Recommendation points
Scarcity and plastic windows are incompatible concepts. Even in small towns, up to a dozen companies sell this hot product. And this is where the difficulty lies. How to make a choice if all windows look the same? After all, only prices differ and the stories of sales consultants about the wonderful qualities of their products.
You can listen to your neighbors and put windows of the same brand as theirs. However, neighbors are not objective. Because you rarely meet a person who would truthfully tell how he was fooled with a purchase and that he is now forced to live with low-quality windows.
Then, perhaps, believe the sugary advertising? Also not an option. The only purpose of advertising is to impose a product, but not to tell about its shortcomings. Why does the manufacturer need it?
So what to rely on when buying a plastic window?
The cost
No matter what people are advised, the first thing they do is look at the price. With plastic windows, this is very correct..
If there is no way to buy expensive windows, then you need to choose an average price. Wow, what a deep thought! But wait: there is a continuation of this advice. If there is not enough money for a mainstream product, the purchase should be postponed altogether. Until you save money.
Why not buy cheap plastic windows? Because it is not known in which garage and by what craftsmen they are made. It is also unclear what quality polyvinyl chloride was used, where the fittings were purchased, what mastic was used to seal double-glazed windows, etc..
Of course, such questions can be taken care of when buying windows of the middle price category. But in this case, the answer will be documentation and a guarantee. But for strangely cheap windows, the guarantee is unreliable, and you will hardly see certificates for them. Therefore, after six months or a year, when the window stops opening, or turns yellow, or the fittings fall off, the seller may not be found at the same address.
However, there is a possibility that nothing bad will happen with a cheap window and it will serve faithfully for the entire period. It’s just a lottery, the price of which is from 2000 rubles and above – it depends on the window.
To determine the average price for plastic windows, you need to compare the cost in stores. Most will have an average.
Then why are some companies’ windows much more expensive? They explain this by the fact that their products are premium. She has better quality fittings, often of European production. The double-glazed window has structural features that increase the characteristics. Plastic with some kind of reinforcing additives. They often rely on the exceptional environmental safety of the applied PVC (rather, an advertising move). Special sealing materials that better prevent the penetration of cold and noise. There may be other distinctive features. Well, you also have to pay for the brand..
The size
Have you decided on the price for which you will order a plastic window? Now is the time to measure the window opening. Do this with an ordinary tape measure or even a ruler. Just measure the height and width of the old window along the slopes.
Of course, the window will not be made according to these dimensions. Measurements are needed to roughly find out the cost. After all, it depends on the amount of materials spent on the window: plastic, metal, glass, seals.
Configuration
Window structures can vary in the number and type of sashes and in shape – rectangular, with angles greater or less than 90 degrees, arched.
In production, arched windows are more expensive. In addition, technology does not yet allow making an arch of any size and circumference. Oblique windows are also unusual, so it takes more time to make them, respectively, and the price is higher. Rectangular – the standard, for them in the factories all machines have already been adjusted.
The doors are rotary, swing-out, simply folding. There are also movable ones, but they are used on verandas, balconies and loggias.
If they do not plan to open the window and it is easy to wash it from the outside, then you should choose a deaf option. It will be both warmer and cheaper. The same can be said about the number of valves. Why make them over the entire window area, if one is enough?
When you can’t do without sashes, you should choose a double-glazed window with a swing-out mechanism. This is the most common type and, in principle, there are reasons for this..
To wash the window from the outside, you must open it, that is, open it. Swivel fittings are responsible for this. A folding one is needed to ventilate the room. This is convenient because it does not take away the usable area and you do not need to remove anything from the window sill. In addition, the sash can be folded back to several specific positions, making the gap smaller or larger.
After the desired configuration is selected, you need to sketch it on a sheet of paper. Knowing the approximate size and having a drawing of the window, it is easier to go shopping. Because there is no need to explain on the fingers what is required, and the consultant will quickly calculate how much the purchase will cost.
Options
A standard plastic window already has all the necessary functions and is convenient to use. But, if necessary, manufacturers can add something.
For example, instead of three glasses in a double-glazed window (two-chamber), four (three-chamber) will be inserted. This will increase soundproofing, reduce heat loss, and prevent or reduce fogging of the inner glass in a hot and humid room (mainly a kitchen).
At the request of the customer, an inert gas is pumped between the glasses or a vacuum is created. Again, this affects the improvement of the quality characteristics of the window. However, it is impossible to check what is inside the glass unit..
The glasses themselves are produced in many types – reinforced, sound-reflecting, shock-resistant, fire-retardant, tinted, mirror, heat-saving, etc. Which one to choose – everyone decides for himself. You just need to know that some types of glass protection can be applied by yourself. To do this, the stores sell films and sprays..
Many developments exist in the ventilation system of premises through plastic windows. And if a simple valve is provided for this in the standard configuration or it is absent altogether, then complex systems called climate control can be installed in the improved one..
The tightness of the plastic window prevents natural ventilation of the room. Therefore, it is not necessary to skimp on the installation of air exchange valves. By the way, they can be mounted in already installed windows..
We are used to the fact that plastic windows are white. But for those who want to stand out and diversify the interior, plastic lamination was invented. It is applied in a production environment, that is, the initially specified color must be ordered. The durability of the decorative coating is no less than that of plastic. There are many types of laminated films. Imitations for various types of wood and simple colors of all colors of the rainbow are popular.
When ordering a window, it is necessary to clarify (if the sales assistant did not suggest) what type of sealant will be used during installation. Most often, the window is sealed with professional assembly foam. But some companies offer special sealants and additional materials. This is explained by the fact that the foam quickly decomposes under the rays of the sun. In fact, it is so. But it seems like what’s the difference if the foam is under overhead slopes or under plaster.
Related products
These include a window sill, low tide, mosquito net, slopes.
It is better to replace the window sill. So it will be more beautiful and more reliable. Indeed, a painted wooden window sill looks ridiculous under a shiny new window. In addition, the tree expands and contracts under the influence of temperature and humidity more than polyvinyl chloride, therefore, window deformation is possible..
Ebb tide is usually recommended to be changed to a new one. This is due to the fact that the old one will be somewhat damaged when dismantling the window. But fixing it is not a problem. So the ebb tide can be left the same. But again, the appearance: a window with a needle and a bent painted ebb is unsightly.
A mosquito net is a very useful thing. Agree, it’s painful when it’s hot outside, and the window cannot be opened, because flies and mosquitoes will come flying in. With the mesh, the fear of letting flying insects go will pass. Moreover, it costs little, it can be easily removed for the winter. It can be ordered both together with the window and separately.
Slopes go as an addition to plastic windows, although they are often more expensive at a price. Why are the slopes made by the specialists of the same company that made and installed the window good for? Precision execution, excellent insulation, impeccable appearance, long service life. In general, if possible, then they must be ordered.
Now almost everything has been taken into account and calculated. It’s time to go look at the offers and choose the most suitable one. Of course, consultants can focus on some more things, because plastic windows are constantly being improved: they invent various options, improve details, and other technologies appear. But if you chase everything new, you will have to change the windows annually. But this is a purchase for decades. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare for it so deliberately.
Dear reader, I have a question for you. When it comes to purchasing a plastic window, where does the process actually begin? Is it with researching different vendors, understanding the technical specifications, or maybe measuring your window frame? I’m curious to know what your starting point is and what factors influence your decision-making process.