Tag Archives: tilt and turn windows seattle

Noisy Neighbours – What can you do about it?

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Noisy Neighbours and what you can do about it

Do you have noisy neighbours?  Or are You the noisy neighbour?  Well, I want to discuss noisy neighbours and noise regulations in Canada and the USA in this short but succinct article.  What is too loud?  What is too long?  What day should there be no noise?  What time should there be peace and quiet?

What I have seen in Canada’s and America’s neighbourhoods

I have seen people trying to take a nap on a  sunny Sunday afternoon in their backyard only to be disturbed by lawn mowing.  I have also seen families trying to rest up from a hard week and people bringing out their chainsaws on Sunday to cut down trees and logs for hours on end.  I have seen sickly people trying to get better after a spell of bad fortune only to be hindered by neighbours running their outside generator for 1 week straight to water their lawn.  I have seen neighbours trimming their lawn edge every single day of the week to have the prettiest yard (or so they think) in the area.

And what I have not seen is anyone ever complain.  How is that possible?

Americans and Canadians do not want peace and quiet

It seems that Americans and Canadians alike do not want peace and quiet.  In fact, I think that the vast majority does not even notice the neighbour being noisy and disturbing their freedom to rest.  And if they do notice, they are either to afraid to say something and have a confrontation or want to be noisy themselves and, therefore, shut up about it.

What is the obsession with noisy machinery?

This begs the question what this obsession with noisy machinery (lawn mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, dirt bikes, quads, etc.) is all about.  I believe the North American does not want much quiet time during the day or Sundays.  He is quite contend with loud noises and the energy it seems to give him.  I have seen this particularly with retired people.  The less they have to work to make a living, the more they start buying machinery (gas powered garden equipment, etc.) to work on their houses and yards or to have fun (see dirt bikes, quads, etc).

What can a person who wants peace and quiet do?

  • If you want at least your Sunday to be quite:

Well, there is not much you can do other than complain to the neighbour and tell him to give you some quiet and peace at least on the only day that is not meant for working.  The law is not on your side and you will be at the mercy of your neighbours character and attitude.  Canada or the US do not hold to even One quiet day a week.  Any day is fair game when it comes to being noisy and disturbing the people around you.

  • If you want peace and quiet after lunch or in the evening:

Again, the laws for the noise regulation during certain times of the day vary from community to community but in general you can only expect to be free of noise between 10 or 11 pm at night to about 7 am in the morning (and that includes the weekend).  Now, that is the theory.  In reality people might still have parties or play music and laugh and talk in their backyards in the summer till well after midnight.

People that need rest from noise are screwed in North America

Now comes the kicker:  There really is no well policed quiet time in Canada or the US.  Maybe because most people don’t really care or need rest or because the policing of the law is too relaxed.  As a person that wants safe, dependable quiet times during the week, I suffer from this attitude.  The Loud are not regulated and the people who need quiet are not listened to.  Wake up North America – some people need rest and do not want to hear your noise all the time.  Stop and think about the people around you – you are not the only person in the world.  You might affect others in a bad way without even giving it a second thought.

Author of:  Tilt and Turn Windows Vancouver, Tilt and Turn Windows Calgary , Frameless Doors, Invisible Doors, Tilt and Turn Windows Canada

Start your First Business the Right Way Right Away

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Start your First Business the Right Way Right Away

Many small business start-ups fail.  Some succeed.  What is the difference between the ones that fail and the ones that succeed?  As an owner of several small businesses I want to share my insights of what I have noticed to be the critical points when starting anything with the intend to make money.

Be realistic and do not aim too high

As with all things in life it is best if you take off those pink-eyed goggles and look at things realistically.  If you want to start a business that will make you, let’s say, $30,000 profit per year, go in with the assumption that it will only make you $15,000.  Reality is always different from what you hope for.  There are many potential problems that you have often no control over that can slow down or halt your business growth.  So, be conservative in your expectations and you will protect yourself from an emotional let-down if things don’t go as well as you hoped for.

Have a Plan that Simple and Easy to put into Action

First of all you need a plan.  Complicated business ideas are more likely to fail, so the plan needs to be as simple as possible.  On top of being simple it also needs to be able to be realized fairly quickly.  Business plans that involve months of set-up time, for example, are less than ideal.

