PrairieMod Monday

It was another busy day at the little red house. Two old doors we're done away with and a new sliding glass door and window were installed in their place. Here's the breakdown of how it went...

• Workers took out the old, drafty doors and their equally old and drafty screen doors.

• They then had to break out the really old picture window that had a blown seal and become ruined as a result.

• They sized all the openings for the new elements and built in insulated wall areas for final fit.

• With the new window and door in, everything was caulked and sealed tight. New siding and trim were also added on as a last touch.

The brand of window and sliding door we decided to go with were from Andersen. Their High Performance Low-E4 Glass used in both the window and sliding door were an important reason why we chose them. The glass not only helps save on energy bills, but it also cuts cleaning hassles by reducing water spots by 99% when activated by sunlight. The sliding door has a nice solid design, yet glides easily and has a clever foot controlled locking mechanism that saves your back (and does away with the extra metal security pipe in the track most people use). You can read all about these and other Andersen products by following the link.

After last winter, when we felt the cold drafts coming from every corner of those old doors, we knew we had to do something to help get the little red house back on the energy efficient track. After considering all of our costs and figuring out the best first step towards our path of "going green," it was decided that the new window and door would make a big difference—one of many we plan on undertaking before next winter!

Now that the installers are done, it's our turn to work. We've got painting, staining, sealing, additional trim work and other accents/built-ins to take care of to make this part of the little red house a finished reality. Things are still a little topsy-turvy here, so I haven't take any photos yet--but over the next few weekends, I hope to record some visual progress of this project for readers to enjoy. Stay tuned!