What I find interesting about the video clip that ABE has kindly provided, is they are comparing the Beechworth extrusion against a "generic" vinyl extrusion. Anyone that knows that not all vinyl extrusions, as well as fiberglass extrusions, are not all equal, this is not a fair comparison and means so little.

Hi, I am the original poster and wanted to provide a update. We did buy Marvin Integrity Wood Ultrex. Fiberglass on the outside and wood on the inside. They are not installed yet but I did take a pictures of them at the warehouse. They are beautiful. Ebony on the exterior and white on the interior. We are planning on using Hardie Board. Hardie board samples that I have carried all over the place, in boxes, on gravel, in my trunk look good. I would be interested in why Homesealed says they are not as favored and what issues are there? Thank you

I will let HomeSealed supply his own background but I don't even want my guys working with the stuff. It is going to be responsible for a bunch of lung health issues down the road.

The finish on it is okay but we see edge creep on it and even when it is edge primed. I don't care for the graining to be honest but that is a personal detail.

There are fiberglass/composite sidings out there with better joint details and better graining.

Don't get me wrong, it still looks nice when done properly but it is not nearly as maintenance free as some other options out there.

We are with in a few weeks of ordering our exterior materials. Can you please advise me of other choices for lap siding other than vinyl and HB. We are in a forest and woodpeckers are a big concern for a wood product. Thank you!

LP is a wood product but they say that the woodpeckers don't like it.

Royal Celect is nice.

Everlast looks to be pretty sweet stuff as well.

Before I drop this bomb on my husband, he has been convinced HB is the best things next to brick, do you happen to know the cost comparison to these products:

-LP

-Royal Celect

-Everlast (I do not see a dealer in Missouri)

Thank you

This has been most beneficial. We are looking at new windows; house 50+ years old w/original wood windows. Saw the presentation for Beechworth. Will be looking at Marvin Integrity and Infinity. Has anyone had an experience w/the Ultrex/Infinity? Opinions welcome on both. We want a wood or wood look interior. Thought we were told at a home show that the Ultrex fiberglass interior can be stained to look like wood.

Hope my first post made it. Everwood on the Marvin Infinity windows - anyone have any experience with it?

@Kzim, the LP is going to be priced very close to HB. The other two are not common around here so I can't say, but from what I have seen of the Celect I believe that it is a little higher.

@all_stl, the Infinity does have a stainable interior. Personally, I prefer the wood/ultrex Integrity for the real wood interior. If a stainable synthetic meets your appearance tastes, you might consider something like the Starmark which offers a nice jump up in performance. Bit better on u-factor and air infiltration.

Thanks HomeSealed. Not sure I'll like the stainable synthetic - have not actually seen it except in a brochure. Discovered that it is wood dust (ok) and plastic. The idea of plastic is a bit of a turn-off. Sounds like they don't perform as well as the real wood? Haven't seen any Starmark - googled for a dealer in St Louis. Already getting 4 bids for a variety of windows - will have to decide if it's worth getting a 5th.

Also - are the Starmark vinyl or fiberglass? Their website calls everything a composite, so it is vinyl or fiberglass or something else?

Starmark is a cellular PVC. If you are turned off by synthetics in general it may not be for you, although it can look pretty nice when stained. U factor of .25 with double pane (typical is .30), air infiltration is .05cfm (typical wood is .2+)... Wood and fiberglass are pretty close in performance in the US. Canada has some very high performance fiberglass products like Inline and others that perform as well as the better vinyl and composite options.

The Starmark is a PVC Composite product.

Not a fan of the Infinity with the Everwood. If you are going to go fiberglass, get the real wood interior that is offered in the Integrity.

Hi. I just stumbled upon this, and I'm so glad I did. I am about to buy 5 new windows for a 3 seasons room in Chicago (of course in Chicago it should be called a 1 season room). They are larger sized windows than average (47x54 opening roughly), so it's been difficult find companies who can make the windows. I have a quote using Kolbe double hung, but it is high. I have a more reasonable estimate using Beachworth wood/fiberglass double hung windows. I have been told these are great for warmth, but I'm reading a lot of mixed reviews here. They are available in the larger sizes though. The room is not insulated, nor is the basement space below it, so it gets absolutely freezing. The home is older and it was a foreclosure, so the windows have large gaps, don't fit together properly, and were not maintained. I can't afford to insulate right now, so my main priority is to have the absolute best windows for warmth. Can someone please advise me on what the very best windows for warmth are, that are also not crazy expensive, are available in larger sizes, and look great too. I'm pretty sure I don't want vinyl (I was told that because of where I live and the neighboring homes that it would decrease the value of my home), however, if those are the warmest, let me know that as well, because I might reconsider. Thanks so much.

Without insulation even the best window will be dam near worthless as far as keeping in the warmth. Pissing into the wind in my opinion.

I would definitely take a look at insulation issues as MWM suggested.

