Archives for Home Improvement Blog

August 2015 marks 33 years of business for All American Window and Door Company. Did I say 30 YEARS?!?! Yup, I sure did. We have been truly fortunate to grow and maintain such a successful business.

This Friday and Saturday, August 21-22^nd, we are celebrating and having an open house. Come celebrate with us!! Schedule an appointment during this Open House and mention this blog post to get extra discounts and savings during your free estimate appointment. You won’t want to miss this event or the savings! [Read more…]

This weekend we are exhibiting at the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show with a 20’ x 50’ display. The Staff at All American Window and Door Co. have been busy the last few months. Busy with projects and preparing for the 30 Year Celebration. One of the projects, they sort of hid, was a brand new trade show display. If you’ve ever seen one of our displays, you’ll definitely want to stop out at the NARI show and check out our newest display.  We have a brand new banner, back wall filled with new products, a bay window, patio door and the latest siding styles and colors, lots of really cool pictures as well as the two new special display cases. The All American Window & Door staff takes great pride in this new booth. I had the privilege of make the two display cases full of special memories. How do you put 33 years into a 7’ shadow box? And how do you put 33 years of awards and community involvement into a 4’ shadow box? Quite frankly, you can’t! It was hard picking and choosing the right things, but I made it happen.

 Our guys built this beautiful new display booth and their expert installation knowledge and skill is on display for you to see. Come check it out! You are going to LOVE it…and so will the owners when they finally get to see it! Come to the show and speak with some of our customers and ask them about their home improvement experience. We have a section in our booth called “Ask the Customer.” Previous customers spend time in our booth talking to potential clients about their experience and why they picked All American Window & Door to do the work on their home. Come talk with our staff and play with full-sized windows. You’re welcome to slam a few doors too. Looking to do that siding project? Come look at our siding walls and pictures. [Read more…]

Just a sampling of that surprise!

I was going through boxes of pictures and albums the other day picking and choosing random ones to use for a project. That surprise project was revealed yesterday. There were days I was overwhelmed with emotions and other days I was completely speechless and had no words.

My parent’s Ben and Terri Lodwick started their business in 1985, two years before I was born. They both wanted to own their own company and have a large family. The business started in the basement and eventually grew to the property and location it’s at now on Mequon Road in Germantown. This year they are celebrating 33 years in business. [Read more…]

Bay windows are beautiful additions to any home. They add dimension to the exterior of your home, curb appeal, give you stunning views, and add charm and character. I love my two front bay windows. Did you know,  the owners, have THREE bay windows on their home! Three. They are simply gorgeous and add so much style and newness to their 1945 home.

We don’t want to confuse a bay window with a bow window, although there are a lot of similarities with the Elements bay and bows; however, there are differences. Bay windows extend outwardly and protrude from the home much more than a bow window. Bays have a significantly deeper seat and have only three “units” – left operating casement (or double hung), fixed picture window, and right operating casement (or double hung). The configuration is commonly known as quarter, half, quarter. On bow windows the configuration is always equal lites.

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Racine brings back many amazing memories – it’s where I did my first ever half Ironman distance triathlon. I spent many training hours down there. In fact, on one bike ride, I came across an old familiar, white rectangular sign with the All American Window and Door Co. logo proudly on display. You can’t go far without seeing our job sign in your neighborhood. Racine is a quaint little town located right on Lake Michigan. They have a beautiful beach, many historical buildings on the National Register, and did you know they even have a zoo?!

We’ve done lots of work in Racine from small projects like a few windows to big projects like replacing everything – windows, siding and doors. This morning the “We Love Wisconsin Tour” was in Racine at Robert’s Roost Restaurant. Every month on the tour Terri Lodwick and All American Window and Door donate $1,000.00 to a special charity. This month Women’s Resource Center was the special recipient of the $1,000. Women’s Resource Center is an outlet in the community that provides a place for victims of specific abuse and/or assault to turn to at any hour of the day. They are the only abuse shelter serving the entire Racine County and have provided a safe haven for thousands of women and children since 1977.

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It’s a cold brisk morning and you don’t want to get out of that warm, toasty bed, but you do anyway. You waltz into the kitchen to start brewing that perfect pot of coffee and the sunlight hits the window just right and you instantly freak, “what is this water on my beautiful new windows?”

Water on windows is condensation. Your windows sweat! Did you know that? They sweat because the inside and outside of the window has a big difference in temperature. The first place you notice it is on the glass because it’s the lowest temperature on the entire wall.  In the winter, it’s commonly seen on the interior of the window and in the summer, it’s seen on the exterior of the window. [Read more…]

When you think of Christmas and West Allis what comes to mind? Candy Cane Lane, of course! If you’re not familiar with Candy Cane Lane, it’s 12 square city blocks lit up with all sorts of Christmas lights, themes and decorations. You can drive through it (expect a lot of waiting time) or walk through it. It’s quite the fun if you’re someone like me who loves Christmas and lights. West Allis is a special community to Terri Lodwick. She grew up there, went through the school system, and as a teen even cruised down Highway 100 in her dad’s pickup truck! We’ve done many West Allis 4th of July and Christmas parades and yes, our float started on fire one year – oops!! We’ve been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for over 20 years and have done TONS of work on homes throughout the community. The Wisconsin State Fair Park has been home to many trade shows for us during the last 33 years.

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