Re: Vinyl replacement windows - best brand available to DIY-er?
I think seeing two professionals with such different opinions shows how subjective the answers are that we get to these type of questions. Everyone has their favorite or has personal experiences, bad or good.
I have installed many windows. Most seem like you get what you pay for. Most manufactures/brands have different priced models for differing budgets and types of customers.
I also used to do a fair amount of service work. While most of the windows I worked on were built by the same manufacturer, they also had their different models and price ranges. I would consider the lower end windows average quality, and the more expensive ones above average, better than big box store custom vinyl windows that I've seen.
What i found was that the glass in the windows is the same. Some are triple pane, rated at r-10 insulation value, which have a market in cold climates like mine, and most are double at r-4. Argon and other gases are used as well as "low-e" coatings to try to make the window more efficient. All these variables add to the price of the windows. Some of the windows had insulation added into the framework of the window and some added thin aluminum tubing to add stiffness and strength. More variables.
The service work was more telling, imo. Most of the service work was replacing the glass due to seal failure between the panes of glass, which is just a given that some seals are just going to fail, a very small percentage if you will. Some homes would have multiple failures, some just one, and some non. Most reputable manufacturers offer long warranties on the sealed glass because it is prone to leakage and just an unfortunate common occurrence. there was no difference whether the window was their top of the line or low end, the seals still failed.
The other thing that i found doing the service work, was that there were a lot of hardware issues. Most of which were user error, and after a couple years, I could tell the customers what they did to break the part before they described the action. So i would have to give them a quick tutorial on how not to damage the window hardware. Some windows have a lot more moving parts than others, depending on the style of the window. A broken part can make a nice window useless if it doesn't open/close.
When I buy windows now, knowing what I know, I tend to look at the hardware. I've seen just as many broken metal parts as plastic so that doesn't seem to matter either. I try to look simple functioning parts, not too elaborate or quirky.
Maybe that helps the op...
You hate Pettit, I like it. you say Glidden is garbage. I just finished painting two rooms with Glidden Premium, one white and one medium green, both went on great and covered in one coat, no dripping etc.
