Replacement Windows: Affordable Energy Efficiency

If you're looking at saving money, one of the things you're probably looking at is how energy efficient your home really is. One of the best ways to increase efficiency is with Andover replacement windows. In a recent article about replacement windows, it said:

"If you shop around, you can find high efficiency, Energy Star-rated replacement windows that come with 20 years to lifetime warranties that fit your budget."

Compared to a few, short years ago, replacement windows are much more affordable, and if you're looking for a budget-friendly way to keep your heating and cooling costs as low as possible, then consider having your windows replaced with energy-efficient ones.

Read the entire article: "Replacement Windows: Energy Efficient and They Fit Your Budget."

The Benefits of Replacing Your Windows

If you're thinking about home improvements to be made, where do replacement windows rank on your to-do list?  It may be the No. 1 thing to do if your old windows have become deteriorated or non-functional, or you may be putting them off in favor of something else. Replacement windows may be something you want to give more consideration to if the reasons for home improvement are to improve your home's energy efficiency or just to make updates that improve its worth.

Energy Efficiency
The most popular Minneapolis replacement windows are made of vinyl, which are strong and offer great energy savings. They are also resistant to heat flow, which helps you in saving on costs associated with heating and cooling your home.

Affordable resale value
Replacement windows are more affordable than they have been in recent years, and this affordability is an easy way to increase the resale value of your home. It's a win-win situation!

Low maintenance
Many of the vinyl windows on the market never to be scraped, painted or stained, and are often nearly 100% scratch free. So, no matter how your old windows get, they'll be able to look great. 

Choosing the Perfect Roofing Company

There are few components of your home more important than your roof. It protects your home from the elements, and helps to protect you and your family. So, when your roof is in need of repair, it's important to know how to find the right Andover roofing company. We discussed, in an article a while back, how to find the perfect roofing company, and noted:

The good thing is, hiring a professional roofing company is not terribly complicated. Like with lots of things, speak to good friends, family and neighbors to find out who they recommend. You should also look into any roofing contractor's experience and work ethics by looking them up on sites such as Angies List, the BBB and your neighborhood home builders association.

Like anything else, finding the right roofing company will require a little bit of research. The Internet has provided us with a great resource for vetting contractors and companies to see if they do the quality of work as they say they do, or if they're just blowing hot air. By asking around and search for the company on the Internet, you're more than likely going to find information on them - good and/or bad.

Read the entire article: "Roofing Contractors: How to Choose the Perfect Roofing Company."

History of Vinyl Siding

It's not uncommon to drive through a housing development today and see dozens of homes clad with vinyl siding. In terms of exterior protection, vinyl siding is a great choice for not only guarding your exterior against the elements, but also adding extra insulation to keep your home's air temperature more consistent.

In terms of home exterior types, vinyl siding is actually not that old. The first vinyl siding products were introduced in the late 1950s, though it was not originally intended to be a standalone product. Instead, it was just used on homes that had aluminum siding that needed to be replaced.

This changed in the 1970s. A vinyl siding industry began to take hold, and technology allowed for faster production and more siding colors to be produced. This led to a growth in the industry, and in the number of homes that made use of vinyl siding as an exterior cladding.

Today, more homes have vinyl siding than any other exterior material, with the current market share sitting at around 32 percent. Vinyl offers ten times the life expectancy of a wood exterior, and and is much more affordable when compared to other types of exteriors.

Interested in having Coon Rapids MN siding installed on your home? Call Total Home Exteriors today at (612) 388-7795.

Unique Siding Uses

When you think siding, it's almost a certainty that you'll think of your home's siding and the protection it provides your exterior. But did you know that there are some other, not-as-common uses for siding also? For other structures on your home or on your property, siding can not only work to protect the exteriors of those, but can also help them blend in with the home and the rest of the landscape, as well.


Depending on the home you're at, you might see a chimney surrounded by siding. This helps protect the chimney's exterior from being damaged, which lets the chimney operate more safely.


For instance, here is siding on a shed. The addition of siding to this structure actually makes it look less like a dirty place for tools and other items, and more like a miniature home. It also helps match the look of the shed with the look of the home on the property.


Here's an interesting use of siding; on a dog house. As you can see from the siding on the dog house as well as the siding on the much larger home behind it, the two match. This helps bring the two separate items on the property together visually.

You, too, can have brand new Coon Rapids MN siding installed on your home... or chimney, or shed, or dog house. All you have to do is call Total Home Exteriors today at (612) 388-7795. You can also obtain a FREE siding estimate by completing our online form.

Replacing Damaged Siding

Siding is tasked with the enormous responsibility of protecting your home's exterior, in addition to handling some of the insulation duties and providing those on the curb something nice to look at. Like anything that must stand up to the elements Mother Nature can toss out, siding can become damaged. Wedges can form in between panels, cracks can form, and your siding can warm due to constant exposure to the sun. When you begin to notice that your home's siding is suffering from these ailments, give Total Home Exteriors a call.

Total Home Exteriors, a Coon Rapins MD siding company, can take care of all your siding installation and repair needs. We guarantee 100 customer satisfaction, and as a family-owned business, know how important it is to keep your home and those you love inside properly protected from the outdoors. Give us a call today at (612) 388-7795, or complete our online form for a FREE siding repair estimate.

Pick the Right Siding Color

When you consider having brand new siding installed on your home, one of the big decisions you'll have to make, aside from siding type, is the color you want. After all, looks are important. They affect your curb appeal, which can ultimately affect the resale value of your home later down the line. Siding color also comes into play on the energy side of the equation. Siding will soak up heat from the sun and, if your siding gets too hot, it can become distorted, and can also start to heat the inside of your home. That's why choosing the right siding color is important.

