Help! Heart set on Marvin windows, Architect says Plygem Mira
suzprince
12 years ago
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LE
12 years agoreinan
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Architect communication problems
Comments (27)Thank you everyone for your input, there has been something worthwhile in everything that has been said. I want to especially thank Virgil for his clearheaded thoughts. We entered into this project a little confused about the processed and in hindsight wish we would have done some more research, but did want to get in so as not to have our son (who is 4 1/2), change schools once he started. I changed schools many times as a child and it was difficult for me. Maybe we rushed that part a little. We chose our architect because we liked her, she kept her business small and out of her house, liked the "Not so Big House" idea as we did, and was green. We want to be energy efficient more then actually green, but they do go hand in hand. We asked for 1 thing at the very beginning a tower which she worked in, there was quite a bit of back and forth about that because we weren't happy and that went okay, eventually we got something we are happy with. Not perfect but happy enough. In the meantime our living room had large windows facing the west and backyard. We asked about opening it up to the patio and sent some pictures not knowing they were folding or pocket doors. The quote however from Marvin (which is all she uses) was out of the question for us. We did research on a few other companies without any input given as we went. The pass thru also came up along the way and our architect loved it but had no ideas for us so again we did our own research and tried to come up with ideas all of which were "um, well, I don't know"... nothing constructive or anything which we thought would happen. Last month we took a trip to PA to visit Solar Innovations and see their folding doors which we had 98% decided on. They had also priced us out for our pass thru. We still were looking for something different though and ran into the owner who after talking to for a few minutes says "oh yeah we can do that" followed by a full description of how it would work. They are a small, growing, green, leed certified company that prides itself on their customer service no matter how big or small the job is. These 3 items are the only things we have asked for. In the end it seems to be working out, but it's been very time consuming as far as getting input from her about. These designing items themselves are not the problem. It is the communication during these that was frustrating and us feeling like our comments were falling on deaf ears. Our communication problems really went downhill when we inquired about the civil engineer. He is in a different state (is certified here though), does not know our county well and neither him nor our architect would give us an approximate cost for his services. This is part of our needing to budget and was very frustrating. My husband called several CE's in our county and got quick and easy estimates. We believed that it would be better to have someone in our county for our CE and thus the fighting began. We were not given any reason why she was so upset except that the other guy was part of "her team". It is our belief that if we do not go with her entire team she will walk away. We have gone with the arborist she suggested, and, even though she didn't want us to, contacted him about stakes that the CE was going to place (for an additional $500) before he did his work to determine the roots, remove a tree, and do some tree preservation. We were told that he did not need those stakes in order to do his work. You all figure that one out. We are going to sign for the SE when the contract gets straightened out. It's VERY hard to describe what occurs when we have a phone call and my husband asks a question. We rarely get a straight answer, in fact we do believe that she does not always know the answer to questions, and if so that's ok, she should just tell us and lets find out together. The run around regarding our questions and the unnecessary costs like the $500 one above are things that are causing our frustrations to grow and when we are not able to get them resolved we just keep asking or questioning. This apparently bothers her. We are going to try and step back for a bit as recommended, take a deep breath and really give some thought to the agenda before our next phone call. Since our roles have been reversed in this, I will take it upon myself to try and talk to my husband before hand and remind him, maybe even have a code word during the call if things seem to be getting to frustrating for him. We hope that all of these problems can be put behind us for the good of our home....See MoreReplacement Windows: Materials and Manufacturers?
