Window Video Viewers Beware
Amateur do-it-yourself videos are plentiful online, but there are times when you need a little help replacing an item in your home and want to make sure the advice you’re getting is top notch.  Not all DIY’ers will know absolutely everything about a tricky task like installing replacement windows. A video will help you understand written directions if you don’t know all of the terminology and provide helpful visual aids –but there are so many clips to choose from. Where should you start?

Here’s our list of the 5 best replacement windows videos for showing you how to perform this important task yourself with reviews and summaries of each.

Top 5 Replacement Windows Videos

5. Danny Rossa – How to Measure for New Windows

This is a good video for learning to properly measure the windows you’re replacing. Danny takes you through the steps of measuring the window space accurately and getting it right the first time. It’s one of the few videos which takes you by the hand and helps instill the confidence needed to start on your first personal window replacement project.  It doesn’t show you the final replacement, but you can watch the next video in his series to see how to easy it can be to complete the process in your very own abode. Danny’s clips are well worth your time.

4. Hub Kirkpatrick – How to Install Windows Part 1

This replacement window video takes you through the whole process, but the sound is a little uneven so you’ll have to turn it up!  The camera is shaky and moves too fast sometimes, but Hub Kirkpatrick definitely knows how to replace windows. He points out several common problems you might encounter during the project and offers solutions.  It’s a two part video, so you’ll have to watch both to see the whole process unfold.  Part two can be found here.

3. Kaitlin Poe – Step-by-Step Procedure for Replacing an Old Aluminum Sliding Window

Kaitlin walks you through removing a window for use in another house. She explains every detail with great care and explains why she’s using a given tool and method -  For example when she discusses the proper use of concrete screws. The situation is a bit specialized, but many of the fundamentals addressed here can apply to any window replacement project. The camera and sound are good and steady – and Kaitlin sure makes it all look easy!

2. Dave Belch – How to Measure for New Windows

This is another good tutorial on measuring for replacement windows, but this is such a crucial part of the process it deserves further review.  It’s only a minute and 13 seconds in length, but the presenter does manage to go through the entire process of how to properly measure the window and he should know – he’s been in the business for 27 years! Although, from the look of his baseball cap, we think he may rather be hunting. Solid production values and information throughout.

1. Tim Carter – How to Install a New Window and Frame

This is a great comprehensive video for learning all the steps when installing replacement windows. The clip is made very well with a steady camera and Tim has a clear tone and speaking voice.  He focuses on elements such as properly gauging the weight of the new windows, using shims, level placement, insulation and more. Tim certainly knows his stuff when it comes to replacing windows and this is our favorite video on the subject!

After watching all five of these instructional videos regarding DIY window replacement you’re probably chomping at the bit to get started. If, by chance, you’ve instead decided to leave the installation of replacement windows to the best professional team in New England – NEWPRO is here to help. Contact us today and let’s get started making your home as energy efficient as possible for you and your family!

NEWPRO gives back to the community!

 NEWPRO is providing “windows” of opportunity for The Home for Little Wanderers’ new Roxbury Village program by donating a houseful of windows. Roxbury Village is an innovative program that will serve young adults in Boston age 18-22 who are about to emancipate from state systems of care, as well as those who were discharged from care and are currently homeless. 

“The Home for Little Wanderers is proud to be able to expand our services to a population that really needs it,” said Joan Wallace-Benjamin, President and CEO, The Home for Little Wanderers. “The support of Roxbury Village through companies like NEWPRO will allow us to provide stable housing as well as intensive services including support and community connections to build the resources and skills these young people need to become self-sufficient, productive adults.”    

Roxbury Village is housed in a foreclosed property recently acquired by Developer L. Duane Jackson of Alinea Capital Partners LLC.  Acquisition and renovation funding was received from the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development, the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development Neighborhood Stabilization Funds and private funds.  

“NEWPRO is proud to support The Home for Little Wanderers’ Roxbury Village as part of our giving back to the community initiative. Our donation of replacements for the property’s 40 windows will help transform it into a home for the program’s young adults,” stated Nicholas Cogliani, owner and president of NEWPRO.  In addition, NEWPRO’s replacement windows will help reduce energy waste with superior energy efficient engineering and construction.  That means warm in the winter and cool in the summer comfort!  

For more information visit newpro.com or contact Marci Karales @ 781-897-0403.

NEWPRO donates windows to the Roxbury Village Program and Home For Little Wanderers

The NEWPRO team working with the Roxbury Village Program

Happy 95^th Birthday to the Cogliani family business founding owner, Mary Cogliani.   Three generations same family led and owned later, and known today as NEWPRO, the entire company celebrates Mary’s 95^th birthday by offering an exclusive one day only (1/11/2012) extra 5% discount to homeowners throughout New England in her honor. 

Mary was the foundation of NEWPRO’s award winning customer service practices that are carried on by her son and owner Nick Cogliani and grandson and director of operations, Anthony Cogliani.  In the later years up until 2008 when she retired, Mary held a customer service relations position at NEWPRO.  In 2008, she finally decided to put the phone down and enjoy the rest of her years watching her son and grandson serve New England homeowners and flourish in the business that she and her husband once ran.  

