Hi Coastal Windows & Exteriors blog readers! It’s Jen Migonis and I’m back to chat about some of the important things I learned while getting our windows replaced by Coastal Windows & Exteriors. My husband AJ and I are Realtors so one of the many things that make us excited is seeing people take a fixer-upper and breathe new life into it. One of the biggest bangs for your buck is to replace your windows.
You’re going to recover 87% of the costs associated with replacing your windows. Not only will buyers believe your house to be more updated, because it legitimately is, but it’ll save you in fuel costs over the time you live in the house. Did you know that an 1/8 of an inch gap around your windows can equal a 6″ hole in your wall? Now add that up for all your windows. Talk about money flying out the window! As an added bonus, the warranty on the replacement windows will even transfer to new owners.
Another benefit of replacing your windows with energy efficient windows is that you can also get up to $200 back on your tax return if you can prove that you purchased energy efficient windows for your home. $200 is the maximum that you can get back over the life of the credit. This is not an offer that you can utilize annually.
I couldn’t find any information about the return on investment for adding a new construction window, but what I could find were facts on the return on investment for increasing your curb appeal. You will recover 100%, or close to 100%, of what you add to the exterior of your home. Like any improvement, you need to make sure your changes appeal to the majority of people, a too taste specific change and you could be hurting your ROI.
Onto the other area we learned about while working with Coastal Windows & Exteriors…
Let’s talk about how important it is to use a lead-safe installer like Coastal Windows & Exteriors. I mentioned before that our house was probably built sometime around the 1930s so there was most likely some lead paint somewhere in the house. I found this on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website and thought that it showed how likely older homes are to have lead paint.
All right, but what’s the big deal with doing a lead safe window replacement? Isn’t it just popping a window out? There are so many things that I didn’t know before working with Stephanie and her crew at Coastal Windows & Exteriors… here are some of the important facts I’ve learned over the past few weeks:
1. Even if you have covered up potential lead paint with new paint, when you remove a window a lot of dust is stirred up, including lead dust. Coastal Windows & Exteriors made sure to block off the entire area so that no dust flies into the home. Any installer you hire should be certified as a lead-safe installer to protect you and your family against lead dust.
2. Your window installers need the right credentials. If you are caught without a lead-safe installer you can be fined up to $30,000. That’s definitely not a bill anyone wants to receive!
3. Lead paint, including lead dust, is one of the greatest causes of lead poisoning.
4. Lead poisoning, even just from lead dust, can lead to all sorts of health problems such as “behavior and learning problems, lower IQ, hyperactivity, slowed growth or hearing problems”* and we’ve probably all heard of far more severe cases that result in death.
*taken from the EPA
It is important to know that all contractors aren’t created equal (as clearly evidenced in the Coastal Windows & Exteriors Contractors Guide). All contractors aren’t going to do the best for your family. We had a great experience with Rocky, the installer that works for Coastal Windows & Exteriors. He was incredibly safety conscious and is very particular about my children not being anywhere near the window removal/installation process until after everything was cleaned up.
I have no doubt that if you use Coastal Windows & Exteriors you won’t ever have to worry about their safety practices or having your house gain value through any improvements they add to it!
