Relaxing outdoors on the patio is one of summer’s great joys. A handsome patio and outdoor living space can be a great oasis from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Upgrading your patio is also an easy way to boost the value of your home. Installing new patio doors is especially beneficial in this regard as you’ll usually receive around a 70% return on your investment with a new patio door. Learn more about the reasons summer is an ideal time for patio door replacement and also the various benefits you can get from a new patio door.
Ease of Installation
One reason that summer is a good time to consider replacing your patio doors is just that the nice weather helps make the installation easier and go more smoothly. The last thing you want is for the construction professionals to start removing the old door only for it to start raining. This is one reason why summer is a good time for patio door replacement in California since it’s the time of the year when it’s least likely to rain.
Trying to replace patio doors in the winter is also not ideal as your house will quickly get cold once the old door is removed. Replacing a patio door on an overly hot summer day will also obviously cause your house to heat up, but professionals can usually take out the old door and put in the new one in only a few hours. The job may take longer from start to finish, but you usually won’t have an opening in the wall where heat can get in for all that long.
Improved Functionality and Aesthetics
Having a beautiful, functional outdoor living space comes in handy when hosting summer barbecues and get-togethers with friends and family. On the other hand, it can be embarrassing to have people over if your patio door is old and faded or sticks and is difficult to open and close. Sticking is a common problem with older doors in the summer due to the door expanding from the heat.
Installing a new sliding glass or French door leading out to your patio is an easy way to make your outdoor space more aesthetically appealing. You can also be sure that the new door will function properly, opening and closing smoothly without any sticking.
Increased Home Security
Statistics show that more break-ins and burglaries happen during the summer months than at any other time of the year. That’s because summer is the time when people are less likely to be home due to going on vacation or taking weekend trips.
Patio doors offer an inviting potential entry point for burglars since they’re hidden away from sight on the back or side of the house and often behind a fence. Old patio doors can be especially inviting as they often have weak locking mechanisms. That means they’re not very secure and they can be broken into quickly and easily.
Replacing an old patio door is a great way to improve your home security to protect your family and your belongings. New patio doors have improved security features like laminated shatter-resistant glass and advanced locking mechanisms. Most doors also have more than one lock to make them harder to break into. For instance, exterior French doors usually have a lock on the lever or handle as well as a highly secure single-cylinder deadbolt lock. Similarly, sliding doors have a handle lock along with a footbolt lock that makes them extremely difficult to break into.
Lower Air Conditioning Costs
Replacing your old patio doors is also a great way to make your home more energy efficient so you can save on your air conditioning costs over the summer. Older doors can have a few different issues that contribute to decreased efficiency. For starters, the weatherstripping on exterior doors usually becomes less effective over time as a result of the rubber deteriorating and becoming brittle and more prone to cracking.
During the summer, weatherstripping functions to block hot air from leaking in between the door and door frame and also to keep the cooler indoor air trapped inside. If it’s cracked, it has started to come loose or parts of it are missing, hot air will continuously flow inside around the door. That means your house will heat up faster, resulting in your air conditioning having to do more work to keep it cool and your electricity bills being higher.
Another concern in terms of energy efficiency is that some older patio doors only have single-pane windows. Single-pane windows have almost no insulating value, meaning a large amount of heat from the sunlight continually flows into the house through the glass. Virtually any new patio door you choose will have double-pane or even triple-pane windows that are much better insulated and block out heat much more effectively. Patio doors with gas-filled double- and triple-pane windows are especially effective for improving a home’s energy efficiency.
You can also find numerous patio door options that have low-E glass. This type of glass has a nearly invisible coating that reflects a high percentage of sunlight to further decrease how much heat can enter through the glass.
Another great option for making your home more energy efficient is to install patio doors with built-in honeycomb blinds sandwiched between the panes of glass. If a patio door faces south or west, it results in the indoor space receiving a fairly substantial amount of solar heat gain as a result of the sun shining in through the glass. By closing the blinds, you can block out the sun and heat so that the space stays much cooler. Honeycomb blinds also trap air, which provides an extra layer of insulation that further reduces the amount of heat that can get inside through the glass.
Increased Natural Lighting
Taking advantage of natural lighting as much as possible can also help reduce your electricity bills. Patio doors with large windows that face east or north offer a great source of natural lighting without leading to issues with solar heat gain. Having more natural lighting makes an indoor space look and feel bigger, brighter and more welcoming as well. The windows on some patio doors also produce interesting shadows that can enhance the aesthetics of any interior space.
Reduced Outdoor Noise
There is often increased outdoor noise during the summer due to children playing outside, people having barbecues and family gatherings, etc., and this noise can be disturbing if you’re trying to work, watch a movie or whatever else. Old patio doors that are poorly sealed and/or have single-pane glass offer very little acoustic value, meaning they don’t work well at blocking out sound. Acoustic patio doors typically block out over 75% of noise, helping create a quieter, more peaceful indoor environment. These doors have laminated acoustic glass, which is thicker than standard laminated glass and better at blocking out sound. They also have more robust, better-sealed frames that further help with noise reduction.
Work with the Best!
Taylor Made Construction is a family-owned company offering expert door installation services in Shingle Springs and the surrounding Northern California communities. We have years of construction experience and will work to make sure the installation goes smoothly and that you’re fully satisfied with the finished results. To learn more about your options for patio door replacement, decking, and more, contact us today.
