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Chapman Windows and Doors Article Center
Learn about various home remodeling projects and get diy tips from our professional staff. We have also included a great deal of info about subjects like replacement windows, vinyl siding and entry doors to help you understand more about your options and how different products can by used.
Custom Signature wood Pivot door Project type Custom door prep and installation. Custom Door Stain Product used Signature Door
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For 27 years it has been our honor to serve our local community. As a family owned and operated business, we appreciate the trust and support from our customers over the years. Here are some of the actions we have taken to adapt to the current situation:
Stay Connected - Design Showroom Appointments Are Still Available
We are working full time to service our customers. Our experienced design consultants are available now to show you options for your home project needs. You are welcome to just stop in, or call and schedule a showroom appointment. If you would prefer a virtual appointment, reach out to us by sending us an email, give us a call or text to 610-431-8898
Virtual And No-contact Design Consultations Available - In-Person Online – The New “Face to Face”
We use available platforms like ZOOM, Go To Meeting, Skype and Facetime to interact and consult with you on your project. We can show product samples and discuss features and benefits of the many different “Made in the USA” manufacturers we represent.
STAY INSPIRED
We can work with you to design just the look you want for your home. We work on design platforms where your inspiration turns into a finished product that you can see for your home, from home. We can design different colors and styles for doors, windows and siding that will help you focus on your design needs.
STAY SAFE – Our workplace
During this time of social distancing, we are doing our best to still serve out community.
- Our workplace is staffed keeping social distancing at the forefront of our space allocation
- Our office space, showroom and warehouse is disinfected daily
- All employees have hand sanitizer, masks, and sanitizing wipes for their safety as well as our customers.
STAY SAFE – Our customers
- We’re here for you
- We are seeing customers in our Design Showroom by appointment only
- We will maintain the 6 foot safe distance protocol, wear masks, and ask our customers to do the same.
- We will work with your schedule to support safe staff/customer ratio for showroom appointments.
- When visiting your home for a measurement of your project, we will have hand sanitizer, wear masks and maintain the safe distancing protocols in place.
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Experience the Chapman Difference...
- Family owned and operated
- Endorses a Quality Assurance Program for peace of mind
- In-House qualified Factory Service Technician
- 4,000 Sq. Ft. Premiere Showroom featuring over 150 window and door displays for you and your clients
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Winter comes on December 21st each and every year, but somehow it catches us off guard. Those fresh fall breezes are replaced with the bite of chilling winter winds. We know it’s coming, but every year we forget how it effects our daily routine and our homes. Most folks are inside more, and mostly just trying to stay warm.
Maybe you remembered last winter that you felt a cool breeze, or got a chill, just sitting in your home, and took steps to replace or repair your windows and doors in the Spring and Summer. If not, it’s never too late to start the process.
Cold weather, water, and ice infiltration can create damage to your house. If your windows, doors, and/or siding are not properly maintained, the cold weather can create heat loss, robbing you of your comfort, and increasing your utility bills.
What you should you know:
- Enery.gov states that heating and cooling accounts for more than half of the energy use in a typical U.S. home, making it the largest energy expense for most homes.
- “According to Energy Star, if you added up all the leaks, holes, and gaps in a typical home’s envelope, it would be the same as having a window open every single day of the year”.
- The U.S. Department of Energy has concluded that drafts can waste 5 to 30 percent of your energy use. If you can see daylight around the reveals of your door while the door is closed, then you have air leaks that will cause heat loss. If you feel a draft near your windows, you may need to look at a more energy efficient unit.
- That drafty feeling around your windows has a name: Convective Current. It can be caused two ways. One way is if you stand next to an old, non-energy efficient window. The cold from the window can draw the heat from your body, giving you a chill. The second happens when the warm air rises from your heat source and is then pulled toward the cold or drafty window. The air then cools, and falls down the plane of the window, creating a cold-air-waterfall effect.
