Top 7 Myths About Windows Replacement

Since the dawn of time, the humans used storytelling to communicate with each other and explain the world and man’s experience.

For example, what caused the earthquakes or volcano eruptions.

At their core, all stories began with the first person who told the second person a “true” story, then the second person would tell the third and fourth a slightly different version, often inserting their own facts, characters and plot twists to adopt the story to their own belief system.

And people based all story alterations on both fictional and real facts, which often originated from the one’s own view of the world.

Your life events, feelings, experiences and other factors all affect your interpretation and how you dictate the story.

When it comes to choosing a product or starting a new renovation project, we often go online in search for reviews, inspiration or forum discussions where stories about unhappy experiences are shared with the forum members—all this information ultimately support our decision for or against buying that specific product.

Apparently, a lot of information gathered online, as we mentioned above, is based on own’s experiences and feelings.

Or, myths that travel from one forum to another.

So, what seems to be a bad product experience for you will most likley form an opinoin that contains biases and negative interpretations, and vice versa.

Are there any misconceptions that surround windows replacement?

Part of our daily work at Bespoke Windows is to address many concerns and questions that homeowners might have prior to replacing their old windows.

To debunk some of the common myths about windows replacement, we’ve listed them down in this blog post to help you make more informative decisions about your next window replacement project.  

Table of contents:

 
 #1 Cheap or Expensive Windows, It Doesn’t Matter
 #2 Energy Efficient Windows Don’t Make a Big Difference
 #3 The Style of the Window is All About Looks
 #4 You Can't Replace Windows During the Winter
 #5 Replacement Windows Won’t Affect Your Home's Resale Value
 #6 All Windows Require the Same Amount of Maintenance
 #7 Easy Installation
 

#1 Cheap or Expensive Windows, It Doesn't Matter

Answer: false

Have you ever wondered how some companies afford a luxury of installing windows at ridiculously low prices?

The answer is by offering a cheap and rediculously assembled product  – or C.R.A.P. in short.

Low quality windows barely surpass a 10-year mark.

You can write a few more years off the 10-year mark, if you hire an unskilled labour to install your windows.

Bad installers tend to neglect the proper installation procedures in favour to speed and quantity of orders.

And once your windows step beyond their service life, they start to act like the villains whose sole purpose is to cause as much damage to your property as they can before you eliminate them.

If you disregard the first signs of detorioaration like leaking, rotting wood frames, drafts or other critical signs, then you can end up living in a damaged property, incurring unforeseen expenses to your already full list of home renovation projects.

However, the biggest downside is that you need to go through the replacement process again, which means you’ll have to:

• search for the best and trustworthy windows companies;

• familiarize yourself with the most recent advancements in the windows industry to understand how they benefit your property;

• dive in the endless stream of forum discussions to see yet again the same group of people ranting about their bad experiences with the windows replacement.

This rotation of events will likely occur quite often when you choose to deal with companies offering cheap and poor quality windows.

So do you still believe that cheap and slightly more expensive windows are the same?

Speak with an expert about your future windows replacement project. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

#2 Energy Efficient Windows Don't Make A Big Difference

Answer: false

The energy efficient windows that are made of cheap quality materials don’t reduce your energy consumption. In fact, they can even increase it.

There’s one noticeable thing about cheap non energy-efficient windows—they make your furnace in the winter and AC in the summer seasons to work harder during the peak times.

According to Alberta Utilities Commission, residential homeowners have seen an average increase of 6.09% in electricity tariffs since 2012; this number is believed to continue climbing up with the shifts in the climate.

While the winter consumption of electricity seems to ramain primarily unchaned, warmer summer season is what causing the homeowners to consume more energy.

Monthly sales (in GWh) and number of customers by residential market segment. Monthly data is shown from 2012 onwards.

And here when it's worth saying that the shift in climate causes the weather to act so unpredicatble.

If you look at the graphics below, you can notice how the climate has gotten much warmer in 14 year's span compared to the period of between 1951 and 1980.

The wider the bell curve the more more variable the climate is; we’re more likely to see the full range of extreme weather events.

A recent hail storm in Calgary is one of those extreme weather events that homeowners need to adapt their properties to in the future.

As North America’s summer climate has gotten warmer over the last three decades, it has also become more variable. The wider the bell curve, the more variable the climate.

Hotter summers and shorter winters will present a series of new challenges to homeowners in Alberta.

If your windows are not fitted, for instance, with the Cardinal's IG LowE glazing, then likely your current ones will admit up to 72% of harmful UV radiation and 83% of solar heat, which increase a strain on AC and expose your expensive furniture, flooring, and other things to fade prematurely.

In such events, you will be forced to replace your items and even redo flooring.

In frigid winter temperatures, one of the major concerns is the amount of heat that a house preserves without constantly running furnace.

Depending on the condition of your windows, around 18 to 35% of heat can be lost through the windows of a house that is not energy efficient, according to the Government of Canada website.

More energy-efficient windows can save you an average of 45% on your energy bills, and if you convert this percentage into a dollar amount, then you’ll save between $126 - $523 per year.

Moreover, energy efficient windows will also protect your home against extreme weather events like window storms and others, which make them a great value for money over the long run.

