Posted by ESP on Saturday, 29 January 2011
Tags: Garage Door, Garage Doors, Garage Door Opener, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Replacement, Garage Door Installation, Garage Door Service, garage door prices
At many universities, Deans and Masters of residential colleges live on campus with the students in homes that are right by or attached to the dorms. They supervise the students, engage in campus life, and arrange for parties and dinners and the like. Their families live there, and they conduct their whole lives from these homes as if they had bought the house themselves. And they drive cars. And therefore have garages. And therefore have garage doors.
So what kind of garage doors do the best of the best utilize? These brilliant men and women, the top intellectuals in the nation: what do they put on the facade of their homes? It's an interesting question, something most people wouldn't even have thought of. But who else to look for for good decisions than the smartest men and women in the nation.
For all that buildup, the reality is a little disappointing. To be honest, they're kind of basic. For all the beautiful architecture that graces campuses around the country, nobody seems to take notice of the way a garage door can totally effect the look of a building. I see lots of metal, some basic dark green painted doors, and some black composite doors. Ho hum.
Why don't they look into some nice wooden carriage style doors? Or cottage-looking ones for the places whose architecture fits that description? Or something with a little design-y flair? Why not something that at least matches the building its attached to? It's so strange to see marble buildings and then little dinky aluminum garage doors with no personality. It's a little jarring.
Honestly, looking around campus makes me realize that many of the buildings are made quite ugly by poor choice in garage door. It's a mistake that should be rectified, especially since new construction is happening all the time.
Posted by ESP on Friday, 28 January 2011
Tags: Garage Door, Garage Doors, Garage Door Opener, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Replacement, Garage Door Installation, Garage Door Service, garage door prices
Yesterday, President Obama gave his yearly State of the Union address to congress and to the nation. He took a fairly middle of the road stance on many issues, though he did point out his accomplishment in abolishing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He also talked a lot about improving public education, which has fallen into sorry disrepair in recent years, especially when compared to other countries around the world. He also made a controversial statement about cutting defense spending, and lauding the end of the Iraq war, claiming that thousands of soldiers can leave "with their heads held high." Whether or not we've actually accomplished anything in that country remains to be seen, but the sentiment is nice.
He also spoke about giving tax breaks to middle income families and trying to bridge hte gap between the very wealthy and the poorest of the poor. He ALSO mentioned trying to reduce this country's dependence on oil and other non-renewable energy sources. These two goals have actually culminated in a nice little bonus for those who are in the garage door market: a tax break for those trying to make energy-efficient home improvements. This includes getting new insulation on garage doors.
So if you haven't before, this winter is the perfect time to get a new garage door or garage door insulation installed. This financial incentive may not be around for long (especially if the new Republican-controlled house has their way) so you should take advantage of the situation now while you still can.
As for Obama, the speech was a far cry from the rhythmic, inspiring, rousing speeches he made while on the campaign trail. I hope we can expect to see a little more of that old spark and inspiring hope in him as we approach the 2012 elections.
Posted by ESP on Thursday, 27 January 2011
Tags: Garage Door, Garage Doors, Garage Door Opener, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Replacement, Garage Door Installation, Garage Door Service, garage door prices
There’s been a lot of talk recently about garage door insulation- after all, you can get a tax credit for these energy saving garage doors that trap heat and prevent leakage, in turn allowing customers to lower their energy bills.
Normally, people just buy a kit or hire a garage door service person to install their insulation and go on- but what is it that makes certain materials bad at keeping heat and some good? For that, we turn to an explanation of polyethylene, the plastecine, waxy material that makes insulation what it is.
Polyethylene was first produced in an industrially practical way by a company in England in 1933, making it one of the oldest industrial non-metals. It is produced by applying very high pressure (an amount equivalent to about three hundred atmospheres’ worth) to a blend of benzaldehydea and ethylene. This reaction is prompted by brief exposure to trace oxygen contamination, and the first production was actually something of an accident. Later versions of the substance would be synthesized using different catalysts, which encourage the polymerization of the ethylene molecule.
Insulation is rated in effectiveness on a scale called the R-Value scale. This rating, however, doesn’t take extraneous factors into account, like the quality of the construction of the original building, or the prevailing climate (humidity, temperature, winds) of the area in question. So even though the R-value is perfectly accurate for any material in a laboratory setting, it isn’t a true representation of how effective an insulation is going to be.
Polyethylene has a pretty strong R-value, for the price at which it can be produced. It’s easily the most cost-effective material for home-construction insulation projects and garage door insulation, and more than worth the price of installation or a Saturday DIY project. The energy efficiency saves money, the insulation makes sure there are uniform temperatures throughout your home, as well as within-room variation, and the price is a one-time shot: no maintenance, adjustments, or upkeep is necessary.
Posted by ESP on Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Tags: Garage Door, Garage Doors, Garage Door Opener, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Replacement, Garage Door Installation, Garage Door Service, garage door prices
If you’re starting to think your garage door looks shabby and might need a replacement, here are six quick questions you can answer for yourself to see if it’s worth the admittedly slightly annoying costs of a garage door replacement.
1. Does your current door have peeling or cracked paint/wood? This might just need a touch of refinishing, but if the wood itself has cracked or the paint job is irreparable, it may be time to replace the door.
2. Does your door have a lot of dings or dents? This is a particular issue for those with aluminum or steel doors. The dents/dings accumulate slowly over time and you can become inured to how awful they look. Just take a step back and really analyze your door.
3. Dose your door let cold air into the garage? If you keep your house heated and cold air is leaking in through the garage, you might be racking up quite the energy bill. Some doors can have insulation added to them, but some simply need replacement.
4. Are you having trouble opening and closing your door? If the operation of your garage door is getting extremely difficult, it could be that many of its central operating mechanisms are damaged or broken. You might be able to replace some of them, but if the issues are too numerous or irreparable, or your door is too old to get the right parts, you may need to simply replace it. For example, if the springs are compromised, its highly important that you repair or fix the door immediately- problematic springs can become very dangerous very quickly.
So if you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to look into replacing your garage door, not only for the curb appeal of your home, but for the safety of the people living in it.
Posted by ESP on Monday, 24 January 2011
Tags: Garage Door, Garage Doors, Garage Door Opener, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Replacement, Garage Door Installation, Garage Door Service, garage door prices
The tendency to imitate is uniquely primate, and especially pronounced in humans. Infant children instinctively copy facial expressions of those around them, directly in response to what they observe. Even fully grown humans will often unconsciously imitate one another without even realizing it, and a good trick of getting people to like you is to subtly imitate things like posture, tone, and facial expressions while in conversation with them.
Given these facts, it's not surprising that things like fashion, art, and decorations should be imitative, too. This is the root origin of things like trends and vogue- the human impulse to imitate. And there is nothing wrong with that. If people didn't imitate one another, we wouldn't have governments, or even civilization!
But what does that mean for making unique decorating choices? How does one deal with this while trying to create a personalized home in (often) cookie-cutter neighborhoods? One way of expressing oneself is on the facade of one's home: paint color for the house, or just color of window trimming can go a long way to adding some personality to your home. A unique mailbox, even, can help, or cute new roofing. And of course, one can go in for a very stylish, chic garage door. Garage doors with windows may be coming into popularity, but that doesn't mean you can't find a great-looking, very unique style that is particular to your home. Or, investing in a carriage-style garage door that swings open from the middle is an exciting way to make a statement.
Just don't be surprised if you get a nice, dark-green vintage stained custom wood door with an automatic opener, and your next door neighbor gets one a month later! It's in human nature to imitate, so try not to be too mad. Just imbrace your role as a trendsetter.
