Windows (and french door) in Orlando, FL area

[HDClown]

I am putting an addition on my house in Orlando, FL area and I have a need two 2 new wood constructions windows with target size around 52"x62". I don't care if they are single or double hung. I also need a 6' outswing french door and I'd like blinds between the glass. Both widows and the door will be under a 12' span of exterior patio roof which is actually a seamless flat roof covering the structure and patio.

I also plan to do replacement windows for the rest of my house in a few years and would ideally like those windows to match the design of the windows I put in my addition, just something to keep in mind.

I've talked to Pella as their FL distribution center is local to me. We looked at Encompass and 350 vinyl and Designer wood for windows. The lines were driven by price and the desire for blinds on the door. Also looked at the same for the door. I've talked to a highly recommended window and door place and they are recommending Simonton windows, 5500 Reflections for new constructions and the 9800 Impressions for replacement (they told me they are 100% identical other than some cosmetic features) and Neuma for the french door. Note that I want blinds between the glass on the French Door, which does impose some brand/option limitations.

I'm not set on vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum, or wood. We intend for the interior and exterior of the door to be white, so a pre-finished options is handy, but not a requirement.

Price wise, I'm looking at a maximum price on the french door (after tax) at $2500, and on the windows, I'm looking at $500 max per window (after tax). However, I'd rather be more like $2000 tops on the door and $350-400 on each of the new construction windows. I will spend the extra if it's really worthwhile. It seems like Pella Encompass isn't worth buying, so that puts me at 350 line which does meet budget. The Simonton windows meet the budget. On the doors, the Pella Designer exceeds budget and Neuma meets budget.

I really liked the Simonton windows and the Neuma door. The Simonton reviews very well so ti seems like a good choice. There is very little in Neuma reviews online, but I found a thread here and it's very mixed information. It seems like most of the Neuma review info dates back a few years, and a lot can change in that time. The only downside for me on the Neuma door is they don't offer LowE with the blinds in them.

The local window/door place I went to also sells Andersen/Eagle, Gorrell, PGT, Plastpro, ProVia, and Custom Window Systems. I asked them about those brands and they said for my requirements, the Simonton and Neuma options are the best option.

Without going on anything else, I would be fine pikcing the Simonton 5500 and the Neuma door. However, I'm hoping the experts here can direct me towards the right brand and model lines that will meet my requirements. I am open to looking at any and every option, as long as it meets the requirements.

[Windows on Washington]

You are certainly not coastal in Orlando but would a hurricane rated (impact) window make sense in your application?

I am not sure you are going to find even a decent wood window at the 350-400 range so I think vinyl might be your best choice.

Simonton make a solid mid grade window as does PGT.

[HDClown]

Everything sold in this area has to have an impact rating, most everything is Miami-Dade rated. The Simonton windows are spec'd for laminated safety glass as well.

I looked over some of the highly rated brands here on the forum and many of them are not sold in this area, or have a dealer that is much too far me to want to deal with. If Simonton and PGT are good bets in the mid-grade vinyl windows, then I will go with Simonton. I like the fact that they have been doing vinyl much longer than PGT. If I was going aluminum, PGT would be a no-brainer.

[Randy]

Simonton is a good choice, considering the limited access in Florida to the more premium brands.

I sell a fair amount of Neuma doors and have found them to be a good choice, if they fit the requirements of the application. Their multi-point locking hardware is proprietary, which is a negative for me, as I prefer to see the manufacturer choose higher end handle sets like Hoppe or Rocky Mountain, etc... Make sure you get the HPVD finish to stand up to the elements.

[HDClown]

So it appears I misspoke on impact rating. Everything has to have WIND rating, but Impact would be an upcharge feature. I'm fairly certain my current windows are no impact rated, so I'm fine with no impact rating. When we had the hurricanes in 2004 I boarded up and I still have all that material so I could do it again.

I talked to another Neuma dealer and asked specifically about glass. Dual pane only, so that means no impact, no LowE with blinds, or you can get LowE+Impact for no blinds. Something I need to consider in that brand as LowE is a high preference since that door faces west and get a lot of direct sunlight. I could tint the interior glass but with the way the blind mechanism works, I can't tint the entire pane so it would look unusually.

