OVERWHELMED by window options--please HELP!
Hello - We are preparing to update a 1950s sunroom by (in part) replacing all windows. Concurrently, we're building a bedroom addition just adjacent to the sunroom which will need matching new windows. Over time, we will replace all the 1980s-era white vinyl windows in our home to match these new windows. I need some guidance from those who really understand the window market AND/OR from satisfied consumers who have also done their research.
Here's a little information about our circumstances:
- We live in Albuquerque, which is a high desert climate, and has fairly extreme swings in temperature (in a single day, it could be 15 degrees F at night and rise to 80-90 in the daytime--our summers are consistently in the 90s...and, usually briefly-- over 100 degrees). And it's DRY here.
- We have 1940s pueblo revival, stuccoed home, with a flat roof.
- I hate vinyl windows
- Aesthetically, I am open to a few options: black interior & exterior with divided lights would be most similar to the steel casement windows my 1940s home originally had and I love that look. Also, I like wide open, narrow-framed windows for maximum views. What I HATE are the big, fat white vinyl frames our home currently has. Pictures attached below.
- I have a fairly limited budget, however, beautiful windows are a priority, so I will spend more there than on other parts of our renovation.
I've looked at fiberglass (both Marvin Integrity and Milgard Ultra series), Aluminum-clad wood (Semco and Sierra Pacific), pure (thermally broken) aluminum, and composite windows.
I like the look (narrow frames) and price of the pure aluminum, but I'm hearing from local distributors that they are NOT a good choice for my climate. By contrast, I've read some places that they are fine--it's possible that I'm operating from wishful thinking here! Are there any exceptionally good thermally-broken aluminum windows out there that would be fine in the high desert? Please set me straight.
I also like the look of aluminum-clad wood, but they're expensive and I'm TOTALLY overwhelmed by all the brands/choices. I want GREAT value and an excellent warranty. Can anyone advise me about which manufacturers to consider?
And lastly, composite windows seem like they COULD, possibly offer me more of what I'm looking for (efficiency, good price, better looks than vinyl) but I've seen a lot of horrible reviews on here about them. Are there any good composite choices out there?
Here are a few numbers I've been quoted (as examples):
- 30x60 casement - Marvin Integrity $639, Semco $870
- Single glass patio door - Marvin Integrity $2017, Semco $2336
I'd like to hear if these are in line with what I should expect. In other words, will prices vary significantly distributor to distributor?
For those of you who have opinions about what would work best in our home aesthetically, I've attached photos of: 1. two images of the front of our home, with it's white vinyl windows. 2. an inside view of the vinyl. 3. the ONE original steel casement that still lives in our home.
Please help! I would sincerely appreciate a road map that will help focus my search...the options are endless.
Thanks!!
Comments (29)
Molly Bell
5 years agoRelated Discussions
ok.... new.. overwhelmed and confused! HELP!
Comments (3)Yes, they all work. It all depends on what you're looking for, what you're growing, and what's available in your area. To start, you're growing on 5-tier rack, so either CFL or flouro tubes will fit nicely for you. -CFL's are the cheapest to start... all you need is a standard socket and a CFL bulb. Grow with plants tops about 4-8" from bulb. -Tube Lights (T12, T8, T5) are a bit more expensive to buy, but use less electricty (T5 better than T8 which is better than T12) so you'll save in the long run. Buy the one that you feel comfortable with and that you can easily get tubes for. T5 tubes are way too expensive in my area ($22 ea) where as T8 tubes are only $2 ea. Grow with plant tops 1-6" from tubes. Other lights like HID (MH, CMH, HPS) need more head-room and are good for taller plants and I wouldn't use them on a multi-tiered shelf. LED's (the useful ones) are still too expensive (starting cost) to be practical, in my opinion, but are getting better and better. I'll wait a little longer before buying into them. I personally use T8's and HPS (and sometimes switch to CMH bulb) for my orchids. As for wheather or not you need the lights on when germinating depends on what you're growing. Some seeds like gerbera daisies need light to germinate, while most others don't. Hope this helps....See MoreWho knew picking out fabric would be so overwhelming- Please help
Comments (26)Thanks! So now the question is.... what "solid" do i go with. I definitely don't want the creamy white that is on now.. I was thinking a taupe that i am pulling from the rug or a lighter tan. Remember I will be re-finishing the set in a rich espresso color. And I finally was able to convince my dh to sell the armoir down the road and possibly buy a longer but higher buffet. I don't love the look of showing off my "stuff" in the glass doors- and also think by removing the top it will make the room look bigger. Final question- do you think fabric #1 or #3 in the last group would look ok as window treatments? I am waiting for my shades to be installed, but they are the silouhettes in the same white as the molding! TIA for your suggestions!...See More3 bath options-please help
Comments (15)If #1 would give you a shower you would be pleased with, then that. Minimal cost and disruption. However, otherwise #3 definitely. The shower is very similar to what I designed for us and works very well, although ours is a bit more squarish. We have spray heads over both sides so we each have one when we're both in there. One is on the wall over the bench but positioned so I can stand in front of the bench comfortably. BTW, we built a 3-shelf niche into the entry wall directly to the right of the entry so that the view in is attractive and uncluttered. Also, I never wanted a door and designed it completely out of my housework. We have a nice shower curtain that draws back completely out of the doorway on the inside when not in use, can be quickly tossed in the washer, and can be changed out for another style at any time. One of the things I definitely did "right"--for me. However you feel about shower curtains, I agree that a really important feature of closed showers is that they stay nice and warm while in use. Our bench is closer to the opposite shower head than yours would be, but a towel waiting there stays dry and is all ready for toweling off in the shower. Robe or clothes, too, for that matter....See MoreLooking for best rapid privacy options! Please help!
