[00:00:04] Speaker A: Welcome to the weekend warriors home improvement show, built by bar lumber. When it comes to big or small projects around the home, Tony and Cory have got the know how and the answers to make your life just a bit easier. Here they are, your weekend warriors, Tony and Corey.
You know, Tony, I am at the point in my homeowner journey that I need to order new windows.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: Windows. Are you at that point because it's 100 degrees outside and you're noticing that a ton of heat is coming through your windows?
[00:00:40] Speaker A: No, I am actually at that point because the vinyl windows that were replaced in my home originally because of my house, was built in the seventies.
They replaced them before we bought the house, but they're very cheap vinyl windows, and all of the locks are breaking off of them.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: Oh.
[00:01:01] Speaker A: And they're not set correctly. So when you go to close them, they don't close. So.
[00:01:07] Speaker B: Interesting. So they're not operating properly.
[00:01:09] Speaker A: They are not.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: And it's not. It's not about them being, uh. It's not about them being ineffective, as far as, you know, efficiency and that sort of thing. If you feel like they're not, uh, this time of year, do you not find that you're having to do more with your air conditioning because you're getting heat, heat gain in the window spaces?
[00:01:30] Speaker A: I don't think so. I think that they were just the cheapest windows that they could find, and they were installed poorly.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: Wow. Okay. Well, yeah, that's probably a less common reason that windows are replaced. This is oftentimes the time of year when it's really, really, really warm or when it's really, really, really cold, that people realize that their windows have limits. And if they're old, then they're probably not as efficient as they could be, and it's time to get out there and get something that's a little more efficient.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: Yes, sir.
[00:02:09] Speaker B: This is also that time of year where people are having people over and in the house, and the house is all spruced up and clean, and then they realize that they have seal failures in their glass. If you have a seal failure between two panes of glass, which is an insulated unit of, then it fogs up. You got moisture inside there, and it fogs up, and you just can't wipe the window clean because the. Because the obscurity is taking place between the panes of glass. So a seal failure is another reason that people start looking to get their windows replaced, even though you can actually replace the glass only and solve the seal failure problem. If your windows are suffering seal failures, it could be an indication that your windows are getting old and it's time to replace them. Because the efficiency of windows grows every year. They get better and better and better. They perform better against the elements, whether it's the cold or the heat. So it's kind of like computers. After a certain amount of time, what you've got is out of date and not serving you properly.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: They're making better stuff now than they did five years ago.
[00:03:21] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: And they're making better stuff five years ago than they did ten years ago.
[00:03:25] Speaker B: Absolutely. That is absolutely the fact. There is a lot to consider, Corey, if you are thinking about replacing your windows, especially if you're thinking about replacing vinyl windows, because you could go back to aluminum windows. They make very effective, efficient aluminum windows. Now, thermally broken aluminum windows that are not, they don't perform the way old aluminum windows used to perform, where they.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: Would condensate like crazy because there was no, like you said, thermally broken. That is a term. What that means is that when you have condensation, moisture will always move from warm to cold. It's the law of thermodynamics. It will always move that direction, and it's going to condensate on the coldest surface as soon as it reaches its dew point. So if you have a vinyl or an aluminum piece of window frame that is on the outside and the inside, it's the same piece. Well, that piece of aluminum on the inside is going to be the same temperature as it is outside.
[00:04:34] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:04:35] Speaker A: So if it's cold outside, it's as soon as the moisture inside of your home touches that aluminum, it condensates because it's cold. Now, they've come up with a way to have a thermal break. They put a piece of rubber or some sort of other material between the outside aluminum and the inside of aluminum, and it does not transfer that cold.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Right. That conductivity stops. Yeah.
[00:04:58] Speaker A: It's more, it's more to the temperature of the inside of the home that way that when the, the moisture doesn't condensate on that piece. So, yeah, back in the olden days, in the seventies, sixties and seventies, when aluminum windows were just the greatest thing since swiss cheese.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: Right.
[00:05:16] Speaker A: They've gone away, but they're back. Like you said, aluminum windows are some of the most expensive windows on the market now, and they are very popular.
