What are the differences between the NT Window Energy Master and the NT Window Presidential Series windows?

Presidential, Energy Master, Traditions, Executive -  What are the differences in NT window models?

These windows are popular models for NT Window in Fort Worth Texas currently in production.

Their performance statistics are exactly the same when equipped similarly.   The Executive is built using the same frame components as the Energy Master.  The Traditions uses the same profile as the Presidential.  Essentially it is rebranding as these are sold through different sources and window distribution methods.    Some products have available options that are not available in other models.  

For instance the lock on the Traditions is different from the other three base models but it is only available through certain vendors.

Presidential 

Energy Master

Available options on NT Windows

Foam Filling

270 Low E Glass

240 Low E Glass

Tempered Safety Glass

Dissimilar Glass

Laminated Glass

Hurricane Glass

Foam Wrapping

Sill Wrapping

Rain Glass

Glue Chip Glass

Reeded Glass

Presidential

 

Energy Master 

Coppell Vinyl Replacement Windows from NT Window

Vinyl Replacement Windows Coppell Texas

This is a typical starting point for us.   Builders grade aluminum windows that are double paned but often fogged and certainly not energy efficient.  These had grids all the way around.  Grids in replacement windows are usually in front only if used at all.   They are falling out of favor in most remodeling contexts.

Half circle windows are often without insulation in the arches.   This is one of the many reasons they don't work well and seem very hot in the summer and cold in the winter.   We take steps to insulate that void when the old window is out.  No one can see many of the extra steps we take to provide a long lasting, energy efficient solution to modern replacement window and door issues here in the Dallas area.

You never know what you'll find working on an older home...   this time it was apparently a very in tact rat skeleton.   Creepy but kind of cool.

Window installation is the key.  Some crews are in a hurry.  Some are hourly and don't care as much as they should or have the skill level that we'd hope for.   We assure you that 33 years of experience on your job site, at your home, can make all the difference in the world.  We pride ourselves on better installation, better caulking materials and application, better insulation and trim work as well as better care for the property while we're there.

NT Window Energy Master Vinyl Replacement Windows

These are our NT Window Energy Master Vinyl Replacement Windows.  This home in Coppell will be better for decades.   This is a great example of doing it right the first time.

A happy homeowner and his owner....      Replacement Windows add value to the home, and energy efficiency as well as increase your standard of living.   We typically price windows 30% lower than Renewal by Andersen, Clarity Windows, Pella, Statewide Remodeling and many of the best known window installation companies working in North Texas.  We provide great windows with lower markup due to lower overhead.   Find out why we're a Best of Dallas Contractor.   Find out more about us at www.DallasWindows.com     

Cedar Creek Lake Replacement Windows

We did one in Cedar Creek Lake this last week.   It was a challenge to make the trapezoids look good as the opening was out of square about an inch and a half.  That being said, I covered it up pretty well.

I've actually done around a hundred houses out there over the years.   Kemp, Tool, Gun Barrel City are a few of the small cities around Cedar Creek.  It's an awesome community and I love going out there.  About an hour and a half south of Dallas on HWY 175.

Before we started with Bronze builders grade windows from the 70's.  Fogged and pretty ugly.

The biggest trapezoid was heavy.  Around 300 pounds.  We lowered it with ropes and a suction cup.  It was jammed in there pretty good.   I later determined that the 100 or so square feet of windows was about 1 1/2" out of square.  It became apparent on trying to trim them as one unit.  I found a solution though.

To do these correctly you have to split up the out of square in as many places as possible.  Half inch here or there, eighth inch here and there.  I kept the bottom straight with the lowers and the top angle straight with the house.  It was one of the more challenging ones over the last year or so.

Vinyl Replacement Windows Plano Texas

So there are great things and not so great things about my job.  I love what I do but I don't document it very well and so I loose track of great projects I've done in the past.

In this case the subject matter is home improvement projects I've done in Plano.  I often get asked for references or a job the customer can drive by and look out so if all goes well the GPS on the pictures and the running Plano page will help with tracking these better.  I guess we'd call it, crossing our fingers and hoping the technology holds up.

In case you wonder why I become so easy to find in Google searches for things like windows, vinyl windows, replacement windows, french doors, entry doors and so on I'd have to admit I think it has a lot to do with my YouTube video which has about 33,000 views last time I looked.  I think it gets a couple of hundred views a week.  Long story short, I got invited to become a Google Glass Explorer and my website has seen some pretty awesome results due to the exposure and wonderful feedback of those who do research there.

To find out more about me and what we do here are a few links:

www.DallasWindows.com      This is my main website for Dallas

Here's the fun Google Glass Profile on Google Plus.  This is by far my favorite social media site and it's really where you can find my best pictures and tips about vinyl window manufacturers, styles and options from out in the field where I live.

plus.google.com/+DavidTraynor1

We install Simonton, NT Window, Alside, Don Young Company, Atrium Vinyl Windows, Ted Lansing Windjammers, Jeldwen Windows, Burris and Associates Windows and more.  This is a place where you can see them, ask questions in the comments section and really find out what I've seen.

I'm fifty years old now and only have so much time to be the window guy.  That being said, I want you to know everything that I know so you get the right thing.  I'm somewhat like a house doctor with a calling.  If I get good information and we make good decisions we will help the house get the perfect solution.  It's a goal.  We do our darnedest to make it happen.

