“Pretty Good” Window Manufacturer?
whitenack
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
Hi All,
I see GBA has a few articles on top-of-the-line window manufacturers. What about “Pretty Good” recommendations?
I live in zone 4A, and have my goals for U-Factor and SHGC specs, but I’m not sure what manufacturers to trust. Is it pretty much dependent on the quality of the local dealer?
Consumer Reports has a pretty limited list of ratings, and some surprising recommendations (they like windows from Home Depot and Lowes), and they aren’t too impressed with fiberglass.
So, for those folks shooting for “Pretty Good”, what manufacturers should I be considering?
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Replies
It matters what SHGC you want. A lot of us zone 6 folks are driven to specialty manufacturers by our obsession with high SHGC windows. But you probably want low for most or maybe all of your windows. That means you can use mass market windows. My friends who don't insist on high SHGC triple pane think that Marvin Integrity is a pretty good recommendation. (They will sell you high SHGC or triple pane, but not both in the same window.)
The big box stores do have great prices on some windows and doors; if they have what you want that could be a sound choice. Home Depot sells a lot of Jeld Wen. I don't know about their windows, but I've been pleased with Jeld Wen doors and they at least claim to have pretty good environmental responsibility policies; for example they are the only insulated door manufacturer that I am sure doesn't use high global warming potential blowing agents in their foam.
Having a good local dealer does help, especially if there's a need to sort out a mixup.
The Home Depot Jeld Wen are "builder grade" windows so basically the cheapest windows you can legally buy and put into a wall.
Have you tried getting a bid from Intus Windows? The PVC line is used by a lot of GBA articles and they are an economy priced but very good quality window.
Perhaps try getting a quote from Alpen windows out of Colorado; their 525 line is lower priced and still have excellent specs.