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, there's no question they are a slim line. Right? So they almost disappear, whereas vinyl windows are the opposite. They're big and more big and more bulky and more in your face. Right. The frame portion of the window. And so, but the aluminum ones, now you can get them anodized, right? Like a bronze, dark brown or a, or a mill aluminum color, which is sort of traditional bare aluminum color. And you can get them with, with insulated glass. So it's two pieces of glass, an insulated unit in there. So the windows are performing much better than they did when they were originally being used. And we know that we like to go back and do it the way we did it before. We got that whole. We have somehow, as a people, we have a desire to be like we were before. Right. That sort of nostalgia.
[00:06:25] Speaker A: Yes, nostalgia.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's like that. Yeah. Vintage, antique people. That's why styles keep coming back. That's why you find bell bottoms and butterfly collars and, you know, sort of skinny jeans. Right. Were really popular in the nineties. And then again, you know, 2030 years later.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: So, yeah, so see a bunch of.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Cavemen running around, it's interesting to me how, how styles keep coming around. Like, you remember, there was, there was brass, and then there was the thing that antique brass. And then after antique brass went away.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: Then they came out with brush nickel or chrome.
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Right. And then rose gold to sort of bring that brass look back, but not brass look. Rose gold. Yeah, it seems to come back. It's a little different.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: It's like it was back in the day, but it's a little bit better.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: Yeah, but it's a little better. Yeah.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Cause you wouldn't want vintage window. You wouldn't want aluminum, old aluminum windows in your home.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: You wouldn't want that. You wouldn't want that, right. You wouldn't want them to perform the way they used to perform. You want them to look the way they used to look and perform the way windows perform today. And that's what you can get with aluminum windows, if that's the look you're looking for. But they definitely are on the more expensive side that you can get vinyl windows for much less.
[00:07:44] Speaker A: Now, what about, there's four different windows types that I'm aware of. Vinyl, wood, aluminum, and fiberglass.
[00:07:56] Speaker B: Fiberglass.
[00:07:57] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: Yep, that's right. Fiberglass is a substrate. And so you, while we struggle with trying to have a different color exterior vinyl window. Right. Because if it's not extruded color, if the color is not in the extrusion, which means that it's going to be the same color on the inside as it is the outside.
If it's not extruded, then you're trying to put on some sort of a coating, like a paint or something. And we've struggled because vinyl is susceptible to heat. And if you get those dark colors on the outside, then the vinyl wants to move, and then your window doesn't perform like it's supposed to.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Yeah. Very popular these days. Have black. Black window frames.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: Right. That's. That's something that, that vinyl has. Vinyl window manufacturers have struggled being able to provide a black exterior window frame just because of it attracts so much heat and causes the vinyl to want to move. But fiberglass was always. You could do that. Fiberglass is a substrate, and fiberglass doesn't move like vinyl does. And so you could have dark exterior colors and still have a white or almond interior color. And so fiberglass allowed that for you. Plus, it's stronger and. And it performs better, but it's also more expensive. Yeah.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: So positive and negatives for each type of window.
[00:09:19] Speaker B: Right.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: Vinyl, you've got positives that it's low maintenance, very energy efficient, affordable. You said they expand and contract too much.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, they.
[00:09:29] Speaker A: Different colors.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: With the darker colors compared to the.
[00:09:32] Speaker B: Other products that don't. Right.
[00:09:34] Speaker A: Wooden. They're probably the best looking windows, but.
[00:09:37] Speaker B: The highest maintenance and the most expensive.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: I mean, wood windows are. Wood windows are. That are being made by manufacturers that have been making wood windows for a long time, like Anderson and Marvin.
Those guys are making a high quality window with high quality parts and pieces and high quality hardware, high quality finishes. There's a reason why they're more expensive. They are the. They're really well made by companies that have been making them that way for 100 years or more.
[00:10:10] Speaker A: Well, and to get around some of the bad things with wood windows, like wood rot, that could potentially happen. They've come out with aluminum clad.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: Right.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: Wood windows. They're clad on the exterior with this aluminum so that you could paint it whatever you want, but you have the durability and the luxurious look interior on the interior.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Right. Yeah. And we need to remember, too, that wood windows that we see in hundred year old houses today that have rotted, well, those windows used to come out bare, and if the homeowner didn't properly treat it, seal it, and keep it protected from the weather every year or every two years, then the window simply didn't stand a chance. Uh, they don't. That's not the way it is anymore. They don't make wood windows bare. Well, you can get bare wood windows, but you're not buying bare wood windows that you have to finish every single year. Now you're buying wood windows that are clad on the exterior like you mentioned, or that come pre finished on the exterior with a very protective coating that makes the wood last much longer.
