Skylight Trends and News | Aluplex Skylights

Penthouse Suite Skylights and Why Your Hotel Needs Them

November 1, 2020 By Ezra Vogel

If you own a hotel with a penthouse suite, you need penthouse suite skylights. Penthouse suite skylights may seem like an unnecessary expense, but they’re not. What is it that makes them a necessity? Let’s find out.

Paying for the Experience

For many people, booking the penthouse suite is a special occasion. Whether it’s for their honeymoon, for an expensive vacation that they’ve been saving for, or some other reason, getting the penthouse isn’t just a cross-country pitstop. To most people, the penthouse suite is there for the experience.

The fact is, for most people, the penthouse is way outside their budget. If someone is going to dip into their savings and pull out all the stops for the top floor of the hotel, they want a night to remember.

What does this have to do with skylights?

What Skylights Accomplish

Skylights in a penthouse suite do more than just save you money on electricity. They add a third dimension to the penthouse, opening it up to the sky above just the floor to ceiling windows open it up to the sky beyond. This extra dimension lets in more light, making the penthouse suite feel bigger, more open, and more clear.

Let’s not forget about the nighttime effects of penthouse suite skylights. When the sun sets and your temporary tenants are left in the dark, your skylights are still hard at work. We all know that romantic excursions are one of the primary reasons someone would book the penthouse. So, how much more romantic can you get than being able to lie in bed and look up at the stars?

Placing a large section of pyramid skylights over the bed gives guests a night to remember. When the more active events of the day have passed, lying back against the plush, hotel pillows and staring up at the night sky is truly something worth paying for.

Plus, that morning wakeup call of a little sunshine splashed across the bed is one of the most peaceful ways someone can can wake up in the modern world.

Long Term Business

While this sounds great for your guests, you might be wondering why it’s great for you too. Remember, your guests and their experiences are what keeps bringing people back for more. The better the experience in your penthouse suite, the more raving the review.

Remember how most people only dream of renting the penthouse suite? The top floor suite of a hotel brings with it such high expectations that it’s easy to become disappointed and leave a negative review. Don’t let that be the fate of your hotel. Do what you need to to ensure that your guests’ expectations are lived up to.

The more extraordinary your penthouse suite is, the more positive your reviews will be and the more likely people will return to try and recreate the magical experience your hotel provided.

Buy Aluplex

If you’re going to invest in penthouse suite skylights, you need to invest in the best glass company Toronto has to offer. Aluplex is exactly what you need. Our window and skylight professionals will install skylights for you in no time. Plus, Aluplex is known for its 24 hour emergency repair services. Don’t rely on a company that leaves you high and dry in times of need. If your skylights spring a leak, we’ll be there as soon as you call.

Service Window Glass for Your Store or Business

November 1, 2020 By Ezra Vogel

With the second wave of Covid-19 spreading throughout Canada, protecting ourselves and our patrons is more important than ever. One of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in stores is by enforcing mask usage and putting up barriers. An easy barrier to put in place is service window glass.

Service Window Glass

Service windows, such as those at the bank or a ticket booth, are well known throughout the country. We have all gone to a service window one time or many. The thing is, any service counter can suddenly become a service window. All you need is some service window glass.

Limit Contact

By putting up service window glass at a check-out or check-in counter, we limit contact with the general public. Items must be passed beneath the window, ensuring there is no unexpected contact with a patron.

Physical contact is one of many ways that Covid-19 can spread. By ensuring employees only come into contact with the objects being passed under a service window, you can better control how they’re touched. Employees can wear gloves to guarantee they don’t come into contact with Covid-19 that has been passed under on an object. The counter and glass can be sterilized between customers and gloves can be changed out as needed.

Air Barrier

Even more dangerous than the probability of contracting Covid-19 through secondhand surface touching is the probability of catching it through the air. Because Covid-19 is an airborne virus, it is passed between people through droplets in the air. This is frequently misunderstood to mean only large droplets, such as in a sneeze. While a sneeze is a high risk way to catch Covid-19, we must remember that just breathing near each other can pass the virus.

Moisture hangs in the air all the time. When it’s humid outside, the air is filled with moisture. When someone exhales, they breathe out moisture from their lungs. If this moisture is breathed out in the same vicinity as someone else, that other person can inhale the infected particulates from the air.

Putting up a glass window between employees and patrons keeps infected particulates from reaching the other side of the glass, protecting employees and their breathing space.

Combine with Masks

However, service window glass isn’t the only thing we should be doing to protect ourselves from Covid-19. By having employees wear masks as well, behind the service window, you double the protection from Covid-19. Should any infected particulates end up on the other side of the service window, your employee will also have their air filtered through their mask. Those infected particulates’ journey will end as soon as they hit the front of a mask. Everybody wins.

