Never Bought WIndows... Need HELP ASAP....

My wife and I are buying windows for the very first time. We have limited knowledge. Went to a recent home show and have the following. We live in the Milwaukee area.

We have 11 Double Hung Windows. Each window is approx 90 united inches (just learned that). All include installation and brick mold wrap.

1. Quote on Vista (Panorama Series) approx $570 per
2. THV Compositz approx $422 per
3. Simonton Platinum Prism approx $670 per
4. Champion approx $625 per
5. Soft lite Pro approx $550 per

Not knowing much about windows, I have a Sunrise quote and a Ply Gem (triple pane) coming tomorrow.

We live in an average 2 story house. Not looking for the lexus of the window, but something that would be good quality that will not cause us problems. We have large windows and I want to make sure we are making a good decision.

Any help or advise would be great. We are open to suggestions also.

i would only endorse the soft lite out of that list but would prefer the aimlerial LS or Elements. I would aso look into HiMark Windws as well .
there is a pro who frequents these boards and devotes alot of time answering questions and ffers some very high qua
ity brands.his name is " HomeSealed" and i beleive he serves your area. not only is he a very nice person, he is a true professional and gentleman. search the board for his name and use the " contact button" .

I agree with masterext. Installation will make or break the job, and nobody does it better in Milwaukee than HomeSealed. He's very knowledgeable about the industry, carries some of the best vinyl windows in the country, and he's a very nice guy. You won't find a better company to do business with, I promise you.

HomeSealed is an Okna dealer, which is one of the top three manufacturers regularly commended here. They make multiple lines, one of which will surely fit your needs and your budget.

I did recently run in the Home Sealed individual on this site. Saw he posted a lot and that other individuals seemed to agree with him. I did place a contact request into him through his company. What is a reasonable upgrade charge from the Softlite Pro to LS?

The project is also including the soffits, fascia, gutters, downspouts, additional soffit vents, and additional mushroom vents, so the money tree only has so cash.

Where do I find ratings on the Okna product line??

What ratings were you referring to? Thermal, Structural, etc?

NFRC is where you can search for thermal ratings, however, they are all posted on the HiMark webpage as well as their structural test results: http://search.nfrc.org/search/searchdefault.aspx

http://www.himarkwindows.com/products/replacement-windows/500%20Series/?portalProcess_dd_0_1_1_0=showPublicItem&inventory_entry_id=3842

I would go with the Pro out of that bunch, the performance difference will be virtually undetectable upgrading to the LS/Elements. I would only do it for aesthetics and if the cost was not much. Make sure your bids are comparable in the specific details as they can vary quite a bit from bid to bid.

Of that group, the Pro is the best of those options.

The Pro is a bit older design and does not have some of the nicer features and more advanced engineering of the newer lines inside of Soft-Lite. It does have a narrow profile but lacks some of the air tightness of the Elements and LS.

If you were going to compare the Pro to a window in the HiMark line, it would be the PrecisionWeld (400) series.

At roughly $550 per opening, I would rather spend the slightly more per unit and get something like the Imperial LS/Elements or equivalent HiMark product. You can probably get into one of those nicer units for about 10-15% more and have the nicer looking and performing unit.

Todd
Both the Soft Lite Elements and Imperial LS are totally different extrusions than the Pro series. the walls are thicker and its an overall better design; also the sill design is more solid than the Pro. not to mention the Pro uses metal reinforcement whereas both the imperial and elements use kevlar composite reinforcement.
one more difference, pro uses a 1/2 inch constant force, the other two use a 3/4 inch.

I do not like to pile on, but...
Homedsealedis the guy who I would send my children to if they were in his area of coverage.
Great products, Great installs, and still a greater person.

Who owns this site?? There seems to be quite the endorsement for the individual from Home Sealed. He is coming out on Thurs. I spoke with the Soft Lite installer and he does not have access to the LS or Element. Great person, quality credentials, and great local references. Multiple jobs on the same street because of the referrals.

Is a 4" downspout correct size?

Are .032 aluminum reasonable?

Should someone do a pressure bend of the fascia because the boards are taller?

Also, what Okna and the Window King Issue I see on the internet?

Masterext, I realize the differences just stating that the difference in cost may not be worth it.

a 4 inch downspout should be just fine.
.32 is standard in residential gutters and is good to go. Make sure they miter their corners and use a narrow strap not the bigger leak prone easier to install corners.
The pressure bend is the way to go, espcially on bigger boards.

Homesealed and Windows on Washington own the board, they make other contractors here praise them and recomend them,we are not allowed to make negative comments regarding their avatars as well.

Just kidding, I have no idea who owns the board.

What are they using for siding?

Siding?? No siding this year. Siding is in good condition. The guy providing the quote is using Alco products?? or he had Mastertech??

Does that should right. Aluminum fascia also

To include the continual quote. The Sunrise Window guy just got back with me and the quote is $12,500... Highest quote of all. I guess this would be the main product info..... Double glass, Low E and Argon gas. Ultra U Plus. And on the other items.....

Alcoa seamless aluminum gutters and downspouts. .032gu. 5” Aluminum and 4" downspouts. Install gutter hangers approximately every 18”. No pre made mitered corners)

To correct something I said earlier. The products being offered are:

Mastic aluminum or Alcoa aluminum