At the Atlanta show a couple of weeks ago I talked with several individuals who mentioned that there are lots of opportunities out there for the glass industry when it comes to retrofitting. I’ve been reading about a couple notable examples of retrofits in the consumer press, and it’s a topic we’ll be looking at more closely in USGlass in the future. So if you’ve noticed this trend, or are planning to take part in it, please send me a note about your current or planned retrofit projects.
On a much smaller scale, I’m excited to share that the first real remodeling project at my own home is going to involve a new, energy-efficient door and window. I’ve been living in the 20-year-old house for a full two-months now. My projects have included painting most of the upstairs, whereas my roommate tends toward more extreme (i.e. expensive) measures to personalize our home. But I could hardly argue with him when he proposed this project, since it would mean a chance to visit some local glass shops (glass geek that I am).
Saturday morning I got to meet Ken, the second contractor to come out and offer a quote on our little project. We explained that we wanted gone the foggy old sliding glass door that breaks up the very long den. Instead we’re hoping to install at one end a French door to lead out on the deck and on the other end, close to the fireplace, install a window. It’s essentially an attempt to make more cozy and usable an unusually long and narrow room that's broken up in odd ways.
Ken listened while we explained, nodded a few times, and said, “Sure, that’s no problem.” Once he got to offering a quote it seemed he might be right.
Ken went on to explain that now is the time to be doing remodeling projects, when so many contractors are out bidding on the same project (an unfortunate problem I’ve been hearing repeated by glazing contractors). He added that purchasing new doors and windows is a great investment now given the tax credits available for these energy efficiency upgrades (I smiled and nodded, pleased to hear that this benefit was being promoted – for more information you may want to visit our sister publication DWM’s e-green site). Ken finally said that if we had something particular in mind regarding the new glass products, we could pick them up ourselves and he’d be happy to supply the labor. Now the only tough part here is to shrink everything I’ve been reading/writing about, and all the products I got to eye at the show earlier this month, into a selection for my own home.
Consider this part one of my glass adventure. We’ve got one more individual swinging by to offer a quote, and then I’m off to shop some of the local glass shops – I’ll keep you posted on what I find.
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