Installing energy-efficient new windows in your home can significantly reduce heat transfer and lower your energy bills. If you are considering replacing outdated or builder-grade windows, you should choose the most durable, energy-efficient options available. In addition to making your home more efficient, modern windows can improve the beauty and curb appeal of your home while increasing its resale value.

Here are nine great reasons to upgrade your windows in Baltimore County, MD:

Increase the Value of Your Home

Installing energy-efficient windows is one of the easiest ways to increase the value of your home. If you plan on selling your home in the next 5-10 years, replacing your windows can give you a return of up to 73% of their cost when you sell your home. Modern windows can also attract more buyers and even a higher quality of buyers when you put your home on the market. However, you don’t need to wait until your home is ready to sell before you consider replacement windows. If you install them now, you can enjoy their benefits while you still live there and look forward to recouping your investment should you sell in the future.

Improve the Security and Safety of Your Home

Many prowlers look at homes for signs of easy entry because they don’t want to make noise or attract attention by breaking glass or prying open a window or door frame. If your windows are old, damaged, or don’t lock correctly, you could be at a higher risk of a break-in. Damaged windows also make it easier for pets and wildlife to get in. If your windows are painted shut, they can cause a safety hazard if you need to escape your home in an emergency. Installing new windows gives you a chance to take advantage of upgrades in window security and safety features. Modern wood, fiberglass, and vinyl windows can be outfitted with smart locks, security features, and sensors that further improve your home’s security and safety.

Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality

Damaged windows, particularly warped or cracked frames, broken windowpanes, and gaps between parts of the windows, can allow dust, dirt, and allergens into your home. If you notice an increase in dust in your home or if your allergy symptoms have gotten worse, you should inspect your windows for signs of damage. Replacement windows offer enhanced protection from dust or allergens and can improve your home’s indoor air quality.

Make Your Home More Comfortable

Older windows are not as well-insulated from outdoor air. During the height or summer or the peak of winter, you may notice outdoor air coming in around your window frames. If you feel warmer or colder pockets of air in certain areas of your home, door or window drafts may be to blame. Older windows also can cause increased glare, and they don’t offer very good protection from harmful UV rays. Replacement windows are more efficient and offer enhanced insulation and UV protection. They can seal drafts in your home and prevent air leaks, which will make your home more comfortable year-round.

Enhance Energy-Efficiency and Lower Energy Bills

When your home is losing air from your heating or cooling system due to window drafts, your heating and cooling system will have to work harder to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. This will result in rising energy costs, and your home may still be uncomfortable in extreme temperatures. Energy-efficient replacements can reduce the wear and tear on your heating and cooling system. ENERGY STAR certified windows offer enhanced insulation, better protection from solar heat gain and UV rays, reduced risk of heat loss, and lower energy costs. Best of all, they will reduce your carbon footprint by making your home eco-friendlier and protecting the environment.

Increase Curb Appeal and Aesthetics

Older windows detract from your home’s curb appeal and can result in complaints from your neighbors or your homeowner’s association. Upgrading to newer designs allows you to match the style to your home’s architecture, your personal preferences, and even the look of other homes on your street. This will increase your home’s curb appeal and in turn increase the overall value of your home.

Reduce Noise

Modern windows come with enhanced sound absorption or sound dampening capabilities. If you live on a busy street, have noisy neighbors, or are tired of construction noise or traffic noise, new windows can help. Noise reducing windows can also reduce the noise your neighbors hear from your home, so if you have noisy pets or children, you can lower your chances of neighbor complaints.

Lower Your Risk of Needing Window Repairs

When you install new windows, you’re less likely to have to pay for window repairs in the future. With regular window inspections, maintenance, and weatherproofing, your windows can last for decades without needing major repairs or replacement.

Cut Down on Window Maintenance

Modern windows are designed to be low maintenance. When you choose vinyl replacement windows, you won’t ever have to re-paint, re-seal, or refinish your windows. New windows also offer modern features like more durable window frame materials that don’t require cleaning or repairs, protective window coatings that resist wear and tear, and more. Double-hung windows are easier to clean and offer enhanced ventilation options for your home. Casement windows open wide and are hinged at the side, so they are easier to clean and maintain. Sliding windows also open easily and can be reached from the inside so that you cut down on window maintenance time.

Explore Your Options for Window Replacement

At Badger Contracting, we can help you explore your options for window replacement in Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia, MD and beyond. Our experts specialize in new window installation and window replacement for new construction, new homes, and historic homes. We offer high-quality, energy-efficient window options including vinyl single-hung and double-hung windows, casement windows, bay and bow windows, and more. We offer precision installation to ensure a perfect fit.

Call us today or fill out our online contact form to ask questions or request an estimate for new windows.

