Dogwood Tree

You can go to the woods and find the size of a dogwood tree when they are in full bloom. You have to wait until the sap falls which happens in January and February. Note the direction in which the tree is facing for planting. A good rule of thumb is to use a compass for replanting. But wait a minute? What's this got to do with Prestige Enclosures? When you buy our windows you get to see that lovely "Dogwood Tree".

Where's the beef?

That's not always true when purchasing windows. The insulated glass plays the greatest roll when it comes to insulating value. If you see windows that are too beefy this will always show up as an add-on and not as it should appear when the dwelling was built.

Trust

Because of so much scamming that is going on know who you are dealing with. So many people (elderly) for example have a "Trust" of their fellow man that they think every one is honest. Know the people that are doing things at your home that are referred by your friend, neighbor, or kin folk that you can feel comfortable about what is being done. Trust is a great word but a persons actions help define that word .

Limited Dollars

Take a room at a time. This proves valueable knowing that everything will be checked. Be sure to check any closets that are on the outside wall. Light fixtures can be a great heat loss in the ceiling.

Looking for fiber cement siding with NO maintenence?

If you love the look of fiber cement siding or Hardie Plank siding as many refer to it but do not want the terrible maintenance that is involved, Prestige Enclosures has the solution!
Cedar Plank Siding by Novik gives you the beautiful look of fiber cement siding but in a solid PVC panel. Our Cedar Plank siding is an injection molded product that is 100% color-thru with UV inhibitors that prevent discoloration. With 25 standard colors, you are sure to find something that fits the look that is ideal for you home. You will never have to paint this product, it is truly maintenance free!
Another added benefit is the lapping of panels. On traditional fiber cement product, the only way to join to panels together is to butt the two panels together causing an area that has to be caulked every few years. Then, it has to be painted every 5 years to keep the finish. With our Cedar Plank Siding, the ends of the panel have been milled down allowing the panel to be lapped like traditional vinyl siding. This creates a water tight, maintenance free covering for your home that will last forever. Please check out the link below and get more information, including pictures of this beautiful siding.

http://www.novik.com/polymere-faux-cedar-plank-siding

Insulated Siding

One of the newest innovations in the vinyl siding industry is insulated siding. This product, such as our Napco American Essence panel, provides an array of added benefits over a traditional siding panel.
Some of the benefits include increasing the R-Value of the exterior walls 25%. A typical exterior wall surface is 10% wall stud edges - an area left unprotected by conventional in-wall insulation. Insulated siding puts a blanket of insulation over those areas, decreasing thermal transfer, making your home more comfortable. Thus, lowering your power bill.
Another benefit is impact resistance. One of the downfalls of conventional siding is that it is susceptible to cracking or chipping due to sudden impact such as weed eaters or flying rocks from lawn mowers. With the molded insulation laminated to the back of the panel, combined with a thicker premium vinyl siding provides superior impact resistance.
With these two added features, along with a single 7" width and a double 6" width and 14 beautiful colors to chose from, insulated siding is the smart choice.

Warranty Issues

There are companies that hate the word "Warranty". Why? Because they do not want anything to take away from their bottom line of profit. For example, if you have a customer that has not purchased anything in a certain lenght of time ( say 1 year ) that customer would be removed from your customer list. This from their point of view would also deny any warranty issues. Now this customer would start over and all warranties would begin when credit is approved and customer starts purchasing.

Parts of a window

photo from uswindowfactory.com

The above drawing shows the correct name for each part of a window.

Lifetime Warranty

Whose lifetime? Methuselah! Be careful of the fine print. Some companies have strange limitations on their warranty. For example if you have glass failure on a window they will only send you the glass and you will have to replace yourself or pay others to do it. Each manufacture is different. When purchasing items like windows be sure to get the seller to put in writing on what they will do in case of problems. Some states have warranty on all products that the seller on the latter end will use against their own warranty. Each state is different.

Industry Standards

Industry standards. Don't beleive it. Hogwash!!!!!!!!!!! This has always been an excuse for companies to deny warranty problems. I always ask, "prove it". This is a way to convey to a customer a way to make them think their product complies with the way it's made. Whose industry standards? There is not a book or article on industry standards.

Low-E Glass

How does Low-E glass work?
Low-E glass coatings work by reflecting or absorbing IR light (heat energy). The thickness of the Low-E coating and the position in the window (#2 or #3 surface) dictate how the window will perform.
*When installed on the number #3 surface of an insulated glass unit (IG), the Low-E coating will reflect IR heat from inside the room to help reduce the energy loss during cold months, thereby reducing heating loss.

