Hello,
I’m building in Central North Carolina (owner/builder) and am planning to go with the Marvin Integrity windows throughout. They are fiberglass with wood interior finish and seem to offer me the best balance of: Price, strength, low maintenance, energy, … .
Do any of you have any experience with these windows? If you would recommend against them, please explain.
My previous experience was with wood M&W windows which didn’t work out for me (too leaky (air), too much maintenance, …)
Thanks,
Roger <><
Replies
Roger,
I put about 30 of them in a new construction last month. They seem to be good windows and appear to be at least as good as comparably priced Pella or Anderson windows. The fiberglass frames are brittle in the cold though as one of the big mulled units we put in came cracked. Marvin is supposed to come out and repair it. Some limitations though are a limited number of sizes, especially in their round tops. If the stock sizes work well for you they are cheaper than the regular Marvin line. These were ordered prefinished white from Marvin and that might not have been a wise choice. The prefinishing adds about $70 per window and it barely looks like they have one coat on them, not to mention it is almost a flat paint.
So they are a nice alternative to the other big names, but given that the regular Marvin line is only about 25% higher, they might be an option too.
Regards,
Dennis
Roger-
I have used these windows many times in the last few years, mostly as a subsitute for the older brother, Marvin. I toured the plant in Warroad, MN a few years ago and was very impressed. For my money, whether I'm buying them or selling them, Marvin and Integrity are an excellent value.
I have worked on several high dollar homes where Marvin and Integrity windows were intermixed for value. With Integrity you get all the quality of the Marvin, only lackinig is the options.
BTW, you only asked about Integrity from Marvin. I feel these are the best window around. I'm in the upper midwest, so the company is fairly local.
Hope it helps!
Hook
ADH Carpentry & Woodwork
Quality, Craftsmanship, Detail
Roger,
I have built 6 houses over the past 10 or so years all with Integrity windows, including my own house...I think they are an excellent value...
They are cheaper than Andersen..better manufactured..plus they come with the extension jambs for 2x6 framing already applied..no extra finish carpentry...the tilt in feature on double hungs have a mechanical slide to release the sash which Andersen does not offer (you have to push the jamb liner back and pull the sash in with Andersen)
They are limited in sizes but for spec houses, this was never a problem...
IMHO for the money, they are exceptional...