Regarding the windows, its actually pretty easy to compare. Look at u factor (a lower number insulates better), and air infiltration (pretty self explanatory). Generally the better vinyl and composite windows on the market will outperform wood in these areas, however wood has a look and feel that can't be beat as you are already aware of... All depends which better suits your goals.

We went with Geld-Wen for appearance, performance and price in our area. Did no further research on Beechworth.

My condolences katran. Not sure what else you could have possibly considered if jeldwen was a better in performance.

Rollo99

I purchased and had a licensed contractor install 11 Beechworth windows this year. The mix included sliders and casement windows of various sizes. Outside of some minor manufacturing errors, I am extremely happy with my choice. The big improvement appears to be in quietness, ease of operation and the good looks of fiberglass. Before making my purchase I looked at Andersen, Marvin and others and I believe for the cost and performance that I made the right choice.

I spent some time looking at Beechworth Windows this morning. I was impressed with the interior & exterior fit and finish and feel that they are a pretty well built window. They have 3 different glass packages, a 15/20 year warranty, and their performance numbers are in line with the Marvin, Andersen and Pella windows in our market. Beechworth has had a pretty good 2015 in the markets where they have launched.

We install a lot of James Hardie Siding. The only issues that I have seen with this product were caused by improper installation. James Hardie has very detailed handling and installation instructions and unfortunately they are not always followed. That is the primary reason it is important to hire a professional siding installation company. You can find them on the Hardie website.

My thoughts on LP Siding & Trim: It may be easy for the installers to handle and install, but I question its long term performance. LP paid out almost $1 billon in claims for their class action settlement. Their current warranty doesn't cover swelling and/or edge checking

Re-side may be an appropriate name if you are installing a lot of fiber cement ;) Sure many issues are poor install, but there are far more legitimate product failures than I'd like to see. It's a material that has completely fallen out of favor in my market due to the high failure rate and difficulty of installation, not to mention the health concerns cited above and the real potential that this stuff is banned in the future because of it. Could well be treated like lead and asbestos some years from now.

Lp's product issues were on a completely different and obsolete product years ago. Completely irrelevant to the current offering. Nary a negative comment on smart side. Been hanging siding for many years, and this is the closest thing I've ever seen to true game changer.

Has anyone on here researched the Pella Impervia line? It appears to be an all fiberglass option available (no wood) in both Double Hung and Casement and you can get them foam filled for additional insulation in colder climates.

Impervia is similar to most Pella lines, and that is poor........

Research? Yes. High opinion? No.

If your goal is one of the least attractive, substandard performing windows on the market, all while paying a premium price for the flashy name brand, then you may have found a match.

Worked in R&D for one year specifically windows. They are a giant scam and cannot produce what they promised investors, 3 years not one target made. The revolving door in charge is chock full of crooks. Their very "designs" are stolen directly from their competitors with a formula for resin casting that fails under varying weather. They will shrink, distort and reject paint. Stay away and pull your investments now this is a scam.

Superior...are you talking about the James Hardie Beechworth window in this case or another product?

15 years parts AND labor (20 year on glass Cardinal) from a window manufacturer is unheard of ..no company we sell includes skilled labor in their warranty as a back-charge...with the backing of a billion dollar company like james hardie building products it cant be too much of a scam that would be big mistake ..their current window i know where the design came from and its not a competitor per se..they bought it and improved it..especially with QC..not sure about their all fibreglass line that is coming out in a year or two..time will tell

Yes I too would like to know which window Superior is talking about.

I am looking to get all new windows and so far, from what I have seen, the only advantage that Marvin and Andersen have over Beechworth is how long they have been in business for. I have seen some Beechworth windows installed and they looked amazing.

I have gotten a decent quote for Beechworth windows. The comparable Marvin Infinity windows were quite a bit more and did not have wood interiors and seemed to have poorer specs. The comparable A-series Andersen windows were MUCH more expensive and way out of budget for me.

I'm about 80% set on the Beechworth windows, I'm just curious to see if anyone has anything bad to say about their quality rather than their time on the market.

In following the above discussion, it looks to me that Superior was addressing the tread concerning Pella Impervia.

I agree East Bay.

I've got my own projects & am curious about the benefits of JH vs LP siding comparatively as well as beechwood fiberglass windows vs competition

Unless I lived in an area where there was a wildfire potential, I can't envision picking JH over LP. The warranty, construction, constituents, aesthetics, and work-ability of the LP is just that much better.

I agree with WoW. The LP Smartside product really fixes the problems of fiber cement (difficult to work with, silica composition, and some failures in certain climates) and does so at a similar price point, look, and service life. I know that there are some areas that fiber cement is still viable and popular, but around here there aren't too many guys even installing it anymore.

My local supplier just dumped LP in favor of Boral. Couldn't you just rip some zip board, paint it and call it "smartside"? I took one look at LP and crossed it off the list. Boral looks nice but I think you'd need 3 workers to install a 16'er. I just put Hardie on the back, and WRC on the front of my own house. I like the Hardie "Deep Ocean" color but not the product.