Buy Service Window Glass

If you’re looking to put up a barrier in your store or business, Aluplex is the place to go. We can provide high quality glass with custom cuts and sizes, just right for your business. Give us a call if you have questions about how to order.

Sliding Glass Door Replacements in Toronto

October 1, 2020 By Ezra Vogel

Need a new sliding glass door? Aluplex is here to help. There are a lot of reasons why one might be in the market for sliding glass doors. No matter what brings you here, if you need glass doors, we can help. Here’s how we can serve you.

Outdated Doors

One thing that might have brought you here is the need for some more up-to-date, sliding glass doors. If yours have years of built up grime, are no longer insulating your home, or aren’t working right, it’s time for replacements.

Broken Doors

Another reason you’re here might be that your sliding glass door has broken. This is unfortunately not uncommon and happens all the time. Sliding glass doors can shatter if they’re slammed open or closed with a lot of force, are hit with a hard, heavy object, like a rock, etc. If yours have broken, you’re surely in somewhat of a fix. After all, your sliding glass door is what’s keeping out the rain, wind, and seasonal temperatures most of the time.

Fortunately, you can get a new glass door from your Toronto glass specialists at Aluplex.

New Projects

Not everyone in the market for sliding glass doors is looking to replace existing ones. If you’re building a new deck or balcony, you’ll need a door for it. If your back door is solid and feels like it closes your home off from the backyard, a sliding glass door would improve that.

No matter what your renovation project is, we can help you when it comes to glass doors. You can get the size you need, the style you need, and the quality you need, all from Aluplex.

Aluplex Quality

Many glass manufacturers sell low quality glass products. While their windows and doors may be cheaper up front, they frequently cost customers more in the long run. That’s because there’s more to a quality window or door than just what it looks like.

Glass doors and windows are made with two panes of glass. Between them, there’s a gap. That gap is filled with a safe, nontoxic gas that’s denser than air. Because this gas is denser than air, it acts as a completely transparent insulator, making it more difficult for temperatures to leak in or out of a house through the window.

Cheaply-made windows or glass doors will not insulate as well. They’ll be faster to lose their insulating gas due to poorly fitted frames and leakage. That means unreliable windows will cost you more in heat and air prices, while your heat and cooling systems struggle to keep up.

This problem is especially large with sliding glass doors. Because of their size, they have more surface area for temperature leakage. Also, because the door is opened and closed frequently, there’s more opportunity for cheap sliding glass doors to lose their seal, allowing their insulating gases to dissipate.

Instead of risking money on cheap sliding glass doors, come check out our products at Aluplex. Give us a call if you have questions or would like to order yourself a new sliding glass door. We look forward to hearing from you!

How Windows Can Improve A Small House

October 1, 2020 By Ezra Vogel

Is your house feeling a little on the small side? Many people live in a small house at some point in their lives. Sometimes we buy a starter house that’s in the budget of a newlywed or a college graduate. Sometimes we buy a small house because we just don’t need the space – yet. As we all move up in the world, so does the amount of space we need and we may begin to feel cramped. If you’re not quite ready to move on to bigger things, it’s time to look for ways to improve your small house for the rest of your stay. Here’s how windows can improve a small house.

Adding Space

The first way that more windows or bigger windows can improve a small house is by adding to the perceived space. While windows won’t give you new storage closets and bedrooms, they will give you a great view of the outdoors. This sudden ability to see beyond the interior of your home will make it feel a lot less cramped.

This spacial trick is mainly because glass is transparent. When you’re surrounded by regular walls, you feel boxed in. Having transparent barriers makes your mind feel like there’s nothing blocking you in. The world is your oyster!

Adding Light

The next way additional or expanded windows can improve a small house is by adding more light to the mix. One of the main reasons small spaces begin to feel cramped is because light travel is less than optimal. This is especially true if you continue adding more furniture and decor over the years. The more you have in your home – even if its not infringing on movement space – the more things you have blocking light flow.

When you have more window area, you get more light in your home. This light reveals walls, floor space, and makes the entire room easier to see. If your eyes are having a hard time seeing the space, your brain is having a hard time perceiving that it even exists. Some additional light will solve that problem entirely.

Improved Airflow

Last but not least, small homes tend to get stuffy really fast. There’s not a ton of space for air to flow. If your home doesn’t have a lot of space around furniture and decor, this also reduces airflow. By having more windows to open, you can easily bring fresh air into your home and remove that stuffy, cramped smell and feel in the atmosphere.

