Celebrate Preservation Month!

Preservation Louisville is sponsoring Preservation Fest 2012 for folks interested in maintaining and restoring their older homes and commercial buildings.

• Celebrate historic preservation.
• Attend educational workshops.
• Talk to vendors involved in historical preservation.

Preservation Fest 2012 will be Saturday, May 12, from 1 pm to 4 pm at Central Presbyterian Church located at the corner of 4^th and Kentucky Streets in Historic Old Louisville.

Laurie Scarborough and Don Erickson from The Door Store and Windows will be there along with David Morris of Marvin Windows and Doors.  David will speak on “Historic Renovation-Windows” at 2:30 pm.

We are a proud sponsor of Preservation Fest.  Please join us!

Use Marvin “Push Out” Casement Windows in Your Kitchen

Design Tip

Remodeling your kitchen or building new?  Consider using Marvin’s “push out” casement window over your sink.  Adds flair to an otherwise ordinary window.  Easy to push open and pull closed for the lucky dishwasher who may be vertically challenged!  Come to The Door Store and Windows showroom to see and operate for yourself.

Push Out Casement Window - up close

Push Out Casement Window - and swinging screen (roll-up screen also available)

Push Out Casement Window - with screen closed

Want to “Pretty-Up” Your Porch?

Look at this lovely redo! Easy, breezy fix!

Took a dated porch complete with aluminum jalousie windows and a heavy, dark security door, and made it into a new favorite place to sit and enjoy the weather.  Sweet!

April’s Spring Showers Bring Marvin Replacement Window Special!

Special!

Special!

Special!

In April we are featuring an installation special on Marvin Replacement Windows. Just a click away.

Click here.

The “Marvin Way”

This is why we sell Marvin!

Enough said…

The Door Store and Windows Team

Congrats to the Big Blue Nation!

Congratulations to the University of Kentucky Wildcats for bringing home Kentucky’s 8th National Championship last night. Great game! Great win! By a great team!

Our state has a grand basketball heritage which also includes the University of Louisville who battled UK to represent the Commonwealth in the Championship Game.  Other highly respected state programs – the Murray State Racers and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers – participated in NCAA Div.I March Madness. And we can’t forget these KY powerhouses: Kentucky Wesleyan College, Bellarmine University, and the University of Pikeville. Bellarmine (Division II) and Pikeville (NAIA) won championships in their respective divisions in 2011.

How about those Lady Cats? Winning the 2012 SEC tourney and making it to the Elite Eight.

We’re kinda sad to the season end. But we have six months to speculate about the 2012-2013 season!

Congrats again to the Wildcats! Whoohoo!!!!!

Even Doors Pick Sides! Which Side Are You On?

Dateline: Friday, March 30, 2012, Louisville KY

The excitement is building in Louisville KY as Saturday’s semifinal NCAA basketball championship game approaches.  Fans of state rivals – the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky – are decked out in their favorite logo-wear!  Trash talk abounds.  Chest thumping resounds.

Gee – even our display doors have picked sides.  Seems it’s evenly divided – just like the city of Louisville.

It’s going to be a great basketball game on Saturday night – one we will remember for a long time.

Go Cats! Go Cards!

Exterior Paint Advice from “Southern Living”

We’re always on the lookout for good exterior design info.  Southern Living is featuring ” Picking the Perfect Paint Color” on their web site.  Naturally, we gravitated toward the video about “Choosing Exterior Paint Colors” which started with this big tip:  first consider your home’s immediate surroundings, neighboring houses and foliage when choosing your exterior colors.  Their editor also talked about how to select contrasting or complementary colors for trim, shutters and doors, and how to work with strong features such as a red roof.

To take a look at this great video, click here.

PS:  The website also offers advice on interior colors too.

Beauty Shots!

We just love beautiful doors and windows. So on a very regular basis, we’re going to post idea pictures on this blog and Facebook.  Stay tuned. We’ll have the door for you.

This door is very old and located in the deep South. It’s a wood six-panel door painted medium gray. The sidelites and elliptical transom contain clear glass which was most likely glazed and built on the spot. All the different decorative features make this ‘door’scape gorgeous: the light gray exterior walls; the medium gray door framed by white jambs; substantial light fixtures with patterns mimicking the door panels and the curves in the transom; and the potted greenery.  Notice the size and height of the greenery (good scale) and its color just pops against the light gray wall. Perfect complement!

Check out the door stop on the threshold.  Is that a Scottish terrier?

“Person To Person” with George Clooney and his doors!

Watch this interview with Kentucky native George Clooney in his California home to see the doors that give his home style:  front entry door made from wood in a look typical for the California desert; interior door with 1/2 lite decorative glass; french doors in the dining room; bi-parting sliding doors leading to his exterior room which also includes a “wall-sized” collection of wine; and bi-folding doors (in his theater).  What else did you spot?  Let us know on Facebook.

For us proud Kentuckians, George shows us his personalized bottle of Marker’s Mark.

And oh, as for rooms, the kitchen was my personal favorite.  Thanks CBS for this inside look.

Our New Commercial Premieres on Insight Channel 2

A couple of weeks ago we filmed new commercials! Customers and associates are featured. See the premiere this Friday night on Insight Channel 2 between 8-10 PM.

And – if you bleed Blue – the programming is interesting. KSTV is featuring an “unprecedented look inside a UK John Calipari practice.”

New Year Holiday Hours

We will be closed Saturday, Dec. 31. (Usually we are open on Saturdays, closed Sundays!) But we are open for business today and again on Monday, January 2. Come in and see us!

Biblical Lamps, Singing Coal Miners Video, Redneck Wine Cups

What do these three things have in common? Christmas at The Door Store and Windows!

