Replacement Windows Take Planning

With so many replacement windows on the market it can be confusing and frustrating to know which way to go. There are some general considerations that need to be considered and it may help you to develop a checklist of basic requirements. If you start calling contractors and listen to their recommendations you'll probably become more confused than you were going into the process.

One of the first things I recommend doing is to inspect your windows from the outside. Take note of the wood and siding around the window unit because it is as important as your window choice in the long run. If you find rotting and/or holes and cracks around the window you probably should be doing a full frame window replacement.

A full frame window replacement is one that includes complete removal and replacement of the whole window including jambs, casing, head, sill, and sash. In most homes there has been water leakage over the years that has caused rotting and, possibly, mold. When the contractor removes the old window unit they have clear access to inspect and replace any problems they find. They can also re-insulate immediately around the replacement window unit for better overall performance.

Decide what material you want. There are three basic materials used in the replacement window industry. Those three materials are wood, vinyl, and aluminum.

There is no wood window on the market with a lifetime warranty. The basic problem is that wood rots. They just can't count on it to last. It also doesn't have the insulating value of vinyl and aluminum because both of those can be filled with some type of insulation like foam. Condensation is inevitable, especially when your house is well insulated. The condensation drips down the inside of the glass and causes the water to collect on the wood sash. Wood gives you maintenance headaches and premature death of your windows.

In cooler climates aluminum windows are not a good choice either. Aluminum conducts heat and cold so they don't offer the insulation value of the same window built with vinyl.

I always recommend vinyl replacement windows. Within the classification of "vinyl replacement windows" there are high quality vinyl and low quality vinyl components used in a variety of windows. Make sure that your are only considering virgin vinyl. Recycled vinyl is not good in replacement windows and is really not a green product. Using reground vinyl creates instability within the vinyl because the polymers are trying to get back to their original shape. In the sun the various reground vinyls will crack or break during expansion and contraction.

And now we've reached the biggest item for you to consider. Glass is the single most important factor in choosing your replacement windows. 85% of the window unit is glass and glass is the easiest thing to get objective rankings for. The NFRC provides the data you need in their rating system. As you will see, there are thousands of window manufacturers that have their products rated by the NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council). Understanding the data makes it simple to know which windows are the contenders and which ones are the pretenders but understanding the NFRC label is the easiest way for you to rank the various windows.

Surprisingly, the big three, Andersen, Marvin, and Pella don't seem to come close to some of the smaller companies in their standard offering. There are many really good ones but from what I've seen the two best overall replacement vinyl windows are Preservation Windows and Gorrell Windows. Using the criteria I talked about will help you decide which window works for you. What I think doesn't really matter, what do you think?