September 2014 - Advanced Window Products

Sliding Glass Memories

Posted on September 19, 2014August 27, 2025 by import

Owning a second home can be a springboard for family fun, but what about their upkeep? Listen to one customer talk about her family cabin and how Advanced Window Products not only helped repair the windows, but will help make memory making more comfortable for years to come.

“There is a place up in the mountains tucked in a valley of lush green grasses, aspens and pines. This is the land of my fathers. Six generations have been coming here and when I visit I feel like I have come home. One of my greatest joys is to share with my own children the trails, the vistas and the adventures that only unfold to nature’s imagination.

Included in the history of this beautiful place are oral stories of our family. There are tales of hiking across mountain ranges; we share stories of little kids collecting vast amounts of slimy amphibians that they kept in the bathtub until Great Aunt Beth discovered their whereabouts; and we laugh from the lore about Uncle Ted falling asleep in the outhouse when he was a kid, which caused a frenzy across the valley to find the family’s missing son.

For me, the family cabin represents connection to the earth, and appreciation for my heritage. For my children, the family cabin represents an enormous portal into nature.

With hundreds of snowfall inches and harsh cold temperatures in the winter, followed by intense heat in the the summer, there is a lot of natural wear and tear on the property. For nearly 30 years this building has stood tucked right above the Weber River, in a forest of aspens and pines, overlooking a vast grassland valley. It is breathtaking, but starting to wear. One of the challenges in particular are the windows. A few of the glass panes have broken, requiring replacement windows. Many of the original windows were not installed properly, causing an oven baking effect during the warm summer months as western sun slides down the panoramic mountain view.

Advanced Window Products sent a member of their team up to our cabin to measure for the project. The new vinyl windows seamlessly integrate into the natural wood atmosphere, both inside and outside the cabin. The vinyl is a warm, natural beige color. What I love most about these new windows, is that it is so easy to open the side window to let a heaven sent breeze flow throughout the cabin. Similar to the scent of Salt Lake City after a rain storm, being tucked into nature smells clean, fresh, and alive.

I appreciate Advanced Window Products taking the extra effort to care for my family cabin. Behind the scenes, caring for a second property can be a lot of work. The payoff to the maintenance is creating lasting memories for generations to come. If you have a second property that is used for recreation like a cabin, condo or home; or if you own rental properties that require updates and maintenance, call Advanced Windows Products for all of your replacement window needs.“ – Sarah, Draper, Utah

Sliding Glass Doors: A Homeowner’s Guide

Posted on September 10, 2014 by import

Are you thinking about adding sliding glass doors to your home as an entrance or exit for a patio, the back yard, a deck, or a screened porch? Sliding glass doors make an excellent addition to any home. They are attractive and utilitarian at the same time. They can make your house more cheerful by letting in more light, and can even increase the value of your home if you decide to sell it. Here is everything you need to know about installing and using sliding glass doors at your house.

Measuring for the Correct Size of Sliding Glass Door

You will probably be installing your sliding glass doors in a pre-existing opening. This is the easiest way to do it. You can also cut out a custom hole in your wall or extend an existing doorway if that works best for your situation.

First–Determine the opening dimensions you will need to fit your doors. Do this before purchasing any doors. You may have to special order custom doors to fit the type of opening or space for an opening that is available to you.
Second–Measure horizontally across the top and bottom of the opening or space for an opening. You also must measure vertically on the sides. If you’re using a pre-existing opening, it might not be totally square or rectangular, and will need adjusting.
Third–Choose a set of doors that are approximately 1/4″ smaller than your measurements on all sides.

Sliding Glass Doors Frame Materials

Sliding glass doors move along a frame. The frame has tracks that the rollers on the doors can move across so the doors slide with ease. The two frame materials that are the most common with sliding glass doors are wood and vinyl.

Whether you use wood or vinyl is largely a personal decorating choice. You will also want to consider the ease with which the doors you select will move along the frame you choose. Vinyl is more durable. Wood is more environmentally friendly, and can be adjusted to go with rustic, vintage, and shabby chic decors.

The Glass in Your Sliding Door

When you are shopping for your sliding glass doors, take the type of glass you will be using into consideration. Believe it or not, not all glass is created equally. There is Low-E glass, for example, which is an energy efficient type of glass that will keep your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer, even when your blinds are open. It also protects the interior contents of your home from UV damage.

Single pane glass is the basic type of glass and is the cheapest. However, it won’t give you any of the special protections of other types of glass. If you are considering using single pane glass due to budget reasons, you should upgrade at the very least to double pane glass. This will give you extra protection from wind damage in storms and will keep direct sunlight from being too hot when it shines into the house. It is also more resistant to shattering in case of break-ins or freezing conditions.

