Lyndol Woodruff

Tom had given up on his breakfast nook. (Tom’s actual photo)

Three old aluminum builder-grade windows made his favorite spot in the house completely unusable. Drafty in winter, scorching in summer. He’d moved his coffee routine three times trying to find comfort, finally settling for the kitchen counter instead of his beautiful table by the windows.

“I’ve just accepted it’s not usable,” he told me during our consultation, gesturing toward the table that sat empty. “That’s just how old houses are.”

Sound familiar?

The Space We Avoid

Tom’s not alone. In almost every home I visit, there’s that one room or spot. You know the one—it used to be your favorite spot, but over the years, you’ve slowly stopped using it. Maybe it’s too hot in summer, too cold in winter, or just never quite comfortable.

So you adapt. You move your morning coffee routine to the kitchen counter. You relocate your reading chair to the living room. You find workarounds for what should be the most enjoyable spaces in your home.

But here’s what I’ve learned: when you start avoiding rooms in your own house, you’re not just losing square footage. You’re losing a certain kind of non-refundable peace of mind.

The Nook Transformation

Tom decided to go all in—all three windows in his breakfast nook had to go. This wasn’t a test run or experiment. He was ready to reclaim his favorite space once and for all.

The installation went smoothly, but the real test would come with time. Would this actually solve the comfort issues that had driven him away from his favorite table?

The results were immediate and dramatic.

The Boxer Shorts Moment

We installed Tom’s windows just days before Dallas got hit with an epic snowmageddon in early 2022, the year after an even worse one. Zero to 4 degrees for multiple days—the kind of cold that tests everything in your house.

Just four days after installation, Tom called me, laughing: “Dude, I’m sitting at my table in boxer shorts and it’s 2 degrees outside. The inside glass feels exactly like the temperature in my house—WARM.”

He was flabbergasted. After years of avoiding his favorite spot, he could finally sit at his table in total comfort while it was literally freezing outside. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for testing his new windows under the most extreme conditions possible.

And you know what he talked about most? Not the energy savings. Not the thermal performance. He talked about reclaiming his morning routine. About finally using the space the way he’d always wanted to.

The Decision to Transform

What I love about Tom’s story is how it shows that sometimes the best transformations happen when you stop overthinking and just commit to change.

Tom didn’t need scientific data or thermal imaging. He knew his breakfast nook was uncomfortable, he knew he missed using his favorite space, and he was ready to do something about it.

The fact that the snowmageddon hit just four days after installation was like the universe providing the ultimate stress test for his decision. And his new windows passed with flying colors.

The Real Transformation

Here’s the part that gets me every time: Tom didn’t just get new windows. He got his life back.

That breakfast table wasn’t just furniture—it was where he planned to start his mornings, read the news, enjoy quiet time before the day began. It was part of the life he envisioned when he set that area up.

For years, he’d been telling himself, “That’s just how old houses are.” But that’s not acceptance—that’s resignation. There’s a difference.

When you reclaim one space, you remember what’s possible everywhere else.

“I had no idea what I was missing,” Tom told me recently. “I didn’t even know what actual comfort even felt like. It was never there. Amazing.”

The Rooms You’ve Given Up On

As I write this, I’m thinking about your house. About that room you used to love but have learned to avoid. About the spaces that don’t work the way they should, and how you’ve adapted around them instead of addressing them.

Maybe it’s a sunroom that’s unusable in summer. A den that’s always too cold. A home office where you can’t focus because of outside noise. A bedroom where you never quite feel rested.

Here’s what I’ve learned from hundreds of customers like Tom: when you reclaim one space, you remember what’s possible everywhere else.

The Miracle Isn’t the Windows

Don’t get me wrong—good windows make a huge difference. But the real miracle isn’t the glass or the frames. It’s what happens when you stop accepting dysfunction and start believing in transformation.

It’s the moment you realize that “that’s just how things are” isn’t actually true. That comfort isn’t a luxury—it’s possible. That you don’t have to live around problems when solutions exist.

Tom found that breakthrough at his breakfast table. Where might you find yours?

Your Turn

What space in your home have you given up on? What room did you once love that you now avoid? What part of your house feels like it’s working against you instead of for you?

Maybe it’s time to stop adapting and start reclaiming.

Because here’s the thing: when you transform a space, you don’t just change how it feels. You change how you feel in it. And that changes everything.

The breakfast table was always there. Tom just needed better windows to let the comfort in.

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What space in your home could use a little transformation? Share your story in the comments—I’d love to hear about the rooms you’ve reclaimed or the ones you’re still hoping to transform.