Most everyone who has done business with NEWPRO knows Mary from her follow-up phone calls to customers after their windows were installed to ensure a delightful experience with the project from start to finish.  Even after Mary retired from her position at NEWPRO, customers would call and send notes inquiring about her well being.

Mary made many friends serving New England homeowners throughout  the years and those friends became her family.  She truly is the epitome of delivering happiness as we know it today.

Her grandson Anthony and son Nick carry on her infinite efforts to ensure a delightful experience from start to finish with personal phone calls to customers and leadership that carries on the NEWPRO tradition. 

The entire NEWPRO family wishes Mary a very happy 95^th birthday!

In New England, it’s easy to plan for the year as we have the advantage of seasons.  So in the winter months you might think of some indoor projects and in the warmer months those exterior projects.  But really, here in New England anything can be done year round because you never know what you are going to get when it comes to weather.  This winter has been so mild compared to the winter weather of 2011.  There are lots of exterior home improvement projects moving full steam ahead taking advantage of the mild temps and weather.  

Some people think the winter months are not the time of year to replace windows but in reality there are some great reasons to “do it now”!  You can take advantage of great savings from companies who are working hard to keep installers busy and factories in full production.  More importantly, in my opinion, I believe cold month installations are done with energy loss top of mind.  The installation process itself is done a bit differently than in the warmer months.  Properly trained certified installers take great care when removing windows and isolating rooms to keep heat loss to a minimum.  It’s much more noticeable in the winter months if something is not installed properly as the draft or leak is more evident allowing the installer to make a more accurate adjustment or repair.  These are all great reasons to consider replacing your windows now and allocating budgets and time for other projects in the warmer months. Keep the heat in this winter and the cold out with energy efficient replacement windows! 

Stay tuned for more “shape up your home” tips and ideas soon!

Nick and Anthony Cogliani, 2nd and 3rd Generation NEWPRO family

Now that the holidays are in full swing and I’ve had time to reflect on many things to be thankful for these days –  one of those things is TIME.  I just read a blog from another home improvement industry expert and he hit the nail on the head (that’s home improvement lingo!).  Time is so valuable especially during the holidays.  What can we offer our customers in addition to energy savings? …. time saved.  Whatever we can do to expedite an experience with NEWPRO is time saved and we all know how important that is today.  We are all so busy with the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  I can’t think of a better gift than that!  Faster response, quicker turnaround – all without sacrificing superior customer service.  I read so many reviews on surveys from our customers.  One of the questions we ask is what were your remodeling concerns before you started your project.  Many customers respond to this with the uncertainty about the amount of time the process is going to take.  Here at NEWPRO we pride ourselves on accommodating this concern with a quick and efficient experience from start to finish.  Many customers acknowledge the gift of time by stating they thought it was going to take longer than it did and were surprised at how quick the job got done — I’ll say it again….the gift of time saved!  We’re thankful for everyone at NEWPRO who works towards delivering TIME SAVED and to our customers for recognizing that as a benefit of doing business with NEWPRO!

Vinyl siding, since it’s inception in the early 60′s, has always been under heavy scrutiny and criticism for all of its obvious flaws.  It warps, buckles, cracks, and blows off pretty easily.  Vinyl siding is not traditionally well insulating; it funnels rain water back into the home, cannot take an impact and it feels and
looks cheap.  A major issue has always been the hollow nature of the panel and the weakness of vinyl itself…until now!

NEWPRO has introduced New England’s Finest Vinyl Siding with Fullback Insulation.  The Newpro Fullback Insulation system delivers!  All of the flaws have been overcome and each panel is just over 25 feet in length greatly reducing the visibility of seams.

First the system is a full support system for the vinyl siding panel.  The look and feel is rich in texture and strong like real wood.  The hollow cavity is now a full wall of insulation which raises the R-value of the exterior wall 3.53 R.  Push on the panel and you will fall in love with the solid core structure. The panel is solid, straight and holds tight to the wall.

Watch Video- Insulated Vinyl Siding Impact Test

VS.

Watch Video- Non-Insulated Vinyl Siding Impact Test

Second the NEWPRO full back system also eliminates thermal bridging, one of the major causes of heat loss in a home. Thermal bridging occurs when heat in the home transfers through the wall cavity thru the 2×4 frame construction.  Wood, being a conductor of energy/heat conducts the energy from inside the home to the outside of the exterior wall.  This can be visibly seen in the early morning hours during the morning dew.  The dew will dry on the studs first, leaving dew on the exterior walls between the studs where the fiberglass insulation lays.  Thermal bridging can also be seen through infrared sensor technology. With the NEWPRO Fullback Insulation system thermal bridging is eliminated and hot/cold spots on the wall are evened out drastically reducing the energy draw on the wall.

Thirdly the NEWPRO Fullback Insulation can take an impact.  Be it hail, a baseball, tree limbs, rocks shot out of the lawn mower or falling tree branches the insulated siding panel absorbs the impact energy and bounces back to its shape like new.  The NEWPRO fullback insulation system is designed to absorb the impact energy, compress and decompress back to its original form.

