EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
As a home remodeler, I replace windows fairly often for clients. You can go with wood, vinyl or metal. I like metal the best because of how smooth it is. Vinyl has an edge over metal for efficiency, but it's really too small to make a difference in my opinion, and the ease of how metal opens over vinyl is huge. Wood windows are always going to require maintenance, and even the most expensive ones rot and lose their paint at different rates depending on their exposure.
Home Depot and Lowes are both fine for ordering your windows. Just be 1,000 percent sure on your numbers, and know the difference between the actual rough opening and the listed size of the window. Some manufacturers mix those numbers together and there is a half an inch difference half of the time.
With double pane windows, you get a R value of about R2. There are all sorts of gimmicks and tricks used to get you to spend more for the window, but the R value stays pretty much the same. Every window is a loss of energy inside the house. The more you have, the more you have to work to overcome that loss. Buy a name brand and avoid all the extra's that wont make any difference once it's installed.
I would avoid buying from a window company. They are the worse at trying to sell you a window that has a list of extra features that you will never notice once installed. Thermal breaks, copper edges, reflective glass, and a list of other names for things that just add to the price. In my opinion, they are all pretty much crooks with highly trained sales people who live off of the commissions they get from getting you to spend as much as possible. Stick with the box stores on windows and go into it with all the information you can get to make sure it's right. They are just punching numbers into a screen, you review those numbers before it's ordered. If it's wrong, it's more your fault then theirs. If you are unsure, stop, go home, remeasure, and then go back. Special order windows are going to take 2 to 3 weeks to get there, so another day isn't going to matter to make sure you order the right size.
Be sure to measure the top and bottom width, and the left and right height. In most homes, it's not the same number!!!!!
What is really important is how well you seal the window on install. In every case that I've come across here in Texas, and before when I lived in California, the people who install windows have gotten really good at doing it fast, but not very well. They always seem to skip the part about sealing the window around the edges and instead might run a hit and miss bead of silicone, then covering it up with trim.
If possible, window tape really makes a huge difference. Wind is where you lose the most energy. It forced the outside temps into the wall cavity, and with poorly installed windows, it can be a direct path into the house. You have to stop the wind. If you can't get tap onto the outside of the window, be very generous with your caulking and be sure to use your fingers to really spread it out and get good contact.
Eddie
Home Depot and Lowes are both fine for ordering your windows. Just be 1,000 percent sure on your numbers, and know the difference between the actual rough opening and the listed size of the window. Some manufacturers mix those numbers together and there is a half an inch difference half of the time.
With double pane windows, you get a R value of about R2. There are all sorts of gimmicks and tricks used to get you to spend more for the window, but the R value stays pretty much the same. Every window is a loss of energy inside the house. The more you have, the more you have to work to overcome that loss. Buy a name brand and avoid all the extra's that wont make any difference once it's installed.
I would avoid buying from a window company. They are the worse at trying to sell you a window that has a list of extra features that you will never notice once installed. Thermal breaks, copper edges, reflective glass, and a list of other names for things that just add to the price. In my opinion, they are all pretty much crooks with highly trained sales people who live off of the commissions they get from getting you to spend as much as possible. Stick with the box stores on windows and go into it with all the information you can get to make sure it's right. They are just punching numbers into a screen, you review those numbers before it's ordered. If it's wrong, it's more your fault then theirs. If you are unsure, stop, go home, remeasure, and then go back. Special order windows are going to take 2 to 3 weeks to get there, so another day isn't going to matter to make sure you order the right size.
Be sure to measure the top and bottom width, and the left and right height. In most homes, it's not the same number!!!!!
What is really important is how well you seal the window on install. In every case that I've come across here in Texas, and before when I lived in California, the people who install windows have gotten really good at doing it fast, but not very well. They always seem to skip the part about sealing the window around the edges and instead might run a hit and miss bead of silicone, then covering it up with trim.
If possible, window tape really makes a huge difference. Wind is where you lose the most energy. It forced the outside temps into the wall cavity, and with poorly installed windows, it can be a direct path into the house. You have to stop the wind. If you can't get tap onto the outside of the window, be very generous with your caulking and be sure to use your fingers to really spread it out and get good contact.
Eddie
