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Window Choices In Log Homes continued

4. Quality of Millwork - There is considerable variation in the style and quality of the woodwork on the inside of your windows. Many manufacturers are using things like blind mortises to hide joints, veneered clear stain grade faces over laminated sash for greater stability and consistency (and to avoid the high cost of increasingly unavailable ponderosa and white pine), recessed locks, and other features. Let your eyes do the walking - and your fingers too! Look for smooth joinery, exposed end grain should be smooth. The wood should be preservative treated from the factory. The glass should be well sealed, often evidenced by sealant showing at the edge of the sash, (this is a good thing, not simply slop!). The various seals and gaskets should fit snugly and be neatly trimmed at the proper sizes.

5. Hardware considerations - Not much to talk about here, things like recessed locks versus non-recessed are basically cosmetic features. The hardware should be heavily enameled or plated with brass or chrome and should operate smoothly. Large windows should probably have two locks. Tall casements also do better with two locks per sash. For swinging patio doors, many manufacturers now offer very high quality three point locking hardware which makes the door more secure and energy efficient. Unless you are buying the (usually) extra cost three-point locking hardware with your swinging patio and french doors, I recommend buying the passage locks and deadbolts when you buy the rest of the door hardware for your home. That way all the door lock-sets match and can be keyed to your specs. For sliding patio doors, the locking hardware and foot-bolt should be included with your doors.

Tilt & Remove features on double hung windows range from very difficult to very easy (to use). Some manufacturers have wisely put a latch at the top of each sash, which makes the sash very easy to tilt in for cleaning. Don't just watch the salesman tilt the sash, do it yourself to judge whether you can do it easily. Try it on a large window as they are more challenging to tilt in than small windows.

Casement hardware has a couple of twists too! The better hardware allows the casement sash to swing to a full 90º and slide toward the center of the opening to allow for easy cleaning from the inside. Some of the pricier windows use a euro style hardware which allows windows and some patio doors to be operated as a casement, awning or hopper style window and to be locked in an open, ventilating position. These are very nice if you can foot the bill.

6. Availability and cost of Custom shapes - If your design calls for custom windows of any shape, it is important to know that you can get it. Knowing what the lead time is for ordering and receiving your windows will be very important to your construction schedule. Compare the costs very carefully as well. Some companies' custom windows are only slightly more expensive than stock sizes, and some are a lot more expensive for customs. Also, some companies have a larger number of shapes that are standard, lessening the likelihood that you need to order a custom window. Another pricing factor to be aware of is the cost of tempered glass since it can vary widely. Many builders prefer to build with factory supplied extension jambs often required with log homes due to larger and varying wall depths. Some extension jambs are shipped loose, some attached, and here again prices and availability vary widely. With respect to extension jambs, I personally recommend that the jambs be extended with material ripped at the site to match the interior trim-stock, especially since they're probably shipped loose by the manufacturer anyway.

7. Warranty - Talk about being all over the map!! Window warranties extend from as little as one year for the glass seals, to as much as ten years full coverage with lifetime prorated. As with all warranties, understand the whole thing before you judge. Pro-rating, the practice of covering less of the value of the window each year, can basically make the warranty worthless after a few years. Often different parts of the window, such as the glass, hardware, seals, etc., carry different warranties, and each one will vary in length of coverage. Some of the best warranties come with competitively priced, well-known window brands.

8. Where to buy - Buy your windows based on features, warranty, brand, and price. Windows are typically sold at discounts off suggested retail ranging from 10% to 30%. Often the discount is given for the window, but not for any accessory such as factory storms, or screens and grills. You need to know! With the advent of the large discount building supply centers, many of the smaller lumber yards are leaving the industry. Therefore, from the perspective of warranty service, it is less important who you buy from than the actual manufacturer's product you choose. The best manufacturers will manage your warranty service direct, usually with 1-800 number access.

Many log home manufacturers or resellers include windows with their packages. It is sometimes difficult to obtain the prices of the window themselves, but you must insist on it. Judge these in the same manner as I discussed earlier. I have seen about as many log home companies include poor or below average windows as not. Also, don't let a kit supplier's claims of providing a particular brand name sway you until you have gotten the actual window catalog numbers and checked the actual specs for the line of windows being provided. Most manufacturers have lower quality lines available which are often the "standard" window included in the kit. You would be amazed how many log home kits are provided with non-clad, double glass lower quality big-name windows. Also, be sure what glass option is being furnished with the kits. Here again, I can send you the same window from a manufacturer with everything from single glass to triple- glazed Low E and Heat Mirror. Don't be afraid to delete the windows from your kit if you have doubts.

Ted Ciolli is owner of a brand new baby company called Katy Trail Loghomes and Timberframes located in Jefferson City, MO. They're resellers of Original Log Homes and Woodhenge Timberframes. Ted has been in the "alternate" structure businesses of foam core panelized houses, log houses and traditional timberframes for 20 years. Most recently, he spent 12 years with Gastineau Log Homes of New Bloomfield, MO, as Vice President of operations.

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