Any thoughts on Stanek?

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dmanwi
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:45 am

Any thoughts on Stanek?

#1 Post by dmanwi »

I live in the Milwaukee/Waukesha area. I am replacing a few casement windows. I am comparing Alside Sheffield and Stanek. They seem similar - Stanek has a metal reinforcement and Alside has foam.

For the glass packages Stanek offers a Low-E Argon, Low-E Argon with Heatsheild and Low-E Krypton with Heatshield. The windows are facing west and are somewhat shaded by trees - oes this matter when choosing window packages?

The salesman is not pushing the Krypton package and says the Heatshield is maybe 7-10 years payback.

Any recomendations?

Also our house has tannish siding and light cream trim. The only white is the rain gutters. Do the white windows typically look ok? Or should that at all drive my choice between wook and vinyl?

Thanks

crankthisout
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:00 am

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#2 Post by crankthisout »

Stanek manufactures and installs their own windows where Alside is sold through dealers and contractors. Get a written copy of each ones warranty and you'll immediatly see the difference in installation and labor coverage.
Stanek no longer metal reinforces the window. They came out with a reinforcement called fibermax which is a patented product. Half fiberglass and half composite. The rienforcement runs around all four sides of the frame and sash giving many benefits over hallow or foam filled frames. Compare U-Values and structural ratings and you'll see Stanek comes out on top. All the hardware is also anchored into this fibermax material so the chances of things working loose over time is greatly reduced.
Stanek has many glass systems to choose from. If you get worse weather on one side of your home, then ask the salesperson to quote you better glass there and not as good of glass for the rest of the home. All they're windows meet the federal tax credit criteria so it doesn't matter that much -- all are good glass packages--
Good Luck!

Skydawggy
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Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:51 pm
Location: Northern,Virginia
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Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#3 Post by Skydawggy »

Why would a consumer want lower grade glass on the non weathering side of their house and higher grade on the rest of it? Why not have the best grade of glass on the entire house?

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Window4U (IL)
Posts: 1374
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:58 pm
Location: Sales and Installation in Chicagoland and Central Illinois

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#4 Post by Window4U (IL) »

crankthisout wrote: Compare U-Values and structural ratings and you'll see Stanek comes out on top.
What are the windows ratings? Are they are better than the Softlite Elements double hung with a U-.15, DP70, LC60 and .01 air infiltration rate?

thermex

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#5 Post by thermex »

i looked at the elements window.it was quite impressive.

crankthisout
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:00 am

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#6 Post by crankthisout »

The Dp for a Stanek window does reach a 70. Just go to:http://namicertification.com/ProductDet ... D=6520[url][/url] Where is the link showing the Softlite window does? Please provide a link to this so called DP 70 that Softlite has which proves this.

U-Value comes down to .19 on the Stanek System 9 double-hung. How much more money will you save with a .19 vs. a .15 over 5 or 10 years? PEANUTS!

Most importantly, why don't you compare the Softlite warranty to the Stanek. Why doesn't Softlite cover sagging or labor or installation in their warranty? Stanek covers all of these as long as you own the home. The next homeowner gets 10 years on all this as well. Kind of makes you wonder where the better deal lies if your looking at the same price.

thermal99

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#7 Post by thermal99 »

i guess its safe to say you sell Stanek windows? nice pump....

crankthisout
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:00 am

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#8 Post by crankthisout »

Bingo, ............Johnny what do we got for him!


Yes I do. It's just annoying sometimes that all you hear on this board is how great softlite is. I'll give them props that they make a great window. In fact, if I lived in another part of the country, I would deeply consider their product. But I don't.
So, what should a consumer think when buying replacement windows:
*Get a written copy of the warranty
*Look at cutaways, ask about structural ratings, and see and actual size window that you'll be purchasing. So many people buy windows looking at small samples of that window then are dissapointed when the larger version doesn't operate to they're expectations.
*Find out overall U-values. I personally think this whole concept is overblown. At Stanek, we have everything from clear thermopanes which give overall U's of a .46 for a double-hung, to triple panes or heat-mirror down to .19. If you take a u-value of .30 and compare it to a u-value of .20 its a difference of about 2 points in R-value overall for the product (remember, just divide 1 into the U (I did get past Calculus in college)). What no one tells you on this board is even an approximation of what this means in real dollar amounts on your energy bill (because it's nothing). Think of it this way, what's the R-value of your attic? Normally between a 25-50 depending on how much insulation you have and thats the #1 source of heat loss in a home.
Unless you have giant walls of windows or glass in general, your never going to notice or recoup the extra cash.

thermal99

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#9 Post by thermal99 »

look like any red neck with a pick up truck can purchase a Stanek window;they also sell siding and fascia...i like a company soley focused on windows. this company reminds me of Alside. also,where are all the specs/features of the window. can't seem to find any on the site.

thermal99

Re: Any thoughts on Stanek?

#10 Post by thermal99 »

Stanek sells and installs the window. they also do siding..nothing more than another home improvement company that claims they make their own windows which they seem to do.

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