The Pella French door options is triple pane so I could get LowE and blinds, but the nice door at $3500 is a huge premium. Is there any other brand I can look at that may be available here for max of $2500 that would give me triple pane so I can get blinds AND LowE on the French door?

This other Neuma dealer is also a Jeld Wen dealer, so they are pricing me Jeld Wen vinyl windows, and a Neuma door (which they said is their recommended way to go on the French door).

Is all multi-point locking hardware proprietary from all manufacturers? I definitely want to go that route so I'd like to know if it's a moot point on hardware because of the lock system. We don't have an issue with the look of the Neuma hardware, although our preferred choice of the "Tiffany" hardware is not available in HPVD, so we would have to stick with Royal to get HPVD, which wouldn't be the end of the world. Satin Nickel is our color choice, so we are ok there.

[Randy]

I was thinking that was a smokin' good price on impact rated windows!

No, most door manufacturers use Hoppe or another manufacturer for their hardware. Neuma has a chinese company making the hardware and the Neuma door is routed out in such a way that only their hardware will work. If you wind up going with Neuma, I'd definitely recommend upgrading to Low-E366 instead of the standard Low-E which is 270.

[HDClown]

I can't get any kind of Low-E with Neuma if I do blinds package and the wife and I really want the blind package in the door. No Low-E is a big turn-off however because of the heat issue. So I'm rather torn. The price on the door with blinds was $2k from one dealer. I'm waiting on a price from another dealer.A Pella Designer series door (wood) with blinds and Low-E was $3600 (direct from Pella) and is triple pane (which is why it can be blinds+LowE). That's a huge price difference. As I recall, Pella had nothing lower prices with blinds and Low-E

The one dealer I have a price for the Neuma door also sells ProVia and Plastpro but they said they don't have any options with LowE and blinds. They also carry Andersen but they said I'll be at least $3000 there.

Am I just going to need to spend $3000+ on a French door if I want blinds and Low-E? If that's the price I need to pay, and I'm moving into that price bracket, can you recommend what manufacturer and model line I should look to go with? I need to make sure I have a door that will stay tight and properly functional over time, as this will be a heavily used door.

[Randy]

Personally, I don't know if there's ever been a more over-rated, over-priced brand than Pella. Their biggest strengths is marketing (name recognition) and features (blinds between the glass, folding hardware, etc...). When it comes to performance and long-term durability, they don't live up to the hype.

So I'd suggest first determining what quality of product you're really wanting. If the features of the Pella door are to your liking and you're willing to sacrifice the performance, go for it. Just do it with realistic expectations. If you're looking for performance and durability, go in another direction.

[HDClown]

I would like to have it all of course, but I have to be cost conscious. Sometimes breaking budget is worthwhile, sometimes it's not. The blinds package seems to greatly limit options. If I removed that requirement, what brand would you suggest made sense for my application?

[finornot]

Hey HD, I saw your post on the other forum. I would be glad to share notes on where I am at on this window quest. As you have already learned there are a great bunch of pros on these 2 sites with NO agenda in our purchase So glad I found this forum.

[HDClown]

Excellent, glad you saw that. I don't want to discuss specific local dealers, so may be best to go to e-mail. Could you send me an e-mail, hdclown AT gmail DOT com?

[HDClown]

Coming back to the French Door. What's the opinion of Plastpro and Provia? Both companies can do Low-E with blinds.

The dealer says Provia is a very high quality fiberglass (or steel) door and that Plastpro will be more economical.

[TheWindowNerd]

Nobody does pleated shades and blinds as well as Pella does in designer.
I big stink with them is that the wood rots. Yep, they say they fixed it, if that is true up the warranty on the frame to 20 years, then I will believe you.
Since you have seen? The designer and how it works make sure you see any other before buying.
Another to look at is Eagle.

TheWindowNerd...

[Randy]

I haven't used either of them, however, Provia enjoys a very good reputation among contractors.

[Windows on Washington]

I haven't used either of them, however, Provia enjoys a very good reputation among contractors.

And distribution....

Never seen a product with that good of a penetration in the market.