"U.S. economy grew at 2.5 percent rate in third quarter"

Wow! The media is finally saying something positive, without putting the usual negative spin on it. Add that to the European debt crisis resolution announced this morning, and it looks like the economy is rebounding in spite of the media, the pundits and the politicians. Markets are up, consumers are buying, and if the third quarter was at 2.5 growth, I think the fourth quarter will be even stronger. Perhaps the media will now back off some its constant negative barrage.

I still think 2012 is going to be a challenging year, at least for the building products industry, mainly because of the unknown situation with the election and all the negative talk both sides are doing. Sadly, it will only get worse as we approach the election this time next year. I do think the consumer is getting plain tired of being afraid, and will start spending on the things that are important to them, things to enhance their lifestyle, their homes and their families. So even with all the political rhetoric, we are going to see a better year in 2012 than we've had in 2011. Looking back that may not be saying much, 2011 has been abysmal, but at least it is a positive trend.

I've had many homeowners ask me the question about why buying a window sold through a dealer is better than buying a window from a manufacturer direct. There are a number of manufacturers who have gone down the path of selling direct to the consumer, although there are less of them than the traditional method of local dealers handling the sale, some are quite large and market their services aggressively. Most of these direct manufacturers have limited offerings of models and options, and sell what they have, which sometimes is not what would be best for the consumer's needs.

When a manufacturer decides to sell directly to homeowners they direct the sales process in total and dictate what the consumer will be offered. When a local dealer, who has access to numerous companies to buy from who offer him numerous options and product choices can design the products offered to the consumer to precisely fit the consumers needs. With more choice the entire process focuses more on the consumer and less on the manufacturer. In addition the local dealer is a small business located in the community who have to maintain their reputation to maintain their business. They have more interest in satisfying the homeowner in every way than the remote manufacturer.

When a manufacturer is selling direct to the homeowner they have a built in structure that gives them an incentive to install whatever is shipped, as it is all their cost. A dealer will only install first quality products as it is their reputation on the line and the extra cost back to the manufacturer is really not their problem. Let's say a window is ordered with a specific glass option that is really almost impossible to see, only the paperwork can verify what was supplied. If that window arrives at the dealer he will re-order the window to the specifications he required, as the error and cost is born by the manufacturer. The same goes for a quality issue, the dealer has no incentive to install a second quality product, the direct seller does. It's possible that a manufacturer direct seller may not re-order the product, as they have the financial incentive to use the product regardless, as it is all their cost. I believe it removes the checks and balance inherent in the remodeling industry.

Having been in this business for over forty years I've seen many direct sellers come and go, but the dealer based business has maintained that entire time. I believe the personal service and interest offered by a local business is far superior to some manufacturer in a remote city who may or may not maintain an office in your city. A local dealers livelihood lives or dies from how he treats the customers in his marketing area. I'm not sure the same is true from the manufacturer direct method.

Did you know that the vast majority of windows used in the USA are made in the USA? It's true, there are a few imports, but the vast majority are made right here, and when it comes to custom made windows designed for replacement, the percentage is even higher - close to 100%. I've read that there are some new construction stock size products coming in from China, but I have to admit, I don't think I've ever seen one. Some of the industry trade magazines claim that there are literally thousands of window manufacturers in the U.S., and the sad part is the average person can't name even one window manufacturer. Those that can name one or two, that's usually it, seldom is someone not in the industry able to name more than two. It's kind of sad when you think of it, as these are products MADE IN AMERICA, good high quality manufacturing jobs right here at home Yet we seem to remain an almost invisible industry.

On the replacement window side, there are no really big manufacturers. By that I mean over a billion in sales, which in many industries is still a small company. For an industry estimated to be in the $20-40 billion range, it seems unusual for no giant company dominating a sector. On the new construction side there were several over a billion in annual sales, but I'm not sure where they are now after this never ending recession that has hit building products as hard or harder than any other industry. From where our manufacturing facility is located in western PA there are literally dozens of other replacement window manufacturers within a hundred mile radius. There may even be hundreds, but a lot of them are fairly small and don't get noticed much.

There aren't a whole lot of products that you can be pretty sure to be made right here. so consider that when you are deciding which home improvement job to investigate next. Highly energy efficient vinyl replacement windows are almost all made in the USA. They offer terrific benefits to you and your family; energy savings, safety, security, comfort, improved curb appeal, far less maintenance, beauty - need I go on? Most manufacturers offer a ton of options to allow you to customize the windows to exactly what is right for you. And perhaps the best part is that you are helping to keep American Manufacturing Jobs in America when you buy replacement windows. BUY AMERICAN!

It really makes little sense to purchase the best product possible and then try to save money on the installation by going the “Do It Yourself” route, because poorly installed windows and doors will lead to on-going problems, poor product performance, and an unhappy homeowner. Some people, however, worry about how to find a “good” contractor—one who will do the work correctly, in a timely manner, and for a fair price. The following tips will help homeowners find the best replacement window contractor for the job.

1. Shop around for reputable contractors who specialize in the type of work you are planning. Newspaper or television advertisements, the Internet, or the Yellow Pages are all good sources to use for locating contractors in your area.
2. Make sure the contractor is licensed by the state. Ask for references from past customers and ask for examples of past projects in the area.
3. Collect three bids on the project and beware of “Too Good To Be True” low bids.
4. Make sure the contractor is willing and able to obtain all permits and inspections in order to comply with local building codes and city ordinances.
5. Consider having any contracts or agreements with the contractor reviewed by a real estate lawyer or independent third party.
6. Ensure subcontractors are paid upon completion of their work to protect against liens or other legal action that may affect the home.
7. Set up a reasonable payment schedule for the project with the contractor. This includes agreeing upon an initial down payment for the project.
8. Establish a set work schedule with the contractor to ensure timely completion of the project.
9. Always maintain a good working relationship with the contractor.

