The basic structure that makes double-glazed windows good insulators is a layer of air that separates two glass panes. This layer is trapped between the glass panes and is completely insulated so that no leakage of air occurs between the glass panes. It will not absorb any moisture as well, thus preventing formation of fog in between the panes. You can choose to have a reflective coating on your window or it may remain clear as per your preferences.

Naturally, when there are two glass panes in your window, the thickness increases. This obstructs the heat from passing from one side of the window to the other. Another main component that helps in providing appropriate insulation is the air itself that is trapped between the glass panes. The science behind the trapped air acting as the insulator is associated with the motion of the molecules in this air. Heat causes the molecules of a material to move rapidly. These rapidly moving molecules spread the heat by hitting their neighboring molecules during their movement. This phenomenon is known as conduction. Since there is very little or no conduction through the air molecules as they are spread apart, that space serves as an excellent insulator.

Apart from insulating the heat loss or gain, there are few other benefits that a double glazed window offers. One is the reduction of noise pollution. Because of its design—just like heat—even the flow of noise will be obstructed to a large extent. Secondly, it will prevent condensation. Again, this is due to the barrier created by the insulating air in between the panes.

To obtain more information on the best glazing services for your Vermont home, contact Crowley Construction today.  We guarantee to provide you with products, materials and workmanship of the best quality for your residence, shop front or office building.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small. If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com. For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo credit: interior-designideas.com

Here are four tips for reducing your heating bills this Winter, from Crowley Construction.

Watch the Thermostat – The most obvious, yet forgotten, step in trying to control heating bills is to set a home thermostat at 68 degrees Fahrenheit or less. For every degree you turn the thermostat down, you can shave approximately 3% of your heating bill every month, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Consider alternative methods of heat, such as solar, wood, coal or electric, for times when the entire house doesn’t need to be heated.

Repair Leaks and Gaps –  A major culprit in heating loss in many homes is the occurrence of air leaks and gaps in windows, walls, floors and doors. Take the time to notice where the coldest areas of your home are, then call on Crowley Construction to make the needed repairs. These leaks can be costing you hundreds every year in lost heat and air conditioning, so it’s worth the investment.

Upgrade Insulation – If you’ve just purchased a new home, or have lived in the same residence for a while, you may have noticed a marked increase in your heating bill over the last couple of seasons. This is a good time to replace that old insulation in your ceilings and attics, to vastly improve the heat retention of your home. Get an experienced home remodeling contractor in VT to handle the job correctly.

Clean Heating System – Your home heating system has a tendency to build up dirt, grime and dust over the years in ducts, wires and internal parts. If you have pets, then this is even worse, as pet hair and dander can clog heating systems over time. If you’ve noticed that you are continually dusting your home, then it may be time to have a VT home repair company take a look at cleaning your heating system. This will help it last longer and run more efficiently, using less fuel and electricity.

For more information on keeping your heating costs low this Winter, be sure to review our helpful articles here, and contact a friendly home renovation agent at Crowley Construction today.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo Credit: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You’ve decided to have a deck built.  What’s next?  The most important step in designing your beautiful new deck is to choose the right decking material for your home.  There are a wide array of decking products to choose from with an equally wide range of prices.  Some options in decking materials include:

• Natural woods like Cedar
• Hardwoods like Tigerwood or Ironwood
• Treated wood
• Composite Decking materials which are a combination of wood fiber and PVC.
• 100% PVC Decking material
• Cellular PVC

There are also a myriad of choices when it comes to deck accessories.  You may choose accessories made from many different materials such as copper and stainless steel.  There are a plethora of railing options you can choose to customize your deck to match your personal taste and a variety of accent lighting options available for making your deck a comfortable place to gather after sunset.  Many accent lighting options are of the solar variety for the energy-conscious consumer.

Watch this video for more great tips on choosing the right decking material for your home.

