Archives

March 30, 2010

Your Kitchen Installation Questions Answered!

Planning a kitchen makeover but unsure of what’s involved? Our kitchen expert Jerry Stephenson is here to help.  After beginning his career as a cabinet maker, Jerry joined the Long Kitchens team in 1999 and now manages hundreds of kitchen installations a year. Here are some of the top questions clients ask him while preparing for their new kitchen:

1. How long will it take?

JS: That depends on the type of countertop selected. If the new kitchen is getting a high definition laminate countertop, the job will take between two and five days.  If the new countertop is made of stone or acrylic solid surface, the countertop fabricator needs to first make a template after the cabinets have been installed. In this case, the remodel usually will be completed in about two to three weeks.

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March 18, 2010

The Untold Victim of Snowstorms: Your Home – Part 2

It’s finally beginning to look a lot like spring around here, and as more people get outside to deal with the fallout from the February blizzards, we’ve been getting questions about preparing your home to prevent ice dams in winters to come. To answer some of your most pressing concerns, we recently caught up with Long Fence and Home Product Specialist Richard Ramos to seek his advice for withstanding even the worst winter conditions.

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March 3, 2010

Go Green and Save Green!

If you were thinking of converting over to a wood-burning stove, installing a couple of solar panels on your roof, or replacing your existing windows and doors, now is the time to do it!  The incentives built into the Federal Stimulus bill will expire at the end of the year.

Here’s a quick rundown of the tax incentives offered and how you can take advantage of them.

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March 2, 2010

The Top 5 Myths About Insulation

Myth #1: Insulation will stop hot/cold air from entering my house.

Truth: Insulation does not actually stop the air from getting inside; it merely slows the convection of heat from one side of a panel to another. How long it takes the hot/cold air to penetrate your home will depend on the type and amount of insulation you have, but eventually it will get there. Adding a radiant barrier to your attic insulation and insulated siding to the exterior of your home are two good ways to put an extra layer between you and the outside elements.

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March 1, 2010

How To Select The Right Windows For Your Home.

When you’re shopping for windows, there are some things you’ll need to know about that probably aren’t part of your everyday life: R-value, U-factor, Argon and Krypton.  We’ll shed a little light on what these terms mean and give you a checklist of things to look for when you’re window shopping.  Literally.

What is the benefit of having a high R-value?

It’s simple. The higher the R-value, the greater your comfort and the lower your home energy bills. Some high R-value windows do such a good job of keeping your home insulated that you might need to open your front door to know what the weather’s like outside. An energy-efficient window also will last longer, due to its ability to withstand expansion and contraction caused by heat loss/gain.

What is an R-value and why is it important?

When shopping for windows, it won’t take long before you come across the term R-value. A measurement derived from physics, the R-value stands for resistance to heat flow, or how well the window will insulate against the elements. In other words, how well it keeps your home guarded from the outside temperature. The higher the R-value, the better the window will help keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

What is a U-factor and how is it different from an R-value?

Another term you likely will encounter is U-factor, or the measure of the rate of heat transferred across a window. While some manufacturers prefer to talk about one measure versus another, keep in mind that the two values are inversely proportional: Energy-efficient windows will therefore have a high R-value but a low U-factor, indicating that the window is good at controlling inside temperatures and comfort levels in all seasons.

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