You obviously can't even offer up an on-topic response. Or explain the medium - what is there to comprehend - if some twit like Tina wants to post a comment and then edits her posting in such a way that it makes it look like she wrote something that she didn't write, then let her learn how to repost as a proper quotation.
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My God - an actual on-topic response.
Actually, I wouldn't consider solid aluminum for the windows. I was referring to wooden-framed windows clad with aluminum (two different types of aluminum cladding) vs. vinyl or other types of plastic.
I could. But why should I?
It's USENet, Dip. People can say what they want and it's up to you to ignore it. You obviously can't.
... and even then, you're a jerk. No shock there.
He's wrong, anyway. 'too' modifies the shortness of life in the above quote, not the triviality of 'dribble' (whatever that is).
Now, if he'd corrected you about using the term 'dribble' when you meant 'drivel', then I'd have no argument with him.
This thread went to hell pretty fast. You may get better result starting a new one.
Owen, here's what I can remember of the whole project. It was a pro installation, as I am NOT the guy you want on a ladder, and the job is a lot easier with at least two experience guys doing it.
We had the whole house replaced, with the exception of a couple that were too small to bother with. We went with lightly tinted, sealed, argon-filled, double-glazed vinyl frames. No casement windows; the supplier said that they'd never come up with a casement mechanism that they were really happy with. The sliders are spring balanced, not counterweighted. The sliders all unhook, to allow better access for cleaning. They're from Alcan Canada. I don't know what the equivalent supplier would be in your area.
The vinyl is a new(ish) formulation which does not go powdery on you after a few years. They are all vinyl: no wood, no aluminum. There's a green aluminum cladding around them that looks cool as all heck. We like them. They make a considerable difference in the summer, and some in the winter.
Overall, we're happy.
If I could do it again, I would want to make the sliders as big as possible (i.e. exactly half the size of the windows). Those windows with one tiny sliding pane that opens don't give enough ventilation for the sultry tropical climate of southern Canada. I don't even want to imagine what they'd be like in your neck of the woods.
We found that, while very helpful on energy costs, the window change does not make up for fundamental problems with the construction of the house, such as missing or inadequate insulation. (Tract home, built by high-speed idiots. Don't get me started.)
This is important: Go and look at previous production from your supplier. If a supplier can't give you references ("I'm sorry, but our client list is confidential" or whatever lame excuse they use.) then don't use that supplier. You wouldn't buy a beater car without a test drive, and you're planning to have these windows for a long time.
If you don't like how the fit and finish look in a previous installation, don't imagine that they'll magically do better on your job. If possible, talk to both the home owner and the installer, to find out what their experiences were, before you make a decision.
If you're going to put the windows in yourself, after you settle on a supplier, make absolutely sure that you understand exactly what measurements they need. (Glass size? Frame size? Stud to stud? If possible, get THEIR guy to do the measuring.)
Get the facing boards off and have a look at how the windows are mounted; It's not unheard of that a framer will leave out some of the cripple studs or jack studs around a window, if he's in a hurry, which is a bit of a bugger to deal with if you only find it on installation day. Be prepared to fix that before you install your new windows.
When the windows get there, if any are not to spec, send them back. Don't take second rate work. (You may know this already. I've taken a long time to learn the words, "No. That's not good enough.")
It's tempting to replace windows in the decreasing order of decrepitude. Don't fall for this. As soon as you start in one room, it becomes unliveable until you finish. Do the house one room at a time. The best homeowner install I ever heard of involved: Prepositioning windows in the correct rooms. Daughter-in-law ripping out trim, followed by father and son pulling windows and inserting new ones, followed by mother and daughter-in-law doing rough cleanup. (Daughter-in-law worked like a starving Irish navvy that weekend. Got a LOT of props from the old folks.)
Second day was dusting, touchup paint, etc.
HTH.
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Hey. I'm getting tired of this chilly Wisconsin weather. I think I might wander out there some weekend and take advantage of that sultry tropical weather you got.
And never once a single on-topic response from Gary the Criminal Sex Offender!
Quite a few, actually. Are you now claiming this thread shouldn't have ever been posted to tri.gen?
I believe our house is actually an Alcan home, built in th '70s nearly 30 years before we bought it. Can't say I'm really impressed with the construction, but you buy what you can afford. I kind of like the idea of putting Alcan windows on an Alcan home.
When did you do this, and may I ask the cost? How happy we are has a lot to do with how closely our expectations match our reality.
My neck of the woods is Ottawa; we probably get one more month of winter than you do.
Knowing that I'm capable of rebuilding everything except the foundation, I'm tempted to get started myself. I resist the urge, though. It would be better to just move on. Unfortunately some things aren't going to wait for us to do that, so here I am. :(
Yup. Do you ever watch "Holmes on Homes"? Many of his clients checked out several references and STILL got seriously burned. I'll take the advice, but I'm not expecting it to make my world problem free.
Thanks for all the other great suggestions. I'm saving a copy of your response for future reference.
- Owen -
Except that it demonstrated his _inability_ to respond as requested to a "polite request" constructed according to *his* definition of polite.
So, not only is he a proven liar, with apparent Alzheimers-induced short- term memory problems, who expects professionals to _give_ him the benefit of their expertise when he has already stated he is not even a potential customer, he is also a two-faced bastard, who uses a different standard for his own behavior than what he DEMANDS of the rest of the world.
Have you actually gone out and talked to them? Granted, there are probably many that do fit your description, but it is rather bigoted of you to paint them all with the same broad brush. Just because you look Hispanic is no indication that you are not an American citizen.
I think that those who hire illegals should be penalized, but first we should make it easier for them to verify the illegality of the workers. As it stands, if the employer does more checking on someone who is obviously Hispanic than he/she does one someone who is obviously Anglo, he/she can be sued for discrimination.
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