So, how do you choose? The right kind of paint will definitely make the process easier. A blend of urethane and acrylic resins in a type of latex paint can provide enough protection for your siding. From there, it's a good idea to try and match your home's eventual siding color with homes in the area by using a kind of complementary color. Also take into account any other buildings you have on your property, and match the siding on your home to those buildings accordingly. You don't want to create a clash of several colors that don't look great together, and you definitely don't want to be an eyesore in the neighborhood.

Interested in improving your home's exterior? Talk to the trusted name in Coon Rapids MN siding -- Total Home Exteriors. You can reach us by phone at (612) 388-7795.

3 Common Roof Issues

Your roof can have issues from time to time; it happens. Sometimes those problems are a result of nature. Sometimes, they're the fault of shoddy workmanship. Whatever the case, there are a few roof problems that are fairly common. We've picked out 3 to highlight here.

Leaks. This is the obvious item on the list. It's likely that you've seen a roof leak at one point or another, and perhaps helped someone strategically place buckets around to collect the leaking water. A leak could be the result of worn shingles, or backed up water from an ice dam.

Poor workmanship. Most roofers will call themselves professional, but not all of them are capable of doing professional work. If you're experiencing roof problems not long after your project is done, your roofer might not have been as experienced as you thought.

Blow-offs. Improperly-installed or faulty roofing shingles or flashing can result in blow-offs, exposing your roof to the worst that nature can throw at it. This is a problem you'll want to have looked at as soon as possible.


Total Home Exteriors can help you solve any of your roofing problems. Give us a call today at (612) 388-7795, or complete our free roofing estimate form online.

Cleaning Your Vinyl Siding

Spring is here, and now that you're spending more time outdoors, you finally got a look at the vinyl siding on your house for the first time this season. And it's dirty. Very dirty. So what do you do now?

Clean it, of course.

We've put together a small guide to get you going in the right direction. You'll want to have some materials handy; plastic sheets, bleach, a bucket, a cloth, and some vinyl cleaning solution that can usually be picked up at a home improvement store.

First, you'll want to cover any of your outdoor electrical outlets or lights. You certainly don't want to destroy your home while trying to clean it. Next, check your siding for mold and, if you locate it, mix 5 parts water and 1 part bleach in a bucket, and scrub the mildew off. Finally, you'll be able to get down to the actual cleaning. Spray down your siding with a hose, and then scrub with a mix of water and your vinyl siding cleaning solution. When finished, rinse the siding with the hose again. Allow the siding an hour or two to dry, and you'll undoubtedly be amazed by the transformation.

Do you need siding installation or siding repair? Give Total Home Exteriors a call today at (612) 388-7795.

Spring Siding Installation

With the start of spring coming in about a month, it's time to start thinking about the exterior of your home in terms of protection and appearance.

A major part of your home's exterior is its siding. The siding protects your home from the elements and adds insulation. Siding can also add major curb appeal to your home, depending on the style and color you choose. As the weather gets warmer and people start hitting the sidewalks and backyards again, will you be content with something that merely protects your home, or do you also want something that looks good?

Total Home Exteriors can install siding that protects and visually appeals. Call today at (612) 338-7795 and ask about our Andover MN siding installation services.

Roof Tips for Winter

Spring is coming around the corner, but for the next month or two, winter weather will continue to strike -- especially in Minnesota, where winter packs more of a punch than in other areas. The winter can bring about big problems with your roof if you don't recognize the signs quickly. Here are a few.

• Leaks - Leaks can undermine the structural integrity of your roof if not dealt with. To prevent leaks, keep your drains and gutters clear of leaves, dirt and trash.
• Hail - Hail consists of small balls of ice that can do major damage to your roof. There isn't much you can do in the way of prevention here, but you can minimize the damage by using roofing materials that are more protective.
• Ventilation - If your attic isn't ventilating well, snow can melt on your roof and refreeze, causing ice dams to form, which can get under your shingles and cause leaking inside your home.

Are you keeping out for these problems? Good! If not, now's the time to start. And if you have problems with your roof, call the professionals at Total Home Exteriors to take care of it. Our number is (612) 388-7795.

The Forgotten Roof

The roof: it's a crucial part of the home, but unfortunately, it's often the most neglected. Because your roof sits on top of your home and you don't take a good, close look at it very often, it's easy to forget that parts of it can wear or become damaged. Just like any other area on your house, the roof needs some occasional attention to make sure its holding up okay.

That's where Total Home Exteriors comes in.

For over a decade, we've been helping residents in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota keep their roofs in fantastic shape. Our free roofing inspections identify potential problems, and our skilled employees repair or replace damaged areas and give you a roof you can be proud of.

Call Total Home Exteriors today at (612) 388-7795, or complete our online form to schedule your free estimate.

Free Window Replacement Estimates

On average, temperatures in Minnesota drop to around 10 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. If you have drafty or otherwise poorly-installed windows, you could be letting a lot of warm air escape your home, and your energy bills could be abnormally high as a result. If you're certain you could do better in the window department and want to get a ballpark price, call Total Home Exteriors.

Total Home Exteriors offers free window replacement estimates, allowing you to get a general idea of what your window replacement project might cost you before any work begins. This gives you a chance to see if window replacements are within your budget. Total Home Exteriors has experience replacing windows in homes in Andover MN and other locales, and understands how important newer, more energy-efficient windows can be to homes in this area.

Give Total Home Exteriors a call today at 612-388-7795 to schedule a free window replacement estimate. You can also fill out our online free estimate form and someone from Total Home Exteriors will be in touch with you soon.