Replacing Windows in my House

[olyclimber]

with a Mac. LOL. No I'm getting ready to replace the aluminum windows in my house with wood ones. Anyone know the best place to order the windows from? Home Depot carries Anderson Windows, which seem pretty nice. Is there a cheaper place to get them? What about Millgaurd vs. Anderson windows?

 

I'm going to be replacing about 16 or 17 windows, but I'm just starting with one to get the process down with a "little help from my friends". So I'm not going to be ordering all the windows at once.

 

Anyway construction people out there who can advise on where to get the best deal on wood windows in the Seattle area.

 

Also, which are the best brand of window (Millgaurd, Anderson, etc?).

[pope]

Why wood? Why not vinyl?

[olyclimber]

a couple reasons pope...one is resale value. i might go for wood, with a clad exterior though.

[G-spotter]

How often are upgrades released?

[Matt Kidd]

I've installed lots of wood windows and the best ones have been from Dynamic Wi. They are on our side of the border but they do at least as much business in the States. Coworkers of mine toured the factory and they had an order ready to go out to the Clinton residence. Are you getting a contractor or installing them yourself? The catch is I don't know if they are willing to deal directly with homeowners. Nice wood windows are the best IMO, but poor ones can be a nightmare. If you are thinking first about price I might not go that route. Of course your resale will have a lot more to it than windows so if you are not in a upper scale home you run a real risk of not getting your money back. The other aspect is about the maintenance... Stained or painted they'll need plenty. The cladded windows are cool for that, obviously lose some visual appeal on the exterior.

good luck,

[olyclimber]

installing myself. i'm obviously going to be paying more than for vinyl, so I'm not looking for the cheapest possible...I guess I should rephrase it to be "best value" for a wood window. I'm not actually that worried about the exterior look, but I really want the wood interior, so I think i'm definitely going to go with clad.

 

I'm just looking for a good retailer to work with for getting the windows (one that might care a few good brands and isn't going to over charge me for what I'm getting).

 

thanks for the info Matt!

[Matt Kidd]

Clear stain-grade fir windows can look amazing. One other suggestion - buy them from a company that will come to your house and measure up for you. They'll tend to be more accurate at sizing windows for your rough opening. Also, if the measurements are wrong (windows being too big as the real problem) then you aren't out of pocket and can just send them back. Sadly in the conractors world it's all about abdication of responsibility.

 

[Dechristo]

Definitely go with exterior clad.

 

I would prefer aluminum cladding to vinyl.

 

Marvin offers a good product as well.

[sexual_chocolate]

marvin's good quality. i didn't even know milguard makes wood.

we used windsor for our house, and they seem really nice. wood interior, clad exterior. windows, doors, and more is a good company for viewing windows.

 

i'd second the exterior clad suggestion. super-clean look, super-rad color selections, and no up-keep. and when (not if, but when) the color of the cladding starts to fade 10 to 20 years down the road, you can always paint (can't paint vinyl). Darker colors fade more, i'm told.

 

HH windows makes the coolest windows i've seen. i think they are in south park. they are the best quality (at least they were a few years ago when i last checked) with the coolest look and neato-est options. they are what we would have used if we knew we were staying in this house for long.

[Off_White]

AVOID MILGARD WOODCLAD WINDOWS

 

Sorry to shout, but you need to know this. What Milgard markets as a wood window is a fiberglass window with an extremely thin CVG doug fir veneer. They are super prone to mold and mildew issues, and the wood is too thin to do anything with once mildew sets in. Don't let anyone sell you these things.

 

A basic question: are you putting in new windows, or are you just replacing the sash (operable portions) and installing new tracks? Replacing the sash lets you avoid tearing out the interior and exterior trim.

[mattp]

In a prior house I installed pella Metal clad sash windows in a second floor remodel and one very quickly warped so that it stuck when opening. It would still open, but was a slight nuisance. I never worried much about it, but I'd be hesitant about them in the future.

 

I've been told that metal cladding over wood is problematic because the metal and the wood expand and contract at different rates. Don't know if this is so.

[Dechristo]

I've been told that metal cladding over wood is problematic because the metal and the wood expand and contract at different rates. Don't know if this is so.

 

Not

[Matt Kidd]

In a prior house I installed pella Metal clad sash windows in a second floor remodel and one very quickly warped so that it stuck when opening. It would still open, but was a slight nuisance. I never worried much about it, but I'd be hesitant about them in the future.

 

I've been told that metal cladding over wood is problematic because the metal and the wood expand and contract at different rates. Don't know if this is so.

