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Simply put windows...are what you put in the holes in your house. Think about that. Holes in your house. It seems to me that if you are going to have holes in your house, you want a very good quality window to prevent those holes from letting the conditioned air out and the cold air in and rain from destroying the interior of your house.

• Wood
• Aluminum
• Vinyl

I will discuss wood windows in particular in this post and specifically clad wood windows as very few people wish to put unclad windows in their house due to the added maintenance of having to paint them every 3-5 years.

Wood windows are made of wood, (primarily pine) but are sold primarily with a cladding on the exterior to reduce the exterior maintenance requirements that attach to all windows (no painting). The cladding is typically Aluminum, however their are increasing options in this regard in the form of extruded and sheet noble metal claddings such as Bronze, Copper and Zinc.

The last 3 materials are generally sold only on custom windows which are very expensive and typically can only be justified on hard budgets of over $ 400 PSF. If your like me (and most others) you will not be building a home in this range.

However, there are a few copper alternatives manufactured by commodity window manufacturer's that might in fact fit into your budget. I will discuss these in greater detail in a later post. Anyway back to clad wood windows.

Andersen, Pella, Weathershield, Jeld-Wen and Marvin

The best known names in this field (due to huge marketing budgets) are Anderson, Pella, Weathershield, Jeld-Wen and Marvin. They probably comprise about 65% market share between them and each of them have their own specific advantages and disadvantages. Only a careful review of the features and benefits of each window will reveal what is best for your project. A brief description of the features that I consider important when reviewing the various windows follows below:

Anderson - unique in that the wood window made by Anderson is clad with a PVC vinyl cladding. The cladding is bound to the wood substrate with an adhesive type mechanism which has shown effective, but in some extreme climates worries me that it could detach. The window is backed by a top-notch warranty and I have anecdotal experience that the company takes its warranty obligations seriously.

The other features of the window include a proprietary glazing system that will require that you will always have to go to Anderson for replacement and a reticence by the company to put breather tubes in their glazing system (critical in high altitudes). Anderson is the largest manufacturers of windows (under one brand) in the U.S. Anderson sells their product through a dealer network composed of lumber yards, window dealers and home-improvement contractors. Anderson now also sells a line of composite windows made from the waste wood derived from manufacturing its wood windows under the Renewal brand name.

Pella - Pella manufacturers windows, clad and unclad in Iowa and markets them through primarily authorized distributors although they have recently started to distribute their builder grade line through Home Depot. The Pella product is distinguished by the availability of buit-in roll-down insect screens, between-the-glass window blinds and and an exclusive distributorship for the clearest window screening material made in the United States.

Pella's clad system is roll-formed and loosely attached which can cause problems such as "oil-canning" in very hot climates and the possibility of condensation forming underneath the cladding in high-humidity locales. Overall Pella makes a good quality window. Pella now manufactures a line of composite windows which show promise from a performance perspective.

Jeld-Wen - sells wood windows under a variety of brand names including Jeld-Wen, Pozzi, Wilmar and a few others. All of these brands were more or less regionally well-known brands and Jeld-Wen has made a weak effort to unify the brands either from a marketing perspective or from a manufacturing perspective from what I can tell. The various brands have quality reputations that you will have to judge for yourself. The Jeld-Wen moniker is a holding company for a broad range of construction products that make Jeld-Wen a very large presence in the construction products category, a great many of them in the commodity category. They are an excellent manufacturer.

Marvin - is an old line family owned firm that manufactures a broad line of wood windows and composite windows. One of the distinguishing features of the Marvin brand is that the aluminum clad version is actually an extruded aluminum sash with a Wood insert to the interior. This scenario is also a feature of the Weathershield line and the Window Technologies (now defunct as of 5/2008 source: Window and Door Magazine) line in the Midwest. This method makes for a more rigid sash, and eliminates the possibility of oil-canning and reduces the chances of moisture forming under the cladding. It also places a barrier insulating air space underneath the sash which should add somewhat to its performance in cold climates.

An up and coming brand that traces its heritage back over 50 years is BiltBest Windows and Patio Doors. BiltBest has completely redesigned their product line to an extruded cladding design over the last few years and have focused on high perfromance windows available with a high degree of customization. They offer custom sizing, over 200 standard AAMA 2605 and AAMA 2604 powder coat exterior colors to select from and complete qualification of the product line with Energy Star. (editors note: As of June 2008, BiltBest has been sold and its future direction is unclear as of that time).

They offer a 20-10, non-prorated and fully transferrable warranty making them one of the longest backed windows available. Many other manufacturers offer 20 year warranties, but they are limited to the first owner. You need to read the warranty fully to really understand what it covers. BiltBest has an advantage in that it is smaller in size and better able to serve the custom focused customer with a flexibility and committment to the custom market you will not find in the largest manufacturers.

Among all these companies discussed, their is a strong committment to supporting green building objectives. They have all submitted to the most stringent testing protocols and all of these manufacturers carry Enery Star qualified windows and doors. It will be critically important that you look very carefully at the enrgy efficiency of the windows that you select.

The cost of installing high-efficiency glazing systems has fallen to the point that the payback is as low as 3-4 years. As energy costs rise, this payback period will shrink lowere still. Look for Energy Star qualified windows suitable to the zone you live in. Select those with the highest U-Value if you live in the colder climes and select the lowest SHGC if you live in the sunbelt. Your home will be more comfortable, you will use 20-30% less energy over clear glass and you might just be able to obtain tax credits from your state or rebates from you local utility to help pay for the upgraded glazings. For more information on glazing systems see the Efficient Windows Collaborative Selection Tool.

These are the (4) largest manufacturers of wood windows in the United States based on market share. The relative value of their products is affected by a range of factors that will make your choice dependent on your specific needs. There are also a great many regional manufacturers, like BiltBest, that make good quality windows that will be equally prevalent in your locale.