Local Doctor Finally Makes Move to Replace Old Windows
Local Doctor Finally Makes Move to Replace Old Windows
- July 14th, 2010By Catherine Hill
Selection – the Purchase Experience
Dr. Jim Shaughnessy, who is Chief of the VA Hospital Dental Clinic, and his wife Karen have relied on The Door Store and Windows for quality doors and windows – twice. The first time was in 2004 when they selected The Door Store & Windows to install windows and a door in a new room addition in their home near Seneca Park. The second time, in May 2010, they had been so pleased with The Door Store and Windows’s previous work on the room addition that they went back to The Door Store and Windows to install 22 new replacement windows throughout the original part of the house.
By that time the windows in the original part of the house were in serious need of repair. Karen notes that the house was built in 1937, so the windows were old, and they were not energy efficient. “Some were broken, and they did not open and close properly. They needed paint – and major, major repair.”
Having lived in their home for 22 years, the Shaughnessys were very clear in their criteria for replacement windows. “We knew what we wanted. The windows had to be energy-efficient with no maintenance needed on the outside. Yet they had to look like the house’s original windows,” Karen said.
Jim says that The Door Store and Windows took a lot of time to find a window that met all their criteria, including the traditional appearance, which was a major priority. While they had been quite pleased with the windows they had selected for the room addition in 2004, they chose Marvin Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung units for the 2010 replacement windows. Meeting the family’s exacting criteria for low maintenance and energy efficiency coupled with a classic appearance, the windows are aluminum on the outside with double-paned glass and traditional wooden mullions on the inside. The Shaughnessys extensive research confirmed the wisdom of their selection. “Consumer Reports named these windows as their highest rated replacement window,” Jim said. “And to look at them, you cannot tell they are replacement windows.”
While other stores in town carry similar Marvin window products, the Shaughnessys knew they would enjoy a positive selection, purchase and installation experience with The Door Store and Windows. “Other places in town carry Marvin replacement windows, but we knew that The Door Store and Windows offers exceptional customer service and excellent installation. The employees are courteous and well-organized. We have high expectations, and they have exceeded our expectations,” Jim said.
The Installation Experience
Once the Shaughnessys had made the decision to purchase Marvin Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung units from The Door Store and Windows for the original part of their 73-year-old home, the daunting process of installation began. Due to the presence of potentially toxic lead-based paint in most houses built before 1978, Federal regulations now specify strict guidelines as to how major home-improvement projects in older homes must be handled in order to prevent the lead dust from dispersing into the home and environment. Installation of replacement windows definitely qualifies as a major home improvement project.
As a result, before the installation can even begin installers have to meticulously prepare the site. The windows are covered in plastic, and all the furnishings, and the small items like lamps, are moved away from the windows. Typically the homeowners move the small things and they have the option of moving the furnishings themselves or having The Door Store and Windows crew move the furniture. The Shaughnessys opted to move the furniture themselves.
As Jim notes, he and Karen were very satisfied with the professional manner with which The Door Store and Windows crew handled the elaborate preparation process. “Our replacement windows were among the first ones to be installed under new EPA guidelines. It is an involved process, but The Door Store and Windows crew had been extensively trained in the new protocol. They were on top of it – very organized and professional.”
While the preparation phase was time-consuming, the actual removal of the old windows and installation of the new ones went quickly. The Door Store and Windows had allotted four days for the entire job, yet they finished in three days. They had a large efficient crew on site, “and the crew really worked the whole time,” Karen notes.
A stickler for an organized installation process, Jim says he appreciates the way the crew kept the family informed throughout the process. Each morning of the job, Karen met with the head installer, who showed her a detailed schedule of what was to take place that day. “They had a plan and they stuck with it,” she says.
For such an extensive remodeling job, one might expect to have an extensive home cleanup project after the job is completed. Yet the Shaughnessys were pleased that they had almost no cleanup to do themselves. As Karen observed, “Because of the extensive preparation and plastic sheeting, there was almost no mess inside or outside of our home after the installation. They have a special vacuum that they use to clean up the small dust particles. After it was all over, no cleanup on our part was needed.”
After Installation
The Shaughnessys say the first thing they noticed after the windows were installed was how quiet the house had become inside. In addition, while it is still too soon to compare utility bills from before and after the window installation, Jim noticed that the glass inside no longer feels hot to the touch like the window glass used to on hot summer days. Karen adds that she has noticed the air conditioner runs less frequently since the double-paned windows have been installed. “We are hoping to see a significant difference in our gas and electric bill,” Karen says.
And while it is also too soon to enjoy the long-term cost advantages of the no-maintenance exterior finish, it is a pleasure to no longer have to deal with old, cranky wooden windows that are in need of repair and paint.
Yet one of the family’s most satisfying observations since the installation of the new windows is that there is little change at all in the exterior appearance of the windows. The classic styling of the replacement windows fulfills their priority to maintain the integrity of the 73-year-old house’s appearance. In addition, Jim says that the installers used a heavy extruded trim product and a high-end finish that looks exactly like what was on the house previously. As a result, they have noticed that the neighbors don’t seem to be aware that replacement windows have been installed in the house.
In all, the Shaughnessys were as well pleased with their second experience with windows from The Door Store and Windows in 2010 as they were with their first in 2004. “They offer a quality product, quality people, excellent customer service and installation. They have exceeded our expectations,” Jim says.
To learn more about The Door Store, call 502-896-1717 or visit www.doorstoreandwindows.com.