Going the “do-it-yourself” route is not typically a good idea with window replacement, but it’s important to be careful when hiring a window contractor / installer. Homeowners should do their research to be sure they hire the best company to complete the job.

I heard on the news this morning that gasoline nationwide is down over $0.25 in the last month. What great news, but then they had to add that it is still quite a bit higher than it was 12 months ago. I don't know about you, but I don't remember what it was 12 months ago, but I do know what it was a month ago and it's down a lot. Now if the average driver uses about 20 gallons of gasoline a week, that's a $5 a week savings or $260 a year. Did you realize you're $260 a year better off this month than you were last month, I didn't. I think this is great news but the media has to put a negative spin on it, always. They also didn't mention that back in May gasoline was going for $3.91 a gallon so today's $3.38 is $0.53 lower than just a few months ago, and it looks like it could keep on coming down in the future.

This is a big deal because there are only a few things you pretty much have to buy - clothing, food, shelter, heating and gasoline. If one of those must-buy things comes down in price substantially, that frees up "spending" money for the average person. A lot of people will just spend it somewhere, really not know where it went, some will save it and some will invest it in their homes. I'd suggest your best bet would be to pay down credit card debt first, but if you're in good shape there, invest it in energy savings products for your home. They will make your home more efficient (save you money), more comfortable, and if you chose new highly energy-efficient vinyl replacement windows for your improvement, they will also add maintenance savings and beauty. Spend it wisely, there aren't that many breaks you're going to get in this economy.

Well, depending on where you live, you may have just gotten a good taste of wintry weather. I know we did! A week of cold, miserable rain, high temperatures in the 40s, lows in the 30s...in October??? Luckily, we've climbed back into the 60s now, with 70s in the forecast.

But the cold weather really made me think. I had to turn on our furnace. And it ran a LOT for a few nights. So of course that brought to mind my soon-to-be-much-higher heating bills, and what I might be able to do to combat them. Fall is really the perfect time of year to make energy-saving improvements like the following to homes, specifically windows:

1. Inspect the exterior caulking around existing windows and doors for gaps and cracks, which will allow cold air to enter the home. Use a high-quality silicone caulk, which can be purchased at any local hardware store, to fill gaps and cracks.
2. Consider placing storm windows over the exterior of existing windows to reduce heat loss and prevent drafts.
3. Consider replacing existing windows a couple at a time to ease the expense associated with replacement, while benefiting from the return received from lower monthly energy bills.

Now’s the time to start thinking about replacing windows, or at least investing in storm windows—before those winter heating bills creep up on us!

When I started in this business, at the very beginning of the replacement window's invention, things were a lot different. Replacement windows started out at 2 5/8" thickness, now they are pretty much universally 3 1/4" thick. When we started there was a filler strip to fill the gap found in most installations to the parting stop. Replacement windows were all aluminum, and there weren't many choices. You could get mill finish single glass double hung aluminum, or you could get mill finish single glass double hung mill finish aluminum. Straight aluminum windows were a problem due to condensation and energy loss but still an improvement over worn out wood windows, thermal breaks were developed in the mid 1980's to separate the inside of the window from the outside to improve thermal properties of aluminum windows. It certainly was an improvement, but still left a lot to be desired as far as thermal peromance.

At the beginning there were no horizontal sliders, no casements or any other variations like garden or bay or bow windows. Then in the early 1970's painting of aluminum extrusions was developed and color was added. At one point my previous employer had 13 different colors available, from white, which has always remained about 80% of sales, to pink to green. As the industry developed, slowly, options became important. Color mainly, but the windows evolved in quality and features, storm windows were mounted to the exterior of the aluminum prime replacement window for better thermal qualities and progress continued.

Insulating glass was developed in the late 1960's or early 1970's. Then triple glass was developed in the mid 1970's. Low Emissivity or Low E glass was developed and became available in the mid 1980's and new and better coatings on the glass surface were developed allowing better and better U value performance. The Low E glass available 20 years ago had far less energy efficiency than what is available today. Glass coatings are probably the biggest improvement in the thermal properties of windows.

Vinyl windows were developed in the mid 1970's. They were pretty much universally not very good products then but they offered far superior thermal properties than aluminum so the development and learning continued. One of the early products was basically and aluminum prime window completely encased in vinyl to improve its thermal properties, still not great, but much better than straight aluminum. High quality and high energy performance vinyl windows started to evolve in the 1990's with the glass improvements continuing till today. The technology has continued to evolve in both vinyl extrusions and glass coatings making todays products far superior to what was available even ten years ago.

There are other materials that companies use to frame windows with; wood, wood composites, clad wood, and fiberglass, are the most prominent, but to be frank, there is no better framing material for windows than vinyl. It's gone from nonexistent to clearly the most popular material in a couple of decades because it is the best material. It is thermally efficient, strong, resilient, impervious to rot and mold, and no other material can beat it.

So if your windows are more than ten years old. And your home is drafty or chilly in the winter and uncomfortable with "hot spots" in the summer. You should investigate replacing your windows with new highly energy efficient, high quality vinyl replacement windows. The saying goes "your paying for new windows whether you actually get them or not in higher energy bills", and that's not to mention the comfort, security, curb appeal and peace of mind new windows will give you. Time is of the essence, investigate now.