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Windows in Vermont?

8K views 31 replies 14 participants last post by  EthanB  
#1 ·
Hello,

Just moved up to VT from SC. Finding new suppliers. Roof is just going on a 4800 sq ft place (two floors, no basement)

Any recommendations for a "good" and "economical" window supplier (new construction)?

Budget is "tight" but not "desperate".

The framing sub suggested "Harvey Classic". He said this is a good quality vinyl. Quote came in cheap .... $9K for 34 windows. I tried to do my homework, reading everything I can find on the web. I am a bit confused ... some people love them, some hate them.

Marvin fiberglass came in at $16K. They are still working on a quote for a wood window with aluminum cladding ( but I am sure it will be even more).

The local yard sells Anderson silver line ( I was told to stay away from these) and United ( I have never heard of them ... local company but the they seem to have a good reputation). The United windows came in at about the same price as the Harvey's.

So any recommendations? At $9K for Harvey or United windows, am I getting a quality product?

Is there any wood ( with aluminum exterior cladding) that I could get for say %50 more that would be of decent quality?

Thanks .... Mike
 
#3 ·
VT is expensive!

Thanks ....

I have learned VT is expensive!

I sold my 6400 SQ FT shop ( 4500 of shop and I lived above it) plus a couple of acres in SC for $125K.

The land for this house cost $110K.

So far I am on budget to spend about $300K on the house ( plus the $110K for the land).

I have been in SC for 15 years but I was originally from just outside Buffalo. I had forgotten how much rougher it was to build in winter.

I should have had the place closed in before Christmas but we are just putting the roof on this week (finally an entire week coming up of above freezing temperatures). I am sure it will scare me but some time I need to just add up what I have paid the crew to shovel snow out of the interior of the place!

Thanks .... Mike
 
#4 ·
Well of course it is more expensive :laughing: Honestly though, I have an uncle that lives in sc and the cost of living there is much less than New England area. Especially the price of gas.

You will be fine with Harvey Classics. A decent window.

What part of VT?
 
#8 ·
I've installed the Harvey Classics for about 15 years.
whenever there is a problem,which was very rare,they'd
send out an in house guy within a couple of weeks to do the fix.

Had one picture unit that failed after a few years,no questions asked,
fixed at Harvey's expense.

Never had a call back for failed seals either.I believe their warranty is
20 years on the glass.
 
#10 ·
Harvey is a good window ? Really ?
It only has a Ufactor of .30 in double pane glass,that's mediocre at best.
Also the vinyl walls on the Harvey are very very thin which concerns me as well as the fact that Harvey uses a tin plated spacer system.
Plenty of higher quality windows out there unless you just care about price.
 
#12 ·
Sure Kent

There is Soft Lite, Quantum 2 by Serious, Okna, Sunrise, Gorell Windows, Home Guard.
Do you need some more names? Harvey is not really meant for the contractor who has a focus on energy efficiency and structural integrity.
Some of the aforementioned names all have uFactors of .28 or lower and some as low as .25 in double pane glass.
 
#19 ·
Kent
I love contractors like you, great at carpentry but uninformed when it comes to quality material. Without guys like you, i wouldnt be in business .
Remarks like this are really uncalled for here.

There are a lot of good tradesmen here,all with their own material preferences due to past experience and local availability.Most are very concerned about the quality
of the products they install.Different budget restraints dictate the level of quality
when deciding on product use.

The OP asked about a certain brand of window(Harvey) and responses
were given as to their quality.They are in fact,a good window,maybe not the
best,but maybe more within his budget and readily available.

I offered my personal experience with them to help him feel better about
their quality and serviceability if this is the route he decided to take.

With that being said,all you needed to do was add your own experience
and preference,and maybe some detail about the windows you would recommend.
No need to start bashing anyone's choices when you don't know all the facts.

Now,should we go help you with your dormer flashing question or just
let you "create more work for us",since you seem to be uninformed about
the proper procedure?:rolleyes:
 
#23 · (Edited)
#24 ·
I've actually used united windows and wasn't that impressed with the quality on the exteriors. I had to have the rep come out and re glaze all the windows because they looked terrible. I was impressed with the way they handled my issues with them.

I have heard there is a class action lawsuit against Anderson for the 200 series. I know a plumber of mine that is going through the legal work now because all his 200,s have broken seals.

I have heard good things about Harvey's and will be using them for my next remodel if the client isn't dead set on Anderson. Seams most clients request Anderson's up until I give them the quote.
 
#32 ·
I don't spend much time wondering. They look good, they have a lifetime warranty with a full labor reimbursement for the first three years, the u-factor is high, it's a fairly local business and I can get custom sizing in two weeks.

If you have a reason I SHOULDN'T buy them then I'm all ears. I'd rather learn from your bad experiences than mine.:laughing:
 
#29 ·
As long as you're up in Vermont, check out JS Benson windows and Hirschmann windows, particularly the former. Probably not what you're looking for now, but some of the finest windows you will see anywhere.

We went with Andersen 400s here, and with our near constant 50 mph winds, they're practically bulletproof. Love 'em.