Choice of Screens

You have a wide variety of screens available to you if you want to use screens. Some people choose to not use screens and have their doors open up to the outside directly. If you would like to open your sliding glass doors and allow some natural coolness in while you turn off your air conditioner, or would like to keep the doors open while keeping pets inside then you will want to use a screen.

Solar screens that protect from UV rays are popular. Pet resistant screens that your pet cannot scratch through are good for pet owners. Retractable screens are an excellent choice if you only want to use your screen sometimes, while going without it at other times. Just look for a screen with a very fine mesh, as this will keep out even the smallest of insects. This will allow you to enjoy your sliding glass doors to the fullest extent possible, any time of year.

Features of Sliding Glass Doors

The best sliding glass doors are strong and weather-resistant. You should also consider getting doors with hollow-core multi-thermal extrusion. This features increased the structural integrity of the doors, as well as their energy efficiency.

Benefits of Sliding Glass Doors

Not only are they attractive and useful, sliding glass doors have many other benefits, as well. Depending on the type you get, they may be energy efficient, which will reduce your heating and cooling costs (sometimes significantly). Saving money is always a good thing!

Sliding glass doors are also resistant to outside sounds. They will make the room or rooms where you keep them very quiet and peaceful, as you will not easily be able to hear all the traffic, barking dogs, screaming kids, arguing adults, loud music from nearby parties, or any other noises in your neighborhood. Your sliding glass door room or rooms will be an oasis of tranquility.

Further, sliding glass doors are resistant to most types of bad weather. With modern technology built into the glass, these doors will keep your home safe in case of nearly any undesirable outdoor weather situation. By making your house cheaper to run, plus quieter and safer, why wouldn’t you want sliding glass doors in all the rooms you can put them in?

Advanced Window Products and You

When you are looking for sliding glass doors for your home, you should never look farther than Advanced Window Products. We offer zero percent financing on doors and installation. Our products are environmentally friendly, as we maintain a commitment to providing earth-safe goods to the area. We are a locally owned and operated business here in Utah, so shopping with us will help improve the local economy. Plus, all of our products are handmade in the United States in our very own warehouse….no outsourcing to other nations! You will get the sliding glass doors you want at a price you can afford, and with a company you can feel good about using. It doesn’t get any better than that, so shop with us today!

Does your home have curb appeal?

Posted on September 1, 2014 by import

The other day I was driving around town, doing errands, and I heard a commercial over the radio about curb appeal. As I have been thinking about that phrase this week, I have noticed a couple of things.

First off, it is quite apparent, walking through different neighborhoods who is concerned about their home’s curb appeal, and who isn’t.

A wide variety of circumstances can account for the discrepancies of appearances, granted, however, doesn’t it make a huge difference to your home and neighborhood when homes are cared for? This can include the simplicity of mowing the lawn regularly, and maintaining a garden, whether simple or elaborate. Small and consistent effort to care for one’s home can pay off big in the long term when it comes to creating and maintaining a nice place to live. This is also true when it comes to home maintenance. Small repairs prevent big problems down the road. The charm and beauty of your community is wrapped in the efforts of individuals.

Second, as a homeowner there are sometimes projects that require a capital investment to repair, replace and maintain your home’s functionality and appearance.

These projects may include your roof, siding, or windows. Your home was build to last, however, through the years you’ll notice the effects of weather and time including; fading, cracking, leaking, and breaking. When these challenges arise, working with a trusted and time tested contractor such as Advanced Window Products can ensure the most reasonable cost with the best craftsmanship available. No more leaks, no more fading, no more drafts. Wha-la! Your home looks fabulous, and performs the way it was built to in the beginning.

Lastly, as a kid, my mom always made sure that our home and garden was beautiful.

We didn’t live in a terribly fancy place. What we had was simple, but it was nice. My mom spent her discretionary income largely on maintaining her garden. I loved it, she loved it. Years later she told me that the reason she did this, was so that I would be proud to come home, and to bring my friends home with me. It was important that our home was a sanctuary for myself and my partners in crime. Creating curb appeal for your home, whether it be needing new windows, or simply planting beautiful flowers in the pots by your front door, can create a sense of pride in your family, and open the doors for safety and security for those you love.

If you are interested in improving your home’s curb appeal, whether with a new roof, new windows or a spruced up exterior, please call us today for a free quote. We’d love to explore the possibilities.