[00:11:18] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:11:18] Speaker B: So it's not, it's nothing like it was before, but they do make very high quality wood windows. Marvin and Anderson in particular.
[00:11:27] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a lot to consider, but with my budget, I'm probably leaning towards vinyl.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: Yeah, well, obviously there's lots of manufacturers that make vinyl windows. A lot of them that are right around here. As a matter of fact, we, Corey and I are coming to you from the Willamette valley here in the Pacific Northwest. So we're sort of a suburb. We're in a suburb of Portland, and in this area there are lots of venue, there are lots of vinyl windows that are manufactured. Cascade windows is manufactured in Tualatin, Milgard. Everyone's heard of Milgard windows, also manufactured in Tualatin. Ply gem is manufactured in Auburn, Washington, which is just north of us. A couple hours.
[00:12:12] Speaker A: Geldwen's here. Yeah, not in here, but in the area.
[00:12:16] Speaker B: Lots of windows manufactured right in the area where we're at. So you have lots of good choices, but there's lots of positives and not positives and negatives, things that each manufacturer bring to the party that is unique to them.
[00:12:32] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, what are some other things? Let's talk about some other things that I should consider when replacing my windows. I have to choose the type of material, of course. What about energy efficiency?
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Well, I mean, obviously, you can buy the most energy efficient window on the market, or you can buy the least energy efficient window on the market or somewhere in between.
[00:12:57] Speaker A: That seems silly.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: Yeah, but think about this.
These windows are bound by code, right? They cannot manufacture a window that doesn't meet code. So even the least energy efficient window is to code.
How about that?
[00:13:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: So if you. If. If meeting code is the standard, then all of the windows that you buy are going to meet code or better. But there's, this is kind of like insulation in the house.
You can insulate to code or you can insulate better, right.
It's just an option. So the windows that meet code. Right. Are pretty energy efficient windows, but they make windows that are even more efficient.
[00:13:48] Speaker A: Right.
[00:13:49] Speaker B: And they charge more for them.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: I always say energy efficient or. Sorry. Building to code is the worst house you can build without getting in trouble.
[00:13:57] Speaker B: Without getting in trouble. That's right. That's exactly right. It's. It's very true. But, you know, it's not like we're dealing with.
With small amounts of money. Right. It's big money. And while we would love to use the very best, most highest performing products that are on the market, you just can't. You just can't afford it, necessarily.
[00:14:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Because when we're talking about energy efficiency, we're talking about the U value, which is an inverse of r value. People know that term r value. We use it all the time. We talk about insulation. It's insulative qualities. How much. How much resistance of heat transfer through a particular material is its r value. Right. If you have a high, high r value, it's going to take a really long time to lose heat. So we know that in a roof or an attic, it's 38 or greater. In walls, it's 25 or 21 reals.
[00:15:01] Speaker B: Well, that's just the insulation. And then you have, you know, the sheeting and the sheeting.
[00:15:06] Speaker A: Yeah. So. But we all use that term r value all the time. But in windows, it's the inverse of that. It's the u value, and it's how much energy is allowed through the glass or how much the glass allows through.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: Energy to transfer through ultraviolet rays and that sort of.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: Yeah. The sh. What's that one? The sh.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: Solar heat gain coefficient.
[00:15:32] Speaker A: Heat gain coefficient.
There are different ways to.
In windows, you want a low u value. The lower the u value, the better performing the window. And when we're talking about energy efficiency, there are things like low e glass.
It's low emissivity. So as uv hits the glass, it will reflect the uv off and not allow it to come in and transfer the heat inside of your dwelling.
You're. You can also look at double or triple glazing.
Triple glazing has. They have negatives and positives. Triple glazing is nice in some aspects, but it's also very, very heavy. So if you have a single pane or double, double hung. Single hung or double hung windows, you got to lift that up on a triple pane window. You're going to have to have some sort of assistant in the window. So they'll have, like, spring loaded things that'll help you lift the window because the actual sash in that window is super heavy.
[00:16:44] Speaker B: Sure. Right.
[00:16:45] Speaker A: If you have a crank out window, a casement style window, you can't put triple pane windows in an inexpensive vinyl window. You have to have, like, a bulkier frame. So there's just things like that that you need to consider.
[00:17:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:01] Speaker A: Gas. There's. I didn't realize this. There's two types of gas. That they put into the insulated glass unit.
One is argon.