To answer you question about ripping some zip board and calling it smart side, no. There is quite a bit more in the formulation of the smartside panels than is in your standard OSB exterior grade sheathing.

We also get a 20 year paint warranty on it here in my market with the proper factory coatings.

+1. With 2 coats, we actually get a lifetime paint warranty here (30 years in legal terms for WI). Looks like OSB but far from it in terms of durability and moisture resistance. Every strand is soaked in wax paraphins, borates (for insect resistance) and MDI resin which is what bowling balls are made of. They compress a product that starts over 5" thick down to the lap siding panel. Pretty impressive stuff, and to my knowledge, they have yet to have a single product failure warranty claim.

The boral stuff is pretty good too I will say that. It does go back to some of the downsides of fiver cement though, being heavy and difficult to work with. We've used it in situation where siding was needed at grade level, but that's about it. Very pricey stuff as well

It's a few years on since the original post about Beechworth windows, and I was wondering if anyone had any updates or thoughts on them since they've been around a little longer. We've been recommended them for replacement windows (double hung with grilles) for the Metro DC area of Maryland.

I'm where you are Stacey M, literally (live in DC metro) & figuratively (wondering about the quality of Beechworth windows). The Beechworth quote we received, was 1/2 that of the Marvin Integrity quote. Marvin's quality is unquestionable. I'm just not sure I can pay the hefty price for peace of mind. Experiences, information & opinions on Beechworth would be extremely appreciated.

Next good thing I hear about the Beechworth will be the first........................

Thank you, millworkman. What have you heard about Beechworth? Would you mind giving a few examples? So far I haven't seen any opinions about them online.

Mediocre performance and big price tag. Maybe a little harsh with the next good thing but the dollars don't match up to the quailty from what I have been told.

Thanks Millworkman... what brand would you recommend? Your user name sounds like you may know a thing or two about this stuff.

Reading online opinions is not the best way to buy windows and doors. I would never buy a car without a test drive. So go find a dealer to show you the product in person, operate the window, view the quality for yourself. and formulate YOUR opinion. As far as performance you can find all of that information online and I would not consider it mediocre. We sell Marvin too and compared to that it is certainly NOT a big price tag. Plenty of awful things on the internet about Marvin too. We sell over 20 different product lines and have had a great experience with this product so far and the local rep (DC-Metro) is probably the best manufacturer rep we have supporting us. In my opinion, being a subsidiary of James Hardie is a huge advantage. I feel they would not put their name on the line with a sub-par product nor continue to invest in a failing endeavor. We have had the product for two years but from what I understand they launched in the Chicago area over 5-years ago. My only wish for them is to expand their offering to hinged doors, custom sliding doors, and expand their all fiberglass line.

Stacey M, nothing much has changed with that product to my knowledge. Also, kudos to you for doing the research. I agree with the sentiments about "test driving" any product that you are considering as well as verifying performance ratings. Do not be dissuaded however, from researching online reviews and opinions. You are much better off getting a "composite" score that way than simply trusting a salesman of a given product. Sure, everyone has his/her own biases and self interests, however researching various sources and coming up with an overall view as such can be pretty powerful and worthy of consideration.

HomeSealed, I noticed your comment a few years ago on LP and woodpeckers."Impervious to woodpeckers" might be a bit strong of a phrase. This picture was taken of an LP job where a woodpecker got it before the install was complete.

Cheri, that may be a fair criticism of my use of the word "impervious", with some caveats. There is no product that can truly say that it cannot be damaged by woodpeckers. That said, we have replaced cedar siding on many homes over the years due to repetitive woodpecker damage, and after the Smartside product was installed, they stayed away. I have not seen a single instance where that was not the case in my own experience. The product is much harder than cedar and does not harbor the insects that they are looking for. I'd also clarify that in the context of my comment I was comparing the product to fiber cement, and the Smartside product does have superior impact resistance, which would logically correlate to its resistance to woodpecker "drumming" as well as hail.

As far as your picture, is that your home? When was that installed and which product was it? The pic is a little foggy, but it looks like a smoother texture than that of the LP stand based lap siding... I can't say for certain, but that doesn't look like the product. This seems like a questionable first post to the forum as well, particularly since the thread subject is not even about siding.

Given that the thread is about Beechworth windows, it should be also mentioned that as was speculated by some professionals as a possibility-- if not likelihood-- a few years ago, this product is no more.

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/Beechworth+Windows_11-08-18.pdf

It looks like Rachel was considering the product just a month before the shut things down, I hope that she was not left high and dry.

Do you have a closer picture of the board in question?

It’s definitely primed LP. Interestingly enough I was researching windows for myself and found this post. I also found it surprising that the entire post became largely about siding. The comment about woodpeckers simply surprised me because I’ve definitely seen LP with woodpecker holes. The above photo is just one example. Picture was taken a couple of months ago.

At the end of the day, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of any product helps the greater good.

Here is a closer image of the siding.