Replies

1. 
   fartherhome | Jan 11, 2005 03:13am | #1

   Get an andersen from HD and pay a carpenter to put it in.I dont know your cost ,but it seems awfully high

2. 
   EricPaulson | Jan 11, 2005 03:24am | #2

   Marvin is a fine product. Good customer service if you need it.

   Never heard of the Blomberg though.

   While 4k is a lot of change, that's $666.66 per unit. Don't forget to look at it that way as well.

    And make sure you're comparing apples to apples, ie; make sure that the units are sec'd out EXACTLY the same, AND that they carry similiar design features and warrantees.

   Eric

    

   I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,

   With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.

1. 
   gdavis62 | Jan 11, 2005 03:33am | #3

   Eichler homes were built in California in when, the late 50s and early 60s?

   Here is a typical Eichler look

   View Image

    

    

    

    

    

    

   The Blomberg product line of windows and doors are aluminum framed, with narrow profile stiles and rails like that shown in the pic, and will mesh quite well with the original design of an Eichler home.

   Marvins, on the other hand, won't.  Neither will Andersens. 

   Ask some of these guys who are telling you to go Marvin or Andersen if they'll put a Blomberg in their New England cape or midwestern colonial.

1. 
   EricPaulson | Jan 11, 2005 03:39am | #4

   Boy I feel stupid................I Love A Hand That Meets My Own,

   With A Hold That Causes Some Sensation.

3. 
   davidmeiland | Jan 11, 2005 05:20am | #5

   Blomberg are good quality aluminum units, and they're totally different than Marvins, which are wood with an aluminum cladding. I've put Blombergs in a couple of jobs and they're a helluva lot nicer than the aluminum windows of old. Like Gene says, the Blombergs will go with the style of your house a whole lot better. I'm surprised he knows about them, since they're out of Sacramento and only a west coast item, or so I would assume. Do they get as far as New Yawk?

   Go down to Truitt and White and find Roger Murray in the window department... see what they have (in addition to Marvin).

1. 
   paulc127 | Jan 11, 2005 05:52am | #6

   The aesthetics are important to me but I'm trying to prudently balance that with thermal efficiency and overall quality of the product.  Most people agree that Marvin is a good product and the Marvin door I'm considering is the sliding patio door which has a narrower profile than the more commonly used french profile - although it still is not as sleek as the Blomberg. 

   Any anecdotal information on the performance of the Blomberg doors in the years following installation? 

   Also, do you have any thoughts on whether the Blombergs pose any unique installation issues?  While this is not new construction, I am not doing the retrofit installer caulk-only installation, I will be removing siding in order to flash properly.  Finally, four of the doors will not be protected by any overhang and while my house is exposed to fierce wind-driven rain off of the SF Bay, I am at the top of a hill and so get a fair amount of weather for the area. 

1. 
   davidmeiland | Jan 11, 2005 09:27am | #7

   Aluminum windows conduct heat and cold better than wood ones. How much of a difference will that make? Someone in the design trade who deals with energy efficiency would be the best one to cover that. It's been a while since I had to read up on how windows are rated for their insulating properties, but there is a system, and I'm sure someone here can explain it to you. I think I'd put some effort into overall building insulation before I'd worry a lot about wood v. aluminum sash.

   I've never heard of problems with the Blombergs we put in, but I moved away from the Bay Area a couple of years ago. There's no reason that they wouldn't be fine.

1. 
   gdavis62 | Jan 11, 2005 03:10pm | #8

   Window and glass door manufacturers test their products for performance, and typically offer the results in catalogs, data sheets, or sample specifications.  Often those documents are available at their websites.

   Thermal performance is measured and the results given are in units of heat loss per hour.  Entire units are tested, so glass, frame, and weatherstripping all come into play.

   The same full-unit testing is done for two other key measures of performance, those being water infiltration and air infiltration.

   The air leakage number is given in units of volume per time, and the standard is CFM/HR.

   Water penetration facts are given this way:  the pressure differential is brought up to some level, and then held constant while a uniform spray pattern of water is applied to the outside of the unit.  No water is permitted to pass through to the inside of the frame or sill.  I emphasize that because many fenestration products have water weep pathways and pressure neutralizing designs incorporated into their frames and sills, and during extreme wet and wind, can have water in visible "pools" in their sills.  The sills are designed to keep the water draining, before pressure buildup can drive it over and onto your expensive parquet floor.

   Air and water infiltration performance is often summed up under a "design pressure" number, and then given as "DP40" or "DP60."  The more intense your exposure, such as on a North Carolina beach, the higher the number you want to specify and use.

   Aluminum framed windows and doors are used in some of the best built and most expensive real estate in the country.  Thermal-breaking in the frame components is a feature of the design of all of these products, and it limits the thermal transmittance of the frame elements.

   If I was trying to choose between Marvin sliders and those from Blomberg, I would examine all product literature, write myself a little side-by-side spreadsheet so I could easily compare the performance stats all on one page, and go to showrooms where the products could be seen and operated.

1. 
   davidmeiland | Jan 12, 2005 06:14am | #9

   Gene, great write-up--thanks!

   PaulC, there used to be a Blomberg display at the Design Center, on MLK Jr Way near the Ashby BART, I think between Adeline and Ashby. Newer red brick building... probably still there.