Comments (28)Wow! Thank you for all the great tips/advice. Sorry for such a delayed response; been so busy with work and family and finishing basement projects. Always go, go, go around here. @Yardvaark - WOW! Thank you for putting together this concept sketch! Very nice for a visual person like myself. One thing I neglected to mention was future plan (3-5yrs) to have a shop built in north-eastern corner and driveway extended. Shooting for maximum width, but the wife wants yard, so theres some debate on what the final size will be. Fact is, no matter the size, it will provide some degree of privacy. Unfortunately we'll have 3-5 years of nothing there unless we do a bunch of some narrow, tall shrubs/trees. Thank you again for this design. I like the idea of bunching up the Chokecherry trees. I think we might place those in a non-key spot as they may be a little sparse for some time. @kitasei - Thank you. Don't mind the idea of something at edge of concrete. Closer to the east, we'll be extending the driveway to go further back. Along the patio we might consider some planter type material there. For the time being we like the openness of the yard as we have 4 kids that run around playing soccer, football, etc.. @Sherry_7bAL I totally understand the pitfalls of creating a line of anything which occurred to me shortly after the chokecherries went in. I have since shifted to love the cluster and variety idea. Like the trellis idea but cant commit on something, so it will take some research and reviewing of ideas to see if i can find something that "pops" out at me. I also dig Yaardvark's ideas with clustering chokecherries and think makes much more sense than trashing them. I'll capture some pics from back fence facing the house and post those. Thank you for you're thoughts! @kitasei - Great idea on the perimeter idea. I had planned on creating a border around the back yard. Wife thinks it will be too much to take care of. (weeds, etc..). We have made our other planting areas in front low maintenance by refreshing the top layers with soil-pep every 1-2 years and relying on Preen. The combination seems to keep weeds at bay. Those weeds that do pop through have such loosely packed roots, that they just pull right out. Ultimately, I would much rather have a variety of dense ground cover, but that will come in time. I would prefer that much more than relying on some chemical (Preen) for weed control. I had planned to use the soil-pep and Preen approach, at least initially, for perimeter in back. @NHBabs - YESSS.. I love your variety! This is exactly what I would love as long as I could use trees/shrubs hitting 15-20 ft in height in some points. I think combining what you have done and Yaardvark's awesome design would produce what I am really after. I LOVE IT. @kitasei - Totally agree with you on creating a border with gentile sweeps vs boring, straight runs and hard corners. Will take some effort to figure out depths at points. would like nice border to house our variety of privacy-giving trees/shrubs without taking too much from yard space. :) @Renee Texas Thank you - Will look into holly. At first thought, i suspect these can grow into dense hedges that will remain year round. They produce berries as well? Are they toxic to pets/humans? I'll need to research holly. Thanks again! @edlincoln Thanks! Trellis has definitely been on the list. I like vine idea. Will take some some planning, as you mentioned... don't want to get something too aggressive. There was a time where i wasn't too big on Spruce's, but i love them now. Thanks for the caution on the shade tolerance. Definitely prefer the variety of fast and slow growing pantings. Sort of a "Controlled forest". :) I'll look into Southern Magnolia, American Holly and Hemlock as options. Thank you! You're right about the Chokecherries. They're not terrible, but for what we were looking for, i think we've since identified better options (many of which have been covered here. :) ). Could always have been worse. :) It's a fine balance on space we want to dedicate to tree's. Totally understand there is a tradeoff between space and privacy. We would like to preserve as much usable yard space as possible, but privacy is, in this case, a necessity. By that, I mean a necessity to me for my personal comfort and well being (AKA Decompression zone). My wife is mixed on a private back yard. She's OK with it, and OK without it. :) She's a social butterfly whereas I can't quite say the same for myself. :) @lazy_gardens Yes - Totally agree on the build vs grow approach. Been kicking around the ideas. Would love to see the example you provided, but unfortunately looks like the link isn't working at the moment. Thanks everyone for your help! I really appreciate all of the guidance and advice you've provided. I have some planning to do. My problem is that I have a difficult time deciding what to eat for lunch, let alone decide on what to plant for years out of fear of disappointment. Sort of like the chokecherry idea. Wish we would have planned that out a little better. Another problem I have is when i get to nursery, i get stuck on the vast selection of varieties and without knowing more about the item, I think too much about it and cant commit, so end up leaving without anything planning to do more research then life gets in the way. :) I truly understand why folks hire landscapers. lol. Although I have no problem doing the work, i just need to know what i need to buy and where to plant it to obtain my goals and you all have helped a ton with that. Thanks again!...See MoreMolly Bell
5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years ago
PROUltra Windows
5 years agoNo problem. If it weren’t casements, it would have been a good recommendation, and still could be as long as the OP is okay with the look.
- PRO
millworkman
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agofoothillviews
5 years ago
Thought I'd add to this convo as I was searching for Andersen 100 series quality control issues. Just received my 8 largish windows (gliders) and my contractor opened them today and literally all of them have scratches on the frames (haven't even taken the plastic off the glass yet) and all of them have the orange peel look on the frame closest to the glass as you can see in the top picture. I would have loved the windows without the scratches and if they had the smooth like surface the fibrex is supposed to have. As it stands now these are going back and hopefully HomeDepot will make right with me and I will not be ordering these again as I can't afford the long lead time only to have other quality issues. I'm quite bummed and am so surprised every single window has this orange peel look...this is not something a reorder might fix imo. Good luck and now I too am on the lookout for a similar black/black narrow line without wood window. Plus I'm in CA so need to be close to the title 29 regs. This is for a major remodel not a new build but I used new construction windows as I changed the sizes.Molly Bell thanked foothillviewsfoothillviews
5 years agofoothillviews
5 years agoMolly Bell
5 years ago
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