Posted: 7/18/2006 10:22:35 PM EDT
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Anyone have any experience with these? What's best, a new window insert (like a Marvin "Tilt Pak") or replace the whole thing? Why? When all is said and done, is one REALLY any easier than the other? Who makes the best? I really don't like the ones that take up an inch or more of glass opening all the way around (these are usually the inexpensive ones). What do I have to watch out for? Any help is greatly appreciated. |
| I can give you some feedback on Marvin. (If the tiltpak is the flexible track that the double-hung windows slide up/down in, and you "flex" them out and remove the window?) We have 20+ of these in our house from the late '80s. Back then, at least, Marvin used an open-cell foam to help insulate and help in the "flexing" of the plastic window tracks. In any rain condition that allowed water to reach the juntion of the outside sill & the side track ... the foam acted like a sponge and HELD water in this area. This led directly to eventual windowframe rotting and water intrusion into the walls. Marvin did NOT acknowlege this in any way and offered no solution of any kind. We ended up fixing the problem by ; removing the tracks, fiberglassing that junction point to waterproof it, cutting 2" of foam off the bottom close to the sill, and cutting 3/16" off the plastic track bottom to give the rain a fighting chance to simply run back out (the sill IS sloped slightly) It was pretty shitty to have to do those labor-intensive fixes on such an expensive product, when the factory could have done the same things for pennies, originally. I have no knowlege of how Pella or other companies compare. If you go with Marvin, I would examine the product closely and, if this condition still exists ... fix it before installation. Good luck. Stay safe |
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Windows are among the most expensive items in a new home, and they are a very critical area when being replaced. Leaks are the bane of window installs / replacements, and proper installation depends much more on the installer than on the brand or quality of window unit purchased. You cannot easily install replacement windows the same way (wrapped, with sill pan or flashing, etc.) that you can new ones, and good installers are rare as hen's teeth. Be very careful with replacement windows and get a signed contract in writing from your install guy that includes a "no leak" guarantee. Often the more expensive windows are not the best for this purpose. |
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Good input there. Am I mistaken or does that seems to tip towards putting in totally new windows rather than a replacement - so you can get a good, water-tight job done. Possibly even doing it yourself, so it gets done right. Is this correct: knock out the stucco around the window, clean out the old window and old wood, reapair as necessary, clean up the framing and install the new window. My house is old - it is not wrapped or insulated. We don't get as much rain out here as you do in other parts of the country. It really only rains from Jan to March, then it stops. Still, a water tight seal is important. I looked at Pella today. They don't make gliders (opens by sliding sideways), so I won't be buying Pella. Guys, I could use a lot more help on this. |
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Most windows are custom made nowadays. You tell them how big and they make them up for you which means no framing changes (and no inventory for the store) it's all sealed and double sealed and low E and all the options that you want. any good wholesale lumberyard should be able to point you to someone who does this. Jen-Weld is the name that comes to mind. The prices are not outrageous |
| Check H-D and Lowes. I replaced all of my upstairs windows a few years ago w/ replacement units I got from Home Depot. Stock "replacement" windows are sized to fit into old style window frames. Rarely do you need to special order - but it can be done. Mine were double hung units and i don't recall seeing sliders there. They're easy to install and you can save some bucks doing them yourself. The first one took me a while, but once I knew what I was doing the rest went in quickly. |
| Home Depot was my first stop. At my local store, almost all thier stock was sliders and they had almost no double hung. They had nothing in stock to fit my window sizes - my house is 50 year old California bungalow. They did offer to provide a quote, custom size the windows and do the installation. |
Which will probably be rather high. Creepy depot is not known for cheap installs on items... Open your phone book and check out the window manufacturers. There will be hundreds of them, will do installs cheapers, and make windows to whatever specifications you want. |
DO NOT CUSTOM ORDER ANYTHING THROUGH HOME DESPOT!!!! Trust me on this. if home depot has it in stock,it's great, but if not, total black hole of hell. there are lots of window manufactuers and they all build custom windows and it's not expensive. (any more than regular windows) |
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The only way I would ever consider putting sliders in is if no other type of window would fit in the opening. Sliding windows are the worst for air leaks and problems in operating (opening/closing). A strong wind will blow water right past the seals. I used to push Marvin tilt-pacs aggresively to my customers, but anymore I lean toward vinyl remodelers. The marvin tilt-pacs are very expensive, and you have to stain/varnish the inside and paint the outside. Adds a lot to the labor/expense and the newer vinyl remodelers will last as long as the Marvins. Pella has a terrible reputation with builders. They cost too much and they rot out quickly. If you look at totally replacing the windows rather than using remodelers, look at Anderson windows. They are well made and priced in the midrange. Remodelers come with their own one piece frame, which sets into the existing window frame. You do lose some glass area, but they install fast and there is no putzing with the trims on the outside and the inside. They take an hour or less to install, and they are manufactured specifically for the window opening you are going to fill. If the window frame is in good shape, that is the cheapest way to go. Marvin tilt-pacs are sold in certain sizes only, and they may be a quarter inch too small or too large for your window opening. That sounds minor, but a close fit is not a good fit. A window intended for new construction comes with a nailing fin. The old window frame must be torn out. The new window almost certainly will not be the same size as the old window. That means new trim on the inside and the ouside, to hide the differences in size of the windows. You may even need to install a different header, which is a challenge in a finished wall. The window frame will not be the same depth as the wall, so you make or purchase a jamb extension to build the frame in flush with the inside of the wall. The unit cost is comparable to remodelers, but the labor is much more expensive and then there is the cost of trims, and dimensional lumber. |
Fine.
Well, my situation was different than yours. My house had old T 111 siding on it that was de-laminating, (nasty stuff) so I was replacing it with new sheeting, vapor barrier, ect. before the vinyl siding went on. I just cut back the siding to get to the nail fins. If I wasn't going that route, I'd have just run a sawzall around the window frame. I've never worked on a stucco home. (They're not very common in this area) so I have no idea what kind of damage you may run into. BTW, if you are considering Pella, go to a Pella store NOT one of the big box places like Lowes, ect. Especially if you're not sure about sizes, types and such. You can sit down and talk with someone who actually knows what they are doing. You can also ask them when the next sale is.  Good luck |