Shop Aluplex

If you’re looking to improve a small house in Toronto, Aluplex is the best source for glass you can ask for. Whether you’re taking on DIY construction or hiring a contractor, remember to shop Aluplex for the best quality available. Our windows are durable, long-lasting, and fantastic insulators. You can count on us to deliver great results. Give us a call if you have questions about our windows or how to place your order. We look forward to hearing from you.

Is It Possible to Make Windows Bigger?

August 31, 2020 By Ezra Vogel

If you’re attached to your home or just can’t afford to move houses, you might be considering a remodel. Or, even if you haven’t looked into remodeling yet, you may just be looking at your small windows and longing for them to be bigger. Either way, you want to know, “Is it possible to make windows bigger?” The answer is, probably! Let’s take a closer look at the details of altering windows.

Wall Structure

The first thing that determines whether you can make your windows bigger is how your wall is structured. Having a professional contractor or construction worker do an in-home consult is the best way to start. They will check over your walls to see where the studs are. Studs are the wooden beams that make up the structure of the wall. If you’ve ever seen a picture of home construction where the house is only a wooden frame – that’s what they’re looking for.

Support Beams

If your windows have supports on either side of them that are vital to the integrity of the building, you will not be able to expand them. Cutting into those supports would be dangerous at best. However, if your window is on a wide, flat wall and the supports are not bearing a significant amount of weight, they may be cut and altered to allow for a bigger window.

Window Type

Whether you can have bigger windows also depends on how big you want them. For instance, you may be able to get a window thats 1.5x the size of the old one. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get floor-to-ceiling windows in the same place. There are limits in place based on the structure of your home.

Structural Alterations

While many places won’t be good spots for bigger windows, it isn’t necessarily the end of consideration. Many places can’t be simply cut into but may be able to be altered. If you hire a very competent crew, it’s possible in some locations to put up replacement supports in a slightly different spot, allowing for expanded windows.

Buy Quality

When it comes time for you to buy yourself those new, bigger windows you were after, just remember to buy quality windows. You’re likely to be stuck with them for the duration of your time living in your current home. Aluplex is Toronto’s highest quality window manufacturer. If you want a crystal clear view, good insulation, and highly durable glass, buy Aluplex. Plus, you can order windows custom from us. Get the right size and shape for your home by relying on Aluplex professionals.

Give us a call when you’re ready to put in your order. Or, if you have questions about our windows, let us know. We’re more than happy to clear up any questions or concerns you may have.

Why are My Windows Covered in Condensation?

August 31, 2020 By Ezra Vogel

Condensation is a common occurrence. You surely deal with it every time you shower and your mirror gets covered in it. Or, if you get a cold glass of water, it will get covered in condensation as well. But, what is it that’s making your windows covered in condensation all the time? How do you prevent it? Let’s take a deeper look!

What is Condensation?

To start, let’s take a peek at what condensation really is. Condensation is caused when a material like glass has two different temperatures on either side. For example, when you get cold water during a hot spell, there’s cold water on one side of the glass and hot air on the other. The moisture in the warm air is attracted to the cold glass. This moisture isn’t much at first, but it builds up until you can see big drops of water rolling down the side of the glass. It can even start pooling under your glass on whatever surface it’s sitting on.

Window Condensation

So, now that we understand condensation, what about the windows? The same principle applies. If it’s cold outside and it’s warm in your house, the windows are likely to collect moisture from inside until they’re dripping with water. This is especially unfortunate because we don’t usually think to wipe down windows. This can mean moisture collecting in the window track or on the sill, leading to mold or water damage.

Window Quality

The question is, why do some windows condensate and others don’t? It all comes down to window quality. A lot of older windows are only a single pane or are two panes with a bad seal. Therefore, these windows do not insulate very well or at all. A single pane of glass can’t do much insulating, leaving the hot and cold directly against both of its sides.

Quality windows are made up of two panes, tightly sealed into their frames. In between the panes, a gas is injected. While the type of gas can vary slightly, it’s something denser than air. This helps insulate and keeps extreme temperatures from moving through the window as easily. Because the cold air and hot air aren’t both touching one pane of glass, there is minimal condensation. These quality windows almost never condensate to a point of dripping or collecting water.

Replace Old Windows

If you have windows covered in condensation, they may be old and need to be replaced. It’s best to get this done sooner rather than later so that they don’t allow your home to get water damage or mold. Aluplex provides high quality windows that don’t condensate excessively. Based out of Toronto, we serve the entire GTA.

Visit us in person or call us for more information. We’re happy to answer your questions and assist in your order of new windows.