Wife and I are taking bids on getting a simple bungalow built in Texas; custom builder came in at 117 dollars per square foot, which almost made me choke on my steak, but what ticked me off was his passionate defense of these windows as been all the rage.
My last home had Marvin Clad windows, and they were marvelous.... Any ideas on these windows?
My initial thought is that he gets a good return on those windows! Not much different than being "persuaded" into buying a particular line or model of appliance while browsing a store.
For my area great windows are usually the non-builder models of Marvin, Pella, Andersen. Find out the ratings of those windows, their customer support if any, warranty, etc. After the house is built who will back the windows if they fail to deliver? You should be able to get the windows you want as long as you are paying. I had an addition built where I bought the windows that the builder installed.
Thanks for the advise... Our last home had Marvin clad windows and sliding doors, and since then I have been very keen on the return on investment. So far here in Texas, every semi-custom home I have seen (300K and less) has builder-grade windows, very cheap.
This particular builder, who is on the limited list of approved builders for this development, touted how he used these windows on a million dollar custom he did last year.
Also, it is www.buildersfirstsource.com, i got the name wrong before. This is a huge national corporation that seems to be the Wal-Mart for builders.
Pre-fab trusses, walls, etc. shipped in a jiff.
Texas is an interesting market for windows (and doubtless other products as well)...."get-em-fast-and-get-em-cheap".
Certainly there are builders in Texas who use higher-end products, but it is amazing (at least to me - and others I could mention) how many builders there will put $99.99 windows into multi-million dollar homes.
I rarely comment on particular window brands and I never compare different brands in my posts - and I have never heard of the folks that you have mentioned - but windows are like tires on cars - everybody has to have them; and they may all look alike (more or less); and most people really ignore them until they have to be changed; but there are some huge differences between the best and the worst.
Ask your builder for the specs on these windows. At the very least who makes them (I am guessing the folks who are selling them are not the manufacturer), who warrants them, and what is the warranty.
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