[00:17:12] Speaker B: Right. Very common.
[00:17:13] Speaker A: And the other one is, you know, um.
[00:17:16] Speaker B: No.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: Krypton.
[00:17:18] Speaker B: Really?
[00:17:19] Speaker A: Interesting, huh?
[00:17:20] Speaker B: Do they have to go to Krypton to get that gas? And does Superman ate it?
[00:17:26] Speaker A: I'm sure he does.
[00:17:28] Speaker B: He hates it. He's going to. If you talk to Superman, he's going to tell you not to get the Krypton version. Get the argon version.
[00:17:36] Speaker A: Yeah. It actually says that Krypton is often used in triple pane windows.
[00:17:42] Speaker B: Interesting.
[00:17:43] Speaker A: Where there's a gap of a, between a quarter and three eight between the glass pane.
[00:17:47] Speaker B: Do you know what it is about argon and probably krypton that makes them use that to fill the gap between the panes?
[00:17:55] Speaker A: You know, I don't know.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: I'll tell you. Because it's heavier than air.
[00:18:00] Speaker A: Oh, really?
[00:18:00] Speaker B: So it goes in there and it goes down and it sets down inside there. That's how they can fill it up with that gas. Because it, it goes down. It compacts down in there. Heavier than air.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: So I saw this funny video the other day where this guy, you know, because when you, we talk about light gases and heavy gases, when you inhale helium.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Your voice gets really hot. Right. Of course.
[00:18:30] Speaker A: Of course. So did you know if you inhale sulfur hexafluoride, it's a very, very heavy gas. It brings your voice way down super deep.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: Did you know that? No, I didn't know that.
[00:18:43] Speaker A: Yeah, totally true.
[00:18:43] Speaker B: It's, I'm concerned moderately about the word sulfur in there.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: I know.
[00:18:47] Speaker B: Sulfur henceforth, and then inhaling it, because I've inhaled sulfur before and it's not pleasant.
[00:18:56] Speaker A: I would say that you'd probably not want to put it in your scuba tanks or anything.
[00:19:03] Speaker B: Sulfur hexafluoride.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: Yeah. It's six times heavier than the air that we breathe.
[00:19:11] Speaker B: We'd need to take a hit of that right before you sing.
Swing low, sweet chariot.
[00:19:17] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:18] Speaker B: Swing low. Yeah.
[00:19:20] Speaker A: Go from helium, sulfur hexafluoride.
[00:19:23] Speaker B: Here's, anyway, here's a question for you.
When you first started working for par lumber company, what do you think the code was for? U value window. U value, what you think code requirement was? Oh, when you started with par, I can tell you I have the answer.
[00:19:44] Speaker A: Is it like 0.05?
[00:19:47] Speaker B: No.
[00:19:49] Speaker A: Then I don't know.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: .33.
[00:19:51] Speaker A: Oh .33 point.
[00:19:53] Speaker B: Was it really .33.33. Was code back in the day when you started with par.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: 20 years ago.
[00:20:04] Speaker B: Yeah, 20 years ago.
[00:20:06] Speaker A: When is it now?
[00:20:08] Speaker B: Well, you would be surprised to hear that they are making windows that meet a 0.15.
A 0.15.
You can get a window with a 0.15 u value when only 20 short years ago, the code was 0.33.
[00:20:33] Speaker A: That's crazy.
That's crazy.
[00:20:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: That's very impressive. So I don't in terms of know of how that relates to our value, because again, everyone talks about our value and its insulative qualities, but in regards to the u value, that's pretty impressive.
[00:20:58] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And it, if you're talking to somebody about windows and they're talking about how they perform, they might mention to you something like a low e coating or like you mentioned, the gas filled between the panes. That's very common.
It's not a line they're trying to sell you.
They do put low emissivity coatings on the interior panes of the glass, not on the outside. Can't be scratched, for example, in between the panes. And it reduces the ultraviolet rays that come through.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:21:35] Speaker B: And same with the argon, the gas filled in.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Part of the reason you want energy efficient windows. I mean, I mean, it seems obvious to say this, but it will reduce your energy bill, but moreover, it will make your home more comfortable. When you go from room to room, you're not going to feel that cold or when you're sitting in your chair next to your window, you're not going to feel that unbearable cold when you reach over and touch the glass. It's not going to be as cold in the wintertime and it's not going to be as hot in the summertime.
