In the Dallas neighborhood of Little Forest Hills, a cool, Beatnik-like atmosphere fills the air. “Funky Little Forest Hills,” the locals call it. It’s an eclectic place where painters, poets, hikers, kayakers, song-writers, and bicyclists all feel right at home. It’s a place for anyone who likes to look at life differently.
It’s a place that’s perfect for MI Windows and Doors.
That’s what Tavis Westbrook believes. The part-owner of Superior Acquisitions in Dallas, Westbrook rebuilt a home and sold it to Mary Harmon and Shannon Conway. What was formerly a small bungalow with about 1,000 feet of living space now boasts 2,600 square feet. “I’ve pretty much only used MI Windows for the last several years,” Westbrook says. “We use them quite a bit on remodels.”
One of the most interesting components of the rebuilding project is the addition of six aluminum sliding glass doors from MI’s 400 series.
“Superior Acquisitions wanted to build an energy-efficient home with sliding glass doors, allowing a natural flow of light and air from room-to-room,” homeowner Mary Harmon says. “The sliding doors give us the freedom to not use the HVAC on days when the outside temperature is comfortable. When all the doors are open, the cooling breeze allows us to turn off the HVAC, which lowers our monthly electric bill.”
The home’s new windows—which are also manufactured by MI—and sliding-glass doors themselves are energy efficient. Both feature Low-E glass that helps reduce solar heat gain and minimize glare to improve interior comfort. “Tavis told us the windows and doors were energy efficient, but the results are beyond what we expected,” Harmon says.
Harmon and Conway have already seen the effects the sliding glass doors have had on their budget. “Our windows and doors are truly energy efficient, as seen in how low our electric bill has been,” Harmon says. “The windows allow light to come in but not the Texas heat. And as seen in the pictures, our home has many windows and sliding doors for a house its size. But the energy bills haven’t increased.”
Westbrook likes MI’s sliding glass doors for their cost and performance. “When we designed it, the affordable costs of those doors were a big factor,” he says. “But the functionality of the sizes was also important.”
MI’s 400 series doors are available in widths up to 16 feet and heights as high as eight feet, allowing homeowners to dramatically alter the look and feel of their properties.
The windows have greatly added to the home’s aesthetic charm.“It looks excellent,” Westbrook says. “Definitely an outstanding look. The concept of these houses was influenced by midcentury architecture: Bring the outside in.”
“The windows accent the midcentury modern design of the house,” Harmon adds. “In fact, one of the first comments a visitor makes when coming to our home is how the house has such beautiful windows, allowing natural light in every room.”
And now the home truly belongs in “funky” Little Forest Hills. What was once an area of hunting cabins and lake-side cottages has become a Bohemian neighborhood. “The house, along with its many windows and sliding doors, adds its own unique artistic vibe to the funky community known as Little Forest Hills,” Harmon says.