#3 The Style of the Window is All About Looks

Answer: false and true

When you’re purchasing new windows, then remember that the style of new windows will not only affect the overall appearance of your house but also have a strong impact on the practicality.

For example, if you’re after the large picture windows, then keep in mind that you need to have enough points of exit out of the house in the case of emergency.

The common window types include:

• Double-hung windows

• Double-hung with muntins

• Casement windows

• Awning windows

• Slider windows

• Fixed windows

• Roof windows or skylights

• Bay or bow window

• Glass block windows

Each type is unique in its own way, that’s why you need to install windows with understanding particularly how they will augment the overall dynamics of your living space.

Speaking about the practicality, casement windows have slightly modern style and when properly positioned and installed, they can be extremely useful for catching and directing cooling breezes into the home.

However, bay or bow windows create a statement as an ideal visual centerpiece in large living rooms.

They’re usually formed of multiple panels with windows of both casement and picture types.

With bay or bow windows, you can use that expanded area in your living room as a shelf space for growing plants or a reading nook.

That’s why you should always keep in mind that style of windows is not only about the appearance but also about practicality.

#4 You Can't Replace Windows During the Winter

Answer: false

Often we get calls just before the beginning of winter season from people asking whether or not our office remains open during winter.

Many homeowners assume that windows replacement companies closing their doors for three or four months until spring arrives.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, the winters in Alberta become warmer every season, that’s why we have more days now to enjoy the work outside.

Interesting fact, the annual count of frost days, when the minimum temperature is less than 0ºC, has decreased, on average, by 17 days from 205 to 188 for the past 67 years in Calgary; the future scenario, we might expect the 30-year average of frost days will be 157 days between 2041 and 2070 in Calgary.

Let’s get back to our topic.

When the new windows are being installed on the frosty days, the installers take precautions to ensure that your home is not exposed to frigid temperatures and everyone inside is protected from cold.

It’s important to mention that no one would ever attempt to replace the windows, if the weather drops to extreme temperatures, as that would cause your furnace to run at maximum capabilities, plus frankly it would be cold for everyone.

How do you replace windows in winter?

First, the rooms where work is taking place are closed off from the rest of the house to minimize temperature changes.

Before the window is removed, both crew members preparing the window to be taken out to ensure no debris and other elements to get in the house.

After taking the window out, your home will be exposed to cold for around 15 minutes until the new window is installed in place.

The next steps of installation will include applying expanding foam and sealing off any gaps against cold and water.

#5 Replacement Windows Won’t Affect Your Home's Resale Value

Answer: false and true

A typical home buyer considers an entire range of factors in the buying of a new house.

Some factors include the house location, year of construction, any urgent repair projects that a future homeowner needs to take and other equally important factors.

According to several studies, an ROI for an upscale vinyl window replacement is 73.4% and 70.8% for wood windows.

The ROI is calculated from the average cost of $12,000 to replace all the windows in a medium-sized house.

Based on that average, you’ll likely to get around $9,672 at resale because of the window replacement project, according to CBC report.

So, do windows affect the resale value of your house?

As we said, the myth is neither true nor false.

I think the decision to believe in this myth lies on your shoulders, because by spending over $12,000 on the windows, you’ll likely to get a little over $10,000 of it back.

The bottom line is the new homeowner would definitely appreciate the new windows and likely be more willing to purchase your house with the freshly installed energy-efficient windows, especially if your house was built a long time ago.

#6 All Windows Require the Same Amount of Maintenance

Answer: false and true

All modern windows are manufactured using technologies that allow homeowners to forget about the windows maintenance.

Window profile systems like Duraflex, Eurocell and others have a service life of up to 25 years, and premium German profiles from VEKA extend your windows’ lifespan for up to 40 years.

Such an incredible lifespan has been achieved by using unplasticised polyvinyl chloride or uPVC material in the production.

uPVC is known as rigid PVC due to its hard and not flexible design. It’s resistant enough to last for years under scorching sun and frigid winter temperatures.

uPVC windows don’t become discoloured or brittle as a result of exposure to the sun.

You can forget about repainting them again every few years unlike wood or cheap PVC windows that become discoloured, flaky and old.

#7 Windows Are Easy To Install

Answer: false

“I think you need to install this window the other way, maybe put more screws into it. I know what I’m talking about. I've seen it on YouTube.”

I hear this frequently from our customers when I stand on the ladder somewhat 20ft above the ground, trying to adjust the window to the centre.

It’s pretty funny how a lot of homeowners mythically think about the simple installation process of windows.

Although it’s cheaper to install windows by your own, this whole initiative can actually end up costing you more.

Just think about.

Besides apparent risks associated with the windows installation such as climbing a high up ladder or dealing with the sharp tools, an amateur job can lead to leaking, drafts and lots of blankets, hot tea cups and warm woolen socks that you’ll need to stockpile to deal with cold in the rooms.

Plus, what seems to be a simple and non technological piece of plastic is actually a combination of multiple parts and technologies staffed into the window.

You need to be knowledgeable about hardware and its use cases and benefits to your property. No house is the same.

For instance, our innovative Tilt and Turn windows combine hardware that attains a level of quality, features, performance and value for money that’s unmatched in Canada, and even in North America.

It provides the highest level of security, comes with self-cleaning glass technology and is able to withstand extreme weather events like hail or storm.