Milguard tuscany vs. Simonton 7300?

[jle]

Can anyone out there give me advice regarding whether to choose the Milguard Tuscany series vs. Simonton 7300 series? The quote I got for Milguard is more expensive, but some info I've read says that Milguard is better than Simonton. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Any help would be much appreciated!

[Windows on Washington]

Both are pretty solid windows and companies as well.

What sort of vetting have you done on the installation companies?

[jle]

Thanks very much for your reply!

The research I've done for the installation companies was mainly limited to checking for the names and any complaints on the Better Business Bureau website, checking for any reviews online, looking at the outside of a few houses where they have done installations, and I think another site that verifies that they are licensed contractors.

Any really good things or really bad things that stand out for the Milgard Tuscany or the Simonton 7300? I have read some online comments that Simonton windows have problems with leakage, but the posts are kind of old and they don't specify that they are the 7300 series. One contractor said that those were the old windows and that the newer line windows don't have any problems.

Another question I have is whether or not we can "customize" the grid patterns for out patio doors and windows - meaning can we specify how much space we want in between the grid lines (more of a rectangular pattern than a square pattern), or is it all standard and pre-set according to the measurements of our windows?

Thanks!

[Skydawggy]

I would never consider the BBB as a source for ratings of any kind of business. One business can have an excellent reputation yet recieve a C rating from the BBB because they aren't a member and another company can have dozens of complaints and recieve an A+ rating and an award from the BBB because they are a paying member I don't consider the BBB as an unbiased source. Your best course is to contact previous customers and make sure the crew that did those installs is the same one doing yours. It's very unlikely that if they did a great job on previous jobs that they won't do a great job for you too.

Simonton should be able to accommodate your grid pattern. I don't know about Milgard. What did you dealer say?

[jle]

Thanks so much for your reply!

Great suggestion, but unfortunately I only got to talk to one previous customers about the work of one of the companies I'm thinking of going with. They said they did a good job and had no complaints.

Regarding the grid pattern, I was going to try to call Simonton to ask, but don't know if they're open on the weekends. The brochure says," Colonial patterns are very traditional and equally proportioned through the available glass size." That makes it sound like they are square vs. rectangular, but I'm not sure.

Another question I have is, is there much difference in a U-factor of .30 and .22? Is it very significant?

And, lastly, for the Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency, do you know if that means we actually get the money added to our tax refund if we don't owe any taxes?

Thanks for you help!

[Skydawggy]

Again, you need to be talking to your dealer. It may be that you want what is called a Prairie Grid pattern. Either company should have no problem accommodating you. If you want something custom, then instead of ordering say 2V-1H you can order them 1V-2H or something to that effect.

There is a difference in energy savings betweena window with a U-factor of .30 and one of .22. Whether it makes sense to purchase the better rated one largely depends on the cost, where you live and your budget. Here's a site you can go to and play around with some different glass packages. Don't forget to factor in the differences in Solar Gain.

http://www.efficientwindows.org/selection.cfm