Posted on 03/11/2017 10:47:47 AM PST by LouAvul
My house was built in 1998 with builder grade thermopane windows. It has four singles, three doubles and one triple window.
I know of the Anderson and Pella brands, but know nothing about them other than the name.
I'd like soundproofing as well as minimal heat transfer.
Recommendations? Thanks.
Anderson windows if you have the money.
http://mathewsbrothers.com/Videos/VideoRadioCommercials.aspx
Mathews Brothers with one “t”, America’s oldest window manufacturer. Wicked Awesome.
Unless they are awful they are a poor payback.
You still have windows 98?
If you spend $20 grand on new windows, and you sell your home, don’t be surprised if potential buyers simply shrug when told that fact. Don’t expect to recoup your investment during the sale.
Agreed. But why change. Isn’t Windows 98 better than Windows 10. 98 is larger than 10, or 8, or 7.
Hey, we are getting cheated!
HDepot carries a window that is less expensive than the two that you mentioned; it runs about 135 or 125 per window without any extras like the inert gases or appliques for R-values excetera.
What you can do is look at your windows & where they’re facing. If they’re not in direct sunlight during the midday or they have awnings or there on the side where the sun rises and it’s cooler during the morning hours you don’t need that R-values applique as a cost driver. And according to my friend, who has researched this with due diligence and is a former contractor, he recommended that the inert gases are not necessarily needed either.
I’ve been looking into the same thing but I think I’m going to save a little money prior and go with a roof and go with another HVAC system but there are some things that can be done to retain heat or shed heat in the summer and one of those things is the underside of the roof in the attic. There’s this type of rolled and perforated wrap product that takes care of radiant heat and we applied that to a garage belonging to my contractor friends and it really made a big difference. His attic went from like a hundred and thirty degrees in the summer to around 90 to 100 degrees with the same product which doesn’t heat up the ductwork and is saving him both summertime energy costs and wintertime energy costs. That might be an Avenue you could explore rather than going right into the windows and expecting a magic cure all. Houses are in reality a system and all these subsystem components have to be in place in order to reap the savings that I think many imagine are going to be there with just new windows on.
Be careful about the payback period. Newer windows may not be of a greater efficiency to payback in a reasonable period of time.
If you don’t have radiant barrier in the attic it may be a better investment
That difference in temperature with radiant barrier is not an illusion. As our house was being built we walked into it on a 100 degree day and the temperature dropped twenty or thirty degrees.
My electric bill is very low due to the radiant barrier.
I had my best experience with Windows XP.
Then went Mac and never went back.
The windows are important. You can check how to decipher rating codes on the window labels here at the National Fenestration Rating Council.
http://www.nfrc.org/?gclid=CM28sKqTz9ICFQiHswodIdcNYQ
Each window has a decal that rates insulation, sound and a couple other things.
Installation quality is equally important. Your best bet is to require that the installer have a formal training certification. The Installation Masters program is the best one. Installationmasters.com has a list of certified installers. You should be able to find one in your area.
Full disclosure. I am an Installationmasters certified trainer. I also work for a company that manufactures sealants that are used to install windows. If you want to specify the best sealants to have your installer use. PM me and I’ll let you know what we make.
Be sure they are using foam insulation between the window frame and the rough window opening. That’s very important to prevent cold and air infiltration.
Anderson & Pella are both very good, established brands. They’re a little pricier than the in-store brands at Lowes and Home Depot.
Depending on your weather, wood-framed (Pella) are very nice but require a lot of maintenance to keep that wood sealed.
Vinyl-clad frames are low-maintenance, but stick with the white vinyl and avoid colored (brown).
The in-store brands at Home Depot and generally good quality double-paned, cost lots less than Anderson & Pella, and work well for common window sizes. From what I understand stay away from argon-gas-filled double-pane windows unless you’re in an extremely cold environment. Otherwise the argon-filled is an unnecessary expense.
It would have been helpful if you had given us a clue as to where you are. We are not the NSA.
You only have eight windows in your house?
Paradigm Windows in Portland Maine makes an excellent product.
http://www.paradigmwindows.com
Seems all of the best windows are made in Maine.
Also try to get double pane or triple pane if you can. There is a tint I would get too, I think it is called low e, I can't remember the name. It really isn't a tint but will cut back on sunshine fading your stuff inside.
All that stuff you should be able to get special order, if you go through a major lumber yard like Lowe's or Home Depot or any other major lumber yard, and a major Window Company name which both of those lumber yards mentioned would have.
Actually, Lowes sells Pella brand windows. We replaced all our single pane windows here in San Antonio, resulting in a savings of at least 30% on our heating and cooling bills.
The best thing about Lowes is that you can finance them at 0% up to 24 months (sometimes even 30mos), which makes the stress on your finances a little more bearable!
Agreed. Unfortunately XP is no longer supported. Just upgraded to Win7 and bought another 3-4 years of support. Licenses are pretty cheap @ $35 for 64bit Pro.
It'll be Linux after that.
I agree with Robert in Post 2. My dad built a house in 1962 with Anderson windows, and they are still working fine now. I built a house in 1978 with similar looking non-Anderson windows and had to replace them before I could sell it 20 years later. Most windows with the same number of panes and E values have similar properties when new, but the Andersons simply stay that way longer.
I have a beef with all of the products that people try to sell you that are "green" and will save you money on your energy bill. In terms of appliances, they reduced the power with which the appliance works (washing machine, dishwasher); but, increased the time they need to run in order to complete a cycle (my dishwaser now takes 2 hours and 9 minutes to do a load of dishes). The kicker is that I have never seen any savings coming from appliances.
When we put new siding on the house and better windows, I finally did see some savings. Unfortunately, it didn't last long because the electric co. decided to raise it's rates shortly after and all the savings I had gotten from the upgrades went away and I was back to paying what I had been paying prior to the upgrades.
Long story short, good windows do make a difference; and, I live on a busy street and it made a difference in noise reduction as well.
I’d also figure in, if you’re in a high property tax area, what new windows might do to your property taxes and ability to sell the house later on. It’s an issue in my neck of the woods.
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