Crowley Construction can help with your Vermont deck building needs.  From designing your deck to building your deck, Crowley Construction will be there from start to finish, making sure you have a beautiful and durable deck to meet the needs of you and your family.  Call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com with all your decking questions or to schedule a consultation.  Connect with Crowley Construction on Facebook for more great home improvement tips.  You can trust Crowley Construction to get the job done right the first time.

 
When purchasing a fireplace, make sure the one you’ve chosen has been sized for the area that you wish to heat, taking local climate into consideration.  Often, fireplaces will have an are heating capacity related to square footage.  Keep in mind that those numbers are usually based on 7’ or 8’ ceilings, so it’s crucial for you to know the actual size of your home in order to choose a fireplace that’s capable of heating it.  If you want to be absolutely certain you’re choosing a fireplace that will meet the needs of your home, have an installer perform a complete heat-loss evaluation on your home.  This will ensure that the fireplace you choose is neither too big nor too small for your home.  If your main motivation for purchasing a fireplace is to enhance the look of the room, the heat-loss calculation and fireplace sizing are less of a concern.

Here are some of the main advantages of hiring a professional home renovator to manage your home repairs and updates.

Low Home Renovation Costs  - Sure it may sound better to try to tackle home renovation projects on your own, but in many cases hiring a professional home renovation company to complete the work can actually save you a bundle of cash. This is because many home renovation companies have industry contacts and discounts with vendors and can get equipment and products for much less. They then pass these savings on to you, the customer. You’ll end up with a finished project that looks great at a much less cost than if you tried to do this alone.

Better Workmanship – Ever try to do something yourself and quickly discover you just don’t have the skills to pull it off? This is certainly true with home renovations and repairs, which will look very bad when done by unskilled hands. When you work with a quality home renovation company like Crowley Construction, you have the advantage of many years of experience and the skills of an award-winning crew of home renovation experts. Therefore, the work will be done correctly, the first time and every time. This increases the value and look of your home.

Licensed, Bonded and Insured – One of the biggest concerns with trying to handle home renovations on your own is that you will have to get special permits to do the work and you may also have to worry about having liability insurance to cover any workers you hire to do the job. What if something goes wrong and you damage your house during the home renovation project? Worse yet, what if you or someone else gets seriously injured? When you hire Crowley Construction, you are getting

Reliable Home Support – When the home renovation job is done, who can you call if you have an emergency home repair or decide you want to improve another area of your home? If you hire a reputable home renovation contractor, you can be sure that you have the support you need to handle anything that comes your way—including emergency repairs and future renovations. It is important to have a relationship with a home renovator whom you can trust to do the job well.

Before you try to tackle any home renovations, take the time to reach out to a qualified home renovation and repair company in VT for the best results.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo Credit: ddpavumba / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Let’s face it: Your carpets greet everyone that walks through your door and they take a beating all year long. And eventually they begin to show it. Consequently, when it comes to carpet cleaning, you need some effective tips that will allow you protect your carpet and remove stains, dust and other dirt that otherwise make you irritated.

Here are some easy to use tips from your friends at Crowley Construction that can keep your carpet always clean, safe and intact for not only the holidays, but also longer periods of time:

Use Entrance Mats — A good entrance mat protects carpet from getting overly dirty. The important point to remember is you should get a good quality mat that is as large as practical for the area you’re locating it in so that it can clean shoes and keep the soils off. In addition, you will need to clean the entrance mat regularly.

Stain Removal Tips — Stains on the carpet are common problems no matter how careful you are. When you try removing stains, avoid rubbing roughly and carelessly as it can make the stain permanent on the carpet as well as weaken the fabric. When you see a fresh stain, you can immediately cover it with a thick cloth and keep something heavy on it for sometime so that the stain get absorbed by the cloth. If the stain is not fresh, you can apply lukewarm water and then place the cloth on it. To dry it, avoid using hair dryer or ironing.

