LeTip Chester County East met on Tuesday, November 11, 2014. We were joined by guests representing the categories of Flooring Contractor and Home Automation. Both guests were voted on at the meeting and will be joining as new members. More information about them and their businesses will be available soon!

Our showboater was Tony Latino (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) of Tony's Chimney Care. He displayed photos of various materials that he uses for stucco and chimney work. We also got to see a bag that he uses to pipe mortar when he is doing pointing. The bag helps him to be more direct in the mortar placement for a neater final appearance.

Our speaker was Frank Grube, our Remodeling Contractor from Clearview Home Solutions (www.clearviewhomesolutions.com). Frank can provide his customers with windows, doors, and siding. His talk focused on windows. Frank sells only high-quality windows. His vinyl windows contain between 80 and 85 percent virgin vinyl; he also offers composite windows. Frank recommends two or three panes of glass with either argon or krypton gas between the panes. The inert gas between the panes prevents heat loss through the windows and is represented in a value called the U-factor. Frank recommends purchasing windows with a U-factor of 0.25 or below, with the lower numbers being better. In addition to preventing heat loss in the cold weather, it is also advisable to prevent solar heat gain during the warmer weather. Solar heat gain (additional heat in a building because of the sunlight shining through the windows) is reduced with a low-E coating on the windows. Frank is happy to discuss window options and to perform an in-home demonstration of how the different window qualities actually feel when heat is applied. He is not just a salesman; he is also an educator. Please contact him for a consultation.