Greetings~ I been reading this board on and off and have learned many things. Tonight I have a question. I am on a board of directors for an elderly housing unit in west Wisconsin and we are looking at replacement windows for bedrooms – four sets of twin double hungs and nine single double hungs. (Casement is out of the question as they are not easy to clean the outside, dbl hung flip inward to clean) The board had presentations last week from two companies. One company uses Lindsey (sp?) windows and the other company uses Heartland. I am wondering if anyone is familiar with either product? If so, what can you tell me about the actual quality, about the manufacturers reputation, etc.? One company only addressed double insulated glass, the other company spoke about both double and triple glass. In today’s world, are triple glazed windows worth the extra $1,320 for 13 windows or will the payback be too far off? We looked at sliders, but one company refused to sell to us because of the weight for elderly to handle for cleaning. As for energy efficiency, I always understood that sliders were basically a dbl hung on it’s side, but with today’s technology, that could all be changed.
Any suggestions about other brands of replacement windows?
We are replacing awning windows that were installed at least 20 years ago and they are not egress accessible. When you put in replacement windows, do they need to meet code for egress?
Both companies are saying it is taking 6 to 7 weeks to get the windows and that installation is 10 weeks out from date of order – Ouch! So we need to get moving so that the windows are installed before November. We had each company put us on their work order board the night of the presentation.
Would I be better off posting under a different topic? Thanks for your time and assistance!
Replies
Jean -
I'm unfamiliar with either manufacturer but would think that the triple glazed would be a good investment - particularly if you're heating with oil. (I spent quite a bit of time around Green Bay in the mid-70's, so I know a bit about your winters. - lol)
You really need to talk to your local permitting authority about the egress issue. If the windows are part of the egress plan, size will probably matter.
These are both vinyl window companies (Heartland and Lindsay).
If you are looking at relatively lower-end windows, you should at least get a price for pultruded fiberglas, like Marvin's Integrity Line - http://www.integritywindows.com/?page=The_Ultrex_Advantage
Jeff
hello-
i am looking at Marvin integrity casements for replacement windows for steel windows. But i?
found a website that knocks Marvins' products and service. does anyone know if the Integrety windows have been tested enough to hold up over time? i have a 1939 brick house and my steel casements are a pain to maintain. but looking at Marvin some people replied that the windows should be painted ever, or every other year. That's why i want to replace them, so that i don't have to paint them.
any experience?
should i forget about replacing them and try to find another painter, who i would have to struggle with to get them painted right?
John Seekircher is the 'American dean' of steel window repair - http://www.seekirchersteelwindow.com/ he knows more about it than anyone else I know.
Don't know much about the Integrity line - but why not the aluminum clad? No maintenance.
Jeff
thank you for the info.
But unless i were to do this myself, it would be too costly to do.
I have been in this house for over 20 years, and these windows cost me $7,000 last time i had them painted, and i suspect it will only go up.
i can't find workman who will do this right. now the windows are in poor repair, i let them go to long....it is a really big job to reputty and paint. but i am not ruling it out but only if i sell the house. as an older homeowner, i cannot deal with the maintenance of this windows.
Marvin's are good, when I had problems they take care of their product.
the posts i read told a different story. (http://www.topix.com)
i am presently researching the pultruded fiberglass window options. In Canada they have been in use since the 80's. Marvin has recently introduced them. Pella does not have casement windows yet.
I am wondering how they hold up.
thermotechfiberglass.com
fibertech.com
Perhaps you linked me wrong as I can't find anything on that site.
Canada has had fibreglass casements for awhile. I have no experience with them.
Customer service tends to be a local issue, as I have nothing but bad to say about Pella and others on this site swear by the service they recieve. Again, I have installed Marvins and have nothing bad to say about them or their service.
http://www.topix.com/forum/business/online-music/TEK1HSLAQT011G6FA/p2
this is where i found a long discussion of Marvin windows and service.
i am sure you are correct as to your local installer, but it also speaks of Marvin's lack of response.
I am a local installer, or was. I have never had a problem with responce from customer service.
Remember, I can probably source problems with all windows made.
If you believe the manufactorors, most are installation problems.
I had a customer that installed all Marvin windows in his house. He had problems... seems the windows were actually made by KML and since Andersen bought the factory there was no longer any service available through Marvin. They gave the homeowner Andersens number.
could you show some proof of that.
Whad ya want, customers name address and phone number?
I was givin the job to inspect windows sold by Marvin, from Andersen after they bought out KML. Are you suggesting I never went there? I never inspected the windows? I never reported the issues? Want me to post a copy of the check Andersen paid me?
Don't know what the final outcome ever was, KML was contemplating sending a crew from Canada to replace them as the glued on grills were no longer available. Kinda interesting Andersen sending a crew 1/2 way cross country to fix a problem they never got one dime of income from.
I would like to see where KLM ever made Marvin windows and when and how it was sold to Anderson.
Why are you so hostile all the time?
Edited 8/24/2008 4:50 pm ET by frammer52
Hostile? Me.... Sorry... I just have no patience with limited google skill people. Ask stupid questions expect harsh answers.
You're the guy who has install 1000's of windows including Marvin... how is you do not know this public information?
Kinda makes your responses suspect till verified.....
Deal with it.
Hostile, yes. I know it is hard to believe........
