Chicago Homeowners Seeking High Return on Investment Upgrades: Top Chicagoland Designers and Builders Say Glass Finishes Add Real Value to Your House

Chicago, IL, May 06, 2009 --(PR.com)-- "Glass is the one home furnishing where you get better value buying local," Harris says. "Delivery costs, lead time issues, quality of material – all these effect the value of your glass installation. It pays to use a local glass fabrication facility."

What's hot right now? "Back painted glass," Harris says. "It's a simple process where we paint the back of glass and seal it. It's like an updated version of Vitrolite and you can choose your colors. Popular applications are in the kitchen, behind the stove and counters, in the bathroom and around fixtures and switches. People see it for the first time and it really has that 'wow' effect."

A popular interior mirror design is antique mirror finish. "Basically we patina modern mirror glass with custom antique finishing. It gives living areas a royal elegance, very popular right now."

Harris works with designers and builders all over the Chicago area, and from what he is hearing, "Glass shower doors add more value than they cost right now. Plus builders tell me they make a real difference to buyers, who perceive them as an elite home finish." Harris says to make sure glass shower doors are hung properly. "I recommend extra blocking for the installation. Make sure your installer is experienced. Also I recommend frameless glass for both aesthetic and maintenance reason. Frameless glass shower doors are real easy to keep clean."

Harris adds that measuring is critical. An experienced installer will measure & tailor cut each piece out of square to minimize leak potential and ugly gaps. To the untrained eye an install site can look square even if it is off by a half an inch or more.

Glass Basics

What should homeowners know about glass who haven't had much experience with it? Harris replies, "First understand that the glass installation is only as good as the framing around it. That's why you need an experienced installer. And also bonded to make sure your investment is secure."

Also, Harris adds, material and location are the real value proposition with glass. "Glass from China is not good quality and frequently uses lighter weight material to make up for the long travel. It's just common sense, glass doesn't travel well, it's not like drywall or plumbing fixtures. You want to buy your glass from a local fabrication facility. At GlassWorks we have a state of the art, fifteen thousand foot glass fabrication facility. Potentially we could serve a larger market, but we know our value proposition is to the Chicago and Chicagoland glass customer."

Glass Buyer's First Steps:

Working with some of Chicago's most elite clients and their designers, Harris can attest: "Glass is a real opportunity for high value home upgrade. I think there is some perception with homeowners that glass and mirrors are a hard to integrate into a home's decor. But with today's fabrication machinery, we can create craftsman quality custom glass that used to be only obtainable from workshops in Italy and Germany. The best designers in the city are presently using custom glass not only to create cutting edge interior design effects, but also to create real value upgrade to homes. Homeowners should investigate glass as a part of their home upgrade planning."

For more information visit: www.GlassWorks.net

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