[00:22:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:22:11] Speaker A: I mean, that's really the main reason you want high energy efficient windows. Also, you have to meet code when you buy windows.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: Right. You have to meet code when you buy windows. That's notable. Everybody, regardless of what they spent on windows, is meeting code.
[00:22:26] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:22:26] Speaker B: Getting it done.
[00:22:27] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:22:28] Speaker B: Yeah. So what other questions do you have about windows?
[00:22:34] Speaker A: Well, some of you know, some of the other things to consider. I kind of made a list here about replacing my windows. The style, the style and aesthetics of the window. We're talking about window type. I mentioned earlier, single hung. Double hung. What does that mean?
[00:22:52] Speaker B: Yeah. A single hung window is a vertical slider. So you've seen, obviously, windows go all the way back. Double hung windows are very common, especially in wood windows. But a. Today, they still make double hungs today, but very common. You'll see a single hung, a single hung window. The bottom sash slides up. And that's how it opens, and then the top sash is fixed. So the bottom sash slides up, slides back down. Locks. That's a single hung.
The wood windows that they used to have on all homes were double hung windows where the bottom sash would slide up and the top sash would slide down. That's a double hung. And both of those sashes would be able to tilt out. You could unlatch them and tilt them out for easy cleaning from one side or the other. So, um, that's very common. And then you could remove those sashes from those windows and have a clear opening. And so double hung, both sashes move. Single hung. Just the bottom sash moves. Horizontal slider. You can order it with the left sash moving left to right, or the right sash moving from right to left. Or you can actually get a double slider where both panels slide.
[00:24:08] Speaker A: Interesting.
[00:24:08] Speaker B: Yep. It's. It's not super common, but it's out there. It's available.
[00:24:13] Speaker A: So then some of the other ones would be an awning window.
[00:24:16] Speaker B: That's a crank out window. Right. It cranks out. Hinged at the top, it cranks out from the bottom. So it would be kind of like a single hung window where the bottom sash, instead of sliding up, it has a crank and it cranks out.
[00:24:30] Speaker A: I actually have an awning window that I replaced when I redid my kitchen, where the bottom, say, third of the window is an awning, and then the top is a picture.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:24:42] Speaker A: So it's just the bottom portion that cranks out.
[00:24:46] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:24:46] Speaker A: So if we want extra ventilation by.
[00:24:47] Speaker B: The sink, they'll call that a picture window bottom awning.
[00:24:51] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:24:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Which is very, very common.
[00:24:53] Speaker A: I have one.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: Yes, you do indeed.
[00:24:56] Speaker A: Then the other one, I think, is casement.
[00:24:59] Speaker B: Right. Like an awning, except that it's hinged on the side and it cranks out. Right. So it opens. You can have it open from the left or from the right, or you can have two casements together that both open from the center out, which is very common. But those crank out. Those are crank out windows.
And you get a. You get a.
They'll sell casements that give. That will give you the maximum amount of egress. Egress is important. If you have a window in a bedroom, then there is a minimum requirement of open space. And so it's got to be a certain amount of width and a certain amount of height that allows firefighters to gain access through the window. If they need to come in and they're wearing a tank, they have to be able to get in to fight the fire through the window. And so that that amount is required, like 28 inches wide and some inches tall.
[00:26:02] Speaker A: The origins of egress.
[00:26:04] Speaker B: Yes. Correct.
[00:26:05] Speaker A: Not just about.
[00:26:06] Speaker B: It's not just about you. Not just about getting out, but firefighters getting in. Yeah.
[00:26:10] Speaker A: Interesting.
[00:26:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Very, very interesting information. So you have to meet Egress. And some of the other things about egress are, you know, the height of the window from the floor. There is a maximum amount that the window can be off of the floor and still meet egress. It's got to be a certain width and opening, certain height and opening. And so you'll take those things into consideration for windows that are in the bedroom.
You can order, you can get casement windows from some manufacturers that maximize egress. It's hardware that allows the window to open up and then give you the maximum width in your opening.
[00:26:48] Speaker A: Nice.
I don't think I'm going to go casement on my house, but that is good to know.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: I would, but if I was building my house and price were not an option. Casements. Absolutely.
[00:26:59] Speaker A: Do you know look cool?
[00:27:00] Speaker B: Well, do you know why?
[00:27:01] Speaker A: Why?
