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vinyl windows- ideal vs dream house

11 years ago

I am trying to find out about dream house windows versus ideal window through westchester window works. the price of both of these seem more resonable than andersen or pella. I am looking at ugt r-5 performance

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Comments (9)

PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
Both of them are different than Andersen and Pella too.

What is the decision criteria for the project? i.e. what are you wanting the windows to do, look like, perform, etc?

Start with those criteria and work back.

If vinyl is an acceptable material, there are probably better units out there.
kmcpress
Original Author
11 years ago
We are replacing 9 windows and 3 sliding glass doors. All of them are custom and do not adhere to regular sizes which makes them more expensive. They are original from 1957. We have other Andersen casement windows from various years- 1976 and 1991. Cost is a big item. The 2 dealers, one that has dream house windows and the other that supplies ideal windows have a price that we can do but we a worried about quality.
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Sophie and KFC make great points. All which I will verify with my contractor, but spending a lot of money on throwaway windows in the next two years does make me feel queasy. If I have two windows with a broken seal, and one window with broken glass, would you suggest finding someone just to replace the glass? They are older wood windows that were high quality but probably in the 50s! WoW - For the new portion of my home, would you still go with triple-paned vinyl?
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Received two quotes similar in price. Ideal bedroom window and Polaris sliding patio doors. Second bid is Anderson E series for both windows. I am interested in any opinions as to the better projects
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EcoStarRemodel
11 years ago
I generally recommend looking at Sunrise, Softlite, or Okna windows before making a decision.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
The "custom" mark up is not true in the replacement industry.

All the windows are of custom nature so if anyone is telling you that, they should automatically be disqualified from consideration.
kmcpress
Original Author
11 years ago
so we should not have to pay more for different size windows
EcoStarRemodel
11 years ago
No. Most vinyl windows are custom made. The only ones that aren't are the ones on the shelves in the hardware stores and builder grade new construction windows. We frequently encounter slightly different size openings with the same size windows installed in all of them. This can lead to higher air infiltration rates.

Do yourself a favor and check out some of the windows I recommended before making a decision.
HomeSealed
11 years ago
+1 to both posts above... To clarify, larger windows will still cost more, but as it has been explained, there is no such thing as a "standard sized" vinyl window other than the stuff on the shelf at the big boxes.
mmarse1
11 years ago
Ideal is a basic window and mostly used by your " run of the mill contractor" who is more concerned with cost opposed to quality..although a step up from silverline, pella, or MI windows. still, its a price sensitive type window.
the quality brands would be Himark, okna, soft lite, gorell, and sunrise.
virtually all vinyl windows are custom. standard sizes are whats sold from the floor of home depot but never actually fit existing openings. you would need to make an opening in order to accomodate the so called standard size.
mmarse1
11 years ago
just to add, the dreamhouse window is better than anything Ideal Windows has to offer., not great but defintely better ..Ideal Windows are not known for quality..
Himark, okna, gorell, soft lite and sunrise are all regarded as higher quality wimdows with great structural and performance numbers.

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