Importing windows to Canada
Has anyone recently imported high performance windows to Canada? I’m currently looking at both Canadian and European windows for a house in southern Ontario and would be very interested to hear about any experiences, good or bad, that the GBA community has had.
On a side note, the Canadian market for high performance building products seems so small that finding local dealers for many products seems tough. Other than ordering from Small Planet Workshop or Four Seven Five, are there any good sources out there?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
Hi Graham,
there are many window resellers who import euro windows now.
There are not many high quality windows manufacturer in Canada unfortunately
( i have yet to see one that is up to par with german stuff )
you could try Northwin, as i believe they have a new canadian made window that is Passivhaus certified .
http://northwin.com/
Then if you are looking for best performance, the fiberglass framed windows manufacturer have probably the best option, at the cost of quality and finish.
I was working with an german manufacturer to import 1 line of their high performance windows,
but it is very complex and expensive for a startup :(
If you are interested in Intus windows The Zero Point, Inc (www.thezeropoint.ca) in Toronto is a dealer. They may also have other European windows.
Hi Graham,
We have an excellent but not well known source of quality European products located in Ontario. It's called Herman's Frame http://www.herrmannframes.com/
I was introduced to them when I took my Passivhaus training and have since had a chance to work with Adrian to select, design and import European windows for a house we're building. I've been impressed with his expertise and the quality of his service. Give him a call and feel free to mention that I referred you. They also distribute Siga tapes and other quality products. I consider them the Canadian equivalent of Small Planet Workshop or 475 Building Supply.
Thanks for the suggestions - GBA has been a big help with this project.