If you decide to replace your windows, doors, or siding, here are some things you need to consider:
Get educated: Find out what options are available on the products and services you need. Contact a reputable, established company that will educate and guide you through the product’s feature and benefits. Look for a company that has a showroom design center where you can see the products and have different choices available and explained to you.
Get the Tax Credit if you can: Various local, state, and federal incentives and rebates exist to encourage the use of efficient windows and doors, skylights, insulation, roofing, HVAC, water heaters, and alternative energy technologies, like solar power, geothermal heating and cooling, biomass stoves, small wind turbines and even fuel cells.
Don’t Wait: Upgrades like Windows, doors and siding can be installed anytime of year, plan to order your product 8 - 10 weeks before you would like to have it installed.
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By Art Shepski, Sales Consultant/Siding Specialist, Chapman Windows Doors & Siding
What’s the biggest financial investment most people make during their lifetime? Today the answer is most likely your family home. It’s where you can be you, and memories are made. Everyone wants a beautiful home, and there are many choices for the exterior of your home. One choice is stucco, a fine plaster that covers the exterior walls of your home. Applied wet, stucco hardens to a very dense solid material and guards against the elements. Or it should. Lately, home owners are finding out that improper stucco application, and improper installation of windows and doors, are making those dream stucco homes a nightmare.
If stucco isn’t installed correctly, when it rains, water can infiltrate the exterior cladding and get caught there instead of drying out. Mold can form and start the process of eating away at your home! While current building codes require stringent moisture protection and drainage methods, older stucco homes might fall prey to these issues.
The most critical issue is the potential damage that might exist to the structure. It’s rare that when stucco is removed some damage is not found. For the most part, the damage is in the sheathing only, but there have been instances where the framing has been damaged to the point of needing replacement. Another concern is mold, which obviously can be a health hazard. Due to the publicized problems associated with stucco homes, potential homebuyers might not consider purchasing a stucco home. If they do, know that they will have a stucco test performed as part of their home inspection. This entails a qualified stucco home inspector doing a visual inspection around your home’s exterior. A more invasive, but very accurate test is done by drilling two very small holes in the stucco at suspect locations. A moisture probe is inserted into the wall, and the moisture content of the wood or wall sheathing is measured. If the moisture level is too high, the next step is to have a qualified stucco remediation company come out and measure your home for removal of the stucco and replacement your home for removal of the stucco and replacement with a siding product that resists damage and infiltration from moisture.
There are some telltale signs that you may have a problem. Dark staining around your windows, doors and chimney areas is one of the most obvious signs. It could be just dirt runoff, but again, a qualified and insured stucco inspector should perform an inspection and possible test. Another sign is efflorescence, which manifests as a white buildup of mineral deposits in stucco. This white “stain” comes to the surface once moisture has penetrated the stucco.
Moisture intrusion can always be a challenge. If you need to replace your stucco, consider a siding product, such as a well-designed lap siding, that can resist damage from moisture and help manage moisture on the walls of your home. The most common replacement is with a new exterior siding, usually vinyl or fiber cement. Mastic or CertainTeed are two manufacturers of vinyl siding that offer different choices for your home. James Hardie fiber cement siding is a product that is durable and has a multitude of color choices that will enhance the beauty of your home as well. James Hardie requires that companiesare trained specifically to install their products. Look for a company that holds a preferred status with James Hardie.
If a homeowner believes there may be a problem, they should contact a reputable, established company that deals with stucco remediation. Homeowners should make sure the process is described in detail to them. A few companies can show a computerized rendering using a photo of your home to show you firsthand how your home will look. Look for a company that has a showroom where you can see both vinyl and fiber cement siding to help you choose your perfect style.
Bottom line, if you have a home covered in stucco, be diligent for signs of trouble, or proactive and consider an exterior analysis or inspection.
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When you walk past your windows, do you feel a breeze? When you open a window, does it have a life of its own and refuse to stay open? Do you have to give friends and family members special instructions for how to open or close your front door depending on the time of year? If so, then it’s probably time for some new windows and doors.