Example of a basic 3-step Plan:

1) Research a niche product that sells well through online channels

2) Make a website to sell your product (should not take more than 2-3 weeks to set-up)

3) Buy ‘Product A’, buy ‘Product B’, put them together and sell the resulting ‘Product C’ on said website

Keep it Small

Do not hire any employees – do it all yourself.  The more people you have to manage, the more problems and issues will arise.  In order to keep 100% control of day-to-day activities, which is necessary for optimal efficiency, you need to be able to handle all aspects of the business yourself.

Do not Invest a large amount of Money at the Beginning

Do not, I repeat, do not invest a lot of money at the start of the business.  Ideally stay under $5,000 as the initial investment.  There will be less pressure which will keep you more relaxed to make good decisions.

Never borrow Money to start the Business

Yes, you heard right – do not borrow money from anyone to start the business.  Do not get the start-up capital from angel investors either.  The only way you will be earnestly invested in your own business is if you use your own hard-earned cash as the start-up capital.  If you use money that comes easy, you will tend to be less serious about everything because it does not hurt as much if you should fail and lose everything.

Be Frugal

I cannot stress this point enough.  Do not buy a lot.  Do not buy expensive equipment (a simple plan would not need it).  Buy used equipment and supplies if possible.  Make things last by treating them gently.

In summary:  Spend little – earn much.  Your profit is the difference between the money that goes out and the money that comes in.  Sounds simple but most first-time business owners seem to be oblivious to this truth.

Always do your own Taxes

There is a saying:  “It’s not what you make, but what you keep.”  This is extremely true.  I have seen people waste thousands of dollars at the end of their fiscal year on accountants.  Doing your taxes is easy and with a little help from the internet (and tax software) anybody can do it.  This way you have the ability to play around with the numbers as long as you want until you get as close to the “ideal scenario” as possible.

Concluding Thoughts

If you want to go big right away, you will most likely fail or be much less efficient than starting small and simple.  Doing everything  yourself (marketing, accounting, manufacturing, sales, deliveries, service, repairs, etc.) teaches you a lot of new things and makes you stronger and tougher in the business world.  Be afraid – yes, be very afraid to lose money.  The result will be that you will keep a closer look on your profits and efficiently increase them over time.  There is nothing worse than” spend-happy”, fearless, first-time entrepreneurs that squander their capital with, at best, a vague idea of what they are actually doing.

Author:  Owner of Tilt and Turn Windows Edmonton , Frameless Doors, Invisible Doors, Tilt and Turn Windows Calgary

Tilt and Turn Window Technology in Canada

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Tilt and Turn Windows at the Lowest Prices in the US and Canada

We decided to focus all our attention on Tilt & Turn windows and Lift and Slide Doors for American and Canadian home owners and builders.  What would you say if you can buy the overall best performing window type at an affordable price?  We aim to do just that.

We offer Tilt & Turn Windows in Vancouver and Patio Doors by DAKO.  Rapidly expanding, they are one of Europe’s best selling window companies that has vast experience supplying the International Market.  Window profiles come from Rehau and the hardware is supplied by Winkhaus.  Both are well-know German companies with a long history and strong track record.

Price Matters

We are firm believers that prices matter.  The best products in the world are useless to the average person if their price is out-of-reach.  So, we aim to offer the best prices in North America.  Feel free to email or call us and get a quote on the windows you need.  There is no minimum order quantity.  We can ship anywhere in the US or Canada.

Performance

Thermal and Acoustic Performance of all our windows is far better than virtually any regular sliding or casement window of the same size.  That might sound like an arrogant statement but we know it is true.  All of our employees, without exception, have our windows installed their homes and can speak from experience.   Imagine sleeping better because your bedroom is now virtually soundproof to the outside.  Your kitchen window might be facing a noisy neighbor – well, no worries, we have the window that will solve your problem.

Testing

Any window that gets installed in the US or Canada needs to be tested and conform to NAFS and CSA.  DAKO meets all of North America’s testing requirements and every window has its required label.  Peace-of-mind for the home owner is important to us.