Everywhere you turn there is yelling, belittling, chaos, berating, threats of Armageddon - and that's all coming from our high ranking elected officials.

ENOUGH already! I would be very pleased if the politicians would get out of the headlines, stop being talking heads and let the rest of us get back about our business. If Washington would just get the H--- out of the way, maybe the economy would start rebounding in spite of them. It can't with all this jabbering and fear mongering going on.

Being in the replacement window business for about 50 years now I know there is demand for our products, I know they do what they promise to do - save energy - increase your home's comfort - reduce the required maintenance - and ad value and beauty to your home.

All in all a really great investment with lots of benefits for you and your family and the country as a whole. The problem is as long as there is all this yammering, no one has the confidence to take action and do the things they want to do for their families and their homes.

I just hope this doesn't go on until the election next year.

I just read a brief article on one of the few bright spots in our economy. Here is a little excerpt from it:

"The latest BuildFax Remodeling Index, detailing remodeling activity from May 2011, indicates that residential remodeling activity registered the nineteenth-straight month of year-over-year gains. The May 2011 index rose 22 percent year-over-year to 124.3, the highest number in the index to date.

"Through the first five months of 2011, we have seen impressive gains within the remodeling index, and May has continued that trend with a record-setting month," said Joe Emison, BuildFax VP of Research and Development, in a July 18 release. "Even with the continued struggles in the economy, the remodeling industry has been a bright spot, as consumers look to make upgrades to their current homes, rather than purchasing a new residence."

This clearly says that it is time, really well past time, to get those windows and doors replaced. You've been procrastinating while your friends and neighbors have been upgrading and improving their homes. You know you need new windows. You know they will save you money. You know they will make your home more comfortable. You know you hate having to do all that maintenance, getting all the heavy ladders and such out to maintain and clean them. You know they will make your home more attractive and add significant value to it. So why haven't you done it yet?

STOP PROCRASTINATING -do it now - get on line or pick up the phone and call a window professional with a great reputation. NOW!

I came across an interesting article online this morning -- the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority providing a number of tips to help families stop wasting energy and start saving money. That's important to all of us -- myself included -- so it caught my attention. The article included tips on everything from lighting to washers and dryers to water heating and usage -- some really good tips that I'd never considered.

Two items, in particular, caught my eye: First, "Heating and cooling accounts for 60 percent of your home’s energy use. To insure that your heating and cooling methods make the grade, examine how well your home is insulated." A great reminder of how important insulation is -- and how much money it can save on home energy costs. Summer is the perfect time to consider installing reflective insulation in attics to help cut energy costs and keep these spaces more comfortable.

The second tip I noticed was, "Use caulking and weather stripping to seal energy leaks around windows and doors, which could help you save up to 10 percent on your energy bill." So, if that's the case ... imagine how much savings could result from installing brand-new, much-more-efficient replacement windows!

This article just reinforced several of the points we often make on this blog, so I thought I'd share it. To read the complete article, and learn more energy-saving tips, visit http://www.wbng.com/news/state/NYSERDA-Offers-Energy-Efficiency-Tips-for-Homeowners-125567243.html.

JABBERWOCKY Lewis Carroll (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872) `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the. . . . .

Whenever I find myself totally confused with all the nonsense that is going on in the world, my mind drifts back to this poem that I learned back in High School. The wars, recession, budget deficits, unemployment and the haggling and wrangling in Washington, it can all get to be too much. This poem helps put the insanity back into perspective and takes me back to thinking about what is really important – home and family. None of us can do much as an individual about the insanity, but we can take better care of our loved ones and our homes. My suggestion is to think back over the last year about what in or around your home caused you or your family the most discomfort or aggravation. I’ll bet a lot of you will say the old cold drafty windows that skyrocket your energy bills year round. Since high performance low emissivity glass wasn’t available until the 1990’s and then only very selectively, if your home is older than that, and you haven’t already replaced the windows, you should strongly consider it. The difference in appearance, comfort, reduced energy bills and maintenance will make it well worth it. We can’t do much about all the extraneous stuff that drives us crazy and frightens us, but we can take care of our homes and families.

Remodeling your home is easier said than done. There is expense involved, some inconvenience involved in the construction process, and then, there are the choices.

It really is important to do your homework when it comes to choosing the right company to do work on your home. Additionally, you need to do your own research on the choices that are available.

There are many tools available to you when it comes to choosing the right company to work with. And who’s right for your neighbors’ homes isn’t necessarily right for your home. It is important to get referrals, but it is also important to have a good comfort level with the company you choose. These people are going to be doing work on your most important investment (your home) so you want to have a good working relationship.

Questions to have ready are:

1. Who do I contact if there is a challenge with the job?
2. If you have had challenges with jobs, how were they resolved? May I speak to them?
3. What homes have you worked on in my neighborhood?
4. How long, from start to finish, will it take to do the job?
5. What’s your BBB rating?

Also, prior to meeting with a prospective company, get an idea of what you are looking to do. And use the Internet to your advantage. Research the products you are interested in. If the company you like can’t get them, find out why - or have them find out a way to get those products. You want what you want, and you shouldn’t have to settle. If you truly can’t live without something, then there is most certainly a way to get it.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand something. This is a business relationship and of course, you want to treat the remodeling company with respect, but you also want to protect yourself. Get anything important in writing, including the contract, a change notice, a receipt, etc.

Many homeowners consider insulating their homes a chore that should be done to prepare for colder weather, not during the summer months. But, according to the ENERGY STAR web site, insulation keeps homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When correctly installed, insulation can deliver comfort and lower energy bills during both the hottest and coldest times of the year. So right now, with the scorching summer heat affecting much of the country, is actually the perfect time to install insulation.

To get the biggest savings, the easiest place to add insulation is usually in the attic, states the ENERGY STAR web site. Attics can get unbearably hot during the summer months which, in turn, affects the rooms in the home below and causes air conditioning units to run more. Installing reflective insulation in attics is an excellent way to prevent heat buildup—and the resulting increase in cooling costs—from occurring. To learn more about the benefits of reflective insulation, visit www.radiaflect.com.

I just read an interesting article saying it is a good time to buy a home. (http://www.builderonline.com/builder-pulse/the-time-to-buy-is-now.aspx?cid=NWBD110705002) It got me thinking about the building sector and especially the remodeling sector of this industry. New single-family home construction has been at historical lows for several years now, but many people don’t know that the retrofit or remodeling sector declined before new construction and has yet to recover. Many companies servicing the retrofit market have gone out of business, and most if not all have cut back significantly if they were able to survive. Only the best, most professional firms have come through this recession so the best most reputable professionals are who are left. The industry is finally seeing some resurgence in business, albeit very slow to take hold.

Since the two sectors are closely related, the article on it being a very good time to decide to take the plunge and buy a new home is great news to the remodeling sector too. Many people who are thinking of buying a new home first fix up their current residence to make it more attractive for a sale. The other side of that equation is the people buying the used home tend to want to fix it up, normally within the first year of the purchase. So if new home sales start to trend up, which many forecasters are predicting, then retrofit will not be far behind in this upward trend.

If you are considering the purchase of new highly energy efficient or high security vinyl windows for your home, now is a great time. Prices are at record lows, and home improvement specialists are hungry for more business, so deals and extras are often extended to prospective purchasers. So if you are interested, it is a great time to go ahead and get some proposals on new beautiful windows that do offer added value and comfort to your home.