Steam Clean — Steam cleaning is a proven method for proper carpet cleaning. If you can do it your own if you purchase or rent a steam-cleaning machine, or you can hire a professional carpet cleaning company. You can go for steam cleaning yearly or every six months, depending on the amount of traffic and dirt buildup.

Use Mild Cleaning Products — When it comes to cleaning products, you should use the mildest available, as harsh products will reduce the life of your carpet. If stains look deep and permanent, only then go for harsh product, but you must read through its labels well and adhere to the application procedure as directed.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo credit: photostock

Trust experience. First and foremost, it’s always a good idea to get in touch with a licensed and experienced electrician. Skilled electricians are there to help you make the best decision when it comes to making changes to the wiring of your home, and for good reason. Trying to save a few bucks by doing this yourself can quickly turn into a dangerous situation for both your own personal safety as well as the long-term safety of your home. Why take chances? Consult with the experts at Crowley Construction for all your electrical needs.

Less hassle. As part of many home renovation projects, particularly those that include electrical work, you may need special permits and equipment to do the job right. This can lead to countless trips to local agencies, extra costs for equipment and permits, and needless stress. Instead of giving yourself a real headache, why not reach out to Crowley Construction for a more pleasant experience. A qualified electrician on our team can make sure that the electrical renovation goes smoothly, and that the results are to your needs.

Better results. Sure, you may have an idea of how you want your electrical project to turn out, but do you really have the skills to make it happen? DIY shows and the like try to make it seem so easy to handle electrical projects on your own, but what they don’t tell you is that there is a lot more that goes into producing great results. Since your home is your biggest investment of both time and money, why take shortcuts and end up ruining the way it looks and functions with shoddy workmanship? Get in touch with a licensed and experienced electrician at Crowley Construction for superior work and results every time.

Safer. An electrical project may seem harmless enough, until you accidentally start a fire from a faulty wire or a misplaced component. Electrical fires are the number one reason why people lose their homes annually, and they damage more than just real estate. Families depend on a safe environment in which to live, so why leave this to chance? When it comes to maintaining the integrity and safety of your home, a Crowley Construction electrician can affordably work on your electrical project for you, so you can have peace of mind.

For more information about Crowley Construction’s electricians, please be sure to contact us today for all your electrical and home renovation needs.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo Credit:  Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The good news is that there’s resurgence lately toward installing more economical wood countertops with very little—if any—loss of function. Wooden countertops, when properly cared for, are both long lasting and sanitary, and the modern adhesives are strong enough to keep the wood staves bonded together even when submerged into water.  Also, the finishing oils are safe in contact with food products and preserve the wood surfaces.

Solid wood counter tops exhibit many advantages such as:

Aesthetics — The wooden top is the natural complement of any solid wood or veneered cabinetry, and imparts a warm, relaxing feeling. The wooden tops will wonderfully go together with hardwood floorings, moldings, cornices and mantels, conferring a genuine sense of balance to your kitchen space.

Functionality — A hardwood top is very easy to cut to templates and even easier to install. Unlike the solid surface or laminate, wood tops have a minimum of chemical components, which make them extremely safe in contact with foods. Unlike other counter top materials, any occurring scratch can be easily removed by sanding the area without employing special tools or requiring special skills. Hardwood surfaces can be used as kitchen-island tops, inserted sink covers, sections of counter top, or as butcher block hidden under the countertop that can be pulled as drawer or cart.

Durability — If properly sealed and installed, a wooden top can literally last a lifetime. Unlike marble, granite or tile, the wooden tops have a great shock absorbing capacity that further assures considerable life span.

Hygiene — For many years, plastic and laminate surfaces, due to their non-porous structure, were considered much safer than wood for applications such as chopping meat. However, a study undertaken by the microbiologists of Wisconsin Food Research Institute and another one carried out at the University of Florida discovered the strong antibacterial properties that wood surfaces exhibit, properties that no other cutting surface appears to possess. According to these studies and to others that followed them bacterial populations on wood surfaces disappear quite fast, without external intervention, while on plastic surfaces they persist and actually multiply. Although these properties vary among wood species, the wooden cutting surfaces are increasingly accepted as the first choice of health-conscious individuals.

