Home Design Trends for 2017 [Infographic]
With home trends always changing, it can be difficult to stay up with the newest designs and products available. Clean lines, found art objects and the creation of intimate spaces is expected to dominate 2017 design trends. In addition, making a home more accessible to those needing mobility devices has become more popular. Design changes include widening doorways for easier movement through the home, placing higher toilets in all bathrooms for ease of use, and generally making homes ready for those that live within to age in place.
For homeowners in Caldwell, New Jersey and the surrounding area, RWC is ready to make your home more accessible, providing you with the style and comfort you deserve. To talk about your project ideas, check us out online today or give us a call.
Quality Pre-Finishing For Your Next Home Renovation Project
Thanks to media depictions of carpentry and construction, many people visualize the associated professionals doing all of their work right at their home. In reality, this is not the best way to go about things. Instead, it’s better to do the forming and finishing in a wood shop, factory, or similar facility. RWC’s custom pre finishing workshop allows all jobs to be done properly and quickly without any inconveniences to homeowners.
Why It’s Better to Form Things in a Real Shop
Proper wood shops have many tools that homes do not. The most obvious of these is heavy carpentry machinery. Floor-mounted saws, grinders, sanders, and other such machines are very stable. This allows for precise settings to be entered and maintained. The size of the equipment also means that there is no need to use makeshift supports for the pieces being worked on. Professional-grade safety equipment also prevents injuries. All of these things combine to allow the creation of close to perfect end results.
What Makes it Better to Finish the Pieces in the Shop
The short answer is that the end result is far superior. This is because the environmental conditions and application methods can be carefully controlled inside of a purpose-built facility such as RWC’s pre-finishing shop.
In the field, the prevailing conditions vary at each location, and this causes instability in terms of application rates, drying times, and the amount of wood dust present from other work. During the winter or even during a rainy spell, it can be impossible to apply finishes in the field at all. The weather has to be at the right temperature and humidity level in order to have a finish cure properly. Shops like RWCs have the heating and humidity control needed to allow for perfect results all year long.
A finishing shop is also better for the environment when compared to doing the work on site. The shops have ventilation systems that include specialized filters. These filters help keep the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) from stains and paints from polluting the air as they dry. Shops also have concrete floors that prevent any spilled material from seeping into the ground before clean-up.
Finally, doing finishing work outside of a house or residential property is better for the property itself. There’s no need to worry about spills or overspray damaging nearby elements like floors, counters, or landscaping. While overspray sometimes happens in shops, it isn’t a problem to them since they’re made with industrial conditions in mind.
Other Benefits of Using a Shop for Forming and Finishing
The other benefits of pre-forming and pre-finishing are easier for customers to see at a glance. There will be no mess in your house caused by the cutting and sanding of forming your cabinet doors, trim, molding, and other wooden elements. There’ll also be no smell from the primer, paint, stain, or other finishing materials. These factors eliminate the problems that accompany doing this work inside your house.
Speed is another big benefit. When the work is done in the proper environment, with the proper tools and supports, the process goes far quicker.
Durability is a benefit that becomes apparent later but is very important. When everything is made exactly right, the chance of problems like cracking surfaces, peeling paint, and fading stain becomes minimal.
Timing
Even if pre-finishing is done inside of a shop, it’s still best to get it done before the coldest part of winter hits. Projects involving exterior elements of a house, such as windows and doors, are often done only during good weather. Since it’s best to get these things installed as soon as they’re done, avoiding the winter is a good idea.
If you need work done on your house, make sure to give RWC a call. We offer windows and doors that have been properly pre-finished, as well performing the final installation. Call us (973-227-7123) or visit us online today.
The Luxury and Beauty Behind Decorative Stained Glass Windows
Windows are an essential aspect of home decor, but their full potential is rarely realized. That’s because people tend to focus entirely on the frames and the practical properties of the glass within them.
What’s missing with the traditional home view is the decorative potential of the glass itself. There are many ways to dress up windows for residential installations, ranging from a simple frosting all the way to staining. Stained glass is especially impressive in the right rooms and positions.
The Beginnings of Decorative Window Glass
Using glass in decorative ways is a practice that has existed for at least 1,000 years. It all started with the invention of colored glass, which has been around almost since time immemorial. Colored glass was first used to make small decorative objects. Later, it became possible to make the glass more durable, and it began to be used for windows.
Stained glass windows were first used in churches and other highly significant buildings, with the first use recorded as early as the 7th century. The concept, however, existed long before that: thin slices of alabaster and other naturally-colored materials were used for a similar purpose back in the 4th century.
Historic Residential and Commercial Decorative Glass
As stained glass rose in use at well-heeled churches, synagogues and mosques the demand for individual homes and businesses were starting to drive with varied versions of the beautiful decorative glass. This led to the rise of leadlights, these had designs that were much simpler than those of stained glass and were often colorless. Still, lead traces were used to create the designs in a manner similar to the stained version and therefore gave the style its name.
Other Types of Decorative Window Glass
As more technology became available other types of decorative glass came onto the scene. One of the most popular of these being frosted glass. Originally, this was relatively expensive because making it involved soaking glass in acid or sandblasting it. Then adding designs, either by etching them in or leaving them as the only plain parts, requiring, even more, time and skill.
Modern Decorative Glass Options
Today, people are far more prone to using decorative glass at home than ever before. This is because many of the options have become more affordable – sometimes substantially so. Window films, a relatively new arrival to the decorative landscape, have put a wide variety of effects within easy reach of homeowners.
