Benefits to Awnings and Carports

These are the dog days of summer. We are all tired of the heat, and might be thinking of ways to help to shave some of our energy costs before next year. Adding awnings and carports not only increase the value of your home for resale, but can protect your investment and its contents as well.

Awnings, although aesthetically pleasing, provide so much more than an artistic statement. After choosing your favorite color, texture, material (metal or fabric) and location, you'll notice more and more benefits. For example, your awning will protect your windows and siding from sun, rain, sleet, hail and wind. It will also protect your furniture, floors, and carpets from the fading effects of the sun. The American Association of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers reports that awnings can reduce heat gain in your home between 55 and 77% depending on the direction. That's a lot of energy savings!

Similarly, carports have many benefits as well. Obviously, most consumers buy and install a carport to protect their cars from the weather. However, carports, usually located close to your home's structure, increase your personal safety as well. Some consumers even use their carport as an outdoor room complete with furniture for entertaining. Maybe you are in need of additional storage for ATV vehicles and bicycles, or you'd like to store items from the recent sale of a family estate-simply add walls to your carport to organize anything.

Awnings and carports are a stylish and moderately inexpensive way to solve so many household problems. Call today for a quote.   

Which Grout Color? Consider Your “Grout Personality”!

This blog post originally appeared on the ProVia Blog and was written by  Jerome Zenoby, Heartland Siding and Heritage Stone Brand Manager for ProVia.

When homeowners are looking at Heritage Stone by ProVia for their home, it’s all about…the stone! But you can also add a lot of design drama with the right choice of grout color. A good manufactured stone installation can become GREAT when adding colored grout. What kinds of color choices should you consider? Here’s a simple guide to help you choose just the right “grout personality” that reflects your personal style.

Sophisticated and Elegant
For an understated, elegant look, match the grout color with the dominant color shadings in the manufactured stone (shown below is Chesapeake Ledgestone with white grout).

This is a subtle-but-sophisticated choice, for those whose tastes run conservative. The lady of the house might think of this like pearls for a little black dress – always appropriate; always in style.

Chesapeake Ledgestone with White Grout

Bold and Dramatic
This high-style look brings bold drama to the home. The key here is to choose a grout color that’s the exact opposite of the stone color. With light stone, use dark grout, and with dark stone use light grout.

The effect is eye-popping, and shows off the shapes and textures of the manufactured stone. This attention-getter is for those who NEVER want to blend in with all the rest.

Chesapeake Ledgestone with Grey Grout

Rustic and Earthy
This grout color choice blends both of the approaches above, and reflects the array of earthy colors found in nature. In the photo below, the wide range of shadings in Seneca Drystack manufactured stone sets the stage. Choose a grout color that matches one of these shades, and it will naturally contrast with the others.

For nature lovers and those who appreciate the full spectrum of rustic earthy tones, this is a perfect choice.

Seneca Drystack with Brown Grout

Color-Coordinated
For a pulled-together look, weave a matching color choice throughout the various elements of the home’s exterior. In the house photo below we’re showing SenecaDrystack with brown grout color in a shade that matches the brown in the Cedarbrookshake and the HeartTech siding, the front entry door and the garage door.

This look reflects a designer aesthetic, providing instant curb appeal. Just like a well-coordinated suit, shirt and tie, this look projects confident quality.

Seneca Drystack with Brown Grout

It’s All About the DetailsAt ProVia, we serve by caring for details in ways that others won’t. We hope these ideas for choosing grout colors will help you polish up the details of your home with style.

What’s YOUR grout personality? Comment below and let us know!

Unified Windows August 2014

Please take a look at our August 2014 ad for specials and discounts.

Why You Should Insulate Your Home

Insulation is the most important feature that contributes to your comfort and home's overall energy efficiency.  Without proper insulation, your home needs larger, more expensive heating and cooling devices to keep you comfortable and those devices need to harder, consuming more electricity or gas and costing you more money.

Heat rises.  When the lower part of your house is nice and warm because the furnace is working overtime, the warm air rises up and away into the attic and out the roof.  Experts agree that the attic is the greatest single heat loser in the home. The only way to prevent this is to insulate.  The good news is also works for cool air in the summer when your air conditioner is struggling to keep you cool.  Consumers usually save between 30%-50% on heating and cooling when they insulate.

How do you know if you need insulation?  If your home is over 20 years old, you probably have less than the recommended level of insulation.  A good way to check is to look at your attic.  If you can see the top of the ceiling joists, you need more insulation IMMEDIATELY.

Still not convinced?  Here's a list of reasons to insulate.
1.  Insulation saves money.  Insulating both walls and attic can save a household between 30%-50% every year in heating and cooling costs.
2.  Insulation is green.  Insulation helps fight global warming and climate change by reducing CO2 emissions.
3.  Insulation makes your house more comfortable to live in.   Come on.  In summer - it's HOT!  Your air conditioning can work all day and never get below 85 degrees.
4.  Depending on the material selected, it can be good for the environment.
5.  Insulation increases resistance of your home to fire.
6.  Insulation requires no maintenance or replacement.  It works as good as the day it was installed.

Of course, Unified Window is here to help.  Just contact our office at (888) 631-2131 to schedule a free estimate.  Our experts are happy to answer your questions and work with you on your insulation.  Just try to stay cool until we get there.