ᐅ Who has experience with aluminum windows in single-family homes?

Hello everyone,

Since I know there are experienced homebuilders here who have probably dealt with the window question before – and even a former window manufacturer ([USER=32750]@11ant) – I have a question:
Who has installed aluminum windows in a single-family house? What are your experiences with them? Or who has deliberately decided against them, and why?
We currently have offers for aluminum windows and wood-aluminum windows. The prices are not that far apart.
We want the aluminum windows on the ground floor because we have large lift-and-slide doors and fixed glass elements there, and we want slim profiles. However, in the children’s rooms and bedrooms, there is some concern about a “office-like atmosphere.”
So our decision is purely based on assumptions/feelings, and I would appreciate opinions and experiences from the forum members.
Thanks, GD

Hello,
for us, the decision against aluminum in wood-aluminum windows was based not only on price but also on flexibility.

Other than one well-known local manufacturer, there were only full-aluminum profiles available from Eastern Europe. The aluminum color had to be the same inside and outside. Since we wanted quartz gray on the exterior and a lighter shade inside, this was a major factor.

Additionally, our subcontractors often only supply the Eastern profiles as just the basic window unit—no fall protection, insect screens, blinds, or other accessories. We wanted everything from one source, and in the Stuttgart area, there are only two larger Austrian manufacturers.
One was unaffordable (for us), so the choice was quite clear for wood-aluminum from Austria. I’m also a fan of full-aluminum when it fits the house design and you can effectively use the strengths of this profile system.

However, I would not mix the two.
It is noticeable.

Attached are impressions of our wood-aluminum windows in the living room. We wouldn’t have liked the darker tone inside here.

@Malunga - looks really good!!!
I also considered this Austrian manufacturer – but the general contractor and their window installer were completely against it, so there was no point insisting.
Both aluminum and wood-aluminum options are now from manufacturers or profile suppliers that I can comfortably work with.

Thanks for sharing your impressions on the topic!
GD

Malunga schrieb:


I wouldn’t mix them, though.
You can tell.

Yes, mixing... we are also considering that. The full aluminum frames are flush on the outside. The wood-aluminum frames come in different profiles, including flush exterior options. Mixing would only be considered by floor.

The advantage would be having the style we like on each floor. What do you think about mixing like this? It doesn’t feel quite right. Would that be considered poor workmanship?
GD

We have PVC-aluminum windows. We first bought them from fensterversand.com (based in Stuttgart) in 2017 and the last ones at the end of 2022. We are completely satisfied with them. You can configure almost everything and always see the price immediately. Delivery was always fine, and the timing was also reliable. In 2023, we also purchased an aluminum front door from them. For this, we had to wait a bit longer than originally agreed. The windows are still in excellent condition after 6 years, with no fading or wear. I can only recommend them. We installed them ourselves.

Gerddieter schrieb:

We have now received offers for aluminum windows and wood-aluminum windows. The prices are not very far apart.

I’m happy to take a look at those. Wood-aluminum should be noticeably more expensive than pure aluminum, otherwise it’s hard to see much value in it.

Gerddieter schrieb:

I also considered this Austrian manufacturer – but the general contractor (GC) and their window installer were completely against it – so insisting on that wouldn’t have made sense.
Both the aluminum and wood-aluminum options now come from manufacturers or profile suppliers I can live with very well.

Oh, so you’re building with a GC now, and they have manufacturers for both materials in their portfolio?

Gerddieter schrieb:

Yes, mixing… we’re thinking about that too. The full aluminum windows are flush-mounted on the outside. The wood-aluminum ones come in various profiles, including some flush-mounted on the outside. Mixing would only be considered per floor.
This would have the advantage that on each floor we’d have what we like. What do you think about mixing? It doesn’t really feel right. Is that more of a botched job?

Mixing is for me not only not a botched job but actually the best approach. Personally, for an owner-occupied home I’d prefer aluminum so strongly that I’d basically choose it for all units, but on the other hand I consider it a luxury in guest bathrooms and other secondary rooms. In my own home, there is even PVC in some places. As you know, I usually recommend to my clients to use aluminum only for the main street-facing elements, both for owner-occupied homes and for developer or rental projects.

Gerddieter schrieb:

We want the aluminum on the ground floor because we have large lift-and-slide doors and fixed glazing there, and we want slim profiles.

Specifically slim-designed aluminum profiles for fixed elements do not really exist, because the slim sightlines are designed for elements with opening sashes. For lift-and-slide doors, I definitely recommend aluminum, but not with slim profiles – quality lift-and-slide systems with slim profiles are priced in the range targeted at @hampshire / @rick2018.

Gerddieter schrieb:

However, in the children’s rooms and bedrooms there is a bit of concern about the “office feel.”

That’s completely unfounded, and by the way, aluminum can also be foil-laminated, including popular wood finishes (not cheap knockoffs!).

Malunga schrieb:

Apart from one large reputable manufacturer in the area, all full-aluminum came from Eastern Europe. The color of the aluminum had to be the same inside and out.

That’s exactly the point with aluminum: you can have different colors inside and outside without any additional manufacturing effort. Reliable, affordable aluminum comes from the Benelux countries; the common reflex to look to Eastern Europe for price reasons is nonsense.

Winniefred schrieb:

We have PVC-aluminum.

That’s also a worthwhile alternative if pure aluminum is too expensive.

I generally recommend searching the forum with the keywords “wood-aluminum” or “wood/aluminum” combined with the option “written by: 11ant”: that way you’ll find most of my posts where I’ve discussed window material choices. You will regularly encounter my statement that pure aluminum is about 20% more expensive than PVC on the price list (so index 120 vs 100), and that quality wood-aluminum prices are never below pure aluminum, while PVC discount prices are significantly lower. With reliable aluminum there is no discount. As a result, pure aluminum versus PVC pricing is about 120 to 70 – which, I guess, explains why many customers find the otherwise inferior PVC alternative so hard to resist. For the same reason, my pragmatic recommendation is “street-facing elements in aluminum, and the rest with my blessing in economy versions.”

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