Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 2/21/2006

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Yes, how much different is vinyl versus wood&wood clad?  Background:  Colorado location for the house, at 7800 ft altitude.

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Followup To
Question -
Thanks for your time.  Building a Log Home and the vinyl people say there's is as good and no different than wood/wood clad, is that true?

I have 24 windows and 4 are triangles of 108 inches base and height.  Can windows that large be made?  They will not be opened.

How do I differentiate the providers?
Answer -
Hello Doug - I'm not sure what you're asking for in your first question - are you wanting to know the difference between wood windows and vinyl windows?

Richard Taylor, AIA
Answer -
Doug - thanks for your question!

There are big differences between vinyl windows and wood windows - they differ in performance, cost, aesthetics, and reaction to climate.

Although vinyl windows are improving in their quality, they are primarily designed as inexpensive replacements to traditional wood windows.  Vinyl windows are "no" maintenance products since the vinyl frames don't warp, crack, split, shed paint, etc.  In that regard they're a good value.

On the downside, vinyl windows don't look much like the wood windows they're intended to replace - that may or may not be important to you.  They can't be painted or stained to match the siding, trim, or interior woodwork of your house, and overall they generally don't have quite as high an insulating value as wood framed-windows.  In very hot or very cold climates, vinyl windows can expand and contract, breaking the seal between the glazing and the frame.  They aren't made with traditional muntins and therefore can't come close to imitating the look of historic windows.  It's for all of those reasons that architects rarely if ever use vinyl windows in their designs.

Wood windows have the advantage of traditional appeal and the ability to be painted or stained to match other architectural elements.  They are, however, more - sometimes much more - expensive than vinyl.  Wood windows are also more suseptible to environmental damage, peeling paint, etc.  They do require occasional maintenance.  The maintanence is much lower with clad exteriors, however.  The cladding material is ususally aluminum with a baked-on finish.  Cladding also comes in two types, but that's beyond this discussion.

But more to the point - you're building a log home, correct?  You wouldn't do that if you weren't interested in the character and charm of that type of construction.  Why ruin it with vinyl windows?  A log home should have wood windows with big fat frames that you can paint or have colored to work with the architecture of the house.  I'm imagining dark red or dark green window frames and grids...darker colors would have been easier to concoct out in the wilderness and will hold up better over time, requiring less maintanence.

Regarding the window size, there shouldn't be any problems making windows that large - but they're going to be very hefty frames, and very large price tags.  I also wonder if they'll be architecturally appropriate - it might make more sense to break them into small units and mull them together.  It will be very important to structure the roof above so that no loads settle onto the window frames.

Hope this helps!

Richard Taylor, AIA
Richard Taylor Architects, LLC
www.rtastudio.com
www.betterhomedesign.blogspot.com

Richard,
Thanks for the excellent response.  I'm reachable at dougfry@qwest.net to allow for simpler correspondence.  

Followup question:  What about the large triangles (base 108", height 108") and the rectangles (114" x 72") done by some double-pane glass provider.  Have the carpenter prepare the opening, as required whatever that would be?, and put the glass in and seal it and frame it in?  They're not opening anyway, so I wouldn't need framed windows, but I would frame the glass.  What are your thoughts?

Answer
Doug - you could do site-built stopped-in glazing, but you won't get the benefits of the manufacturer's warranty and will run the risk of leakage (a small risk, anyway).  Quality control is higher in a factory setting with a reliable manufacturer.

A window manufacturer can also provide you with the same high-tech glazing options that you'll want in the windows.

Also, that piece of glass is going to weigh about 400 lbs. - it'll be easier to handle with a frame around it.

Good luck!