 

Probably because of installation. If a flange style then over nailing prevents the window from moving independently from the house. The other thing some people slip up on is oversizing the window for the rough opening - shouldn't fit snug for the same reason. The other possibility is that it was inadequately/unevenly supported. In larger windows their own weight will force them out of square, shimming is the cure. It also could just be a crap window. Some of the hinges settle, etc.

 

Seconding Dechristo on the no problem of mixed mediums. Not that I've experienced, anyway. I have asked about that a few times at trade shows and each manufacturer is cognizant of possible issues and deals with it in their own way. The only thing that I might be worried about is using a really dark colour on metal cladding - would heat up in sunny conditions and might cause some issues, but who knows...

[mattp]

My window that was problematic was a relatively large one, with a dark brown cladding, on a south facing window. Kidd has several viable theories re: the problem I experienced.

[olyclimber]

AVOID MILGARD WOODCLAD WINDOWS

 

Sorry to shout, but you need to know this. What Milgard markets as a wood window is a fiberglass window with an extremely thin CVG doug fir veneer. They are super prone to mold and mildew issues, and the wood is too thin to do anything with once mildew sets in. Don't let anyone sell you these things.

 

A basic question: are you putting in new windows, or are you just replacing the sash (operable portions) and installing new tracks? Replacing the sash lets you avoid tearing out the interior and exterior trim.

 

I'm replacing the windows and probably replacing both the exterior and interior trim. The old windows are aluminum, hung inside the remenants of the old double hung windows they replaced.

 

Interesting about the milgard windows...I was strongly considering them (not the woodclad version, just the fiberglass version)....but they are subject to mold/mildew??? I was hoping to get more feedback about them...anyone else have an opinion about milgaurd fiberglass windows?

[Matt Kidd]

Straight fibreglass shouldn't have this problem.

[Matt Kidd]

Off White does mention something that would save you time to consider. The trim package that you have especially on the exterior is something to consider. It can be hard to make a window look good if you are buying it with exterior trim built in. Depending upon your siding style it can be difficult/impossible to make it look original. Taking the insert approach does save you the trouble of re-trimming but you do get a smaller window.

[olyclimber]

I'm going to have to re-trim the exterior anyway, so the inserts aren't going to work for me. i'm stuck doing it the hard way, but at least i'll get slightly bigger windows.

[tvashtarkatena]

Get rid of your siding while your at it and free yourself

 

[olyclimber]

Straight fibreglass shouldn't have this problem.

 

So it is just the woodclad part that has the mildew issue? All that consists of is a microscopically thin lamination of wood on the fiberglass frame.

 

If that is the case I'm now leaning towards just getting the white fiberglass finish and trimming it up with clear wood. i saw a couple examples that look pretty good. the milgaurd fiberglass windows seem pretty nice. i'm still looking at wood windows clad with alum. on the outside though.

 

Homedepot says they'll beat any price by 10% and you get %10 off if you use their credit card (along with no interest/no payments for a year). So I may just go that route and pay them off before the year is out. Over $2500 spent they give you close to the wholesale rate, supposedly.

[olyclimber]

I already tried to do that tvash, but there was just more siding underneath

[Off_White]

Yup, the woodclad is just a 1/32" thin layer of mold food, the fiberglass itself is just fine. If asking window folks for a doug fir interior they'll often try to steer you this way. If you're talking paint grade interior, no reason not to do the all fiberglass unit.

 

The Marvin Integrity windows are worth looking at, a fairly happy medium. Interior is pine, exterior is a colored fiberglass cladding.

 

If you want clear doug fir interiors, look at Loewen Windows.

 

[olyclimber]

I don't think I'm going to do all wood windows because of the care and feeding required. The Marvin's I read quite a few good remarks about on the ole Interweb today. I think I'm starting to talk myself into the Milgaurd fiberglass windows based on the price and quality, but I'll have to find someone who carries the Marvin's and get a rough quote to compare before I commit. (I'm thinking I just trim it up right things will look pretty good.)

 

Thanks off and everyone who chipped in 2cents.

Edited March 16, 2008 by porter

[Matt Kidd]

what is your exterior siding material(s)?

[olyclimber]

it was aluminum siding, but i pulled it off and there is was perfectly good big cedar shakes on it (vintage 1946). The aluminum windows where put in at the time the aluminum siding was added. As I said above, they just trimmed the aluminum windows in the old double hung windows. i want to put the new windows in so that they are flush with siding and have a nice big interior sill.