Optimised Glazing for a new house.

jdh

I'm building a new house, and getting quotes for windows. I've established that Upvc frame from Spectus (classic 62mm) and Rehau (Tritec 60mm) frames are comparible in Quality & Peformance.
I also know that 'K' glass, supplied by Pilkington is very popular and meets the building standards.
I would like to optimise my glazing, as I have 32 windows in the house.
Triple glazing quotes are ridiculous. My specific questions are:

1-Is wider spacing (between panes) worth the money.

2-Is it possible to have the 'K' glass metallic coating on the inside of both panes ?

3-Does anyone have experience of non metallic edge spacers...do they work ?

4-Are there any other cost effective ways to optimise a windows performance.

Thanks in advance....>Dermot

Eve1

Hi
I am getting alu-clad windows from a company called Marvin that have a u value of .31. They certaintly weren't the cheapest quote I got but they were no near the most expensive either. They do a fibreglass window that is 30% cheaper than their timber windows and they are meant to look excellent and they have the same u value.

Eve

CJhaughey

jdh wrote:

4-Are there any other cost effective ways to optimise a windows performance.

Which building method are you thinking about ? timber or block? If you are using timber frame and block outer leaf think very carefully about how you will insulate the gap between the window opes and the airspace between the block and timberframe, many houses I have seen have been let down in this important detail, with cold bridging occuring as plaster is the only insulation...

Have you also thought about specifying Argon fill?
There is a company in Killarney called Solpetur that do timber window line that is rated at 1.1 U-value.

Eve1

CJhaughey wrote:

think very carefully about how you will insulate the gap between the window opes and the airspace between the block and timberframe, many houses I have seen have been let down in this important detail, with cold bridging occuring as plaster is the only insulation...

Could you explain what would be the best way to do this?

CJhaughey wrote:

Have you also thought about specifying Argon fill?
There is a company in Killarney called Solpetur that do timber window line that is rated at 1.1 U-value.

Their windows do look amazing and I found them very good to deal with but they were a bit pricey but I guess thats because they are tilt and turn windows.

CJhaughey

Most houses I have seen have had window opes in the timber frame bigger than the actual window and little metal "L" shaped clamps to hold the window in the correct position.
When the Brickie is laying blocks you need to insulate the area between the edge of the window and the wooden frame, also you will need to fill the gap between the window and the airgap in the block wall.
IMHO the best way is to CAREFULLY mask your nice new windows with newspaper and masking tape and use a lot of that spray in foam to fill the gap. You may find that you can get the nozzle between the window frame and the ope in the timberframe this will make it easy to fill as that foam sticks like $hit to a blanket (which is why masking well is a good idea)

Wobs

Hi

I am also getting Marvin windows, looked into the fibreglass ones also but they are really for the industrial market, alot of windowsa all the same in a large building. Also when you look at both side by side there is a big difference in apperance, you would want to pay the extra!

Eve1

Your right wobs, I know the timber windows are nicer but if I was given the choice of fiberglass with a u value of.31 or upvc, I would go with the fiberglass. I think they also look better than upvc.

Eve