We're building out a penthouse on our our roof and getting window quotes. Our contractor suggested having the metal fabricator who is doing the exterior steel framing bid for building custom steel windows. The penthouse will have a lot of glass including one wall with windows and glass that is almost 12' wide by 7' tall. His quote came in about the same as Marvin, but the advantage is the steel... [more]
We're building out a penthouse on our our roof and getting window quotes. Our contractor suggested having the metal fabricator who is doing the exterior steel framing bid for building custom steel windows. The penthouse will have a lot of glass including one wall with windows and glass that is almost 12' wide by 7' tall. His quote came in about the same as Marvin, but the advantage is the steel could look better and would be easier to customize in the space, especially if he is also doing the framing. My question is whether it is a good idea to have a general steel fabricator (who does stairs, framing, etc.) also make custom, double-glazed steel windows. Any questions I should ask or things I should be aware of? How hard is it to do this right?Obviously, I want to make sure the windows don't leak or fog up, aren't drafty, and do a decent job isolating soun
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Response by Aaron2
over 9 years ago
Posts: 1705
Member since: Mar 2012
This is fussy, dimensionally exacting stuff, so it's mostly about how skilled the metal fabricator is, and therefore how much practice he's had. (and also about how well the architect specified the fabrication details). If the fabricator regularly does windows, and the plans are good (i.e., meet your requirements), you should be fine. You could always ask to see examples of other windows the fabricator has done.
We had a custom steel shower enclosure with individual glass rectangular panes fabricated for our master bathroom. It is a stunning piece, for sure, but the window panes leaked almost from the moment of installation and had to be repaired a couple times. While they have been fine for a few years now, for custom windows, my suggestion would be to not leave a window job entirely to a steel fabricator – that is not their expertise. If your steel fabricator can collaborate with a reputable window company, that would likely yield a better result.
I agree with Dan. I have seen a number of times where people had windows fabricated by companies which did not specialized in windows and when they were first installed were stunning but after a few years developed leaks.
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Response by kdawgydwg99
over 9 years ago
Posts: 9
Member since: Feb 2012
hmmm…my preference would be to have the windows made separately, but the cost and turnaround time seems very high. And, my architect thinks it will be hard to get windows that fit into the space perfectly otherwise.
in terms of the work our steel fabricator is proposing, my understanding is that he would would be making large steel frames to fit exactly into the walls he is building and then install custom, measured double-glazed window panes. Basically, it would be a thin rim of steel holding in 3 glass panes approx 7'x3', as well as a door of the same size. From what I've read, the thermal properties of this set-up should be fine since it is mostly uninterrupted double-glazed glass. Am I missing something
This is fussy, dimensionally exacting stuff, so it's mostly about how skilled the metal fabricator is, and therefore how much practice he's had. (and also about how well the architect specified the fabrication details). If the fabricator regularly does windows, and the plans are good (i.e., meet your requirements), you should be fine. You could always ask to see examples of other windows the fabricator has done.
http://optimumwindow.com/
We had a custom steel shower enclosure with individual glass rectangular panes fabricated for our master bathroom. It is a stunning piece, for sure, but the window panes leaked almost from the moment of installation and had to be repaired a couple times. While they have been fine for a few years now, for custom windows, my suggestion would be to not leave a window job entirely to a steel fabricator – that is not their expertise. If your steel fabricator can collaborate with a reputable window company, that would likely yield a better result.
Dan Gotlieb
Digs Realty Group
www.digsrealtynyc.com
I agree with Dan. I have seen a number of times where people had windows fabricated by companies which did not specialized in windows and when they were first installed were stunning but after a few years developed leaks.
hmmm…my preference would be to have the windows made separately, but the cost and turnaround time seems very high. And, my architect thinks it will be hard to get windows that fit into the space perfectly otherwise.
in terms of the work our steel fabricator is proposing, my understanding is that he would would be making large steel frames to fit exactly into the walls he is building and then install custom, measured double-glazed window panes. Basically, it would be a thin rim of steel holding in 3 glass panes approx 7'x3', as well as a door of the same size. From what I've read, the thermal properties of this set-up should be fine since it is mostly uninterrupted double-glazed glass. Am I missing something