There are some basic telltale signs for window and door replacement and the energy-efficient options homeowners should consider.
For windows, the signs for replacement or repair are: air infiltration, water infiltration, rotting or damaged frames and seal failures in existing glass. You may notice your double hung windows won’t lift or stay up, which can be caused by one or more broken balances. Another warning sign that your window needs to be replaced is if you see moisture in-between panes. Casement windows that don’t open or close properly can be caused by broken hardware or rotted wood in the sash or window frame. Rotted frames or exterior trim can create water infiltration. Deteriorating weather stripping may also cause air to leak into the home.
Some of these problems, if small, can be repaired, but if the amount of problems is too great, then replacement becomes the best option. Even though repairs may be less expensive now, they are usually just a short-term fix for what may be a long-term problem.
So how do you tell what kind of window to get? All window glass manufacturers today offer at a minimum, two layers of Low E glass and dual panes that are filled and with Argon gas. The window frame materials however, vary greatly.There are basically five core options for new window frames. They are vinyl, wood, aluminum clad, fiberglass and composite. Consulting with a knowledgeable, reputable window and door company who can explain the features and benefits of each is a must.
Doors have many of the same issues of air infiltration, water infiltration and rotting or damaged frames. If your door is difficult to operate, sticking in the summer and not in the winter, or you need to push on it to lock it, or lift up, these are all signs that a replacement may be necessary. Sometimes a service call can help with the readjustment of your sill or door hinges, but often it is better to investigate a new energy efficient entry door.
Doors are available in wood, fiberglass, and steel. Door manufacturers now offer fiberglass doors that mimic the look of wood, and offer Low E, energy efficient glass for both the door and sidelights. A new front entry door can completely transform the exterior of your home and add to the efficiency of your home. Adding a new entry door can also increase your home value.
Your home has its own style and choosing a door and door glass that fits your needs, as well as your style has never been easier. Many door manufacturers have websites where you can see different styles, but we recommend finding a showroom that has a multitude of door styles and glass offerings.
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Your home is what you make of it. Its curb appeal is based on your efforts and vision and can help you or hurt you when selling your home. Enhancing the curb appeal is not just for those who are putting their houses on the market. If you want to be proud of your home, maintaining and refreshing the exterior of your home should be considered. There are many ways to enhance your curb appeal and different levels to improve the look, as well as the value.
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House & Home Magazine Article
Founded in 1994, Chapman Windows, Doors & Siding prides itself on attention to detail and exceptional customer service, and it’s no surprise they have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. They offer a plethora of options to make your home stand out from the rest and provide products that are made to last. House & Home spoke with sales associate Joanne Lyons, who brings years of manufacturing experience to the company and is passionate about working side by side with customers, giving them products they’ll love for years to come.
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Do you have a stucco home? Are you looking to remove the stucco and replace it with vinyl or fiber-cement siding? Chapman is certified to handle your stucco remediation project. We’ve been working on these type of projects for almost a decade.
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Read more: Did You Know? We specialize in Stucco Remediation
Subcategories
Remodeling Articles
Home Remodeling Articles, Tips and DIY Help
Read our helpful articles about home remodeling so you can make the best decisions on what products to by and how to choose the best contractor to do the work.
We have also included some great advice and DIY tips to ensure your project goes smoothly, even if you decide to do it yourself.
Window Articles
Replacement Window Articles and Info
Find out how to choose the best replacement windows for your home by reading our informative articles that discuss the design, construction and options to look for in a window.
You will find plenty of tips and advice on the installation process along with how to hire the most qualified and trustworthy window company to do the work.
Siding Articles
House Siding Articles and Advice
If you are looking for a way to improve the energy efficency of your home as well as it's curb appeal, then covering the exterior with a low maintenance product like vinyl siding may be the solution.
Read our articles on how to improve your home's exterior and find out why we think vinyl siding is a home owners best friend.