Let’s talk about Vinyl windows for a short moment. The situation is much the same with vinyl windows as it is with PVC trim. Vinyl windows initially sound like the answer to all of your questions. Let’s say I have this old home with century old windows that probably haven’t been touched in over 30 years. They don’t work so great, they look a little rough, and they need regular maintenance. Vinyl windows have none of those issues. Once they are installed, they look good enough, function good enough, and have zero maintenance. Problem solved. Phew.

Now we fast forward 10 years. Does the situation look so good? Not likely. The function has likely already diminished, some glass may be fogging up, and you want to change the color scheme of your house but are stuck with that awful white vinyl window.

If we continue on another 10 years, you are likely now forced to consider replacing those vinyl windows. Soon enough you will be tossing your 20 year old vinyl windows in a landfill on top of your old 100 year old windows. If you had not tossed your original windows in the trash, they would have lasted indefinitely. They need maintenance, yes, but the amount of time you can get away with neglecting maintenance on them is likely longer than the full life of the vinyl saviors you so coveted. The large majority of the windows we work on have not been cared for in 30-50 years with no detrimental effect.

Polyvinyl Chloride in any form just doesn’t bring to the table everything you had hoped it would. It also leaves an awful mess behind it. So here are just 5 reasons to avoid the temptation to use PVC on your old home.

1. Most Installers don’t know how to Install it Properly. Carpenters are often the folks installing your exterior trim. Carpenters work with wood, or at least that is how it started. PVC is not wood. If you deal with PVC like you do wood there can be major problems. Wood expands in width (across the grain) and not very much in length. PVC expends in length. A lot. expansion and contraction can create major gaps in improperly installed PVC trim. These gaps often put more stress on the caulk filling them than it can handle and the seal breaks. This allows water in. Even though PVC does not rot or encourage mold growth, I can assure you that everything behind it, from the sheething to the studs and drywall most certainly do when they get wet.
2. PVC gets very Hot. Why does that matter? Although PVC takes paint just fine that doesn’t mean it will look good painted, particularly a dark color. A dark paint will make the trim even hotter and expand even more. It will certainly start to cook that paint off far sooner than you had hoped and you will likely see white lines where joints between boards failed. If you read the product literature on PVC trim you will find that they advise you to not paint their product a dark color.
3. PVC does not absorb moisture. Yes, this is a positive thing in many ways but it also can be harmful. First, your paint takes a good deal longer to fully cure because paint was built with the expectation to have wood absorbing some of the moisture. Full cure on PVC takes up to 30 days; full cure on wood trim is usually half that time. That is a very large window for things to go wrong. Second, any moisture that does get behind it has no way to get out. Wood trim would be able to absorb small amounts of moisture from behind and release it to the exterior with no harm done. If there was more than a small amount that is getting in the wood trim would certainly absorb that and rot can happen. But you would also be warned before the problem got out of hand. The paint would quickly begin to fail in that area and you essentially be notified that something bad is going on. PVC would do no such thing. It would continue to look pristine while rot is devouring your sheathing and framing.
4. PVC doesn’t break down and is one of the least recyclable materials out there. Once it is produced it is pretty much here to stay. Let’s just pretend that the trim installed on your house stay there forever. What about the cut-offs? They will go to a landfill and stay there forever, slowly leaking harmful dioxins into the environment. What about all of the PVC sawdust? Same thing. Meanwhile, if you used wood, the cutoffs don’t have to have the same outcome. I have brought them home to throw in my wood burning stove many times. I have regularly used our wood sawdust in my compost and mulch. Our local lumber yard sends their sawdust off to local farms for animal bedding and floor covering.
5. The production of PVC is extremely bad for the environment. The dioxins released during production are some of the most toxic chemicals out there. The level of harm that these chemicals can do is quite high. According to the EPA, there is no safe level of dioxin for humans or other animals. Further, they assert that the levels in humans and children is already high enough to present health problems. What about wood? Oh yeah, it spends its pre-lumber life as a tree. Producing oxygen. Sucking up CO2.

I’m not one to put my personal opinions out there too much. Particularly when it comes to my customers, it is not my opinion that will be of any use to them but my knowledge and expertise. But this opinion will not come as a shock to anyone so I will just put it out there. I. Hate. Vinyl. Okay, hate is a strong word and I do not completely hate it. As the saying goes, I like my music vinyl and my windows wood. Other than it’s contribution to music, I find vinyl repugnant.