* When installed on the #2 surface of an IG unit, the Low-E coating will reflect or absorb IR heat from the outside, thereby reducing solar gain and cooling cost during warm months.

Insulation

Needing replacement windows? Before purchasing replacement windows you need to be sure that your walls, ceiling, and floors are insulated. If you install (quality)replacement windows and your walls and ceilings are not insulated you will only notice up close to the window any difference. Insulation plays a big in energy savings. Do research with your local gas and electricy company and you will find that they encourage insulating as a energy savings and in some areas they offer saving discounts or even credits per window or door that passes on the energy savings programs.

Cheap Windows

$189.00 window. Are you sure? Most of these windows offered at below $200.00 need a closer look. Remember when they get through with the quote that if you total the entire amount and divide by the quanity that there will a difference. There are so many hidden fees that are added that your head will be spinning at the end. You will find in some cases that the seller will tell you that they manufacture their own windows. It takes over one million dollars to get into the process of making real quality windows.

Secrets

There are people selling vinyl windows (replacement and new) that claim they are all welded units. Some of these people are not saying they are not. How can you tell? When you look at the mitre joint on the sash it will have a vinyl cement to cover the gap of they mitre. Look at the edge of the sash and you see a screw near they edge you will see that it is screwed together to look like a welded sash. The sash has to be assembled with the glass at the same time. A "TRUE" welded vinyl sash will have a glass bead around the perimter of the sash on the outside or inside to secure the glass in place with either double face tape or silicone. (The outside bead is my preference)

Tell The Truth

Don't beleive everything you hear. In these days some people will say anything you want to hear to make a sale. For example I asked a window salesman the brand name of the window he was demonstrating. He informed me the window was made by their own manufacturing facility. After going over the window I saw that this window was made in another state other than what he said. (Lie) he stated that the window would pass all the test required. (Lie) What makes people say these things is troubling.

Energy Savings

Do we in North Carolina know what our actual savings is when we have replacement windows installed? Go to the website of Zen Windows in Ohio to see the chart of every state to compare.
It will suprise you.Every retail window company has a gimmick that is used to get the homeowner to buy their product. Knowledge is powerful.

Home Invasion

Did you know that about 80% of home invasion is caused by kicking in the door? You can prevent this by adding a thicker keeper with 3" screws that screw into the jamb and make it much harder to do this. You also can add a metal sleeve that applies to the strike jamb that can help prevent door from being kicked in.

I am Ron

My name is Ron and I am excited to be a part of the Prestige Enclosures team! Please stay tuned for updates to our blog and feel free to post any questions.

Stress Cracks

Have you ever had a "Stress Crack"? This is what people are told when they have a window with a crack appear after having new or replacement windows installed. It can show up anywhere in the next few years. You probably will be told that it is caused by the structure has settled. This is totally "FALSE". The cause of this problem is in the manufacturing of the window. At the time the glass is installed in the frame ( at the factory ) debri in the air or small particles in the air will fall between the glass and the frame and will get lodged in the application and the glass will be sealed to the frame ready to be assembled and shipped to the home-owner. Now what happens?After the window is installed in the dwelling or structure everything is is cleaned up and paid for and everyone is happy. So how did this little crack get started? Here's your answer: Once you start having changes in the temperature inside and outside the glass will begin to expand and contract. ( Caused by heat and cold ). Once this change starts it will put pressure on that small particle and cause the glass to crack. Most manufactures will not warranty this after 6 months or a season change.This is in reality a "SEAL FAILURE" and should be addressed as that.

Water, water, water

Why is there water on the windows when I just installed new replacement windows?



Answer: There is too much moisture in the dwelling causing moisture to adhere to the glass.

This always happens when new windows or doors are installed because these are

sealed and caulked to prevent any leakage.

Solution: You may need to purchase a de-humidifier to catch this moisture. A crawl space or a

basement could be where this moisture is entering.

Hi, I am Arch!

I work with the Prestige Enclosures Team I am here to help you make your home the best it can be. Leave me a question or comment!

Hello Homeowners!

We are Prestige Enclosures, located in Statesville, NC. We sell and install quality doors, windows, sidings, decking, railings, fencing and sunrooms.

Our staff has over 70 years experience and we want to be your first choice in home improvements!