by Patrick
McCombe
Replacement
Windows & Doors
Real-Wood Replacement. Vinyl replacement
windows are easy to install and maintain, but they're not right
for every project. Replacement wood sash kits with insulating
glass are available from several manufacturers and often look
more appropriate on older homes. The CrestFit Easy-Tilt Clad
Sash Kit from Crestline makes it easy to update old windows
while maintaining their period look. Available in custom sizes,
the units come in eight clad colors and with eight grille
options, including simulated divided lights that help complete
the illusion of original fenestration. According to the
manufacturer, a 2'-4" x 4'-6" double-hung with standard
insulating glass costs $200 to $300.
Crestline, 800/444-1090,
www.crestlinewindows.comTriple Tight. When a replacement window's
energy efficiency is the primary concern, consider a
triple-glazed unit. Uniframe Maxuus 10 from Great Lakes Window
provides up to five times the energy efficiency of standard
insulating glass and helps reduce sound transmission. Other
energy-efficient features include a foam-filled frame,
nonmetallic glass spacers, and a reinforced meeting rail that
prevents distortion and the resulting air leakage. Depending on
size and options, prices range from $125 to more than $500
each. Great Lakes Window, 800/666-0000,
www.greatlakeswindow.com
Quick Fix. Replacing an aluminum patio door
in masonry and stucco applications is a tough prospect. You
have to remove the old frame, integrate the new unit into the
home's drainage plane, and then patch up the exterior. Now,
with Milgard's Z-Bar Frame, you can skip all those steps.
Designed specifically for masonry and stucco applications, the
add-on flange allows you to attach the new door to the existing
frame without demolition, and turns a complex and
time-consuming job into a half-day project.
Milgard, 800/645-4273,
www.milgard.com
Interior Millwork
Idea Book. So you suspect that your
plain-jane trim packages just don't appeal to high-end clients
— but you're not sure how to create a cohesive look on
your own. Check out Princeton's Simplicity System. This 59-page
design book with color photos explains how to use the company's
32 preprimed moldings to create good-looking built-up trim
that's easy to execute and doesn't rely on mega-dollar,
super-wide profiles. The book is free; the company says its
moldings cost about the same as any other high-quality
prefinished millwork.
Princeton Forest
Products, 800/504-8044,
www.princetonforestproducts.comHoley Molding. Outwater's ornately carved
Pierced Mouldings make it easy to jazz up an interior trim
package, a custom mantel, or a set of built-ins. Available in
maple, cherry, and oak in five profiles, the paint- and
stain-ready 2-foot-long sections connect via dowels. Prices
start at about $20 per foot. Outwater,
800/835-4400, www.outwater.com
No-Rot Wainscot. Got a homeowner who's
looking for a low-maintenance, moisture-resistant alternative
to traditional beaded fir or pine? If so, you might suggest the
PermaPorch Ceiling from HB&G. The defect-free 5
1/2-inch-wide by 12-foot-long panels are an especially good
choice for wainscoting in cool basements, where humidity and
seeping moisture could be a problem. The product line includes
matching crown, bed, and lattice molding; according to the
maker, the prefinished components never need painting.
PermaPorch panels list for $27 each. HB&G,
800/264-4424, www.hbgcolumns.com
Slate & Tile
Roofing
Choice Slate. Slate roofing generally ranks
as one of the most expensive roofing materials available, but
when its long-term durability is considered, the cost is
actually quite competitive with other premium roofing products.
And nothing can reproduce the natural variation and
attractiveness of a real slate roof. In business since 1916,
Evergreen Slate Co. offers slate from two dozen quarries in 11
different colors. All products meet the ASTM S1 designation,
meaning they'll last from 75 to 100 years. The color shown,
variegated purple, costs between $300 and $350 per square
— which is less, says the maker, than the price of some
synthetic substitutes.
Evergreen Slate Co.,
866/815-2900,
www.evergreenslate.comHand-Crafted Tile. Tile-maker Stuart Matthews
spent more than 20 years selling and marketing clay and
concrete roof tiles before becoming so dissatisfied with the
white-bread offerings of major makers that he started his own
tile manufacturing and importing company, Northern Roof Tiles.
Each of the individually hand-finished tiles in his Pilgrim
line is unique, lending roofs the kind of beauty and randomness
that adorns centuries-old European villas. Unlike similar
imported products, Pilgrims are designed for installing on a
plywood roof deck — rather than on skip sheathing —
and, at 15 by 71/4 inches (305 pieces per square), they're
large, so they install fast. They come in red, brown, buff, and
black; prices start at $850 per square. Northern Roof
Tiles, 888/678-6866,
www.northernrooftiles.com
Avalanche Protection. While assembling this
collection of products, I spoke with two industry experts who
emphasized the importance of installing snow guards on slate
and tile roofs in northern climates. Not only do snow guards
reduce injuries and property damage from unexpected avalanches,
these sources said, but they prevent sliding snow and ice from
breaking slates and tiles at valleys, eaves, and collection
zones. Both experts also noted that the company Alpine
SnowGuards produces excellent products and is helpful in
designing an effective system. The manufacturer's most popular
offering, the #10 snow guard, works with both slate and flat
tile, and sells for about $6 in copper. Alpine
SnowGuards, 888/766-4273,
www.alpinesnowguards.com
Lighten Up! Slate roofs are extremely heavy
— up to 1,000 pounds per square. So if your customer
wants a slate roof on a building that wasn't built for it, look
to Majestic Slate Colonial Tiles. Made from EDPM rubber and TPO
plastic, they weigh a mere 246 pounds per square at a 6-inch
exposure — a fraction of natural slate's heft. Designed
to mimic the smaller format of Eastern slate, the composite
tiles come in nine colors and feature a 50-year warranty, Class
4 impact resistance, and a 100-mph-wind warranty. Prices start
at about $285 per square. EcoStar,
800/211-7170, www.ecostarinc.com
Lightweight Concrete. Its durability, fire
resistance, and good looks make concrete tile a favorite
roofing material in hot climates like Southern California
— but the product is so heavy it's sometimes unsuitable
for reroof applications, especially if a lighter material like
asphalt or wood shakes is being replaced. At about 650 pounds
per square, however, MonierLifetile's Duralite and Cedarlite
concrete tiles often can be installed in these applications
— without structural modifications to the building.
Installed, Cedarlite costs $650 per square, Duralite $550. Both
prices include tear-off of the old roof and installation of new
plywood sheathing. MonierLifetile,
800/224-2024, www.monierlifetile.com
Made in Your Shade. Looking for a clay roof
tile with a little extra color and pizzazz? Ludowici's 40
standard roof-tile hues range from the subtle — Vermont
gray, desert sand, beach brown, aged oak — to the
jaw-dropping: midnight black, Hawaiian gold, royal Persian
(above), Brookville green (left), Impressionist (far left).
According to Ludowici, no other company offers as wide a
spectrum. Custom colors are also available. Prices for glazed
tile start at about $400 per square. Ludowici,
800/917-8998, www.ludowici.com