What Are My Replacement Window Options?

Replacement Windows

Most of us don’t look at windows as a top priority when we think of home improvement projects in our homes.  Unless of course, you’ve been dealing with the dreaded upkeep of caulking, sanding, painting, mold, installing storm windows or even putting up plastic year after year. Then you’ve finally concluded that it’s time.  

One thing I’ve never understood is that, as a homeowner, if you have a hole in your ceiling and there is water pouring in, we tend to make that a priority repair.  We usually don’t try to patch it up as a long-term fix; we try to fix the problem by the root cause.  Why wouldn’t we take that same methodology with window seal failure, drafty, icy, sealed shut, or even moldy windows?  New Replacement Window Full Home Madison

The average homeowner spends several hundred a year to maintain their windows woes. And did you know that you are paying 40-60% more on heating and cooling costs just because of your windows?  When you start looking at window replacement costs and weighing out what you’re spending on a monthly basis on wasted energy, it starts to make more sense.

There are a lot of options and price points you need to consider before you take the plunge and get replacement windows.  You always see Energy Star stickers on everything nowadays and we generally just trust that it’s a good energy saving upgrade. Most of us can’t quantify what kind of savings to even expect from replacement windows because there are so many types on the market.  Where do you even start?

Replacement Windows Material Definitely Matters

The material of your replacement windows can make a huge difference in their overall appearance, durability, regular maintenance and energy efficiency.

The three most common options homeowners choose are wood, aluminum, and vinyl.

  • Wood – Wood windows are favored because they are often thought to be the most beautiful. There are, however, many problems associated with wood that take away from its beauty.  As wood is exposed to moisture, wood warps and rots. The other thing most people don’t think about is that wood windows need to be painted or stained every few years due to the dramatic weather we experience in the Midwest. Not only does this cost a lot of money, but if it’s not done, your windows will not look great, and the functionality of your general opening and closing of your windows could be jeopardized.
  • Aluminum – Aluminum generally doesn’t have these types of problems because it can be resistant to moisture.That being said, the elements we experience in Wisconsin can take their toll on aluminum windows. It doesn’t take much for them to dent or ding when struck by hail or debris from heavy winds.  Aluminum also absorbs heat easily (almost too easily) during the summer and can be hot to the touch. This heat will radiate throughout your home making it unbearable to live in or worse yet more susceptible to seal failure.
  • Vinyl – Vinyl, on the other hand, has become more and more popular as it is resistant to moisture, it won’t dent or ding when exposed to the elements, comes Sliding Glass Doors Sun Prairiein a variety of colors, and has appeared to be more cost-effective. The problem with vinyl comes down to the fact of whether or not it’s a virgin vinyl or not – It’s still plastic no matter how you look at it!  Initially, it might seem like a good investment, but we are finding more and more homeowners with vinyl window problems within the first five years of replacing them.  Think of it this way you wouldn’t build your home with plastic.  In Wisconsin, we experience some extreme temperatures… one day we could have a 70 to 80-degree day and then bitter cold weather the next.  This type of weather causes plastic of all kinds to get brittle, chip, crack, fade, and warp.   So why replace your windows with a plastic?  Is that really a more cost-effective solution?

None of these replacement window options offer a long-term maintenance-free solution.  

This brings us to the one and only – Composite Replacement Windows!

What is composite? Composite is a combination of two materials used to create stronger better material. It’s an environmentally friendly alternative to metal, wood, aluminum and other materials that don’t expand or contract with the change in climate. The durable material is trusted and used by NASCAR, Boeing, and NASA.

Based on these reasons, we have chosen to use not just a hollow composite frame but a solid core composite frame window.  This material creates a stronger window by over 400% over vinyl, and this allows us to use a heavy triple pane glass-pack; the most efficient glass in the industry!  We have done a lot of research to find the right-tuned product specifically for Wisconsin homeowners and Wisconsin weather.  And better yet, we guarantee our products for a full 50 years!  

Call us today for a free estimate. We proudly serve the following areas: Appleton, Neenah, Madison, Clintonville, Green Bay and surrounding areas. Call AHT Wisconsin Windows today to find out if we service your area.Our customers tell us all the time that they feel like they learn so much about windows when we meet with them. If anything, just to get a full consultation of your current window situation and recommendations of which to replace first.  Like Scott the Window Guy, with AHT Wisconsin Windows says, Everything Else is Just a Pane in Your Glass!