I'm no Architects, but as a homeowner of a 1939 home, I've been very satisfied with Voyageur and Hi-Tek. I've replaced 75% of my windows from these 2 companies. My other house had Winmar? (now jeld-wen) adn seals were busting all the time. I bought my windows from Dan D'Aoust...(D'aoust Windows and Door...I think his company is called.)
1.5 years ago we replaced all the windows in our house (1959). We wanted metallic looking frames, so it was either metal clad wood or painted fiberglass. We did not look at PVC. Glass was also an important factor (although I am told that most window companies use basically the same glass). We received 6 quotes - Loewen (2 different suppliers), Paramount, Jeld-wen, Accurate Dorwin and Duxton.
Oddly enough, 5 of the quotes we almost exactly the same price! One of the Loewen quotes was way out to lunch (just goes to show you that different suppliers of the same product can get better rates). Since we found that the painted fiberglass just didn't look right, we eliminated Accurate Dorwin and Duxton.
Since the quotes were so close, the deciding factor was which one could deliver some of the unique ideas we had. As it turns out, only Loewen had windows that fully met our needs. The other manufacturers could deliver a window that would work alright, but if the price was the same, why not choose the one that was perfect?
Anyhow, we are very happy with our decision. We opted for the best quality glass option (in Loewen's case, the Heat Smart 3 - triple pane, double low-E, argon filled).
Not sure it that helps, but that's our story anyhow!
According to the architects in the office here, PVC is bottom of the barrel (low strength, low insulating, potential to sag when hot...)
Fibreglass offers high strength and are generally the best for insulation purposes.
Wood is basically good all around, but more of a cosmetic choice (due to the higher costs...)
As for glass - the way I understand it, for older homes, it isn't worth the extra cost for triple pane. Double pane will compliment your existing insulating values in the rest of the house just fine. Plus, windows offer little gain period for overall building insulation (usually less than 10%).
Put the money you save from the double panes into your basement insulation - it's your biggest bang for the insulating buck by FAR.
We had a bunch of windows replaced with/by Polar Windows earlier this year, and we're very happy with them.
Mostly, I recommend their installers - they were very professional and had no problem with our 1914 home.
In the winter our master bedroom always had a freezing-cold floor below the window, and we could never get the room properly warmed up. It's just fine now.
All of the windows in my apartment (Except for the nice new one in the kitchen) are made by Twinsulate Winnipeg. Which is funny, because I live right beside the showroom for Northern Windows. (Thunder Bay's largest window manufacturer, their manufacturing facility is only 7 blocks away. It has a truck on the roof!!)
(Thunder Bay's largest window manufacturer, their manufacturing facility is only 7 blocks away. It has a truck on the roof!!)
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