Watch Video- Iceball Shot from a Canon at Fullback Insulated Siding

Fourth, the NEWPRO Fullback Insulation system is resistant to termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, spiders and other harmful insects.  A topical insect deterrent is mixed into the product during the manufacturing process called Preventol^TM  .  Preventol^TM  not only kills the invading insects, but it will also eliminate the nest, eggs and larvae.  This will save money on yearly insect treatment plans which involve chemicals and poisons being sprayed as a
barrier around the home.  These chemicals and poisons can seep into the soil and water systems.  Your home will be protected, safer and healthier.

Having the right foundation behind your siding is as important as choosing the right siding!  The Newpro Fullback Insulation system is the finest
foundation in New England for a beautiful look, quality feel and top performance in every aspect.  To learn more please call 866-573-8310 or schedule a free in-home consultation today.

Treatment:  Bathwraps by NEWPRO!

Face it, the bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the home.  For some it’s the only place you can escape and be guaranteed privacy.  If you are tired of looking at that same dingy, outdated bathroom or if you need improved accessibility for safe bathing needs, consider updating and improving those conditions with a tub or shower liner and wall system, tub to shower conversion, American Standard™ walk-in tub or low threshold shower stall with a seat!  There are so many options to create a beautiful bathroom from styles to accessories to a variety of colors. With liners, you’ll save valuable dollars and sometimes weeks of valuable time with a bath or tub liner system remodel for your bathroom.

Who doesn’t like to start and end their day in beautiful surroundings???  With your new Bathwraps by NEWPRO you can create your own refreshing private space AND…once in a while invite the neighbors to show it off!

Anthony Cogliani accepts the 2011 Provia Platinum Club Award

 This national award is based on ProVia’s custom state-of-the-art door product sales. The award is presented to companies who meet a certain sales and customer satisfaction criteria. That means there are lots of delighted NEWPRO homeowners enjoying their superior quality NEWPRO Provia doors!  Anthony Cogliani, third generation and son of Nick Cogliani, NEWPRO owner and president, proudly accepted this national award for the ProVia Platinum Club.

Fewer than 5% of ProVia’s customer’s earn this national award, which is a good indication that the bar is set high, and NEWPRO deserves it!  Other 2011 NEWPRO industry awards and recognitions include  Window & Door Top 100 Manufacturers of the year, 2011 Replacement Contractor Service Excellence Award, Replacement Contractor Big 50 and Qualified Remoder Top 500!  NEWPRO is once again recognized as a leader in the remodeling industry.  Thanks NEWPRO customers for opening your doors to us!

Big 50 Award recipients, father & son, Nick & Anthony Cogliani

Nicholas A. Cogliani, owner of NEWPRO, and his son Anthony Cogliani were selected by Remodeling magazine to join the National Remodeling Big50. The Big50 awards were presented at a gala dinner at the Remodeling Leadership Conference in Arlington, VA on May 13, 2011.  NEWPRO  is very honored to receive this distinctive national award that exemplifies leadership and excellence in the remodeling industry.  NEWPRO was one of only 50 companies selected nationwide to be awarded this presitgious award. 

Following a lengthy evaluation and interview process, the editors select the 50 individuals from companies nationwide who demonstrate the best of the industry that year. Winners are selected in the categories of business savvy, fine design, industry impact, market wise, movers & shakers, niches, sales & marketing, and teamwork. NEWPRO was selected for the category of Industry Impact. 

2011 Remodeling Big 50 Award

Nick, Anthony and the entire NEWPRO team know one thing for sure, this recognition and the many other awards we’ve received over the years would not be possible without the thousands of homeowners who chose NEWPRO windows!  We continue to learn each day the needs of our customers and strive to deliver exemplary products and services!  We share this recognition of excellence with our incredible NEWPRO homeowners.  THANK YOU!

Below is an excerpt from the nsc.org website related to National Window Safety Week:

About National Window Safety Week

Observed annually during the first full week in April, National Window Safety Week is designed to heighten the awareness of what North Americans can do to help keep their home and family safer from the risk of accidental falls or injuries in the home, especially as windows are open to provide ventilation. While National Window Safety Week is observed annually, safety education occurs throughout the year.

Purpose

The Window Safety Task Force of the National Safety Council strives to provide educational information and heighten safety awareness to help consumers take the necessary action to prevent the risk of window falls and to understand the vital role windows and doors play in fire safety.

Key elements

The task force emphasizes the life-saving role doors and windows play as the primary exits and secondary means of escape in the event of a fire. Doors serve as exits, while windows provide an alternate means of escape. The group also reminds North Americans that screens are designed to keep insect pests out, rather than holding a child’s weight; therefore, children should not be left unattended around open windows. In homes with young children, for greater safety, windows within reach of children should remain closed and locked, or when double-hung windows are available, the bottom sash should remain closed, while the top sash is opened to provide ventilation. In addition, the coalition reminds consumers to avoid placing furniture under windows, to prevent potential climbing and falling hazards for young children, or hinder a quick escape in the event of a fire. Responsible adult supervision at all times is an essential element in helping keep children safe around open windows and doors.

For more information and resources visit nsc.org.

Wishing you a safe and happy spring!