I ordered windows and doors today. Much thought has gone into this major purchase. After this project is complete (is it ever complete when you build your own home?) I will include the per centage of the total that each element costs. Windows may be the single most important design feature of our house. What’s clear (no pun intended) is that windows and doors profoundly affect our quality of life from inside the house and the look of the house, to make it welcoming from the outside.
The considerations:
- First choice was aluminum-clad, fir inside. Aluminum lasts forever and would not require painting and upkeep in our dotage. Aluminum is recyclable at the end of the window’s life. We got estimates from two aluminum companies, but the windows were built far away. (Manitoba and north-central US).
- I have never liked vinyl, especially since seeing the fascinating documentary, Blue Vinyl. It seems to be a bad environmental choice, both in terms of its evil production and its inability to be recycled. But, as D pointed out, aluminum’s production is at least as evil, and vinyl recycling is on the horizon. (The window manufacturers claim they do recycle their waste vinyl.)
- All windows installed in new construction as of this year are required by law to be Low-E (for emissivity) argon-gas filled Energy Star –rated. That’s good, because it is the least energy-draining type of window. Of course, it’s more expensive. But at least we’ll be on a level playing field with builders of homes that aren’t “green.” There is no provincial sales tax on Energy Star windows, but there will be when the harmonized sales tax is imposed on July 1. People doing renovations have been able to claim a federal rebate on these windows, but new house construction doesn’t qualify. It certainly should!
- Ventilation in the summer is critical. We paid much attention to placement of the windows and which ones open for cross-ventilation.
- Views!
After all the research, we chose exterior vinyl-clad windows (still fir inside) from Westeck for two main reasons:
1. They are made to order locally, so less energy is required to bring them to the building site.
2. The cost was 20% less than the aluminum-clad windows.
The salesperson assures me that we can order no packaging (essentially a wide blue plastic tape over the frames – we will risk the minor scratches) and the sliders that protect the bottom of the window frames while shipping can be returned to the company and re-used.
