How much of your hard-earned money flies right out your windows?  Home builders use the cheapest windows they can get their hands on – with zero regard for efficiency.  You pay for that cheap front-end cost many times over through years of needlessly high power bills.  What’s the smartest way to save green?  By going energy efficient with green windows in AZ.

But, buyer beware – not all “energy efficient windows” are the same.  Here’s a quick overview of your choices:

1)      Single pane.  This is one piece of glass – very inefficient.

2)      Dual pane.  This is two pieces of glass.  It’s a step up from single pane, but not much.

3)      Low E.  These windows use two panes and special films for increased efficiency.  It’s a big step up from single and dual pane, but still not the best.

4)      PROtec™  These are state-of-the-art windows designed by Republic West specifically for the punishing demands of the Phoenix climate.

Phoenix is special.  We go from the occasional dusting of snow in the winter to long and scorching hot summers.  You can’t take a generic window with a one-size-fits-all attitude and expect efficiency.  That’s why our exclusive PROtec™ windows come in four different “strengths”  – letting us custom tune the different exposures of your home.  For example, the needs of the northern and southern sides of your home are going to be very different.  Our goal is to find the perfect mix of the four different PROtec™ windows for optimal performance.

Beyond offering the most efficient green windows in the AZ market, Republic West also has a customer service experience to match.  We have received the Better Business Bureau’s Business Ethics award for three of the last six years.  Our goal is to make sure that you love your experience with us as much as your new windows.

With energy prices forecasted to go nowhere but up in the future, there is no better time than now to invest in the efficiency of your home.  Plus, PROtec™ windows are so ultra-efficient that they are one of the few windows that qualify for up to $1500 in federal tax credits.  These windows are so efficient that the government actually wants to help you buy them!  Call today for the lowest prices we’ve ever offered in our 14 years of serving the valley – 480-481-9595.

Contact Republic West today to learn more about green windows in AZ and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

After plenty of careful consideration, some of our clients come to a shocking conclusion:  Kitchen tables are so… yesterday.  When everyone ends up hanging out in the kitchen anyhow – why not just make the kitchen the very center of the action?  Take this stunning kitchen remodel we recently completed below:

Perfect for daily living and entertaining alike – islands like this raised “bistro style” design are the ideal mix of form and function.  In floor plans with limited space, this layout lets you maximize storage and also have a gorgeous custom-designed dining area.  With this design, you can have your table and eat at it too.

Contact Republic West today for kitchen table ideas and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

For years the attitude of the Phoenix homeowner was if you want a bigger house, you just move farther out of town.  These days it’s increasingly popular to just stay put and add on to what you already have.  For example, if you’ve always wanted a home office, but can’t make it work with your current floorplan – we can make that dream a reality!

Plus, when you custom design a new Phoenix home addition – you get to do things YOUR way!  No more trying to make the furniture work inside your existing space or dealing with awkward layouts – this is your design.  Of course if you need some help with the design, our award-winning team of designers will be happy to help you along.

Contact Republic West today for Phoenix home additions and home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

One of the biggest debates when someone is designing a kitchen is which wood to use.  Cherry is easily the most popular choice – it’s warm and gorgeous and a timeless classic.  In second place is Birch.  Birch is a smooth-grained wood often seen in Scandanavian modern furniture.  Can’t decide which to use?  It’s increasingly popular to simply mix the two woods – usually with an island accent.  Take this kitchen:

Notice the contrast between the island and the rest of the kitchen – the perfect compromise!

Contact Republic West for kitchen cabinets in Suprise AZ and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

It’s amazing how our surroundings influence how we feel.  What if your house was more than house – but a home that inspires you just by being inside it.  Take the example of this bathroom remodel we did in Scottsdale.  From the spectacular flooring, to the just right lighting in the ceiling, this home is a masterpiece…At Republic West, our mission is to make your home just what you had in mind.  Or, if you see your home as a blank slate – our award-winning designers will take the lead for you.  Either way, the end result will be a stress-free, on-time, on-budget work of art that you’ll be proud to show your friends.

Contact Republic West today for bath remodeling in Scottsdale and home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

It’s amazing how much time and effort a company will spend to get a customer – and then once they have the customer… things go downhill from there.  Take the carbuying experience.  The car companies and dealerships spend billions a year in marketing, yet everyone knows that actually going to the dealership is nearly always a loathsome experience.