One of the most popular effects provided by films is tinting, but the frosting technique is preferred for a more decorative result. Printing technology makes it fairly easy to put a design into a window, so this option is becoming popular. That said, some still prefer handcrafted frosted windows for their artistic value.
Bringing the Beauty of Stained Glass Home
True stained glass still requires the artistic design and assembly of multiple, small pieces of painted glass. Due to the extensive labor and skill that is involved in the construction, a stained glass window is an investment. Cheap alternatives, such as stained glass-style appliques, cannot pass for real and therefore are not preferred.
That said, it is far easier to get stained glass for a home today than it was during the Middle Ages. Increased trading options, improved production methods, and other such factors have dropped the price from cathedral levels and put it into the reach of, upscale homeowners. Therefore, it is being seen in modern homes more and more each day.
Thanks to the expansion of decorative glass options, all of the beautiful styles once restricted to specific buildings can be brought into the home with relative ease. To get ideas or get a quote for stained glass in your home, contact RWC today. We are experts at putting together the perfect residential decor packages.
3 Proven Reasons Your Building Needs Modern Commercial Windows
The key to making a profit while providing service when you own a building is to make the building efficient to use on a regular basis. Utilizing efficient new windows and doors is a relatively inexpensive investment which pays for itself with reduced power bills the adds value to potential clients who may lease rooms in the building and will recognize your dedication toward running a business efficiently.
Owning your first house is exciting enough as a place for you and your family to live, but owning an actual building is even more exciting as you realize the potential income it can provide for you to care for your family. While establishing a committed role in the local community with a commercial structure, the building you own will also generate income. It requires maintenance and repair costs, along with the expense of keeping it open and running as a commercial building whether you run a business inside personally or lease it to other companies for office and work space.
What to Look for when Choosing Modern Windows
Older buildings have older windows until they are upgraded with renovations and replacement windows to meet modern standards. Newly built structures have modern options available with new windows rather than replacement windows. There are several design aspects to consider when deciding on a window style whether constructing a new building or renovating an existing structure to make it more modern.
1. Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency always saves money in the long term. A commercial building neither needs nor demands the conveniences offered by residential windows, rather, it needs windows which maintain the controlled indoor atmosphere while allowing a view of the outdoors.
2. Cosmetic Appeal
A commercial or industrial building has a primary function of allowing businesses to perform. Whether a factory, office building, or storefront, the building provides jobs to the community and are local landmarks. As such, you want it to look nice from the street, upon approach, and to the people inside. Balancing efficiency and functionality with a cosmetic appeal is achieved with the proper architectural design which incorporates windows appropriate for the building’s needs.
3. Practical Function
The practical function of new windows can supersede efficiency and appeal, yet practical function incorporates the ideas of efficiency and appeal as well. South facing windows can incorporate a glaze coating to keep heat out during the summer, north facing windows can utilize double panes with inert gasses to keep heat in during the winter. Windows facing the east allow extra light in the morning while west facing windows can produce an afternoon glare if not properly treated.
The Multiple Roles of a Contractor with Commercial Windows
The contractor is the person who actually installs the new windows. Sometimes, the contractor has to alter the original plans for practical purposes, other times he has to explain the blueprints to the client so they can understand how it is going to look.
Design Process
The architect designs the building according to client needs, and the contractor understands how to fulfill the design parameters. Sometimes, the initial design has to change according to what the contractor can do with the available resources, but a great contractor can do so while maintaining building code and utilizing amazing window designs which keep the original concept intact.
Application
Installing windows is the contractor’s job, he does it well and has the experience to know what works best for different applications. You can trust that your contractor knows how to do the job well and complete it according to your expectations.
Conclusion
Whether you are renovating or constructing a new building, be sure to contact RWC for an estimate and advice toward practical completion of the project. We can help with design plans with practical application and labor toward completing the project according to your needs.
3 Ways Double Doors Can Easily Make Your Front Entry Amazing
Double doors provide a distinguished look for your home. With the wider entrance to your home, it will become more accessible for guests and members of your household. Double doors can transform a boring, understated entryway and make it the focal point of your house. With options available to you from RWC, your home is going to look beautiful for a small, cost-effective investment. When you are ready to change your front doors and you want to know what your choices are, RWC can meet with you and talk about various designs that would work for your property.
The Advantages of Double Doors
When you invest in double doors for your property, you will give your home a wider entrance. This will make it easier to move big items in and out of your home, and ensure that any guests with mobility issues will be able to get into your home with ease. Double doorscan be used to create a stunning entryway, no matter if your home is modern or traditional. The variety of options when it comes to double doors will give your home a unique look. Double doors are an affordable option when you want to make a big impact on the overall look of your home. You can choose double doors made of wood, fiberglass, and even metal.
RWC and Double Door Installation
An RWC employee will need to look at your front entryway to assess if there is a potential for double doors. If your current door is a single one, the transformation will require some light construction to widen the entrance. Together you will talk about your wishes for your front door, the look you are going for and the style you want your front entry to have. You and the technician will come up with a plan to make the front of your home look great for a price that you can afford.
Renovating Your Entry Door
There are a number of reasons to renovate your entry door. Whether you are bored with the look of your home, or you have substantial heat loss through your entryway door, renovating is the answer. If your current door is old, dented, or is no longer appealing, it’s time to increase the value of your home with a good looking entry. Double doors are a great solution when you want to upgrade your property. The construction required to replace or fix your original door may be just as expensive as installing double doors instead. You can make the front of your home completely different with a few small changes.
To find the perfect double doors for your home, contact RWC Windows and Doors today at 973-435-4230, or visit our showroom at 686 Passaic Avenue, West Caldwell, NJ 07006.