windows for salty air

13 years ago

Hi Everyone. IÃ¯Â¿Â½m a first time poster but a long time lurker. This is a great community with some very knowledgeable people.

IÃ¯Â¿Â½m building a house in NY that is about 500 feet from the ocean. After reading all the great reviews about Marvin, I was all set to go with Marvin Integrity; however, my wife did not like the clad colors available in the integrity line. We swapped out all the arch windows and cut down on some of the features, and are now able to get the Ultimates for the about the same amount of money as the Integrity line. After doing some more research, I found out that being that close to the water, the aluminum will corrode much faster. When I looked at the Marvin warranty, sure enough, it states that they will only warranty the cladding for the first 5 years and from year 6 to year 10, they will warranty the cladding for only 50% of the value of the window. I donÃ¯Â¿Â½t think that I want to pay for a premium window that carries a sub-pat warranty. I understand that the fiberglass material in the Integrity line will not corrode so my wife will probably have to accept one of the available colors. But, before we go that route, what would you fine folks suggest? Milgard is not available here and IÃ¯Â¿Â½m not comfortable using Pella proline because of all the problems. Thanks in advance for any help.

Featured Answer

gregi30
Original Author

13 years ago

Highport, I donÃ¯Â¿Â½t believe that Impact rated are a requirement in my area, according to my architect.
Windowsonwashington, I really donÃ¯Â¿Â½t want to maintain the wood.
I did some more digging this week and it seems that Pella offers a "seacoast" clad finish on their architectural line and the warranty is 10 full years which also covers the installation within the first 2 years. The Marvin Integrity Warranty is 10 years but does not cover installation costs. IÃ¯Â¿Â½m really confused at this point. I donÃ¯Â¿Â½t want to go with Pella because of all the negative reviews, however I like the way the company warranties their product. Can anyone share their experience with the Pella "seacoast" finish? Are there any unbiased professionals out there that would recommend Pella over Integrity? The quotes between Integrity and Pella Architectural are within $1000 of each other so cost is not an issue. Please help me decide.

Comments (9)

highport
13 years ago
I would not use any aluminum clad window close to saltwater! Try to use Fiberglass clad exterior if possible, There are several brands on the market, and most are available with many exterior color options. There are many good all vinyl & vinyl clad wood windows in your market, but you will be limited in color selection. Also, are Impact rated windows required in your location?
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
13 years ago
+1

I would prefer to not see any clad window in a coastal environment. Too much opportunity for water and salt to get behind the cladding.
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PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
13 years ago
Go with the fiberglass option.

There is no cladding for the water to get behind or fail.
millworkman
13 years ago
If your within 500 ft of the ocean you better double check with the building dept because anywhere within a mile of the shore of Long Island is most definitely with the zone for Impact requirements. And as far as i remember Pella uses roll form aluminum on the sash for all their window line so I would be extremely careful using Pella anywhere.I would second WOW and go with the Marvin Integrity Line.
david_cary
13 years ago
Having grown up on LI, I am shocked that there is an impact requirement for a mile. Now living in NC and getting ready to build on the coast, impact makes sense. Hurricanes of significant strength are a rare occurrence on LI.

I have decided like most of the posters are saying to not do clad or aluminum - too many possible issues. I do think that 500 ft is pretty far especially in NY. That is just a far cry from oceanfront in NC.

Obviously - vinyl won't ever rust. But how bad are comparably located houses with rust. Do the a/c units have a short life? Where are we talking - South shore of LI? How far out? Elevation? I think these questions are relevant because of spray and mist. North shore (not really ocean of course) is probably not even an issue because of protection from the South and elevation at the coast. I don't pretend to be an expert but I really think you should look at comparable houses before you limit your options.
gregi30
Original Author
13 years ago
David, I'm actually in south Brooklyn, in Manhattan Beach. I drove around to inspect the windows around my area, but I really could not tell which windows were a/c, vinyl or fiberglass. I did not see any rust. I don't think we get any spray or mist, but I have decided to stick with Marvin Integrity, just in case! I went to the local Marvin dealer to take a closer look at the windows. I compared the Integrity and the Ultimate side-by-side. The Integrity just looks so flimsy compared to the ultimate. Even compared to the Pella Architectural, the wood on the Integrity looked very cheap. On the bright side, at least I'll be saving a good amount of money in not going with the Marvin Ultimate. Thank you all for your advice.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
13 years ago
The thin lines on the Marvin are deceiving. There is plenty of strength in that window as compared to the Ultimate and certainly the Architect.
Miles D
3 years ago
Gregi30
Which windows did you go with and how are they?