Any good windows-very frustrated

16 years ago

I'm trying to deceide on windows for new construction home and have become very frustrated and confused. Every window manufactrer I look up on here has bad reviews so how do you know what to get.

I originally looked at Anderson 400 and Marvin Integrity. Small price difference and hear both are good. We had Marvin Integrity in last house and no problems in 5 years except transom above front door and that may have been due to installer.

I would like to do off white or cream window to go with trim and not many offer it. DH likes the dark brown but I don't care for it much and heard dark colors fade and can have problems due to attracting heating. I started looking at Jeld Wen and Eagle b/c they have a color that would work but not sure of quality b/c I don't hear much about them.

We live in CT and we want the interior on 1st floor to be wood so it can be stained and the 2nd floor doesn't matter b/c it will be painted trim. I'm totally lost on what's better on exterior: wood, vinyl, aluminum or fiberglass.

Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated. I like that you can get Eagle prefinished stained interior but not sure how much extra that adds and if it's more cost effective than hiring someone to stain them once they are in.

Also would I save anything if I bought Jeld Wen windows and doors (interior, exterior and garage) from same dealer?

I've heard you can save when you do that with appliances and bath fixtures.

Featured Answer

bobbyc234

16 years ago

Whoops, my fault! For starters go to a lumberyard or a Home Depot and check out the 400 series WOODWRIGHT FULL FRAME window, an excellent choice for the new england climate. It has a composite sash system which actually looks like painted wood, and a gorgeous wood interior. Because it's new contruction, you can get them either custom or standard size. The price is very reasonable as well. I feel that looks are very important, and interior-wise, I haven't seen a prettier window. Get a quote with the SmartSun glazing, Andersen's best glass yet, blocks 95% U.V. and will qualify for the tax credit. Step down from that would be the 400 series Andersen, still an Excellent choice, but the sash is made of painted wood and would have to be maintained.

I'd stay away from any sort of aluminum cladding, because of the issues of cold and heat conduction, regular maintenance, and water infiltration. You can read about the horrors of windows rotting out in 10-12 years and the companies not standing behind the product all over the web. There's a reason why people don't put aluminum siding on their house anymore... doesn't marry well with wood.

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Comments (7)

bobbyc234
16 years ago
It really all depends on your existing conditions, i.e., your current window frame. 8 times out of 10 it should be in good enough condition to warrant a custom built insert window. If there is a lot of rot, or glass loss is a concern, then a full frame, or new construction style window would suffice. How are your exterior sills and trimwork? What is your siding made of?
homeimprovementdiva
Original Author
16 years ago
It's a new construction home and siding will be vinyl.
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homeimprovementdiva
Original Author
16 years ago
thanks. Anderson 400 was my first choice but they only have white, taupe or brown exterior and I hate the darker and DH hates the white. I want to have light cream/off white trim around windows but not sure if it would look bad with white windows. I drove around this weekend and saw some houses that had similar siding color and their trim looked like a light cream with white windows (at least the trim wasn't stark white) and you couldn't see much of windows especially with screens in so I'm not sure what to do. I'm surprised Anderson doesn't offer more color choices. Windows are so expensive I don't want to make a bad choice look wise or quality wise.
tube
16 years ago
I'd think the Marvin Integrity's would fade the least. Did you look at their cashmere color? Anderson 400 series colors fade a lot. Look at a 10 year old terratone window. Eagle with the Kynar paint will hold up well. Any finish less then that will fade. I'm not sure if Jeld-Wen has a kynar paint option.
remodelboy
16 years ago
Milgard makes vinyl windows in a sandtone. I just put one in a bathroom and I really liked the color. It's sort of a cooler, neutral beige. You can probably check out the color on their website.

They also make a really good fiberglass window that comes in several exterior colors and are white or wood veneer on the interior. They can also be painted to match your whims or if you have any regrets on your color selection.
afsa
16 years ago
Marvin's Integrity is FIBERGLASS not vinyl and will not fade appreciably at all