windowguy

look at doing lami glass. that will reduce the noise transmission factor

awwwwe yeahhh! that's what i'm talkin' 'bout. are you building outside of the city?

try john culpepper at bsa, or you might also try Tom wilson.

Virgina Kellsey is very good as well as leslie davidson.

To be precise this is the first time when I would be going to take the services of an architect for the dream house of mine. This decision was made by me due to the constant perusal of my wife. But then I am not aware of the charges they take and also how do I make myself clear in regards to my expactations. In a sense the whole thing is becoming so paradoxical for me. Have seen them work for big construction projects but for a house like the one I have I am worried about it. Please any sort of advices would be of immense help to me.

try colbe design, bsa--talk to john culpepper, murphy mears--talk to kirby mears, king residential---russell king or chris may....if you need more, give me a shout.

What's THE best material? I always hear vinly, but what do you way, windowguy?

Best material is by far clad wood, but it depends on your budget and configurations.

Basic window retro fit is easy, even in a brick veneer. I do it all the time. But, let me ask you this, what product and material are you looking at;....wood, clad wood, vinyl, aluminum??

Also, be very leery of the window departments at home depot and lowes. You basically give them the measurements, they order, and if you are wrong, then you bought windows that either dont fit, dont meet code, etc. Stick with a professional that does windows everyday, will meet you onsite, give architectural suggestions, and hold your hand throughout the process.

I do this as my vocation, and would be glad to give you my input.

Hello,

This is my first post as I had stumbled upon this site while searching for a builder for my home. With all the useful information that is exchanged here I thought maybe someone on here could help me.

Construction for my family's new home was to start in a couple months but our builder backed out of our contract because his estimate came short and he wanted more money but we weren't going to give it to him. Now I am stuck with an empty lot and a floorplan that I had overpaid for. Even though all of this trouble is giving me a headache I would still like to have it built. His price for construction was $XX.00 a square foot for a home with 5000+ sq. ft of living space, stucco, Monier Tile roof and a decent amount of allowances. I was suprised by his low cost but they had built in my neighborhood and the Architectural Review Committee allows only quality custom builders.

After researching and emailing every builder I hear of, I find that someone on here could send me in the right direction. Pricing is a major concern and of course so is quality and service. For now, I would like meet a good builder who I can afford that builds in the Spring area and has good references. Can anyone help me?

what area are you building in?

I am a subvendor for many custom builders, and i would be glad to give you input as to each one, as well as give you opinions in the field about any ones that i do not deal with.

I think wood windows look great but how do they hold up in our humidity? From a maintenance standpoint are vinyl windows a better choice?

In answer to your question, If you maintain an all wood window, then the window will hold up no matter what the climate. Regarding maintenance, a vinyl window is more low maintenance than that of a wood window, but the architectural asthetics are very unappealling. For a wood window that is a low maintenance product, Look into an aluminum clad product. This line of products has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past 5 years so as to replicate the details of the profiles of a true wood window.

And yes, I am a window expert. I get the pleasure of dealing with this facet of custom construction on daily basis.

Vinyl is a type of plastic to me and try to find anything in your life that is plastic that is not either broken, cracked, warped etc. after many years, especially if it's been exposed to the elements. Plastic might last forever in a landfill but not in it's original manufactured form.

It kills me to see the old wood windows torn out and replaced with Box Store quickies. It's really just ignorance. The older the home, the better the wood quality in the house is and the windows usually were made out of old-growth tight-grained wood. I sanded a couple down in my house (1908) and the grain is so tight I can hardly see the lines. The mortise and tenon joints have not loosened at all and many of them probably hadn't been repainted for a good 75 years when I moved in, were mostly bare wood and you can imagine the water/sun combination that they had to endure.

OK, sorry, your question was about maintenance differences. I haven't examined the new wood windows but I am sure the wood won't be a good as the stuff people throw away, those trees just aren't harvested anymore. And, I doubt if new wood windows use the old weight and pulley systems, which were superior if maintained. I am thinking the new ones have friction guides like the other windows out there, so maintenance is probably the same or better with wood, since you're unlikely to have to throw them away when they break like the plastic ones.

I'm not a window expert so I might be off base on this. All I know is that I get satisfaction out of knowing that nothing in my house is plastic.

The older windows that you describe were most likely old growth cypress that were field milled and buit. That is the reason that they have lasted so long. Most manufacturers today, be it Jeld-Wen, Marvin, Kolbe, etc. use #2 yellow pine as the frame and sash. This is a softer wood for 2 reasons, the nature of pine, and that it is new growth.

And yes, certain manufacturers will still do a counter balance system that is similar to a weight and pully. Most still use a block and tackle system that is far better than the old compression jambliners you see in some homes. Infact, most have completely concealed this system so all you see is wood.

Hope this helps.

When a builder says $125

A lot of research went into the decision to go with Tom. I have been through the building process before and I think regardless who you choose it is a stressful process. I know a good bit about construction and I am somewhat picky about everything so it consumed my spare time for several months.

I travel in my job so the Owner Builder Network was not an option for me. My price per sq. ft. was less than $150 and I am sure I got a quality product with many bells and whistles. The recent hurricanes have impacted building prices and I did not have that to contend with.

A home is like anything else. It is comprised of 100's of "parts". You can choose the least expensive of those components or something higher. I chose the best in construction as first priority and still had excellent finish items. Your architect should write a strong spec so you know everyone is bidding the same home.

I would be happy to discuss my project if it would help you.

I have seen some of Toms work in West University. I am not real impressed with the quality of construction. Given that I am a vendor for custom builders in WU, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Memorial, etc, I see the components that many of the Custom builders use. Tom builds a beautiful house, but the guts of it have some points to be desired.

In the Heights area, consider using Gabriel Homes, Allegro, Millennium Companies. There are several others in that area that are also very good. I am available to give advice as to the quality of work if it will help you.