Story by Kristen Dyson
Photography courtesy of Stained Glass Overlay

Whether you are buying, selling, or just renovating your house, installing replacement and specialty windows is one of the best investments you can make.  Chances are you’ll find just what you’re looking for right in Southern Maryland.

Replacing your windows or customizing your existing ones opens up a world of possibilities and benefits for you and your family. Not only will it increase the value of your home if you ever plan on selling, but it can also make your current living space much more enjoyable and economical. 

“We are faced today with an aging housing stock that’s in need of extensive remodeling,” said Bob Davis, owner of Chesapeake Living Treasures (formerly Bob Davis & Associates), which focuses on new construction and home renovations, the latter of which has been on the rise in recent years. 

“Eighty percent of the population today is aging in place,” said Davis.  This means that a majority of people today are choosing to stay put after they retire.  These people comprise a large chunk of local builders’ business, along with people new to the area who have chosen to retire here and remodel existing homes. 

Often, a major part of remodeling homes is window replacement. Davis’ St. Leonard business and a number of other locally-owned companies offer a full range of window options.

Whereas most older homes have single pane windows, the vast majority of homebuilders today have switched to a double pane.  The addition of a second pane has revolutionized the industry and transformed the window from a simple looking glass to an added layer of protection for one’s home. 

Most window manufacturers today use the Thermaflect or Low “E” reflective coating that insulates your home from the outside elements year round.  It is a valuable feature in an age of rising energy costs.  This new technology also blocks ultraviolet rays from your home, therefore extending the life of your carpets and curtains by keeping them from fading. 

In addition, windows today are typically filled with Argon or Krypton gas between the two panes to add to the strength and durability of the window.  “The weather wears out [windows in old houses] because many were made with wood or even metal.  They didn’t have thermal protection,” said J & J Builders General Contractor, LLC, owner Jeff Adams.  “It’s a more economical move to replace windows.

“The window industry today has moved to vinyl....to give you a better protected home with less maintenance,” said Adams. “The maintenance of a window is a big consideration.  [Thermal windows] will pay for themselves over a span of a couple of years by [what you’ll be] saving on electric bills.”  

However, if you’ve got an older home, you might not want a modern-looking window. Many homebuilders offer wooden windows that are wrapped in a skin of fiberglass for added thermal protection to inslulate one’s home from the outside elements. It allows the customer to have the look of an old-fashioned wooden framed window but without the maintenance that usually accompanies it. 

Customized windows are also much more available today. In addition to offering all styles and brands of traditional windows, Grandstaff Roofing & Siding, in Waldorf, now manufactures its own window.  Their Deluxe, Premium and Signature series windows come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and styles and are the “ultimate in strength, durability, energy efficiency, comfort and ease of operation,” said Karen Tilghman, Grandstaff’s vice president of operations. 

“Our [Deluxe, Premium and Signature] series are different because they are completely airtight.  It has a refrigerator lining [to ensure that],” said Tilghman.

If designer, specialty windows are what you’re looking for, many other options are available.  Located in St. Mary’s County, Stained Glass Overlay of Southern Maryland customizes practically any design over virtually any flat surface to simulate traditional stained glass, but at a fraction of the cost.

“It doesn’t change existing windows, just enhances them,” said owner Jennifer Shizak.  “I can do just about anything.  I’m a graphic designer, so all my pieces are one-of-a-kind designs.

“There’s a lot more you can do [with stained glass overlay] than with traditional stained glass,” said Shizak. “It’s a lot lighter and it’s tempered.  It’s much more flexible to work with and it’s much more affordable.” 

The reason that Shizak’s process is more cost effective is that with traditional stained glass, each separate piece of glass must be fused together.  However, with stained glass overlay, a design is created on one piece of glass and then attached to the existing window, thus providing a third pane in many cases.

“Odd shaped windows are our specialty, windows that you can’t get blinds or shades for,” said Shizak. The most common example of this that she encounters is transoms, which are any odd-shaped non-functioning window above a doorway or another window.

Stained Glass Overlay can also help with energy costs, said Shizak. Depending on installation, it can provide a third pane to an existing window “and the overlay blocks 85-90 percent of UV rays,” she said.

As Davis said, U.S. homes are steadily aging and those still living with original and out-of-date appliances, furnaces, air conditioners and windows could save considerably in energy costs by updating. According to www.Engerystar.gov, a typical household could save up to 30 percent of its annual energy costs by using Energy Star-rated products.

As an added bonus, homeowners who install new energy-efficient windows, doors, skylights and so on, can earn federal government tax credits equal to 10 percent of the improvement costs, up to a certain dollar limit, for improvements made in 2006 and 2007. Credits of $200 are available on new windows, skylights and storm windows.