and all the stress of forceful opening and closing causes cracks and other kinds of damage to the frames, as well as the moving areas. Furthermore, this may lead to doors and windows being stuck or refusing to properly align and fully close. There is nothing worse than a window that refuses to fully close during freezing winter or scorching summer conditions. Depending on the severity of the damage, you may need to only repair parts of your windows and doors, but if they are missing parts that have rubbed off over the years, you should consider changing the whole thing.
5. High Bills
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As mentioned a few times already, higher than usual energy or heating bills are a clear indication that something is wrong with your isolation. More often than not, it is the windows to blame but sometimes the door is guilty too. On average, around 40% of all the living costs you pay each month have to deal with heating or cooling your home or other property. If the bills have been increasing steadily over the years without any increases in heating or electricity prices where you live, you might want to give your windows and doors a detailed inspection.
