Full Height (Picture) Windows - - Replacement
We are in the middle of a rennovation project, and need advice.
One wall of glass (patio slider and two adjacent full-height glass windows, plus other small glass) is being replaced - - quite frankly, we didn't get into replacement window details and now are in a time crunch.
The contractor thought we would go with milgard windows for hi-performance and warranty security. My wife is totally against the "heavy frame" milgards (any manufactured window) and want the "frameless" glass Jake and others have mentioned. The contractor is concerned about leakage and the sealed windows failing, and recomended manufactured & warrantied windows. Apparently manufactured windows cost more but are already priced in the project.
Thus, the frameless low-e, etc. windows seem more risky but are keeping with the Eichler look (and cheaper). Any comments or advice.
With the patio slider, originally a Milgard Aluminum unit looked good but my wife has come across an Arcadia one that she prefers. Our project has Title 24 requirement (energy); otherwise, no permit, so anything we install has to be energy conserving to past inspection.
You've pretty much narrowed down the two trade off items with the window replacements- looks vs. reliability- and hopefully you get both. Milguard is good at replacing as I had a 40 square foot window of theirs (the max size allowable) fail after 5 years. They replaced with no problems. If you search on "Milguard" you will find some interesting discussion that might help you.
/Lynn
Hi,
The manufacturer of my windows was Thermalsun Insulated Glass. The windows are insulated rather than low-e, though I know they make those as well. They had a 10 year warranty and so far I've been very happy with them (had them 3 years now). Unfortunately, the ocmpany doesn't seem to be too web-savvy so there isn't a lot of info on them--I was also relying on the reputation of the installing company.
My cost was definitely less than the framed windows others used. Also, I'm in San Jose and this manufacturer was able to replace my existing window without the issue others have raised (where they want to break the original window size into smaller sizes).
My neighbor used a different manufacturer but also was able to do it without changing the original dimensions. I'll followup with him to find out who he used and let you know if you want.
I'd definitely still go with frameless over vinyl if I had to do it over again, but people's needs and aesthetics vary.
Drop me a line if you want a phone number to discuss further. I'm at eichfan at rawbw dot com.
Cheers.
Jake
Your wife may be on the right track. Yes, life - and especially Eichler life - is all about tradeoffs.
When we bought 10+ years ago, we replaced all the windows except the two large walls of glass, with Millgards with the white vinyl frames. They have held up well and no problems (save the incompetent installer who could not get the sliders trued up and did not know how to shim them.) The Millgard Zone rep had to come out and oversee completion of the project. The installer is sometimes even more impt than the product, as we found out. Next time around, if there is a next time, I will use someone with Eichler experience. The guys we used had never even seen one and hated doing the job.
Anyway, if I had to do it over again, I'd use and Al low profile product such as Blomberg or Arcadia, but that was Pre EN days and I had no idea at the time that there were any other choices. The Milgards are great but not quite the same asthetics as the originals. Once you live in these homes and go through enough projects; or read enough magazines and view enough pictures, your eye becomes sensitized to noticing things that you would never have noticed before. Now I look at those darn Millgards every single day, with their thick and fat frames and imagine how the house looked before. Sure, the old doors would not slide or lock and they were mounted on the OUTSIDE, making it simple to lift off and break in to the house, but they sure looked better. I believe that the Blombergs are more expensive, but you may want to check them out. We did a piece on sliding glass door replacment options awhile back, so you may want to check the back issues section of this site also.
Good luck in your quest.
Cathye
Hi Jake and Cathie - We're buying an Eichler in Willow Glen (Fairglen) - we'll have a fair amount of work to do, esp. the windows. Can I pick your brains for recommendations (including shops / contractors)?
tx!
Mike
Absolutely :-) When does your sale close? If you want to correspond offline, you can reach me at:
eichfan at rawbw dot com
Cheers.
Jake
Ditto to Jake's comment and welcome to the neighborhood Mike! We are on Fairlawn in a courtyard model and have been here 10 years. This is a terrific neighborhood.
My email address is cathyelynn AT earthlink DOT net
Cathye
