Replacement Windows Discussion Board Forum

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.

Oberon (or anyone else), do you know whether the Andersen 400 series uses Low E or LowE2? Their literature calls it "Low E with High Performance Coating," but I can't tell whether that means Low E2. They get their glass from Cardinal, and Cardinal offers LowE2, so one would think Andersen ...

windowrep wrote: this is a prime example for the consumer to stay away from any metal spacer. and dont be surprised that a window breaks its seal in 3 years. i see it almost everyday. windows from 1 year old to 6 years old. it is the homeowner shopped by price the first time and is paying for it now...

Hi Oberon, Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Sounds like I shouldn't worry too much about the doubling effect. And I think I'll avoid the laminated glass option for the sake of energy-efficiency, and to avoid a geniune risk of visual distortion. This window will have to be tempered, I'm told, beca...

I have a large picture window and a view of city lights at night. I've been warned that replacing the single pane glass with double pane can create a "double vision" effect, in which lights look doubled because of reflections between the two panes. Would the resident experts (or anyone els...

Hi all. I’ve been lurking this superb site for the past month, obsessively soaking up the great information provided here by so many experts and homeowners. My knowledge about windows has rapidly accelerated, and I want to thank you all for being so generous with your time, expertise, and experience. It really helps.

I’m planning for a complicated window project and need some advice. My apologies in advance for the long post, but it’s a complex project and I figured you’d need the details.

We’re replacing 14 original, aluminum-framed, single-pane windows (all pictures and casements) in our 1954 home here in El Cerrito, CA. The current windows all work fine and don’t leak but they’re noisy and drafty and let the sun destroy our stuff. The house is built into a slope with a direct western exposure and panoramic bay views from two stories. We bought it nearly three years ago as a fixer-upper. Despite all the work required to fix it up (on a shoestring budget), we love it and don’t plan to move. The construction is stucco on the west, north, and south sides, and painted redwood siding on the east. The western exposure (two stories) has most of the windows; the eastern exposure (single story), which is actually the front of the house and right on the street, only has one wide window.

The heart of the house is a 12-foot wide by 5-foot high picture window, single light, with a fine view of city lights, hills, and water. We really want to keep this window as a single light and not break it up with mullions. So our choices for this window are limited to wood or clad windows like Marvin or Andersen, because no vinyl or fiberglass manufacturer will make a window that large, according to my research. I can purchase a Marvin clad, tempered, lowE2 with argon for roughly $2, 600 from Dolan’s Lumber, and an Andersen for around $1,100 less, both uninstalled.

Here’s my first question. One window company I’ve talked to recommends replacing this monster window with lowE2 laminated single-pane glass, rather than LowE2 argon dual-pane glass. He says the dual-pane seal will ultimately fail, requiring us, mostly likely, to replace the whole window again. In addition, the dual-pane window will create a “double visionâ€Â￾ effect when viewing the city lights at night.

These arguments make sense to me. But I’m concerned about energy efficiency, especially SHGC, since this window receives intense sunlight all afternoon, heating up our living room. He says the lowE2 will take care of most of the sun. I don’t have a firm price on the laminated window, but a quick call to Dolan’s indicates the price would roughly double, which concerns me greatly. I’m also concerned that this window would end up looking different from other, smaller windows in the room. Does the laminated option make good sense to you experts out there?

For the other windows I’m beginning to focus on Milgard fiberglass Wood-Clad for my rooms with wood, and Ultras for rooms with white trim. I’m also considering Marvin or Andersen clad, mainly in order to match the monster window. I received vinyl retrofit quotes using Anlin and Simonton, but while they seem like good windows, the quotes seem high for vinyl (averaging $650 to $1,000 per window, excluding the monster, depending on the company) and I’m not crazy about vinyl on the inside.

Also, I’m unsure whether I should go with the "new construction" method or retrofit for the other windows. The Milgards go both ways; the Marvins and Andersens are new construction only. Here’s one potential wildcard: The house was built without plywood sheathing beneath the stucco; it only has this “cellutexâ€Â￾ nail board stuff for sheathing. One contractor told me that the lack of plywood sheathing will create problems in new construction applications because he needs solid backing to pound against in order to break back the stucco. His solution is to cut the interior drywall back far enough to frame in some wood to provide backing to pound against from the outside. Does this technique make sense? Is his issue with the lack of sheathing a valid one?

As if this all is not enough, I also plan to have two new holes cut for brand new windows. Given the circumstances, and the extra expense of replacing windows via the "new construction" method, should I be satisfied with retrofit applications in all but the monster window and the new holes? Or, since I’m already cutting up the stucco in several places, should I just go ahead and have new construction all around? The house needs painting anyway. Also, the Milgard Wood-clad fiberglass windows are slightly more expensive than the Marvin clad at Dolan's. Are they worth the price (with the understanding that "worth" is a relative concept)?

It’s all so confusing! Please feel free to weight in with pros and cons.

Thanks for listening. I’m driving myself bonkers with all the contingencies!