Reference Lists?

Of course, consumers should check references.  But remember that people don't list the job that they were fired from on their resume!  Yes, it's a good idea to drive around and look at windows before deciding which company to trust your project to but lets be honest about reference lists - they are populated by that the happiest customers!

Advice:
Ask Adams Home Windows for a list of projects that will be starting / completed at a convenient time for you can visit.  Show up and watch.  Are the window installers clean and considerate of the situation?  Is the site well kept?  Would you trust them inside your home?  Is the homeowner happy?  Are things going as the homeowner was promised?  Pay specific attention to the caulking!  Is the bottom of the window warped or bent like a frown?  Is there order to the project?

Adams Home Windows has a reference list that is the size of a phone book.  But honestly, as a consumer, I wouldn't trust reference lists.  A Reference list is only proof that a company is capable of competence, not that they make a habit of it.

        

Services

Adams Home Windows offers the best deal to meet the needs of each specific customer.  We value education above high-pressure sales and we are free to offer almost any product that is available to this market.  Our goal is to educate our customers until they can make an informed decision about the product that would work best for them... then offer that product at an affordable price.

Most of our competition is in the business of arguing that their window is better than all others.  But, because we do not have an obligation to sell any window exclusively, we do not have to make this argument.  It's a false argument anyway!  Some window manufacturers produce high quality LARGE windows... some produce better small windows.  The best window manufacturer in the world might not produce the best ROUND windows.  One window manufacturer might provide more color options while another provides different grades of Energy Efficiency. We haven't even started talking about the differences in affordability!!!  There is no "one size fits all" window.  It's our job to listen to our customers and give them the options and information that they need at an affordable price so that they will choose us for their project.

Adams Home Windows has been leading this industry in the DFW area for a very long time.  After thousands of projects, our BBB report is clean and our reputation is second-to-none!  The fact that Adams Home Windows generates 67% of our work from referrals speaks to our honesty, reliability and quality.  We are still family owned and locally operated and we've never out-grown our responsibilities to each individual customer.  Even if we don't win every job - we appreciate every opportunity.

        

Our Windows

Adams Home Windows does not sell any specific window exclusively.  As long as the manufacturer and the product meets our standards for reliability, durability and quality, we have no obligation to sell one window over another.  Depending upon the needs of our customers, we are free to offer the product that meets their specific situation.

Along with familiar window labels like Pella, Andersen and Marvin, Adams Home Windows offers smaller labels like Ellison and Wincore.  There is no reason why Simonton, Alside and Great Lakes Windows should sound familiar to the average homeowner but each of these windows has specific qualities that might make them a more attractive choice.  Adams Home Windows maintains a fantastic relationship with local window manufacturers like Home Craftsman, Don Young, Burris and Royal.  Under the right circumstance, Peachtree, Jeld Wen or Mi Windows might be a better choice.  Of course, most customers are simply looking for the best price but that means finding the best price for their specific situation.

While the replacement window market is certainly weighted toward Vinyl, Adams Home Windows also offers Wood, Fiberglass and Aluminum.

        

Windows on a Budget

• invest·ment  

  • /inˈves(t)mənt/
    

    Noun A thing that is worth buying because it may be profitable or useful in the future.

This definition doesn't tell the complete story about "investments", does it?  We all know that there are GOOD investments and bad ones.  The best investments pay off in the short term and continue into the long term.  Windows can be that kind of investment but lets not pretend that there is no risk.  Is there anything better for your budget than making a good investment?  Is there anything worse than a bad one?  Just like every other important purchase that you make for your home, underpaying for windows can be as dangerous as overpaying for them.

Our advice is to avoid paying for labels.  Most of our customers are surprised when they learn that the best buys on the window market are usually from manufacturers that they've never heard of.  Most of the most familiar window manufacturers actually specialize in "New Construction" and in our opinion remain behind the curve on "Replacement Windows" (an entirely different animal).

The key to finding a window that saves long-term money without breaking the short-term budget is to work with a company that can offer estimates on multiple budget windows.  Some manufacturers provide great prices for large windows, others for small windows.  Some manufacturers provide better prices for colors or styles.  Not all "Single Hung" windows are cheaper than "Double Hung" and sometimes the most efficient glass doesn't make the most efficient window.

We at Adams Home Windows consider it our job to find each homeowner the deal that will work for both their short & long term budget.  Remember to check our Twitter feed for updates on Manufacturer promotions and deals.  We update it often.

        

Energy Efficient Windows

Before I write a blog about window efficiency, I suppose that I should first ask the question,"Efficient for who?".  Making a window energy efficient for a northern climate means Triple Pane Glass, large I.G. units and heavy inert gas between the panes.  Southern climates depend more upon high quality LowE.