[00:27:02] Speaker B: Because they, they crank out. They open out. And so when they're closed and you have weather outside, as the weather beats down on those windows, it pushes them tighter closed, just like an outswing door. It's the same way if I'm, if I'm building a house and, and expenses. No object. All out swing doors, all casement windows, and I won't have to worry about any kind of moisture or anything penetrating inside my house.
[00:27:30] Speaker A: Very interesting.
[00:27:31] Speaker B: Very good. Very good. Seals on those. That is something to consider. Yeah.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: So now let's talk about grills and dividers.
[00:27:40] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Simulated divided light. True. Divided light grids or grills patterns. They can be, it can be just a simple bar that's like a rectangle, right? Just a little box bar.
Or it can have a profile to it, something that looks like a colonial style grid. You can get three wide by three high or two high or two wide by four high. Whatever fits your window. You can choose what you want the grills to look like. You can choose the pattern, different colors. You can get it in wood or aluminum. Lots of different options when it comes to grills. Perimeter grid, grid or grill or a standard grill. Lots of options.
[00:28:27] Speaker A: You would just want to get something that matches the aesthetics of your home.
[00:28:31] Speaker B: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:28:32] Speaker A: The architectural aesthetics.
[00:28:34] Speaker B: And if you were buying fiberglass, wood clad, fiberglass windows or, or aluminum clad wood windows or something like that, you might consider a true divided light or a simulated divided light, they put a spacer bar in between the panes of glass. And so when you have your grid bars applied to the glass on the outside and on the inside, you can't see light between the grid bars because, you know there's a half an inch between the panes of glass. So there's a half an inch between the grid bars. And if you're standing next to that window and you're looking through and you can see between the grid bars, it doesn't look like true divided light, where true divided light, of course, is individual panes of glass around a gridded pattern. That's the way they used to make them true divided lights. So today, instead of a true divided light, they have a simulated divided light, and it makes it look like it's a true divided light.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: And they put those knots between the panes.
[00:29:41] Speaker B: Correct. They put.
[00:29:42] Speaker A: You could easily clean the glass spacer.
[00:29:43] Speaker B: Bars between the paints, but the grid bars are not. The grid bars are affixed to the exterior of the glass. You have to clean between them still. But it's a lot less expensive to make than a true divided light was.
[00:29:58] Speaker A: Right.
[00:29:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Interesting.
[00:30:01] Speaker A: You know, obviously, we're going to be getting into these things. I think warranty is probably something to consider.
Longer warranty on the windows. And I think some manufacturers warranties are better than others.
[00:30:15] Speaker B: Yeah. It's important to note on the warranty. When you're looking at a warranty, make sure that you understand that there is a. There is a warranty for the window frame and the manufacturing of the window, and there's a separate warranty for the glass. A lot of times, window manufacturers will say lifetime warranty, but one year on the glass. And so if after a year, you get a seal failure, they're like, yeah, sorry, only when you're on the glass, it's just. Just note it. I'm not saying who does it and who doesn't do it, but there are window manufacturers out there who don't warranty the glass. Here's the thing. Most window manufacturers. I shouldn't say most. No, most, most. When you. Window manufacturers don't manufacture their own glass, glass comes from PPG or Cardinal, one of those, you know, insulated glass unit companies. That's what they do. And then the window manufacturer pre orders the insulated units from the manufacturer. And so the. The window manufacturer won't warrant the glass that's coming from, you know, PPG or cardinal or whoever's making it.
[00:31:22] Speaker A: Right.
[00:31:23] Speaker B: Right. Because it's not something that they made. And I'm not saying all of them. Some of them, but there is a sort of weird little nuance there. Plus, seal failures, they're hard to control, I think. And, I mean, I think they've been doing it for a long time, and they still can't seem to figure out how to keep that from happening.
[00:31:43] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:43] Speaker B: So, you know, you won't. Oftentimes, you won't get a very long warranty on the glass itself, on the seal. But as long as you know, the more you know. Right.
[00:31:55] Speaker A: Well, and keep in mind, that's something to consider when you're looking at your windows and thinking to yourself, oh, I need to replace that window because it's cloudy in between the glass. That doesn't mean that you need to replace the entire unit. You don't necessarily have to replace the whole window or the whole sasha. You can buy just that IGU, that insulated glass unit. You take the snap bead off, you measure it. You walk into par lumber and say, I need to order an insulated glass unit. Here's the dimensions of what I currently have. They order it for you, and it comes as, basically, that's it. Your IGU is two pieces of glass sandwiched together with a spacer, and then they fill it with argon. They do all the stuff to it. And then you just peel out the old one, scrape away the double sticky tape, put on new double sticky tape, and then insult. Insert that glass unit. I mean, we did it twice.