This was NT Window Energy Master Vinyl Single Hung Vinyl Replacement Windows in Plano.  Single Hungs operate from the bottom only.  Single Hungs are more energy efficient than double hungs because the top sash is glued in place and therefore by design has less air infiltration.  Single Hungs will also have more glass and less frame.  This one has a 2 5/8" frame from edge of window to glass.  Double Hungs come in at around 3 3/4" of frame with the main frame and the operating top sash frame.  It can lose a lot of light and glass.

The Three Lite Casement Window in vinyl.  I sell a lot of these.  I like them.  The end panels open like outswinging doors and have the screen on the inside.  This is great in the older Plano homes with a twin window in the breakfast nook.  This makes it look bigger and much prettier with a better view.  This is one of the best things I bring to many homes I work on.

NT Windows Single Hung

Here's an interesting one.  Our bays feature a slim line vinyl window that can produce bay and bow mulls that are just 3" wide.  Most manufacturers have frames that are putting these mulls at 5 to 7 inches thick.  That's a lot of plastic.  If you have a bay or a bow I have the best product in Plano for a good look there.  I hope you'll have a look at my Bays and Bow Windows Page.

http://dallaswindows.com/bay-window-bow-window-replacement.htm

Archtops and circle top windows are complicated.  It takes several measurements to get the arch correct in a new vinyl window and it takes a good relationship and understanding of the process the window manufacturer itself uses in getting those arches to make sure the result on the house is what it's supposed to be.

This was triple glazed with Krypton Gas vinyl windows.  Interestingly enough it didn't change the solar heat gain co-efficient a bit but the U Value went from .29 down to about a .18 which was quite impressive.   Unfortunately that wonderful little upgrade runs about $250 a window in addition to the base model.  This is what really separates the mid range window from the high end window.  It's the same frame and reinforcement but the glass and the gas change.  A mid range window is better bang for the buck and value.  It takes a long time to get enough energy savings to cover the additional cose

Getting perfect arches and perfect caulking beads are why we are the most award winning window and door contractor in Plano and North Dallas.

Big Picture windows!   Yay!!   They do have to be tempered safety glass now due to the building code so that will cost a little extra.  That being said.  It's worth it in many cases.

Interior view of the three lite casement in vinyl.  This one came in place of a slider.  The man cave never looked better!  This was around Coit Road and Park as I recall.

This is the outside of the man cave one.  Again, the ends swing out for air and the screens are inside the house.  The look is very upscale.

On this one I squared off the archtops and went with casement windows.  The mortar was still wet but the look was a huge update.

This twin vinyl casement window brings up the question to grid or not to grid.  In this case it made for an awesome little cottage look.  We also replaced the wood and do that whenever needed on all projects.

Here's a link to some more of my past work and commentary on vinyl replacement window projects I've done in Plano:

http://dallaswindows.com/vinyl-windows-plano.html

Thanks for looking!   Send me a note if you'd like.  :D

dave@dallaswindows.com

Gallery of Window Replacements in Plano from G+:

White vinyl windows with grids:

https://plus.google.com/photos/+DavidTraynor1/albums/5988276534962592961

This one has a few videos on removal and caulking a vinyl window:

https://plus.google.com/photos/112941792649824235085/albums/5989063529351234897

Getting a Model Home Discount on your home improvements.

The Model Home Discount in Home Improvements

Lot's of people like to do their research on the internet.  That's a given.  Most of my customers find me while looking me up on Google.  My site is on page one of most of the relevant search terms I like to have.

Dallas Windows, Vinyl Windows Dallas, Replacement Windows Dallas and various other phrases including Wood or Aluminum.   Long story short, I have pretty low overhead.  No shop.  Just a service that I provide.  Installation of residential replacement windows and pre-hung doors with an occasional patio door here and there.

I worked for a big multi-million dollar window and door company that sold replacement windows for a thousand dollars a piece in the 90's.  In many ways they were worth it.  Today it's not the best choice but for millions of homeowners it was.

The reason I am revisiting my window installation past at this juncture is that I just read a post from a notable site with reviews and such on it that I sorta disagree with.

This is an opportunity to see a real simple contrast in overviews from two different seasoned window guys.

I have a friend in Richmond Virginia.  A new friend but not a competitor.  Very down to earth.  You can tell in his writings.   He put up a post on the Model Home Sales Pitch you sometimes hear about.  As he so aptly points out.  It was hilarious in Tin Men with Danny DeVito.

The premise is that a contractor or company comes to you with a deal for being a model home.

His post is here and you can give it a look :

http://thewindowdog.com/model-home-windows-program-window-scams/

Now here's why I think it's sorta cynical.   If a contractor has nothing going for himself, his products and craftsmanship besides a "model home discount" of course you should never do business with them.  Thats just good common sense.

That said, I'll sometimes bid a job a bit lower to get my foot into a good neighborhood.  I know my work is beautiful and neighbors who see it will be tempted to want some.  I don't see that as unreasonable or as he seems to implicate "a scam".  Bottom line is that you should get a few estimates and always look for someone you can trust with your money, your home and your project, because they will end up being responsible for all three.

Often that's not a cheap guy.  I don't even try to be the cheap guy.  That leads to the budget being too tight and product or quality of labor diminish.  The trade off isn't worth it.

No one needs the cheapest car at the Carmax.  Most of us need something dependable in the middle of the cost spectrum.  None of us expect a good car for a thousand bucks.  None of us like spending Thirty to Fifty Grand on one either.   There are reasonable choices in the middle of the two extremes.

Back to the model home discount.  If that's the only thing they have to offer you to win your business you should probably keep looking.   If someone offers you something like that it's probably not a scam, but it is certainly a gimmick.