Double Hung versus Casement..Marvin Integrity?

10 years ago

The bumping of the SH versus DH thread has me wondering now....

How big of a difference is the air infiltration between casement and double hung in a high quality brand like Marvin for example? All my research up to this point has pointed to double hung being the window equivalent of a door left half open..are they that bad a choice for an airtight house? Everything I'm seeing about Marvin Integrity windows lead me to the fact that while they are a really well built window, they aren't even close to being airtight to start with.

That being said, and the fact that they are the nicest window I seem able to get for my upcoming build (highly recommended vinyl brands that appeal to me aren't available), Is it worth it in the window experts opinions to go casement over their double hung for AI reasons? Double hung appeals as much if not more due to the easy cleaning reasons brought up in the previous thread. But we're also building a pretty high efficiency home in the relatively mild climate of portland oregon, and if I'm going to negate any high efficiency construction we're paying for in the rest of the home with operating DH windows anywhere we have an operating window...well c'est la vie, we'll bite the bullet and do casement anywhere we can.

Featured Answer

PRO

East Bay 10

10 years ago

If what you like about double hungs is the "look", Integrity has an option of adding a wider horizontal SDL (they call it checkrail) to give the casement the appearance of a double hung.

Comments (9)

mooredb
10 years ago
If you are trying to achieve air tight I would go with casement. I have done a ton of research on them too and casement can just seal up better. But if you really want the look of a doulbe hung because it fits your style. Then I personally think you would be fine if you go with Marvin. But not with another brand. We looked at Marvin windows and the bid came out 24,000$ for 22 windows. We were planning to go with double hung. But then we decided to go with Jeld Wen casement windows. We got a better deal at 17,000$. But be aware if you go with a Jeld Wen double hung window. The jamline is not consealed.

Also if you live an area where you have high winds, I would go with casement for sure.

This post was edited by mooredb on Fri, May 24, 13 at 8:13
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millworkman
10 years ago
Integrity by Marvin while not the tightest window available in a DH is still pretty dam good, not enough so you would feel or probably even notice the difference. Premium vinyl would be about the only thing with a better performance from my perspective. Casements obviously will be tighter just by design. And yes you can have a simulated checkrail added to make a casement look like a double hung the sash plane will look very different as it will be one sash set to the exterior as opposed to two sash center plane but offset. Also the standard casement would be outswing and the screen is mounted to the inside while on a double hung the screen is to the outside.
niteshadepromises
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks for the feedback guys. The look is sixes with me but there is one wall of the home where I absolutely know I want DH because the windows are not easily accessible to clean otherwise. From a "Just do one or another" visual perspective DH would probably win just because of that.

Does double hung tend to run less expensive in the Integrity line as well? I'm looking at 6 foot high windows in a few locals and the casements there appear to be standard tempered according to the Integrity catalogue. I'm going to guess that I could maybe get away with untempered DH and probably save some?

Mooredb, have you had your jeld-wen windows long? How are they working out? I have to admit the overall opinion of jeld-wen windows on this very forum scared me away early on, tho I think even in the end the wood interior of integrity is worth the premium for us.
toddinmn
10 years ago
More than likely you would not have to temper with a double-hung. Double hungs are usually cheaper in everyones line. The wood Intergrity is a bit easier on the eyes than the all Ultrex.I would look at Jeld-Wen's Custom or Site-Line series which have extruded aluminum on the frame and sashes, the Custom has concealed jambliners as well. The air infiltration numbers on the Marvins would be considered poor and would not be a top pick for an airtight house, I do not know how the Jeld-Wen's perform in this respect.
shether1
10 years ago
I am looking at Marvin integrity windows, but, a little nervous after reading reviews. I have Anderson casement windows right now. Any other feedback!
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
10 years ago
If you are a large enough company, you are going to have some bad customer experiences.

If you search on here, you will see that Marvin has consistently done right by the consumers and helped them on the product issues and owned the process quite commendably.

Compare that approach to some of the larger manufacturers and it is quite stark.

It is also worth noting that I have not heard of any issues of significance with the Integrity. It seems to be a well designed window.
millworkman
10 years ago
Also, the vast majority of people who write reviews are less than satisfied customers. 98% of the satisfied customers never write a review period.
HomeSealed
10 years ago
I have used all of the big name window manufacturers (and some smaller ones as well), and I have nothing but positive things to say about the quality of their products and service. The Integrity is a more "budget friendly" option than the Ultimate to be sure, but a very good choice nonetheless. If there is anything that I would say about that line, it would be that the all-ultrex model doesn't offer anything that you can't get in vinyl while lacking in performance, but as wood interiors go, Marvin is top quality.