WINDOWS
New Exterior Windows Will Give Your Home a Beautiful, Modern Facelift for Less Than You Think
Warning: There are many unscrupulous window sales companies who will use high-pressure sales tactics to get you to sign up for windows at prices double or triple what’s fair. While this can be true for kitchens, flooring, and other aspects of home remodeling, it is particularly common in windows. ALWAYS get at least two or three estimates on new window treatments.
Selecting your new windows is not that complicated. You are basically interested in the basic style, the frame design and material, the specific windows look and materials, and the hardware.
A great place to start is with the style.
Your primary choices would be:
The frame will generally have the greatest impact from a design standpoint if one of your major goals is to modernize and/or improve the look of your home, the choice of frame matters, though it is largely a matter of your own personal preference.
It is possible to choose the wrong frame for the space, however. This would most commonly be due to selecting too wide a frame for a small or narrow window, or too narrow a frame for a large window. Sometimes the design might not work with the rest of your home’s look. We are happy to help you with this part of the process.
While we are talking about design, the grid pattern is also a style decision. There are a few standard approaches to choose from. Or you may not want any grid pattern at all.
The frame material is often a more practical choice, though there are still style considerations.
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Vinyl Frames: When in doubt, choose vinyl. This material looks modern, plus provides great insulation and moisture resistance.
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Fiberglass Frames: Fiberglass is one of the more costly options, but it is durable and resistant to strong weather conditions and provides excellent insulation. You can paint it to look like wood.
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Wood Frames: The natural grain in wooden frames makes for a great complement to vintage design, and they insulate relatively well. But wood takes far more care to protect against moisture. They also need to be periodically stained or painted.
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Aluminum Frames: Durable with a clean look, aluminum window frames complement modern home design well. However, aluminum frames conduct heat. You can combine them with other materials to increase insulation
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Composite Frames: For a modest additional cost, you can move into the new composite materials. Composite is made up of a combination of wood products, including wood fiber and strand lumber. This composite material is covered with vinyl or aluminum to stabilize the frame and protect the wood.
The next choice you’ll need to make is the glass. In the Inland Empire you are almost certainly going to want to choose a double pain, triple pain, or laminate, low e glass, as these provide excellent reductions in heat loss, therefore will save you money on your electric bill.
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In deciding among these, the short answer is that you may prefer the laminate products to save some small amount of cost and to potentially dampen noise more effectively. The double pain (with argon gas between the two pains to prevent future issues with clouding), is the better choice to reduce energy costs and there is debate as to whether there is any real difference in noise dampening between the two.
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Also ask about tinted, glazed, obscured, and patterned glass. These can provide additional privacy, reduced UV light penetration, or attractive designs.
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We will also help you make decisions about the hardware that you’ll need to operate your windows.