Replacement windows in Idaho

[IDHomeowner]

Hello All,

I'm looking to replace the aluminum frame windows in my house which was built in 1984. They are mostly single hung and picture windows, but there are a lot of them (almost 30). I've been trawling (no, not trolling!) this board long enough to recognize that there are a few brands that are consistently recommended. These include Soft Lite, Sunrise, Okna, and Gorell. Unfortunately, none of these companies seem to have dealers in the state of Idaho. (I've been surprised to find just how localized the replacement window enterprise seems to be.) So the short question is does anyone have any recommendations for windows that are distributed in this part of the country? To add a bit more to this question, I have been eyeing some Ply Gem windows that include an upgrade to a super spacer with triple panes. They are reasonably priced, but the reactions I've seen to Ply Gems have been less consistently good than the other windows I mentioned above. Any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated!

[Windows on Washington]

You are going to probably have to interview a few frogs before you find a prince in this case.

The fact that you have been on the boards is a step in the right direction as you are now about 100X more informed that most customers on this type of purchase.

Plygems are not bad at all and can be a very good window if you get the right options and they are installed properly.

It sounds like you are ready for a few quotes and post back up once you have interviewed a few people and see what they have to offer.

[IDHomeowner]

Many thanks for the quick reply. The install is actually going to be done by me with some help from a friend who has a lot of contractor experience (including windows and doors). I have never done windows before, but I am reasonably handy and painstakingly meticulous. Plus I read a lot before undertaking any project and this will obviously be no exception.

As for the windows, I will have to call some more places tomorrow to get some more quotes, but here's what I have so far. All the people I spoke to work for companies that have been in business here for a long time.

Plygem pro series (don't know if it's 100 or 200 series)
3x5 single hung with super spacer and triple pane: $197
2x5 picture window with super spacer and triple pane: $155

The rep suggested that the only real difference between the pro series and the premium series was that the premiums came as a double hung and had more color options. He also didn't recommend double hungs for SE Idaho since we tend to get a lot of wind in winter and early spring.


Atrium (don't know the model-will have to call back and find out)
3x5 single hung: $162
2x5 picture: $82

I know people on these boards are not to enthusiastic about Atrium but this dealer seemed to think they were good quality for the money.

Milgard Montecito
3x5 single hung: $233
I didn't get a price on the picture window.

So that's it so far. Again, any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Windows on Washington]

Of that set up, I prefer the Plygem.

HomeSealed knows that brand very well so I will wait for his commentary as well.

[IDHomeowner]

Thanks, WoW. You're great.

[TheWindowNerd]

Besides hands on experience and recommendation by fellow pros, the way we would eval a product is to look at some test data.
U value the lower the better, also need to consider the energy needs of the geography..28 or less.
SHGC this to is regional specific
DP a structural rating that helps you understand how strong the window is, the higher he number the better. DP50 or higher
AI, a structural test number, the lower the better, .30 is the Energy Star guide, I would not consider a window unless it was .09 lower less.

[IDHomeowner]

Thanks, Anthony. The Ply Gem rep told me that the super spacer option with the triple glazing took the U-rating down to .24 on the single hungs. The pictures would surely be lower. As you can imagine, cold is more of an issue here than heat. In fact we very rarely run our AC at all except for the two or few weeks in mid-summer when it becomes too hot to bear. I had a harder time finding specific information on the DP ratings for the different models offered by Ply Gem. That said I don't think we'd have too much of an issue here. We have a lot of wind at times during the year but never anything that would rival hurricanes etc. in terms of sheer intensity.

Thanks again for the help. It's a big purchase, and it obviously helps to be well informed.

[HomeSealed]

The reason that the reviews of Plygem are all over the map is because they are essentially a holding company that owns a bunch of different manufacturers. For some asinine reason, a couple years ago they changed all of their offerings to the Plygem nomenclature (Premium, Pro, etc) so now you don't know which window that you are getting unless you ask. The Great Lakes (Grandview) product line is the only line that I recommend as a solid choice, although there are a few that I have not dealt with that are offered out West. Ask your dealer which company makes this window for Plygem, and we can probably give some better feedback based on that... It sounds as though you are saying that the Pro series is a single hung, which would mean that it is not the Great Lakes line... Simonton and Milgard seem to be a couple of the better choices out your way.

On the structural ratings that Anthony was referring to, keep in mind that these ratings give you a good indication of the strength of the window, so even though hurricane force winds are not a concern for you, a window that has a superior rating will generally have better design and build quality = last longer and perform better in your home.

[IDHomeowner]

Thanks, Homesealed. This is good to know. I spent some time this morning calling other local companies. It just gets more and more interesting. None of the three companies I spoke with this morning seemed to be very keen on the big companies, even though some of them carried these. Instead they tended to favor what are apparently smaller brands that are mostly located out here in the West. Here are the recommendations I got (in order from most to least expensive).

1. Cascade thermal pro series.
2. Alpine 80 series.
3. Western platinum series.

I know that all of these companies make contractor grade windows, but not of these series are in that lot. I also got mixed views on the value of argon gas. Two of the three people I spoke with said it was of no use owing to the fact that it would (I was told) escape from the breather tubes as the windows were transported from the manufacturer to our location here at 4500 feet. I think there is a logic to this, isn't there?

I can find little on these boards about these brands, so any ideas would be warmly received.

[IDHomeowner]

As a follow up to my previous post, I called one local company that sells Simonton. The best thing they had in a single hung was the Pro Finish line. Price wise these were in the same ball park as the others.

[HomeSealed]

ID, I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with those models. There are a few posters that pop in now and then from your region, so perhaps they will weigh in. One thing that I can say, as mentioned previously, is to look at the performance ratings of the products that you are considering. They will be very telling as to the quality. Anthony gave a nice breakdown of what each one means.

[IDHomeowner]

Thanks, HomeSealed. In my journey to learn about replacement windows I feel a bit like Alice down the rabbit hole--everything seems to get curiouser and curiouser. Nonetheless, I will indeed have a closer look at the specs and factor this in.

Anthony, if you're still following this thread, could you please clarify something for me. You wrote ".30 is the Energy Star guide, I would not consider a window unless it was .09 lower less". I'm afraid I didn't quite follow this. Can you explain what you meant by that last part? Did you mean at least .09 less than the threshold of .30?


Thanks to all.

[HomeSealed]

ID, I hope that this is not presumptuous of me, but I believe that Anthony's comment meant to reference an AI rating of .09 or better (numerically lower)... Anthony, please correct me if I misunderstood.

[IDHomeowner]

Thanks for clearing that up, HomeSealed. I'll put this into the mix of things to take into account.

After doing a bit more digging, it looks like Alpine windows are a rebranding of Alside/Associated Materials variety. I've seen what people tend to think of these so I'll probably be giving these a miss.

If there are any manufacturers out there following these threads, please take note: there seems to be void in the Idaho market for quality replacement windows. Surely a great opportunity for someone...

[TheWindowNerd]

Homesealed was correct. I do not recommend a window unless it has an AI of .09 or less. Thruth be told I really prefer .05 or less.
This would be the quick qualifier for me if looking for a new product<.09AI.
You may be able to find a local mfg that cares that much about quality.