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The following article was published in our article directory on July 23, 2012.
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How to Pick the Best Type of Replacement Windows for Your Home

Article Category: Advice

Author Name: Rhett Wilborn

So you've come to the conclusion that it is time to replace the windows in your home. You are finally fed up with the cold Chicago winds blowing your curtains around and now apparently the new hot Chicago summers making your air conditioner run constantly. Once the decision to take action has been made, the next step in the process is to determine what type of new windows you will be putting in your home. More specifically, what type of material will your replacement windows be made of.

Windows are generally catagorized by the type of material they are made from and there are four basic types of materials used in the construction of windows today, Metal, Wood, Vinyl, or Composite materials. The type of window you choose will depend on your budget, style preference, the home you live in, desired resale value, how much maintanence you are willing to perform, and to a large extent personal preference. Let's explore each of the four types of windows so you can make a more educated decision during your new home improvement project.

Wood Windows
There was a time when all windows were made of wood. They were actually made 100% of wood, inside and out. Originally wood windows were known for lots of mainanence, ie. painting and scraping, and for rotting. Today's wood windows have been improved through the use of creative construction. Instead of being wood through and through, modern wood windows are more of a hybrid of materials with a wood interior and frame. Manufacturers like Andersen windows and Pella windows now clad the exteriors of their window products with either aluminum or vinyl, so little maintanence is needed on the exterior. They also combine vinyl and composite materials in key structural areas to increase durability and improve fuctionality.

The main reason homeowners choose wood windows is for their traditional look and style. The rich look of a stained wood window is what comes to mind for most folks when they imagine the ideal window. That is why you will see wood in higher end homes and used by custom home builders.

There are some draw backs to wood windows you need to be aware of. Even though many wood windows have been fortified with aluminum, vinyl, and other composite materials for strength and function, the majority of the window is still wood. Wood over time, if exposed to moisture, will rot.

Wood windows are also expensive. In fact, the most expensive choice when it comes to replacement windows. Not only are wood windows more expensive to produce, the major brands like Andersen windows, Pella windows, and Marvin windows come at a premium because they are name brands. Also, new wood windows are generally not installed in a pocket replacement manner, but rather a full replacement down to the studs manner which adds to their cost. In addition, wood windows are wood on the inside and need to be painted, stained, and finished, also adding to their cost. And finally wood windows are generally not the most energy efficient choice so you may not enjoy the same level of energy savings that you will with other types of replacement windows.

Metal Windows
Metal windows or more specifically aluminum windows were extremely popular in the pre-vinyl windows era. They required no painting or staining, would never rot, were very strong, and were relatively inexpensive. The largest drawback to the metal framed window was energy efficiency. Metal conducts temperature. So when it's freezing outside that temperature is transferred through the metal and into the home. When aluminum windows were popular, energy costs were relatively low.

Today with higher energy costs and consumers more conscience and concerned with preserving energy, aluminum windows are almost never installed in residentual homes.

You will however see aluminum framed windows used in commercial applications because of the strength of the material which allows for much larger window sizes. In fact the windows in my office are large and aluminum framed. And I can personally say, in the winter, they are cold!

Vinyl Windows
Vinyl windows pretty much took over where metal windows left off, although it took some 30 plus years to do so, primarily because early vinyl windows were terrible.

Vinyl windows have all of the attributes of metal in that they won't rot and they don't need to be painted or stained. One dramatic improvement is in energy efficiency. Where as metal conducts lots of temperature, vinyl conducts very little.

When vinyl windows first came out, options were very limited, the material itself was weak and tended to breakdown causing caulking and yellowing, the material melted in heat and cracked in cold, and the public mindset was, "I'm not putting plastic windows in my house". Today vinyl windows are the most used product for window replacement primarily because advances have made them more energy efficient, improvements and additives in vinyl have in theory fixed some of the early problems, but primarily because they are the cheapest option.

Even though vinyl windows have come a long way, you get what you pay for. The integrity of vinyl does break down with extreme temperatures. It melts under hot conditions which can warp the sashes and frame components making the window difficult to use and suseptible to drafts. Likewise vinyl becomes brittle under cold conditions and can crack if under stress. And no matter how fancy these windows get, the fact is vinyl is really just plastic.

Composite Windows
The word composite is thrown around a lot in the the building and remodeling industry these days. Basically a composite material is a final product that is made up of two or more different parts... a mixture if you will. Composite window frames thusly are made up of several materials mixed together proving that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

One of the most exciting new window materials is EPC, or expanded polymer composite. It is a mixture of resins and PVC components that instead of becoming condensed plastic is put through a cellular process. EPC window material is up to 400% stronger than vinyl and because the material has air pockets to slow the transference of temperature EPC is up to 214% more energy efficient than rigid vinyl windows and 62% more energy efficient than wood.

EPC windows have all of the benefits of vinyl, that is, you don't have to paint or stain them and they won't rot like wood. However with EPC you have a greater tolerence for extreme temperatures in that it melts at a significantly higher temperature and will not become brittle under extreme cold tempuratures.

Of course EPC windows do cost slightly more than vinyl windows but the added strength, energy efficiency, and structual ingretity, more than make up for the small increase in price.

Conclusion
If you are a traditionalist and love the look and style of real wood and can afford the extra expense that comes with the product, then wood windows are for you. If you are looking for a cheap window to get by on, then vinyl windows are for you. If you are looking for the best bang for your buck in terms of longevity, low maintenence, and energy efficiency, then an EPC composite is clearly the window of choice for you.

Keywords: vinyl windows, composite windows, wood windows, window replacement, window installation, best replacement windows

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