Easiest and Best Window Cleaning Tips

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Would you like a few great window cleaning tips to help you out for this labor-intensive chore? Let me see a show of hands of those of you that like to clean windows in your house. That's what I thought...just a couple of you amongst many. Why is that? I have a good idea that it has something to do with time, ladders and unsatisfactory results for all of your hard work. Am I right? I'm with you...believe me. I have a home with a lot of the old-fashioned, multiple-pane windows. I counted … [Read more...]

How To Read Window Labels

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Selecting new windows for your home can be a dicey affair unless you know what how to decipher the labels that you see on window products. What do all of those numbers and phrases on the window labels mean? It's important that you understand them and can compare them to different manufacturers' windows when you are shopping for your project. The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is the organization that provides a form of standardization for all new windows sold in the U.S. and … [Read more...]

When Is A Wall Of Living Room Windows Not A Good Idea? Ask Your Next-Door Neighbor

I am not able to freely walk in and out of homes under construction anymore due to the homebuilding bust a couple of years ago. Builders tend to keep them under lock and key to keep out thieves that are after appliances and copper.But one of the many things that I still can do is look at the exterior of homes, new and old alike, and gather ideas.  … [Read more...]

How To Install Your Own Eze-Breeze Porch Enclosures

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Many of you that read my post on Eze-Breeze porch enclosures were curious to know if you could install them yourselves. The answer was basically no. It was best to let professional installers and dealers of Eze-Breeze do all of the work due to the custom fit necessary in most porch window openings. Until recently, you would have needed to contact a dealer. They would come out to your home, take all of the measurements for a custom fit, order them and have them installed. You can still … [Read more...]

What You Need To Know About Impact Resistant Windows Before Buying

If you live in a home where hurricanes occasionally roll through, you should take precautions to prepare your windows to take on the damaging winds and flying debris associated with hurricanes.Every time a hurricane is about to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf coast or Atlantic seaboard, we see stories on the news of homeowners nailing plywood over their windows to protect them. Plywood is one way to protect your windows but there are other methods and technically advanced products that … [Read more...]

Double Hung Foyer Windows Make No Sense At All

It's been awhile since my last post of Dumb Homebuilding Ideas here on The Fun Times Guide To Home Building, so I'll double up on this one. I'll talk about: An HVAC vent in a small closet. Double hung windows in the top level of two-story foyers. It's been tough finding houses that are open or unlocked for the past 18 months due to the housing bust, but now home building construction is starting to pick up again. That means I'm able to find my way into houses more often, so every once … [Read more...]

How To Create Window Seat Storage For Comfort and Utility

Well, the economy is currently in a tough spot and the housing market tanked, making this a bad time to move for many people. Or maybe the "less is more" mindset has always been a part of your life and you don't necessarily want to "move up" to a larger, more expensive home. But, like many others, you find you need just a bit more space to make your home more inviting and comfortable.How do you make better use of your current square footage? In my last post, I talked about … [Read more...]

Everybody Needs A Li’l Water Putty In Their Life

In my most recent post, I talked about planing the bottom edge of a door that sticks on the threshold. You may have noticed a can of Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty in one of the photos. I also mentioned it towards the end of the article. "Rock Hard" is a great product and nice to have around when you come across small wood rot problems here and there. I've used this stuff for years, on occasion.I happened to have one of those small wood rot problems on one of the door frames of my … [Read more...]

How To Remove Paint From Windows Quick and Easy

I spent this past weekend painting our foyer, including the muntins around the window panes on the sidelights and the transom window overhead. All that remained was the cleanup. If you're like me, you don't bother to tape off your window panes prior to painting the muntins and sash. In my opinion, it's easier and quicker to remove the paint with a glass scraper or wallpaper shaver after the paint has dried. I'm really not a sloppy painter by any measure, but for painting windows I can let … [Read more...]

The Energy Doctor Has Your Prescription For Comfort

Good grief...that's a cheesy title! But... Winter is still here but it's not too early (or too late) to complete your plans for that new 3-season sunroom addition you've been thinking about. The Energy Doctor has some very nice options for you to consider. They've been around for over 27 years and still going strong. In fact, they claim to be a leading manufacturer of solarium and sun room products in North America. See for yourself. … [Read more...]