We started out planning to replace the 1990's double glazed windows in the family room and dining room bay window with triple glazed. The windows in both rooms were uncomfortable to sit near in the winter. The remaining windows in our home were double glazed vinyl installed in 2012. Roy, Technical Design Consultant invited us to the Fibertec factory as we wanted to confirm color, quality and hardware for ourselves.
After the plant visit we became convinced that we might want the whole house redone. Roy provided us quotes organized in such a way that that we could determine the incremental costs of the additional windows. We went through several iterations and finalized the quotes (300 series). Throughout Roy was patient with us and went to the plant engineer to resolve a casement sizing issue (we have oversized windows throughout the house).
Factory completion was as promised (end of April 2023) and I engaged a local contractor to pick up and install 1st week of May 2023. The windows were well packed for transport.
Our experience with the windows is discussed below:
Quiet - while we live on a quiet residential area, we are located about 1/2 kilometer from Hwy 6 which in the mornings and late afternoons is quite busy and sound does transmit to us. After the Fibertec install, we noticed an immediate difference with almost dead silence in the home.
Summer - our home is south-west oriented thus in mid-afternoon the sun is lower than the eaves and bakes the living and bedrooms necessitating drawing of blinds. We quickly learned that this was no longer necessary for the new Fibertec windows. We have central air but only ran twice in the summer of 2023 (after 7pm) and mostly due to leaving windows and doors open too long as the day warmed.
Winter - 2024 has not been the coldest winters, however our chill issues with the family room (more glass than wall) were resolved. I no longer fire up the family room fireplace 1st thing in the morning as sit with my coffee and the Globe. Our granddaughter can craft in comfort at a small table installed next to the dining room bay window.
I noted that overnight, the house keeps the heat better by 1 to 2 degrees (our thermostat is set to reduce to 15 degrees overnight at 8pm). The upgrade from R 1.5 (double glazed) to R 7.0 makes a noticeable difference in the home.
Why Fibertec?
The above is really just an endorsement of triple glazed vs double glazed windows. In our search for windows, we did take two other quotations from recognized vinyl manufacturers including one uncomfortable high-pressure dining room presentation.
We went with Fibertec on the basis of the additional insulative value of the fiberglass frame and the strength of the fibreglass would provide our 32" wide casements (they were awnings previously and provided little ventilation. Roy, who invited us to the Fibertec plant was also a significant factor in our decision.
Adding to the above - When we installed the family room window (106" x 68"), there were five of us lifting its 550 lbs of glass place. I can only imagine the flex that a vinyl construction window would have had with the resultant loss of sealing and alignment. Thus in hindsight, that experience confirmed we made the right decision to select Fibertec windows. They perform better than we expected and we expect they will last.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $30,000.00