Replies

1. 
   rjw | Mar 19, 2009 05:24pm | #1

   Looks like an established co with what purports to be a quality product.

   Why alum storms?  Triple track are convenient, of course, but, IMO, don't look right except on house built in the 50's

   If you house is much older w/ architectural delight, consider wood storms and screens and get the ladder out twice a year.

    

   ---

   "Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

   Howard Thurman

1. 
   cameraman | Mar 19, 2009 05:40pm | #2

   We are playing that game now! We have a very tall 2 story brick, some windows are wooden storms, some are old alu. storms. I am tired of climbing up a ladder to the 2nd story with a 30X72 storm under my arm. And wife is tired of putting the expander screens under the sash for air.

   I agree with you on fitting with the style of house but I plan on storms the color to match the windows. And they can build them so the sashes line up, to make them blend in as much as possible.

    

   If I lived in a 1 story house I would keep the wooden storms and have the hardware that kicks out the bottom on some windows and have screens buildt for the rest.

1. 
   andybuildz | Mar 20, 2009 03:16pm | #4

   Ditto...My house is circa:1680 with almost 40 old 12 over 12's. When I painted the house I bought all triple trax and when you look at the house they're hardly noticeable being  the trim and the trax are the same color. There's not much track to begin with really. It's mostly all glass.

   Trying to find aluminum storms was nearly impossible. Next to no one makes them anymore with thermo panes being the windows most people have now a days.

   The largest window supplier by me (Windowrama) that has dozens of outlets discontinued selling them. I paid about fifty bucks a window for each storm while they still had em'. That was about 4 years ago or less.

    

    

    

   http://www.cliffordrenovations.com

   http://www.ramdass.org

    

1. 
   cameraman | Mar 20, 2009 03:31pm | #5

   Andy,

   I have about 20, (6 over 1 double hungs, 28x68), the company will build a 3 trax window powder coat color of my choice for $105.00 each. If I beef them up to the delux strom with Low E glass add about $52.00. They will build so the storm sashes line up with the windows to make them bleng in. Color will be the same as trim.

    

   I thought that $ was in the ball park based on what I paid for some Andersen storm combos about 15 yrs ago. $125.00

   It's hard to find a supplier to compair $$$$, What's your opinion of the low E glass option????

1. 
   andybuildz | Mar 21, 2009 02:54am | #9

   Low E? Well...thats your call. Storms are pretty thin glass so I can't imagine much will help em' any more. Low E in a thermo pane yeh..but a storm? I dunno.

   Real wood storms ARE real nice but I know for me...they were a huge pane....lol.

   40 or more windows in and out every year..ugh. The triple trax I don't even notice and neither does anyone else really. They blend in pretty good but again...real wood ones do look better...it's a personal call and for me....I have so much to do to maintain this place that'd be the straw that'd break my back.

   The last prices I got also was $100 each. They took all of 15 minutes to install each.

   The difference in my heat bills is real signifficant with and without em'! Paid for themselves in  cpl of winters.

   BTW...when I had all the Breaktimers here for TipiFest...not one person mentioned the triple trax I had on the windows.Maybe they were being polite but I think no one even noticed.

   YOu can see the house in my website below.

    

    

    

   http://www.cliffordrenovations.com

   http://www.ramdass.org

    

2. 
   jimAKAblue | Mar 20, 2009 06:48am | #3

   I used to have an account with WeatherKing in Detroit. I don't really remember any storm window companies though.

3. 
   BryanSayer | Mar 20, 2009 05:58pm | #6

   If you are going to the trouble of restoring your double hung windows (which is great!) consider using the original type of storm windows.

   Dino (TR Richards) had a great article on how to build them in FH about two years ago. He's in Canada. Not sure how far from Detroit.

   There is a place in the mid-west somewhere, Adams Architectural millwork I think, that gets very good reviews.

   And here is one in Cincy,
   http://www.invisiblestorms.com/

1. 
   cameraman | Mar 20, 2009 06:09pm | #7

   Bryan,

   I agree with your line of thinking and I have been on both of the websites you mentioned. But.......I just cannot lug the storms up to the 2nd floor any more.

   See my reply earlier.

    

   Thanks for all the opinions

1. 
   BryanSayer | Mar 20, 2009 07:14pm | #8

   Perhaps you could have a place to leave them on the second floor?