Double glazing in Canberra?

Noting all of this. (Especially re Stegbar. We were going to get a quote from them as the existing windows are Stegbar and although many of the windows needed parts replaced as soon as we moved in that was no worse than the previous house with a different brand where many of the windows also needed replacements/adjustments as soon as we moved in, so we had thought perhaps that’s standard for the industry.)

have a think about getting a HEAT assessment on the house done first – cost is $30 though I believe you can get up to $500 back on up to $2000 of expenditure for items in their recommendations list. A very thorough audit (much better than the one for green loans IMHO).

Thanks Bulldog and G Al

The_Bulldog said :

I installed the honeycomb blinds a few years ago and I’ve been really happy with them. I would suggest they’re as effective as heavy curtains. On the plus side they make a room look much larger and retract to give you full windows and views. I also had some exterior blinds installed which have combined for great effect – although no benefits as far as noise reduction.

Ditto.
And there are double honeycomb ones available now.

I installed the honeycomb blinds a few years ago and I’ve been really happy with them. I would suggest they’re as effective as heavy curtains. On the plus side they make a room look much larger and retract to give you full windows and views. I also had some exterior blinds installed which have combined for great effect – although no benefits as far as noise reduction.

Has anyone used those honeycomb blinds – have they worked better than, say, heavy drapes as window coverings?

Got Magnetite coming out to give us a quote on Saturday. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Deref,

Magnetite does the measurement, quote and installation themselves, just contact them directly. We have an old 70’s home and the heat loss through our windows was incredible. You would be sitting next to a closed window and feel a breeze coming through.
The magnetite windows are installed in such a way as to leave a gap between your existing windows, thus eliminating the transfer of cold between the frames. In addition the acrylic ‘glass’ does not transfer any cold and the magnetic seals prevent any loss of warm air or infiltration of cold air.
After having travelled extensively in Europe during their winter a few years ago, I can comfortably say that the magnetite performs just as well as a proper European double glazed window does, if not better.

We paid $6500 for 11 magnetite windows (3 of them being floor to ceiling windows), whilst the average double glazed window quotes were $20,500.

Double glazing is outrageously expensive and then window treatments have to be purchased (also expensive – existing windows have to be removed). The measuring has to be exact and there are usually a lot of hassles.
A good compromise is to keep the existing windows and have plantation shutters fitted. These are really good insulators and they have infinite setting combinations and provide 100% privacy when required. Also keep out noise very effectively.
Would recommend Apollo to supply and fit – very competitive and fitting is excellent – they can be fitted to an average size house in 1 – 2 days.
The price is less than half of double glazing and they obviate the extra costs of curtains/blinds. They look good without be a passing fashion item.

Hosinator said :

We have magnetite windows and they have worked exceptionally well, both in keeping heat in and noise out.

I hadn’t heard of magentite windows, but a little googling has really got me intrigued. Who did you get to do them, Hosinator?

Excellent food for thought, all – thanks very much!

We’ve got some magnetite too. They do work really well for insulation and noise reduction, but they make it very very hard to open some of the windows.

Hosinator said :

JC said :

One bit of advice, if you are going to retrofit do it properly and replace the whole window. Do not accept film or ad-on inner windows as double glazing. Whilst they may improve things it is not substitute for the real thing.

Really, I beg to differ. We have magnetite windows and they have worked exceptionally well, both in keeping heat in and noise out.
For a quarter of the cost of double glazing, we have the benefits of proper double glazing. When I compare our magnetite windows to those of friends who have double glazing, our windows seem to out perform theirs.

As I said they may well improve things but they are NO substitute for the real thing. BTW comparing the performance of your windows to someone else’s is hardly a fair comparison, unless of course they have an identical house in layout, construction and insulation. There are heaps of other factors that change the perception of performance that go beyond the windows, insulation, draught sealing for starters.

Unless your existing glass is really thin, I woould struggle to see the benefits of double glazing over spending the money on decent window dressings and insulation for ceilings, walls (and sometimes floors).

There does come a point of diminishing return when considering efficiency improvements.

JC said :

One bit of advice, if you are going to retrofit do it properly and replace the whole window. Do not accept film or ad-on inner windows as double glazing. Whilst they may improve things it is not substitute for the real thing.

Really, I beg to differ. We have magnetite windows and they have worked exceptionally well, both in keeping heat in and noise out.
For a quarter of the cost of double glazing, we have the benefits of proper double glazing. When I compare our magnetite windows to those of friends who have double glazing, our windows seem to out perform theirs.