Every year at our company Christmas party, we exchange White Elephant gifts.  Specifically, we search our closets, basements and garages for special items that we’d really like to pass along to a dear associate.  The idea is to “pass the trash” – so to speak!

After five years, we have become very good at this game. The “presents” have become more unique and cornier – everyone vying for the biggest laugh. The funny thing is – during the gift exchange, we have the choice to pick new OR to steal an already unwrapped gift. More often than not, we are stealing gifts. It only goes to show that one man’s trash is indeed another man’s treasure.

We had special gifts this year! A couple of years ago, someone brought a plaster statue of Queen Esther (of Old Testament fame.) Queen Esther languished in the basement until Kevin decided to regift by making it into a lamp! Michelle opened the lovely lamp which Dena promptly stole. Dena wanted that lamp bad! Apparently Queen Esther was a favorite Bible character of Dena’s 21 year old daughter Candace. On Christmas Day – as a joke – Dena presented the lovely lamp to Candace as her first gift, something she needed for her new apartment.  The Shoemaker family got a big laugh out of the gift.

We owe a big shout out and thank you to The Cheddar Box in St. Matthews who catered this year’s meal.  It was delicious.  Listen to this menu: beef tenderloin with mushroom gravy (flavored with sherry), Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, green beans almondine and spinach gratin. The cake choices included Chocolate Ecstasy and Carrot Cake. (I had a sliver of both, and can confess that I couldn’t pick a favorite.) We are still talking about our meal.

So check out our pictures and the fun we had!

Comfort Food: Timothy’s White Chili

One of our favorite recipes for comfort food is Timothy’s White Chili. You may remember Timothy’s, the East Broadway restaurant noted for its meatloaf sandwiches and the restaurant’s signature dish, white chili.

Here’s the recipe that was published in the Courier Journal and Bon Appetit magazine.  I’ve already made a batch this week. In our household, we serve it with fresh cornbread and sliced apples or a Waldorf salad. Yummy!

New Case Study Idea: 50s Ranch Update

Another new case study!

In this one, the homeowners asked Carl Baker with Sterling Development Group to renovate much of the living space including a completely remodeled master bedroom and master bath, raised ceilings, enlarged family room, and a redesigned kitchen with breakfast area. In addition, Carl’s team transformed a glassed-in porch to an all-season sunroom. They also replaced their windows - changing from double hungs (raise and lower) to casement windows (the crank kind). Click here to see our before and after pictures.

We work with some excellent builders and designers.  So take a look at the other case studies while you are there.

What Does Your Entry Say To Visitors?

Want to make a great impression when first-time visitors enter your home?

We love these design ideas by "Good Life of Design" blogger Kathysue. She attacks the problem from several directions: the door, color - paint or wallpaper, interesting furniture, unusual/attractive decorative items or art.  Her ideas are really good, and she has included lovely pictures.

So turn a critical and neutral eye toward your entry way.  And see if Kathysue's ideas pull out the designer in you!

Click here to read Kathysue's blog.

Pivot Doors

Interesting post on Remodelista.com.  Click here to check out these pivot door ideas! Neat way to bring the outdoors in. Or add a contemporary look to an interior door. Remodelista.com shows a variety of looks and uses. Clever!

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week – October 23-29

Did you know that nearly a quarter of a million children living in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to cause significant damage to their health, estimates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data from a 2003–2004 national survey. If high blood lead levels are not detected early, children with such high levels of lead in their bodies can suffer from damage to the brain and nervous system. They can develop behavior and learning problems (such as hyperactivity), slowed growth, hearing problems, and aggressive patterns of behavior.

If you live in a home built before 1978, you could have live in a house that contains lead. So get the facts. Learn how to prevent lead poisoning.

For our customers, The Door Store and Window installation team tests every home built before 1978 for lead paint. If it’s present in the house, we follow lead safety practices. Our installers are trained to “Renovate Right.” Click here for more information.

Fall Into Fitness “Pedometer Challenge” – Half Way Point

Sponsored by Baptist East Milestone and The Door Store and Windows, this year’s program is a Pedometer Challenge. Each participant is wearing a pedometer to measure daily steps – a tangible reminder to stay active during the day – and is challenged to complete 312,000 steps in six weeks.

Monday, October 17, was the half way point, and many participants weighed in to see how their efforts were paying off.

We’ve heard some excellent comments about the program:

• Holly: “It is interesting to see how much I walk or don’t walk that is what the challenge is trying to walk the 8,000 steps per day.”
• Joanna: “This is certainly making me aware of walking, and get more steps in. A good challenge!
• Jennifer: “I set a a personal goal of 10,500 and I have enjoyed finding new activities to reach my daily goal =)”
• Mike: “Half way! 283,099 steps so far.”
• Claudia: “I love this challenge because even though I have some physical limitations, I can participate in friendly competition while working toward my fitness goals!”

Glad everyone is having fun. Keep exercising. You are almost there!

Another Family Addition at The Door Store and Windows

Don Erickson, our New Construction Sales Consultant, and his wife Melinda recently adopted Buckley from the Kentucky Humane Society.

After losing their German Shorthaired Pointer, Ellie, about a year ago, Don and Melinda received a phone call from a friend who had unsuccessfully tried to adopt Buckley.

The friend brought Buckley to their farm, but Buckley, who is part Australian Shepherd, quickly put his herding instincts into action with the horses of the farm. The horses did not appreciate nor need herding and unfortunately, the family was forced to return Buckley to the Humane Society.

Buckley received a second chance with Don, Melinda and their son John and has found a permanent place in their home and their hearts.

To see some adoptable friends, visit the Kentucky Humane Society website at www.kyhumane.org.