Like the car industry, the home improvement industry has abysmal customer satisfaction ratings.  A home improvement project in Chandler Arizona is usually something the customer survives, barely.  After the parade of subcontractors, missed deadlines and blown budgets, they would never actually refer a friend to the company.  Who would want to put a friend through everything they’ve been through?

In 1995, when Linda Zimmerman and Jim Weisman started Republic West, they had a crazy idea.  What if we started a contracting company that does what it says it’s going to do?  What if we respect the customer and keep our promises?  In an industry where a 5 to 10 percent referral rate is typical, what might being ethical do to our bottom line?  What if we didn’t have to buy our customers from advertising and we got them for free because we did what we said we were going to do?

The result?  Republic West has an astounding 49.54% referral rate.  Half of our business is either previous customers or referrals from friends and family.  Half of our business comes from the goodwill created when our clients get exactly what they had in mind, on time and on budget.

What’s the most powerful media format in the world?  It’s not TV, radio, the Internet or newspapers, it’s word-of-mouth.  Our number one goal is to create the marketing that money can’t buy – friends telling friends, neighbors telling neighbors.

Republic West specializes in windows, doors, kitchen reface and remodel, bath remodel and additions.  For a free in-home design consultation and estimate, give us a call at 480-481-9595.

Contact Republic West today for home improvement in Chandler Arizona and other services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

Whose idea was it to make those pink “pickled oak” doors?  Nothing says 1993 like this “before” picture (bottom left) of a kitchen in AZ:

The “after” picture, on the other hand, is in classic, timeless cherry.  Plus, believe it or not, this project is a reface – not a remodel.  We do both cabinet refacing in Sun City AZ and remodels – it really comes down to your preferences and budget.

Contact Republic West for cabinet refacing in Sun City AZ and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

Important Notice for “Energy Star” Windows.

Until May 31, 2009 any window with the US Governments’ “Energy Star” label qualifies for a tax credit.  The tax credit is for 30 percent of your cost for the window (minus installation) up to $1,500.  From June 1st on, the standards are going to get more strict and even some of the “Energy Star” rated windows will no longer be good enough for the tax credit.  This has the potential to create confusion amongst consumers and it gives an opportunity for less than scrupulous contractors to sell people “high efficiency windows” that actually won’t qualify for the credit.

Here’s what the new Energy Star windows tax credit standard will require:

Both…

1)  A “U-factor” of less than .30  (this is a measure of how well a window insulates a room)

and…

2)  A “Solar Heat Gain Coefficent” of less than .30  (this is a measure of how well a window blocks heat from the sun)

Anything less than these two factors and the window will not qualify for the credit from June 1st, 2009.

To find out what “U-factor” and “Solar Heat Gain Coefficient” a window has, just look at the label on the window.  The National Fenestration Rating Council has a standardized label used by all reputable manufacturers to let consumers make informed window purchasing decisions.  When you buy a window, you will want to keep this label for tax purposes.  If you forget to get the label – don’t worry, you can just print a copy from the manufacturers website.

With this tax credit, there’s never been a better time to get rid of those old super-inefficient windows and replace them with state-of-the-art ultra-efficiency windows.  You get savings on both the front-end with a tax credit and the back-end with years of lower cooling bills.  Republic West is committed to helping you find the perfect windows for your home.  Plus, our award-winning in-house installation team will ensure a stress-free install and the peace of mind of dealing with the #1 window contractor in Phoenix.  For a free in-home bid, give us a call at 480-481-9595.

Contact Republic West today for Energy Star windows and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.

Here’s another example of a great cabinet refacing project in Phoenix:

Note the slightly modified island.  With refacing, we can easily make small changes like this.

Also, note the glass doors on the top left.

If you’re happy with the layout of your kitchen and just want to change the look, refacing is the way to go.  There is a point, though, where if you want a lot of layout changes, that it’s best to consider a “remodel” as opposed to a “reface.”

Contact Republic West for cabinet refacing in Laveen AZ and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-95955 for your free consultation.

Ahh.. the 70′s.  Disco.  8-tracks.  Funky music and… funky kitchens…

Let Republic West help you get your kitchen out of its’ funk!

Contact Republic West today for unique kitchen designs in Phoenix and other home improvement services including window replacement, door replacement, cabinet refacing, kitchen and bath remodeling, and room additions. Call 480-481-9595 for your free consultation.