For more information on wood or stone counter tops, or any home improvement questions, contact the experts at Crowley Construction today!

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small. If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook!

Photo credit: Simon Howden

First, it’s important to note how big you would like your man cave to be, in order to make it functional and roomy enough to invite the boys over for a Sunday football game. Consider what game equipment, furniture and electronics you need space for in your home addition. We recommend at least a 12 X 12 room that will accommodate a large sofa grouping, pool table and plenty of tech gear for game night.

Second, consider where your new home addition should be located in relation to your existing home, for ultimate convenience and privacy with your man cave. If you want an area that’s free from traffic, choose a spot near the back of your house, ideally nearest to your garage. This will make it easier when you need an important part or accessory, or when you want to come in quietly (without waking the family). You also may want the option to extend into a backyard area for a spot to grill up some bratwurst or burgers on the weekend.

Third, check with local zoning laws as to make sure your man cave can be added to your home without too much hassle. Most home renovation contractors, like Crowley Construction, are well-versed in local permit and zoning requirements, to make your man cave a reality in no time at all. Get with a professional home renovator in Vermont to outline the plans for your man cave, and don’t try to build it yourself. There are so many neat designs to choose from, you will want to explore all the options with a quality home remodeling company today.

Want more information about creating a great man cave? Check with the award-winning home renovation team at Crowley Construction now for more help.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo Credit: Man Caves- DIY Network, Examiner

And all you want is a little peace and quiet amidst the squeaks and rumble of your hardwood floors.

If your home is an older one, you probably deal with this regularly. In years past, people weren’t as concerned with soundproofing as they are now. Lucky for today’s homeowners, however, there are now many different options and methods for soundproofing floors. Here are a few ideas from your friends at Crowley Construction:

Change the Flooring — Hardwood floors are the most infamous floors for causing annoying echoes and heavy footsteps. So if you’re in the market for installing a new hardwood floor, now is the best time to think about ways to soundproof it. Crowley Construction can consult you about the sound ratings of different species of wood and different manufactured wood flooring materials. Soundproofing floors is much easier if you take it into consideration from the very beginning.

Blocking Out Noise — Soundproofing floors is not a complicated procedure. You just need something between the hard flooring and the rest of the house to absorb noise. There are many different options for materials to place between the floor and the sub-floor to accomplish this.

Cork is very good at absorbing noise, and it’s being looked at with new interest lately as a more environmentally friendly form of soundproofing. You’ll only need a very thin layer, since cork is a very dense substance. This thin layer will be laid first, and then you will install the sub-floor and finally the hardwood.

Acoustic tiles and panels are also good for soundproofing floors. These panels were designed to dull echoes, and this is why they’re popular in large, open spaces. Simply install them as you would cork, making allowances for the differences in thickness.

When New Floors Aren’t an Option — If you rent and can’t redo your floors, or if it’s just not an option for you financially, there are still steps you can take for soundproofing your floors. If you value quiet over the look of hardwood, consider putting down carpet. Many families have a “no shoes” policy in their homes. Area rugs offer the same sound-deadening benefits of carpet with the added bonus of being moveable.

There are many different options for soundproofing floors, with something for every taste and budget. Do your research, and consult with the experts at Crowley Construction for help in deciding which options are right for you. And just think—once the work is done, you’ll get to enjoy a beautiful floor without the constant annoyance of excess noise.

The construction professionals at Crowley Construction can handle your Vermont home improvement project big or small.  If you’d like to have a private consultation, call 802-893-2603 or email gary@crowleyconstructionvt.com.  For more great home improvement tips, connect with us on Facebook.

Photo credit: Ambro