I'm shopping for windows for my vacation cottage. It's a log home with siding on the outside & logs inside so naturally my 1st choice was to use clad windows with finished pine interior & whatever-clad exterior. But now I've read so many complaints of windows rotting from the inside out from water getting trapped beneath the cladding I don't think I can trust them. This is a lake cottage so wind & water is a concern, along with brutal upper Michigan winters.

What to do?

I'm leaning towards double-hung, if that makes any difference in the decision.

 

I've seen the problem with several different brands of aluminum clad windows. I've never seen it with a quality vinyl clad window like Andersen (for example).

I will have to say....If they can possibly be used....casements might be a better choice. The harder the wind blows at them...the tighter they seal. They also give a better view. It's what we always recommended back in VA for the folks that lived on the Bay. Easier to make them meet wind code (if required) as well.

 

I sort of prefer casement for the view & full airflow but I thought in a breezy place they might rattle a lot being pushed on by the wind when they are open. There's a lot of play in the crank mechanism.
There's also the likelihood of them being left open when a storm rolls in & then the INside of the window would get rained on.

As for cladding if aluminum is the issue--what about fiberglass clad? The first window I found that I liked was the Crestline "Acclaim". Looked to be really well made, where the Jeld-Wen aluminum-clad actually had gaps in the aluminum where you could see the bare pine beneath.
Anderson definitely gives the same impression of quality but at a higher price.
I'm not trying to go cheap on these--but I do want the best bang for the buck in a good-looking long-lasting window that looks at home in a log cabin (which for me rules out all-vinyl windows).

 

I'll have to agree with Vic on Vinyl windows. They are sealed far superior to any aluminum clad window, and casements would be my choice, too. As far as leaving them open during a storm, no one can control that, but you. You would have the same problem with a double hung left open, so no argument there.
A lot is going to depend on proper flashing of the window and exterior sealing against your siding. If the water can't get in, it can't rot from the inside out. Vinyl windows can be purchased in colors so they don't clash with different decors. I thought you said it had siding on the outside. Can you post a couple of pix of the exterior of the house with one of the windows so we can actually see what you are seeing? http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html

 

Maybe I'm not being clear on what people are complaining about. They say water gets behind the cladding on the sash and rots the raw pine beneath. Nothing to do with installation, flashing, etc as that would affect the frame integrity. I'm unclear if there's any difference in what clads the exterior--there seem to be just as many complaints with aluminum as vinyl. Fiberglas might be faring better but that might just be because it's newer.

To respond to the rain comment--Everyone gets caught now & then leaving your windows open when a rain comes, right? When you're house is on the water, don't have AC, and are out on the lake or on a trail it just happens more often or for longer. An open casement window is way more exposed to rain than a double-hung window. About the worst that will happen with a DH window is your sill gets wet but with a casement the entire window is open out there in the rain. Does it hurt anything? IDK, but it sure can't be good.

 

I've seen the window cut-aways at home centers and it appears the cladding is slid in place or snapped on to the pine pieces. Can anyone tell me if there's any sealant used to keep water from migrating from the cladding into the wood? I'll have to look much closer in the future to see if there are drip edges extruded into the cladding or if they're a smooth wrap-around cover. Also it makes sense to me that vinyl and fiberglass cladding would be fused or glued in the miters. Aluminum--certainly it's not welded

 

As I remember....yes..aluminum is pretty much like you describe. The wood is pressed into the extruded aluminum and then cut to size and shape...joints receive a high tech caulk of some sort as well as mechanical fasteners.

Also as I remember some of the vinyl windows have the vinyl vacuum sealed to the wood and joints welded or sealed. It's really dependent on the manufacturer.

Have you considered all vinyl windows with a laminated wood look interior? They do have them.

Also...Andersen windows use something called Fibrex (or at least they used to) in some of their windows which is basically a composite wood/resin product that is impervious to rot. Not sure if it can be stained or not though.

 

I've seen some doorwalls made like this and the "wood" looks like formica. Ugh. I would consider it if any manufacturer had a realistic-looking interior face. I'm really committed to a traditional look on the inside of this exposed-log cottage while going for low-maintenance on the exterior.

 

Fiberglass windows
Marvin Integrity - choices of wood interior or fully fiberglass interior/exterior
Andersen Fibrex line

with either of those window makes or similar, you can have a rot-resistant durable quality looking window and without the cheap appearance of vinyl (i have 3 vinyl casement windows i installed and just want to tear them out b/c they're so ugly).

easy to install, fiberglass doesn't rot, there is no cladding, fibrex is extremely durable, lots of color choices, prices aren't that tough either as long you go with standard sizing, etc.

regardless of what window you do install, you don't want the rough opening wood to rot, so whoever is installing the window must use the specialty sealing products and sealing tape and flashing at the top to ensure the wood framing and sheathing stay dry.