Your posts have become suspect because of your attitude. Try to get along, we are a nice bunch.
The only reason I posted about the quanity of windows installed was in respose to how you know it all, because you used to fix Andersons.
Edited 8/24/2008 6:26 pm ET by frammer52
KML makes high end windows/doors and sold them to other manufacturers, like Andersen and Marvin. Then Andersen bought them out. It is now Andersen's Architectural Line..View Image
Andersen bought KML in 2001:http://www.andersenwindows.com/servlet/ContentServer/AW/Page/awMediaContainer/1115823198035?mrid=1117213217577Before that KML sold windows to other manufacturers that weren't capable of fabricating this high end product line..View Image
Thank you, that is what I wanted t know.
Then I would guess that warentee problems with them would be Anderson's responsibility. I don't know where sledgehammer is coming from most of the time. I guess, I won't ask him anymore questions.
it seems at least Andersen is around to service their windows.
I just talked to a friend who had Andersen Renewal Double Hungs installed 6-7 years ago, and she is happy with them. they are fibrex. when she had a minor problem, they came out and fixed it. she was happy with the company installers.
i will go to their showroom and see what they have.
Thanks to everyone who has replied. Sorry I haven't responded sooner. Too much on my plate some days. I have learned lots, enjoyed your personalities, and then some.
We went with a local lumber yard that sells vinyl windows by Lindsey (sp?). We tried to get a local contrator to bid the job, but he didn't respond. I will let everyone know how the installation goes. We also went with sliders because it would meet the egress code and it also matched the casement windows in the newer addition to the building. Even though casement window cranks have improved, the sliders are easier to clean.
Feel free to continue your discussion - I'm still learning! :-) Thanks again!
I cannot tell where you live because your profile is empty of info, but if you have an Andersen Renewal window dealer available, you should look into having them do the work.
The Andersen Renewal window product line is the finest available replacement window I know of, and I have seen many, and also worked in the business.
The Renewal windows are only available on a furnish-and-install basis from a Renewal dealer. They are not lumberyard or window dealer "products," available to DIYs or contractors. They are nothing like the Andersen windows available from home centers and lumber dealers everywhere.
View Image
"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
i live in Washington, DC, and i am near Andersen Renewal dealers.
i have not checked them out but a neighbor of mine had his replaced and i did not like the way they looked. they used sliders in a # of openings instead of casements, and the windows had large brickmolds, reducing the light that was there. I don't know if his were custom or not, but i know he paid around $24,000 a couple of years ago.
Take a look at Loewen windows. The main dealer in the area is up in Bethesda. I priced out Marvin Ultimates and Integrity, Fibertechs, Loewens and JeldWen. The fiberglass windows were by far the most expensive, followed by the Ultimates, then Loewen and JW. The wooden framed windows where all spec'ed as aluminum clad. This was a year ago before the dollar tanked, and I am waiting for a new quote for the Loewens, I'm not hopeful though... The strong CDN will probably have erased any price difference.Z
if i can get someone to call me back on the canadian windows, which has not happened, then the second problem will be installation.
I had looked at Atrium windows installed in a high-end renovation but on closer inspection they did not seem to be installed all that well either. and when i asked the installer to give me a quote, he never got back to me.
I will take a look at the Loewen. I looked at them before but don't remember why i did not pursue them.
Today I spoke with a contractor and he is only interested to install Pella or Marvin. Won't even explore these Canadian windows.
Have you spoken to anyone at Smitty's Building Supply about your quest for quality windows?
We used them as a supplier for a while and they were always good to deal with. They have a pretty good selection of good window brands (including Loewen). You may not want to purchase from them direct (I'm assuming you're looking for a turn-key job), but you will be able to see the differences between the various manufacturers.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
thanks.
Another vote for Integrity Windows. Casements are bulletprof.
"It is what it is."
casements are "bulletproof"?
only if you put bulletproof glass into them, i would think.
I meant they had very little prbs if any.
"It is what it is."
Don't write off side-swing casements too quickly because of hard cleaning. The better designed ones don't pivot on the side of the unit, they draw into the opening so that when fully open you can simply reach out and wipe down each side of the glass. They certainly are the easiest to operate for people with compromised mobility, in my opinion.
JT
jean
I would look at Anderson or Marvin complete window replacement.
I would get a local contractor and not a window company.
Vinyl windows are a price point product. Good for tract homes and rentals IMO and I have a couple in my home in out of the way places.
Replacement windows usually refers to leaving the jamb and trim intact, removing the sash and putting the replacement into the old jamb.
Complete replacement means you remove the whole window unit, flash properly, seal the window the the framing and install a better unit with a tighter seal.
Window companies generally send out a crew of installers, not carpenters and they are real dependant on the caulking gun.
Rich
Rich
With cost and utility as major factors, you will get the most bang for your buck from regional vinyl window makers, probably the type of companies you listed. To find faster install times, you might have to look farther from your location to less busy parts of your state. Right now some parts of the country are slow and will produce and ship windows in a few weeks.
I couldn't compete with the installation prices of the local vinyl window makers, but often their installs are rough by higher quality standards.
I would want to know if the installers are independant and responsible for warrantee issues related to the install, or if the buck stops with the supplier. Many guys who install windows come and go and won't be around to fix something they've screwed up.
Good luck!
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.