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#1
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adding on to our house - which windows?
My husband and I are putting an addition onto our 1950 Minnesota
rambler and are trying to figure out whether the windows in the contract are really our best choice. Currently the contract states aluminum Far North (brand) windows (by Scherer Brothers). These windows were the alternative to Marvin (i'm not sure what grade) windows, as we are trying to get the most bang for our buck and the contractor said that the Far North were a comparable alternative to the Marvin, but without the name thus lower priced. i've read many of the posts on vinyl vs aluminum vs wood... does the "best" type of window vary by climate? i also read on pella, which i'll assume is biased, "Aluminum—Prominent in the southwestern part of the United States and often the lowest-priced. It’s standard for windows in many commercial markets, even though it allows heat to drain out in cold weather—and lets moisture condense on interior surfaces. Aluminum conducts heat and cold, so it may allow window areas to be uncomfortably warm or cool. Plus, it has a cold, stark appearance and doesn’t allow painting or staining on the interior." the painting or staining doesn't mean a lot to me. the southwestern US concerns me though...minnesota winters can be brutal. all our other windows were replaced in 1996 with non-name brand vinyl windows, which we've been moderately happy with. this being our first house, i'm not sure we'd know the great from the not-so-great though. so i guess my questions a are aluminum windows a bad option for Minnesota? are non-name brand windows inferior to the pella, marvin, andersens of the world? the scherer brothers windows look like they've been around for a while. what are the questions we should ask regarding these windows? there aren't that many windows in the contract (8 or 9), so i guess i would like to spend the extra $$ if it will truly make a difference. any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks for getting this far. michele |
#2
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adding on to our house - which windows?
"Michele" wrote in message
m... My husband and I are putting an addition onto our 1950 Minnesota rambler and are trying to figure out whether the windows in the contract are really our best choice. [snip] Go to http://www.efficientwindows.org/ for some education about what makes windows efficient or not, and to what degree, and how important it is. Follow that up by going to http://www.nfrc.org/ to find the windows you're thinking about, and what you should know about them. In my opinion, you don't want completely aluminum windows, for the temperature concerns you mention. My house, in New England, has aluminum clad windows, which are mostly wooden except for the parts exposed to the outside. We want low maintenance, and we have white trim, so the white clad windows are a good choice for us. Jeanne P |
#3
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adding on to our house - which windows?
Michele wrote: so i guess my questions a are aluminum windows a bad option for Minnesota? are non-name brand windows inferior to the pella, marvin, andersens of the world? the scherer brothers windows look like they've been around for a while. what are the questions we should ask regarding these windows? there aren't that many windows in the contract (8 or 9), so i guess i would like to spend the extra $$ if it will truly make a difference. any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks for getting this far. michele Two thing came to my mind: 1. what's the purpose of the new addition if it is not to be used for winter season (e.g. 3 season porch) then it does not matter if the window isn't energy efficient. 2. If the room is to be used year round then I'd ask the contractor what's the R value of the window (i.e. how energy efficient it is?) If the construction of the window is aluminum through out (i.e. minimum insulation) then I will not chose aluminum windows for my house in Minnesota since it'll be equivalent to open a hole on the wall during winter. FC |
#4
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adding on to our house - which windows?
"Michele" wrote in message m... My husband and I are putting an addition onto our 1950 Minnesota rambler and are trying to figure out whether the windows in the contract are really our best choice. Currently the contract states aluminum Far North (brand) windows (by Scherer Brothers). These windows were the alternative to Marvin (i'm not sure what grade) windows, as we are trying to get the most bang for our buck and the contractor said that the Far North were a comparable alternative to the Marvin, but without the name thus lower priced. i've read many of the posts on vinyl vs aluminum vs wood... does the "best" type of window vary by climate? i'm not sure we'd know the great from the not-so-great though. so i guess my questions a are aluminum windows a bad option for Minnesota? are non-name brand windows inferior to the pella, marvin, andersens of the world? the scherer brothers windows look like they've been around for a while. what are the questions we should ask regarding these windows? there aren't that many windows in the contract (8 or 9), so i guess i would like to spend the extra $$ if it will truly make a difference. any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks for getting this far. michele Went through this a couple of years ago when we replaced all of ours (location is SE Michigan, so does get cold, though probably not as cold as Minn.) - First, forget solid aluminum unless you want frost on all of your interior metal and water pooling on window sills. Won't speak to all aluminum with so-called thermal break, but would have to have it proven. - Second, remember that significant cost of each window is installation, which does not change with different window makes. (at least not much). So adding incremental costs as window quality improves does not impact bottom line as much as one would think. We wound up going all the way - double pane low-e with internal file and argon fill. Not that much more than basic window. - If you are type that likes to paint window parts to match painted/stained frames - look to wood interior/vinyl exterior. We like all white so went with solid vinyl. - If at all possible look at cutaway of window you will get - best way to evaluate construction and strength. Also, the little details make a lot of difference. Our windows have these neat little latched that pop out and keep the window from being raised more than a couple of inches. We can leave the windows open 24/7 without worrying about unwanted access to house. - If you like divided lights DO NOT get windows with tape on inside to fake look of mullions - windows we replaced had that and it all flaked off and fell down into bottom of window cartridge. - Both wood and vinyl do a better job of dampening noise than any form of aluminum, so if that is a factor in your neighborhood think about that too. We live in flight path two miles from end of runway at Detroit Metro, so makes a big difference here. Also cuts down a lot of street noise. - If you are looking for windows that use cranks, look for new design fold-away cranks - makes it a lot nicer for shades and curtains. Hope this helps Tim |
#5
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adding on to our house - which windows?
"timothybil" wrote:
- First, forget solid aluminum unless you want frost on all of your interior metal and water pooling on window sills. Won't speak to all aluminum with so-called thermal break, but would have to have it proven. Forget about it. I live in the Southwestern US. The builder used all aluminum frame windows with a so called thermal break. They seriously suck. |
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