Your roof protects your home, and when it is damaged, it becomes less structurally sound. While a high-quality asphalt shingle roof can last up to 30 years with proper maintenance, there are many things that can reduce its lifespan or cause wear and tear: extreme heat or cold, high winds, heavy storms, animal damage, water damage, mold and mildew, damage from tree branches, and more.

A damaged asphalt shingle roof can cause your energy bills to increase, allow heat and cold in your home, let pests in, and reduce your home’s indoor air quality. But deciding to repair roof damage can be a balancing act. Are you ready to make the investment in a new roof or extensive roof repairs, or do you think your roof can last another season? Here are some of the telltale warning signs that your asphalt shingle roof is damaged and needs immediate repair.

Increased Humidity or Condensation

A roof leak will increase the level of humidity in your home, particularly in your attic or on your top floor. You may also notice condensation on your walls and windows and a musty or moldy odor. Over time, increased humidity and condensation can cause structural issues with your home and damage your furniture and belongings. And without roof repairs, a roof leak will only get worse and more expensive.

Water Leaks or Water Damage

Your roof should keep your home (and everything in it) dry and protected. When your roof has a leak, even a minor one, you will notice signs of water damage in your attic or elsewhere in your home:

  • Water stains on the ceilings and walls
  • Rotten or warped wood
  • Rusted or corroded metal
  • A musty or moldy smell
  • Signs of mold and mildew
  • Bubbling, blistering, or peeling paint or plaster

 

Poor Indoor Air Quality

Your roof insulates and protects your home, but it is also a key element of your home’s ventilation system. When your roof is damaged and outside air can get in, your home’s indoor air quality will diminish. You and your family will be exposed to more pollutants, toxins, allergens, and contaminants. You might notice your allergy symptoms are getting worse or that you are developing respiratory issues.

Increased Energy Bills

Asphalt roof damage can lead to higher energy bills. Roof damage can affect your home’s ventilation and insulation and allow heat and cold into your home. Your home’s heating and cooling system will have to work twice as hard to get your home to a comfortable temperature, and your energy bills will start rising.

Pests and Insects in Your Home

Do you hear scratching in your attic? Have you found animal droppings, or do you smell a musty odor? Are there more gnats, mosquitos, flies, or other bugs in your home? When you have a sudden increase of pests and insects in your home, it could mean they have a new way to enter your home or that something in your home is attracting them. Holes in your roof, damaged insulation, and water leaks all attract pests and encourage them to stay—causing more damage to your home in the process.

Mold or Mildew Growth

When water consistently pools on your roof or leaks from your roof into your home, you will develop a mold or mildew problem. Mold can cause health issues, particularly respiratory problems and worsening of allergies and asthma. Mildew can damage underlying structures and make them less sound.

Sagging Ceilings or Buckling Walls

After a long period of water damage from a roof leak and exposure to the weather, your ceilings may start sagging and your walls may start buckling. Foundation problems caused by water damage can also cause your walls to crack or cause door and window frames to start separating from the walls.

Signs of Exterior Damage to Your Home

Most people are very familiar with the exterior signs of roof damage that indicate they need roof repairs. When your asphalt roof shingles are damaged by weather, extreme temperature, or animals, you will notice:

  • Dark streaks on your roof and/or siding
  • Peeling, cracking, or blistering siding
  • A sagging roof
  • Damaged or broken gutters
  • Cracked, chipped, loose, or missing shingles
  • Missing granules or granules in your downspouts or gutter drains
  • Curling shingles

Surprising Signs of Asphalt Shingle Damage

In addition to the appearance of your roof and the warning signs you might notice in your home, there are other surprising signs that it’s time to hire a roofing contractor for roof repairs. You should consider getting new asphalt roofing shingles if:

  • Your roof is over 25 years old.
  • Your have been hit by several heavy storms over the past six months.
  • You have noticed signs of animal nests or animal droppings around your home.
  • You have trees that overhang your roof.
  • You haven’t had a roofing inspection in 10 years or more.
  • You plan on selling your home in the next five years.

Call Badger Contracting for Fast, Honest Roof Repairs

If you have noticed any of these signs of damaged asphalt roof shingles in Baltimore County, you should call an experienced roofing contractor right away. At Badger Contracting, we pride ourselves on our honesty, integrity, and transparency. We offer comprehensive roofing inspections to assess any damage to your asphalt shingles, and we will never try to convince you to pay for roof repairs you don’t need.

Our free, onsite roof inspections are tailored to your needs and designed to identify cost-effective solutions. We are GAF-certified and a preferred contractor for durable GAF roofing shingles. In addition to roof repairs, we are also experts in roof replacement, new roof installation, and window and siding services in Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia, MD and beyond. Call us today or fill out our online contact form to ask questions or get started on your financing application online.