Western Construction and Replacement Windows
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say “I didn’t know you did replacement windows” I’d be a rich man.
Last week I was giving a free garage estimate to a home owner in NE Minneapolis. It was a older home probably built in the late 1800’s.
We were sitting at their kitchen table when I noticed their old wood windows were in pretty bad shape. It was the cold that caught my attention but it was the paint chips in the sill that gave me cause for concern.
I just finished my Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) certification class so I have a new level of understanding as to the dangers of lead poising in older homes, especially with children up to 6 years of age.
I asked my customer’s if they had any young children. They said they had 2, ages 2 and 4 with one more on the way.
Well,
I immediately stopped talking about his detached garage and asked their permission to discuss the dangers of lead paint and lead dust to small children. Of course they were interested, who wouldn’t want to protect their children.
Some Facts About Lead and Replacement Windows
According to the EPA lead poisoning can affect your children’s developing nervous systems, causing reduced IQ’s, learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
Lead dust is the most common way people are exposed to lead but you can get it into your body from the soil or paint chips.
Lead was used in more than 38 million homes prior to 1978 when it was banned.
After explaining the dangers that lead poising possessed in their home, they wanted to fix the problem as soon as possible. It was a large home so they were more than a little concerned about the overall cost. I assured them we had windows to fit every budget, in fact right now we have great financing programs that are easy to qualify for and we even have rebate programs for replacement windows that are part of the Federal Stimulus Program.
I explained to them about the below market financing with the Minnesota Fix-Up Fund, a 35% rebate up to $10,000.00 for qualifying replacement window projects and an additional $1,500.00 in tax credits for their new replacement windows.
Let’s Do Some MN Replacement Window Math
On a $10,000 window replacement project you can get $3,500 in Energy Saver Rebate dollars, interest rates below 6% at 5.99% on a 20 year amortized loan and a $1,500 tax credit which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. If that isn’t enough reason to purchase new energy efficient windows’ how about saving’s up to 40 % on your fuel bill every year.
I guess this is what you call a no brainier (no pun intended).
Obviously they went ahead and scheduled their new vinyl replacement windows to be installed as soon as possible because the Energy Saver Rebate program is a first come first served program.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the dangers of lead and your home please fill out my contact form and in the message box type Free Lead Test and I’ll have one of our lead experts come out to your home for a free lead analysis.