[00:32:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:57] Speaker A: At my house, it's not that hard, and it's not that expensive, so keep that in mind. If you've got damaged, old damaged windows, it's pretty easy.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: And even if you didn't want to tackle that job yourself, there are contractors out there that will replace your glass for you. And it's less expensive than replacing a window. The. The material is less expensive, the labor is less expensive.
[00:33:21] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:22] Speaker B: So, yeah, it's a good option. At least explore it. At least.
[00:33:26] Speaker A: Let's talk about STC sound transmission class.
[00:33:34] Speaker B: That's correct.
[00:33:35] Speaker A: Sound. Excuse me, STC sound transmission class.
And one of the things that you need to consider when replacing your windows is the STC rating, and they all come with this number. And the higher the number, the better that window is at reducing the sound that penetrates through the glass unit.
[00:33:56] Speaker B: Yeah, we installed windows we didn't install. I ordered for a customer who installed windows in an apartment complex that was right on I five, right near the airport.
[00:34:06] Speaker A: And these right on the freeway.
[00:34:08] Speaker B: Yeah. The people. The people renting these are dealing with constant freeway noise and constant planes taking off and landing. It's, it's a lot of noise. And so the, the contractor that was building the apartment complex said right out of the gates, I'm going with a, the very best STC rate rating that I can get in these windows. And he was willing to pay for it. We ultimately ended up putting triple pane vinyl windows in that, in that apartment building, at least on the elevation that was facing the freeway and the airport. And while they were heavier, harder to operate, open and close, boy, oh, boy, the sound was, the amount of sound that they omitted in the living space was, was incredible. Amazing. Yeah. Incredible.
[00:35:06] Speaker A: So that's something to keep in, in mind.
[00:35:09] Speaker B: Yeah. If you're, if you're looking at a place near a loud area. Yes, it is. It is something to consider. You can achieve sound transmitting class ratings, better ratings in ways other than triple pain. You know, you, you break up sound by using different thicknesses of things. So they could take a quarter inch piece of glass and a, and a 532 piece of glass and a certain air gap between those two pieces of glass. And then they'll use a different air gap and a different thickness of glass for the third pane if they were doing it that way. And so that's how they break up. That sound has to match that to get through that, that bit of material, and then it has to deal with the, the air gap, and then it has to deal with another piece of material, and by the time it gets all the way through that, it's just dissipated so much. So there's multiple ways to achieve STC ratings. Triple. Pain is just one of them.
[00:36:17] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a, that's something to consider. That's a good one. What about security features? All windows come with locks, right?
[00:36:26] Speaker B: Yeah, but not locks, except picture windows that don't open.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: This is true.
But not all of them are created equal.
So how do I decide?
[00:36:38] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you know, something very common today is what they maybe refer to as an auto lock. You slide the window closed, and as soon as it makes contact, you hear it click, and that window is locked and. Right.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: Yes, I want that.
[00:36:53] Speaker B: Or you can have a cam lock where you slide the window closed and you put your thumb on the cam and you slide the cam up or down, and it locks the window. And now you know for a fact that the window's locked on the auto lock, it clicks. But did it click and miss? Do you have to close it, click it, and then check it every time just to make sure that that lock locked with a cam lock. You don't have to do that. You flip the cam and you see that it locked and it's locked. They also have night locks, which is that would allow you to have the window cracked open so that you could get ventilation, but still lock it in the open position. Of course, if you're going to do that, you want to have your window open, just measure the distance between your panel and. And the end of the window and slip a piece of wood in there, a dowel or something to block it. Same thing with a patio door. It's a good idea. If you're going to have it open, block it with that. With some piece of wood or something that keeps it closed.
[00:38:02] Speaker A: Old school way.
[00:38:03] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Yes.
[00:38:06] Speaker A: Uh, probably the. The last couple of things I think that I need to consider are cost. All of these things come at different costs. I guess I needed to determine what's most important to me. Is it energy efficiency? Is it the security feature of the lock, the quality of the window? I think that's probably the most important to me at this point, because the windows that I have are cheap and they just don't function well. So I want to get a nicer window, probably with some nicer glass so they don't flex nearly as much.