(Even so many people may not know this fun fact: the earliest records were actually made of Shellac, one of my favorite building materials. You could actually break pieces off, dissolve them in some alcohol, and put a nice finish on some furniture. No surprise this shift from a sustainable and healthy option to harmful and carcinogenic happened in the 1940’s. Right around the time most everything in the building industry and consumer products in general took the same quality and environmental impact nosedive.)

It comes as no surprise to anyone considering our line of business that I loathe vinyl windows. But are windows the only place that we find vinyl? Nope. I think most people don’t realize the full name of vinyl: Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC. Yup, it was right there all along. PVC and vinyl are one and the same.

We’ve become accustomed to the PVC pipes in our buildings. Apparently we don’t mind hearing the splash of water every time someone flushes a toilet. Though anyone that has tried to sleep in the bottom floor of a home with PVC pipe may feel differently. If you are building a home with bedrooms on the first floor, please do them a favor and run them some blissfully silent cast iron.

Now we are seeing PVC all over the exteriors of our homes. Not only that, it is being pitched as a, gulp, “Green” option. So I’m just going to come out and say it: There is nothing Green about vinyl. Ever. It is one of the most harmful products ever created and if the producers and users of the material bore the full cost to society of it, the price would be worse than prohibitive. Check out our next post, Five Reason to Avoid PVC

By: Julian Lane

Your roof is meant to protect your home from experiencing the elements. However, things like age, clogged gutters, and poorly installed skylights can leave you with a puddle of water on the living room floor. Do you know what to do in case of a roof leak? Keep reading for tips on how to get through this unwelcome turn of events.

Immediately

As soon as you discover a drip from overhead, it’s time to get to work figuring out what, exactly, caused it. Head to the garage and grab your ladder. Unless the issue is obvious from the ground, you will have to get on top of the roof for a quick inspection. Look for things like missing flashing, broken shingles, or other damage. KTM Roofing in Atlanta suggests taking a quick peek for potentially slippery spots and wearing boots with traction-enhanced soles.

Next, stop the leak. A tarp works well as a temporary barrier until you can contact your roofing company to repair the damage. Keep in mind, however, that if it is still raining, repairs can wait. It is never in your best interest to stand on your roof during a rainstorm. If you have to wait (or if you were not around when the leak started), you may already have carpet and furniture that is too saturated to salvage. Look for a junk removal service to haul away these and other water-logged items, including mattresses and appliances. Remember, mold can start growing within 48 hours on wet carpet and upholstery; your home and health will be better off by moving it out the door as soon as possible.

After the Emergency

By now, you should have called your insurance agent to report the damage. They can advise you on what is covered and what is not. Regardless of what your insurer will pay for, your next priority is to fix the damage permanently. You do not have to use the first roofing company you find online, and contrary to popular belief, your insurance company cannot tell you who to use. Make a point to get multiple quotes, asking for licenses and insurance papers from each one. Ask about their inspection process; you will want to ensure they fix not only the visible damage but also any rotted or water-damaged wood that’s not visible.

For the Future

In an ideal world, you will only have to suffer one incident of roof damage and its related — and unfortunate — flooding. But what you do moving forward determines whether this is a one-off incident or a perpetual problem. Make a point to check the shingles, flashings, and pipe collars periodically. Even if you get a brand-new roof, these quick visual inspections can prevent another disaster. Also, trim any tree branches that are close enough to touch your roof in the breeze. Get Busy Gardening asserts that you can do this on your own with a few simple tools.

One of the most effective ways to prevent future damage is also one of the easiest: simply clean your gutters and downspouts. It’s not a bad idea to check these once every few weeks during the fall and winter because leaves, acorns, and other debris can collect and form a clog, which can then lead to everything from ice dams to a flooded basement and foundation issues.

To summarize, your first step is to remove anything that could cause mold. Next, fix the damage and then prioritize roof maintenance in the future. There is nothing fun about water damage. Unfortunately, as a homeowner, you will experience problems with your roof at some point. It is always best if you know ahead of time what to do so you are not caught completely unaware.

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