1. Increased Privacy - Finding a cost effective window that provides privacy in your hall bath or master bathroom window can be difficult. Glass block windows let light in, yet maintain the privacy you need.
2. Reduce your Heating and Cooling Costs - Block glass windows are 10 times more energy efficient than single pane glass and provide a combination of obscurity and style many vinyl replacement windows do not.
3. Increased Security - New glass block windows are mortared in, making them difficult and time consuming to attempt to break through. New construction glass block windows come with a vinyl frame and nailing fin, providing excellent security.
4. Maintenance Free - With block bathroom windows there is no maintenance needed since the windows are either mortared in or nailed into the framed walls in the property.
5. Easy to Clean - These windows can be cleaned with soap and water or window cleaning solution.
8. Fit Your Style - Glass block bathroom replacement windows are available in different colors and tints, satin finishes, decorative patterns, beveled edges, and many custom architectural designs to match a contemporary, traditional, or transitional design style.

Visit Masonry and Glass Systems for more information and photos.

Facts You Probably Didn’t Know about Brick, Block and Stone
• Brick is man’s oldest manufactured product.
• When exposed to fire, masonry does not burn, melt, twist or warp.
• Masonry is the most environmentally-friendly building system available.
• Masonry construction requires less insulation than other building systems.
• Over 70% of the buildings in the world are built of masonry.
• Masonry structures have lower insurance costs than non-masonry structures.
• Masonry materials are made entirely or primarily of natural ingredients.
• Masonry’s life cycle is unsurpassed by any other building material.
• Masonry is resistant to mold.
• Masonry has been used for more than 6,000 years.
• The Great Pyramid of Giza is over 5,000 years old and was constructed with 2,300,000 blocks of stone.
Read more about these materials at www.masonrysystems.org

Getting your lawn and garden ready to plant

• Start winter cleanup of the lawn when the grass is dry or almost dry. Rake your lawn to get rid of dead plants and grass that won’t be coming back this year, stray leaves, twigs and winter debris. This will also let in light and air and encourage the grass to grow.

• Re-seed bare or damaged patches of grass. Rake the area you are working on. Mix a shovel of soil with a couple of scoops of grass seed and spread in the patch. Water often until seeds germinate and the new grass start.

• Remove any tree guards and winter protection from your young trees or shrubs. Trees don’t need them in summer and they don’t allow enough air movement around the base of the trunk.

• Apply dormant oil spray to re-flowering trees and plants to control insects. Use this organic pest control method when the buds are swelling but the leaves haven’t opened yet.

• Get your lawn mower checked and blades sharpened. Sharp blades cut better and leave your lawn healthier.

• Don’t dig in your flower beds too early. You can damage the soil’s structure. If you pick up a handful of soil, it should fall apart. That’s when you can get ready to plant.

• Start weeding now. Weeds start growing early, so when you spot them, pull them up. Weeds are easier to pull out while their roots are still shallow in early spring.

For more tips and garden design, see www.thehelpfulgardener.com