[00:38:45] Speaker B: Do you think that it benefits you, or do you think it is detrimental to the process?
If you know the least amount of money you could spend and get new windows?
Maybe they're entry level. Maybe they're the least performing window you can buy. But does it benefit the process to know the least amount of money you could spend?
[00:39:08] Speaker A: A. That's a good question. I don't know how I would react to that. If somebody. If I went in with all of my window sizes and they said, all right, here's the cheapest option that you could have, and it was $6,000 in the swing to the most expensive. All the options, the best of the best was $12,000. $12,000.
I don't know. You know, I'd probably have to pick and choose, you know, if it was this option and this option, like, what options does it take you over the edge and what the benefits are of those options? Like, with the view value and those sorts of things. When you go triple pane, you're adding quite a bit of cost.
So, yeah, I don't know. That would be interesting.
[00:39:52] Speaker B: Well, there are a lot of options. Here's. I'll just throw this one at you. This is just a real quick one. Here's an option.
For just a little bit more money, we can get invisible screens for you.
How about invisible screens? That sound pretty good.
[00:40:07] Speaker A: Invisible?
[00:40:08] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what they call them, invisible screens. When they go from a light gray mesh to a dark gray mesh, they will call them invisible screens. That's silly because the darker gray mesh blends with what you're looking at outside.
[00:40:22] Speaker A: Yeah, well, I think I would probably go with the darker, with the invisible.
[00:40:28] Speaker B: Would you pay more?
[00:40:29] Speaker A: Well, how much?
[00:40:30] Speaker B: Do you see what I'm saying? Yeah, it's never ending. It's always more money you can spend.
[00:40:35] Speaker A: To a point, yeah.
[00:40:36] Speaker B: You just have to know what you want to spend the money on.
[00:40:38] Speaker A: Yeah. If they said it's an extra 300 a window, I would probably say no.
[00:40:43] Speaker B: Yes, that would be a good answer.
[00:40:45] Speaker A: Gray mesh is fine with me.
[00:40:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
Interestingly enough, you know, screens used to always be aluminum mesh. Aluminum and aluminum, as you know, shows I creases and dents and lines and things. Then they started making them with fiberglass mesh. And then there's a light fiberglass and a dark fiberglass. But I mean, I, so many options.
[00:41:07] Speaker A: I don't feel like that option would break the bank because I've replaced plenty of screens and the screen material itself is not that crazy.
[00:41:17] Speaker B: That's right. We have rescreen some screens, haven't we?
[00:41:19] Speaker A: Yes, we have.
[00:41:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, I think it's important to know the more you know, the better you'll be able to make the decision.
[00:41:28] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I agree. I actually have one more on my list that doesn't affect me, but it is something that I feel like should be considered, and that is building codes and Hoa rules. If you live in an area that has an hoa, you may have to conform to those regulations.
[00:41:51] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:41:52] Speaker A: So I don't have that where I live. But definitely there are people that, that can be affected. And you don't want to go down a path where you special order tens of thousands of dollars in windows only to find out that they don't meet the regulations of your hOa.
[00:42:11] Speaker B: Right.
[00:42:12] Speaker A: So it's one of those things. It's a necessary evil if you live in one. But don't get burned.
[00:42:19] Speaker B: Don't get burned. Absolutely. Do your research ahead of time.
[00:42:23] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, that's all I got. Tony, I really appreciate the insight. You're the window master and uh, I.
[00:42:30] Speaker B: Sold windows for some years, so I got a little bit of info in there.
[00:42:33] Speaker A: I'll be hitting you up.
[00:42:34] Speaker B: But I do enjoy talking about windows. I, I like windows. I think, um, uh, obviously we build these walls that are of, you know, an r value of 25 or something like that, and then we cut a hole in it and put a, like an three reals window in there.
But, you know, it's proven fact. If we can't see outside, you know, it might make us crazy.
[00:42:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:43:00] Speaker B: Gotta be able to see outside and.
[00:43:01] Speaker A: Get fresh air and 100%.
[00:43:03] Speaker B: Yeah, this is a good one. If you have any questions about windows or there's anything that we can do to help you with this, send us an email. You can reach
[email protected] parr.com weekendwarriorsar.com. we're happy to answer any questions you have or give you advice. If you need to get prices. We can help you up with that kind of stuff, too, obviously.
[00:43:23] Speaker A: Absolutely. Thanks so much for listening. We'll see you next time.