I remember their used to be a gentleman in Canberra of German origin, who ran a window business manufacturing and installing double glazed windows.
He had learnt his trade in Germany and used some of the latest European techniques when manufacturing window units. Not sure if he is still around, worth a look though.

mikal said :

Under no circumstances go with Stegbar. Incorrect reveals, wrong winders, broken windows delivered, missing fly screens, incorrect lock keying. 12 weeks later, we’re still waiting for them to install the last security screen. We call them daily and they never return our calls.

Hey, it could be worse, you could have acutally ended up with Stegbar windows on your home. You might as well have gladwrap… They leak amazingly, and the double glazing eventually gives up and you end up with heavy condensation in between the panes. I have a housefull of them, and they’ll all have to be replaced, at massive expense. Cut your losses now!

Try this company http://www.certainteed.com.au/. They specialise in installing double glassed windows into existing window frames or openings. Certainteed have been in business in Canberra for over a decade and should be able to give you local references and clients to contact in regard to the product. Be aware that you are considering purchasing one of the better building products and therefore seem expensive. However, the performance and quality of their windows is outstanding and should provide added value (over the cost) of the windows to your house.

Depending on your window design, you could try our ‘poor man’s’ double glazing. We then fit a 12mm square bead of timber in the frame and then we buy sheets of 3 or 4mm acrylic/perspex from ACT Plastics cut to about 4mm shy of the window size and then hold the acrylic in place using clips of various sorts eg. bookshelf pins. The double glazing works as well, if not better than real double glazing. We place some silica gel in the bottom of the inside gap to reduce condensation.

The positives are it is relatively cheaps and can be done DIY, for lower windows it adds an element of safety for small children. There are some downsides, namely the perspex shrinks and contracts more than glass, it will over time potentially craze and yellow and it can get scratched more easily than glass. Not all windows are suited to this treatment and opening windows call for more creativity.

For small windows near front or rear doors, you can use much thicker perspex and mount it securely. This can deter a smash and grab burglar.

One bit of advice, if you are going to retrofit do it properly and replace the whole window. Do not accept film or ad-on inner windows as double glazing. Whilst they may improve things it is not substitute for the real thing.

FYI HTH = hope that helps

okthxbye

Excellent advice folks – thanks!

Thanks Mikal – of course they’re one of the first organisations that comes up under Google, so I’m very grateful.

HTH – that’s an excellent point.

Patrick, definitely. We’ve got excellent ceiling insulation and draught exclusion, but our house is passive solar so its long northern wall is virtually all glass – fantastic for solar heating, of course, but also a significant source of heat loss/heat incursion and, of course, it’s going to be expensive if we end up doing it. I’ll definitely look at window coverings too.

I fitted double glazed windows to my house and I don’t notice any difference in insulation or noise reduction over the other windows.

I went to Spanline who used another firm to contract out the fitting to. They were messy, destructive and very very quick. Although the windows look great compared to the old ones I think they won’t last as long and I’m not sure the wood they used around them was the best quality. Also, I had to get Spanline back several times to repair locks that just wouldn’t work after a few uses.

The moral of the story is that if you know ANYONE who is a chippie get them to do it for you. The windows cost me a lot of money.

Another thing I was disappointed at was the very small gap between panes and the very thin glass they use in Australia. Having visited a friend in Canada previously I can tell you that the double glazed windows overseas are far more insulating and a lot thicker and better made.

We have retrofitted double glazing to our entire ’80s vintage house. I’m probably telling you what you already know, but double glazing is about 4th on the list of things to do… decent in ceiling and in wall insulation, closing off draughts, decent window coverings, self discipline in terms of which parts of the house you heat and to which temperature… all more important.

Having said that double glazing has made a significant difference to our place… we had already done all of the above. It has an effect on comfort and heating cost and noise reduction. We went with good quality plastic extrusion and argon filled glazing. We have everthing from large sliders, wind outs and two sliding doors all done. Can’t particularly recommend our glazer (from Sydney), he did an OK job but nothing special.

My recommendation is to make sure it’s worth the money and if the ROI justifies the spend. In other words:

1. Get quotes for how much the glazing will cost.
2. Work out how much you would get if that amount of money was sitting in a high-interest savings account. (For every $10,000 you should allow for $651 in earnings, before tax).
3. Figure out whether the glazing will reduce your heating costs by an equivalent dollar amount.

HTH

Under no circumstances go with Stegbar. Incorrect reveals, wrong winders, broken windows delivered, missing fly screens, incorrect lock keying. 12 weeks later, we’re still waiting for them to install the last security screen. We call them daily and they never return our calls.