Hello All,

I am replacing over 30 windows in a 1924 2000-sq.ft. two-story house in Berkeley, California. Because I want a window that will last forever, and will never fade or yellow or warp, without maintenance, I have decided on fiberglass. I have received bids on Marvin Integrity and Milgard Ultra. So far I see two significant differences between the windows:

-- Milgard offers a full lifetime warranty on everything, whereas Marvin offers only a limited 10-year defects/20-year glass warranty.
-- Milgard is a lot more expensive (as much as 50% more, I think).

Given this, here are my questions:

1) Why is the Milgard window so much more expensive? Is it because Milgard offers a better warranty, or also because Milgard is better quality? I read that generally Marvin is a higher-end window than Milgard, and read good reviews of Marvin Integrity, so I was surprised that Milgard Ultra is more expensive. Can anyone explain this?

2) I have read that fiberglass windows will last much longer than vinyl, without fading, yellowing, or warping, and with essentially no maintenance. Does the experience with fiberglass to date support this?

3) I read on this site about a fiberglass-window company called Inline, but haven't been able to locate a dealer in California. Does anyone know anything about the price and quality of Inline compared with Marvin and Milgard?

Of course, I welcome any other comments on the price and quality of fiberblass windows.

What type of windows are you replacing? What type of construction?

Thanks a lot Windows on Washington.

Most of the windows are double-hung, about 36"x42". About two-thirds will be inserts, about one-third will be nail-on in new framing. The house is wood frame construction with redwood siding outside (no plywood layer) and lathe-and-plaster inside, giving about 5-3/8" thick walls.

Thanks for suggesting Marvin Infinity; I'll ask one of the local dealers for quote.

The Infinity has a limited lifetime warranty that covers manufacturing defects in the non-glass components; this is better than the 10/20 warranty on the Integrity series, but not as good as the full lifetime warranty on all parts (including glass, and fade) for the Milgard Ultra.

So far, my wife and I like the look and feel of fiberglass better, because it's closer to wood, which is what we really want except we don't want to deal with repainting every 10-15 years. But we haven't looked at the best vinyl products. Clearly we have some more looking to do!

I also am eager to find out more about Inline.

see above...

WoW,
I have seen the inline products but was not as impresses as you apparently are. Has anything changed recently?

WoW, what do you like about Inline?

Buddy, what did *not* impress you?

I loved the glass option, color and "ala cart" menus, but I thought the pultrusions and mechanicals were rather antiquated and somewhat ugly. To be honest, I couldn't get past that aspect

Buddy,

Have you seen the new window?

While I think the Marvin will still win the beauty swimsuit portion of the competition, that is where the competition stops.

The data on the Inline is much better on all other accounts (structure, air, thermal, water).

I don't know. The last time I saw it was maybe ~two years ago. I didn't know the numbers were better.

Newer window has only been out for about 6 months.

Much prettier and the numbers are very good.

Yeah, I just looked at them. The patio door is tight!