Comments (14)The reasoning behind the change in energy consumption is geared from the power loss a few years back in the NY area. The National study of how this happened and why sparked some interesting results. First of all to replace the old antique power lines and grid system in just one area would be Trillions of dollars. That's just one grid! Our almighty power supply companies can't even comprehend where to start and where the money will come from. So they are all putting large amounts of money in a federally funded program to make our homes more energy efficient. So by having an energy audit done on your home and finding out where all your issues are. You can then have access to this pool of low interest loans through our government. There are a handful of us working closely with these programs and teaching them the things they will need to know for a more energy efficient home. In my case, I offer technical solutions on the installation of doors and windows. The proper use of house wrap and flashing. Then it goes from there to siding, HVAC, roofing and insulation. Your windows are only part of a very complex system... your home. Every home is different and every climate doesn't care... it just does what it does. The neighbor next to you in the same model home might change windows and save 50%... and you might do the exact same and save nothing. It might not make sense.. until you apply science. Energy is heat and follows it's own laws. It's laws tell it to move to a lack thereof by any vehicle available. Air transfer is the easiest but many others are readily available in most homes. Conduction, convection and radiation are the primary taxicabs. If your neighbors home is properly insulated and airtight, the energy might have been primarily using the old windows as the vehicle to move in or out. If your home isn't, new windows will only tranfer the energy to the next cab... like your walls or roof. Think (ATM) = money. Air, Temperature and Moisture always move in relation to each other. If you address one and not the others, they will bring it along for the ride anyways. A typical 2,500 square foot home has over a half mile of cracks and crevices in it's shell. Insulation defects DOMINATE the thermal performance of any assembly. If the insulation in that shell has even 5% of gaps or openings, it reduces the entire shell's insulating value by up to 70%!!! The effect is even worse with higher initial R-values. The air takes the energy for a free cab ride and steps on the gas. Heat does not rise, it moves equally in every direction. Only heated air rises when it is not driven in another direction by predominant pressure or airflow. If your house is well insulated and very airtight, then your windows might be the primary source of heat loss/gain. Changing these windows with a well insulated and airsealed product might make a huge difference in your energy bills. This would be the hope of everyone going through this process but it may also have very serious side-effects. If your old windows were a considerable source of air-infiltration, the reduction of this airflow will induce a negative pressure inside the home and may cause your cumbustion appliances to backdraft Carbon monoxide (CO). I have personally tested and witnessed this occurance by simply turning on a clothes dryer or a few utility fans. That was all it took to change the airflow. If a shortage is measured, the necessary amount of "fresh" replacement air can then be supplied by controlled mechanical ventilation. When you change any part of a structure's thermal or pressure boundaries with windows, siding, roofing & venting, etc., you have changed the rules and allowances. It is for these reasons and many more that I strongly recommend having your house professionally tested before and after any shell remodeling. The analysis fees are usually deductable from the contract amount of the work performed. These testing procedures are supported and recommended by the EPA and the USDOE and information can be found through their sites. The primary objective is to save energy and improve comfort and air quality in the home. This can be achieved in almost every home in America... if you, Test... Before you invest....See MoreLooking for windows with black interior and black exterior
Comments (162)We were also wanting windows with black interiors and exteriors. For us the local availability brought it down to a choice between Pella or Milgard fiberglass windows. The Pella offerings were somewhat pricier, and we could never quite understand the why of it. We wound up selecting Milgard Ultra, and we're happy with the end results. And Milgard's warranty was fantastic, as our landscaper accidentally hit one window with a stone and chipped it, but Milgard replaced the insert without so much as a blink. One factor is whether a particular manufacturer's black is acceptable to you. Milgard's is called Black Bean, which is a bit lighter than true black, and I fussed over this for quite a while. Pella's may have been very slightly blacker, but also not true black. Now that we can see the final product in place, it looks fine. Good luck on your project. Brian...See MoreWe need help in choosing Windows in new construction
Comments (53)So, your double pane U-Factor appears to be a 0.27. Good, but what about that "will add thermal performance that far exceeds the vinyl options". I am quoting you directly from above about 6 posts ago. There are more than a handful of vinyl windows that will best that thermal performance in the case of double pane and more than a handful that equal or best the thermal performance numbers that you show in triple pane. To be certain, 0.15 is a good U-Factor, but it is only equivalent in this case to just the handful of vinyl windows that I know of personally not to mention the more exotics that are designed solely around performance. I do love nice wood windows, but to claim they are more efficient because of the wood is sketchy science to put it mildly....See Morereinan
12 years agosuzprince
12 years ago
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