Tell me your Fleetwood or Milgard aluminum experiences.

11 years ago

I've decided that I want to use aluminum windows to replace the old aluminum ones in my mid-century modern home.

The previous homeowner replaced a couple of sliding doors with vinyl, and I am just not on board with that look for this house.

I also have a modern condo and recently all the old aluminum windows in the entire complex were redone with new bronze/black aluminum by Milgard. So that's the direction I want to go in this home as well. I am not all that happy with the weep holes in the new condo windows. After a rain last summer, my tenant complained about water in all the sills. One window had a leak, so I had Milgard come out and they fixed that one, and drilled the weep holes a bit larger on the other ones.

I was researching brands and came across Fleetwood. They look $$$ but they state on their site that they have a "budget" line.

Do any of you have experiences with thin, modern-look aluminum windows of either brand? I'm in Southern California if it makes any difference. Fleetwood's Corona location is about an hour from me.

Featured Answer

wws944

11 years ago

We did our MCM house in Milgard aluminum a few years ago. If you search this forum, you can find my review of them. We still like them, but I still wish Milgard offered their 'thermally broken' version in California.

We looked at Fleetwood (very nice, but as you say, $$$) and also Blomberg (made in Sacramento, very nice, but also $$$).

Comments (8)

jeffpad
11 years ago
Milgard aluminum is almost a 'black' color here in S. Cal. Milgard will only come with the weep hole feature. In a rain storm with strong winds, water in the tracks of the windows can happen. FleetWood is considered a 'elite' product and is $$$ as you mentioned. I do not know of their budget line at all. Contact the factory and they should direct you to a dealer.
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chrisinsd
9 years ago
I know this thread is ancient, but does anyone have updates on the Milgard performance? We chose Milgard over some cheaper Jeld-Wen and others when the budget buckled under the pressure of Fleetwood and similar bids.

My house is also a mid-century ranch and I am ripping out some architecturally inappropriate (though more efficient) vinyl windows and replacing some original aluminum. In SoCal so climate not a big issue.
chrisinsd
9 years ago
any comments on their sliders appreciated as well.
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Windows on Washington Ltd
9 years ago
I have some Milgard Aluminum single hungs and a few 3-Lite sliders that are doing okay.
George
3 years ago
Our condo on Kauai is in Poipu and very close to the ocean. The salt air is really invasive and gets into everything and corrodes all types of materials, fixtures and mechanisms. Rust and materials deterioration run rampant out here in the Pacific. Consequently, we need to replace the original sliding doors (to the lanai) and windows which incorporate louvres (or jalousies as they're called here). The decision has come down to using Fleetwood or Milgard products. With both companies, the lifetime guarantees do NOT apply throughout Hawaii and the products are only covered for failure of materials and/or workmanship up to one year. Therefore, it is extremely important to buy the best, most durable quality we can afford (within reason). If anyone can offer opinions based on personal experience and ownership, we would be very grateful. Aloha!
Karl Krumme
last year
Fleetwood does not have a warranty that can help you , do buy because you think they have a warranty
millworkman
last year
Karl Krumme, how about some sort of details rather than a cryptic post.