The Low E (Low Thermal Emissivity) Situation:
Objects that are highly thermally emissive simply get hot when heat is applied.  Imagine walking bare-foot across a black pavement parking lot in the summer.  Black pavement has a HIGH low-e rating because it doesn't reflect the suns heat.  Black pavement absorbs the suns heat and radiates it.  White pavement, on the other hand, reflects more of the suns heat, meaning that it has a lower rating.

Glass actually has a fairly high "Low E" rating (like Black Pavement).  However, quality glass manufacturers can add a metallic mixture consisting primarily of tin or silver to the glass that significantly reduces the "Low E" rating.  The idea is that eventually this Low-E metallic mixture will only effect the UV spectrum and block 100% of the invisible "Heat Light" while allowing 100% of the visible light.  Unfortunately, we aren't there yet.  Very Energy Efficient windows are now capable of blocking up to 80% of the heat-light (UV) while only blocking 5% of the visible light (barely tinted).  Severely tinting (reducing the amount of light that comes through) your windows is no longer the smart way of reducing the amount of heat.

Pane Thickness (Double and Triple):There is the issue of thermal conductivity.  Think of it this way... if you had a ruler that was made of iron and you heated only one end, that heat would eventually conduct all the way to the other end.  Thermal conductivity also applies to glass.  If the sun heats up one side of the glass, how long will it take before the other side gets hot?  The obvious next question is: if the sun heats up one side of the glass, how long until the inside of your home gets hot?   We can significantly reduce this conductivity by adding another pane of glass with a large airspace between them.  This means that heat (or cold) will have to conduct through the glass, heat (or cool) the airspace to such extremes that it then conducts through the second pane of glass.

Gas (Argon / Krypton):Hot air rises and cold air falls.  This also happens in the air space between the two (or three) panes of your window glass.  This "rolling" effect causes heat (or cold) to conduct faster and a window to break down quicker.  We can reduce this effect by replacing the air with gas.  Argon and Krypton gas are much heavier than air and both resist the rolling effect.

        

Vinyl, Aluminum, Wood or Fiberglass?

Recently, we have been talking to some potential customers who have mentioned our "pro-aluminum" competition. Of course we understand that we still have some "old school" window competition around Dallas who have exclusive deals with aluminum window manufacturers. Heck, even we still sell Aluminum Windows on occasion. But to argue that aluminum windows are in any way superior to vinyl windows is just irresponsible of any window company who plans to remain in business long-term..
Folks, the windows that you currently have are probably aluminum. And how old are they? 15 - 20 years old? Simply walk over to your existing windows and examine their condition. Aluminum replacement windows fade, corrode, conduct heat/cold, conduct sound, they often "rattle" and the seals never last very long. Aluminum windows become hard to open and sometimes difficult to keep open (SLAM).
Every summer day the Texas sun heats the exterior of an Aluminum window to extraordinary temperatures, melting the silicone seals. That evening those seals re-congeal when the temperature drops. Repeat... month after month, year after year. This cycle is one of the reasons that your windows are so drafty. Also, because Aluminum conducts so well - when the exterior aluminum gets hot/cold the interior also gets hot/cold. The inside aluminum temperature simply radiates through the room as if it were a space heater or A/C vent.

Vinyl Windows on the other hand, are terrible conductors of heat/cold. They don't get nearly as hot and the seals stay in tact throughout the summer. Vinyl doesn't corrode like Aluminum and they tend to "flex" with the movement of Dallas homes, allowing them to smoothly open and stay open throughout the lifetime of the home. Aluminum windows can be painted. That is the only edge that they have on Vinyl. But in Dallas - a painted window must eventually be re-painted. Vinyl is virtually maintenance free.

Wood Windows are the most energy efficient type of window but most of our potential customers simply can't afford them.  Of course, wood is paintable and easy to match to your existing interior / exterior but if you paint them you must ALWAYS paint them.  Yes, they are more decorative but those decorative moldings rot and decay.  There is a risk of buying an expensive window that will need to be replaced relatively quickly if the homeowner forgets about inspections or painting for a season.  However, for those diligent homeowners who can afford them, wood is an extremely attractive option that adds warmth and beauty to a house.

I'm sure that some of our competition and any manufacturer who offers them will disagree with our opinion of fiberglass windows.  Unfortunately, the truth is the truth.  Fiberglass windows are not only expensive, they are brittle.  It is very common to see splintering and cracking relatively quickly with fiberglass windows and they're (in our opinion) just too expensive to have such expensive problems.  Of course, there are salesmen out there who make huge profit margins from selling fiberglass windows but Adams Exteriors is still searching for one that we can stand behind.  Check back in a few years.