New windows

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Well I got to sit on my back side all day yesterday and watch to master work. The wife wanted new energy efficient windows put in before winter. I hired a company and they sent over these 2 Polish guys, One spoke very good English. The started in at 10 AM and by 6:30 were done. Nice to see young men work for a change.
 
When I first saw this post heading, I was going to say "You should have bought a Mac " :D :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

With the double pane widnows, you get less mess too, no condensation on the inside of the windows in the winter!
 
Well I got to sit on my back side all day yesterday and watch to master work. The wife wanted new energy efficient windows put in before winter. I hired a company and they sent over these 2 Polish guys, One spoke very good English. The started in at 10 AM and by 6:30 were done. Nice to see young men work for a change.

I have four windows to go then all will be replaced in our home with the double hung, double pane windows. Makes it nice to wash them as they are the kind that hinge in.

So what brand of windows, and material, (ie; wood, vinyl or aluminum) are you guys getting?

We are going to replace the 3 windows in the kitchen/breakfast room soon and I have been very disappointed in what I have looked at. Pella and Anderson must be making a cheap model to sell at HD & Lowes because the fit and finish was something I can't describe here due to the CoC. And besides the quality, every fitting, handle, catch etc was plastic or some type of Nylon or Hdpe.:( I also looked at some Aluminum framed windows but they aren't very energy efficient. I installed 15 Aluminum framed double paned energy effecient windows in a house for my daughters 18 years ago, but they weren't really that energy efficient in my opinion, 'course they only cost me $47 each back then and my cousin and I installed them,.......(much cheaper than the $1468 bid my wife got recently for 3 "Vinyl" windows, incl installation). :doh: I HATE Vinyl but that seems to be what everybody is Pushing these days around here. I was REALLY disappointed in the Quality of the Pella and Anderson wood windows, and I have always held both of those companies in high regard as to their products.

Anybody got any better suggestions??? (Whatever we go with on these three will be what we go with for the rest of the house (16 more) when we get to THAT project), (another $8400 at those prices).:bang::bang::bang:

No wonder I can't afford to finish my shop.:doh::( Maybe I need to just find me a Cave to live in, (those are pretty energy efficient). :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
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I've often wondered just how much difference 'energy efficient' windows really make in the grand scheme of things. I'm pretty well sure that the cheapest EnergyStar rated window I can buy (2'8 x 3'0 vinyl American Craftsman from Home Depot was $89 or something like that) will be much more effective at keeping the weather in or out than the 60 year old wood windows I can see daylight through. Being a cynic, I guess I take all the 'you'll save 30%' hype of the big-name manufacturers as just that... hype. Maybe I'll only save 27% with the cheapie. :dunno:

But you're right... the fit and finish leaves room for improvement.
 
In today's modern vinyl windows you are paying for better construction quality, UV resistance and better seals in the double panes. Usually the more you pay the better the warranty. The big names like Pella, Anderson and Milguard don't want to be paying out for warranty work and dealing with recovering a bad reputation. And you never have to paint them... ever.

I know Milguard makes a fiberglass clad wood window. Paintable fiberglass on the exterior and clear douglas fir on the interior. Pretty pricey though.

Cheers,
 
I am not good at percentages of savings as we heat with an outside wood boiler and know it takes a pickup load of wood per week during the cold spells. But I do know that we have no ice on the inside of the windows, window sills are no longer discolored due to water/ice damage. And, we can leave the couch in front of the double windows in the living room during the winter now! Before the couch was always cold. That was a life improving modification for us! Percentages aside, comfort is king!!!
 
There are cheap windows everywhere. For mid grade windows, i'd look at Pella and Anderson's "high end" products, though Anderson's fiberglass windows look like a pretty good value to me. Marvin's entry level stuff falls into this category for me as well.

For what i'd call "good" windows, check Marvin's upper line or Loewen.

I think cheap windows are generally not much better than decent old windows. My 100 year old single pane wood double hungs, with a little attention and tuning, perform better than cheap vinyl thermal pane units. And i know that, with some care, they'll likely last another 100 years.

The trick with old windows is stopping the draft. Draft is the real energy killer - not the single pane glazing. I live in St. Louis, which traditionally has the most freeze/thaw cycles per year of anywhere in the country - decent storms take care of the icing issues.

When i looked at it a couple of years ago, fixing up my original windows became the leading option. With 40 windows in my house, i'd have spent a LOT of money buying cheap vinyl windows. I wasn't wild about vinyl to begin with, plus they don't look right with my old house. And, they'd have been cheap ones. Or, i could have spent a little over $40,000 on decent windows that seemed like they would have lasted a while. "Good" windows were another $20,000. Lacking a money tree, i looked into repairing and tuning up my original windows. I have to say - i'm really glad i took that route. The most difficult part was finding some pieces of salvaged old growth wood to replace the few broken parts i had. I'm not done with the entire house yet, but i'm averaging about $60 per window - not $1000. The draft is gone, our cold spots are pretty much gone, and our energy bills dropped off considerably.

All that said, there are still a few windows that i will be replacing (basement and attic dormers). Repair isn't a good option for every house or home owner. However, i do think it's an option that most people never really consider. High end thermal windows would perform better than my originals, no doubt. But it would take me 5 lifetimes to recoup the installation cost in energy savings.

my cent and a half's worth.

paulh
 
Paul is right on, I was putting steel siding on my house so keeping with a traditional look wasn't high on the priority list. My mom's pastor is restoring an old house to its original glory and our old glass and wood have gone his way to help him stay period correct and save money. Plus, I didn't have to scrap the windows. Some of them went to our North Neighbor who is building her own greenhouse.
 
KC,

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your post but I believe the 30% savings being advertised at the BORGs has to do with a tax credit that is presently being offered through the end of the year. As you alluded, the degree of savings a replacement window provides would have a lot to do with the efficiency of the one that you're replacing.

For what it's worth, I just replaced two 5o x 4o windows a couple of weeks ago. The windows that I took out were 16 years old and aluminum framed. The main reason why I replaced those was due to mold which would continually accumulate in the tracks. While I'm feeling motivated, I've ordered two more and will install those once they arrive.
 
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