Double Glazing 2015: MetroGlass/RetroDG

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wasabi2k

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#177544 6-Aug-2015 11:24

Hi All,
Had a quick look - looks like the last double glazing thread was 2 years ago.

We recently got a quote from Metro Glass (http://www.retrodg.co.nz/) which ended up being a lot more affordable than expected (under 12k for the whole house).

We're mainly looking at it for thermal reasons, sound stuff would be a bonus.

Has anyone had any experience with Metro Glass and/or recommend alternatives?

Thanks.

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2078 posts

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#1359918 6-Aug-2015 11:38

Good to hear the price has come down.

Are you double glazing wooden or aluminium joinery?

lokhor

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#1359923 6-Aug-2015 11:40

How large is your house and how many windows were you quoted for?

All comments are my own opinion, and not that of my employer unless explicitly stated.

meesham

973 posts

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#1359933 6-Aug-2015 12:09

I've had a couple done through Thermawood, I have a 1920s bungalow with wooden joinery. They look really good and the installers (in Dunedin) were very professional. A couple of the windows are leadlights which cost a bit more, they basically cleaned up the lead and glass and put it between two new sheets of glass and sealed it up.

I haven't got the dimensions on me but the prices were:
Bathroom windows with older style frosted glass, standard frosted was about $60 cheaper - $784 (plus $62 for Low E glass and $36 for Argon)
Front door and sidelight (both leadlight windows, the sidelight is quite large) - $862 (plus $65 for Low E glass)

Krishant007

1403 posts

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#1359969 6-Aug-2015 13:22

Where are you based? I assume that the aluminum frames are better for heat retention than the wooden ones. I was looking at getting some quotes for getting double glazing done at my place (a 1960s brick and tile with wooden windows). I have quite a lot of windows at home and there is definite heat loss due to that.

bfginger

1268 posts

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#1359992 6-Aug-2015 13:32

Old aluminium joinery is often poor quality, insecure, some way through its useful life and could have hidden leaks. Aluminium joinery without a thermal break acts like a heat sink and undermines the benefit of double glazed glass.

Wood is thermally good but old wooden windows can lack seals which allows wind through. Seals can sometimes be retrofitted to old wooden windows.

The type of glass makes a big difference to heat retention and solar gain. Was the quote for their Low E Xcel glass? If the quote was for low E glass did it include technical specifications? Argon gas? There are different kinds of low E glass with different qualities.

Special sound block glazing with an interlayer can block far more sound than standard glass if you want to keep out the road noise.

wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1359993 6-Aug-2015 13:32

We're in Auckland - Aluminium Joinery - house build in the 80s

42 IGUs - 13 Areas -

3 bedrooms
nursery
lounge (most expensive as one wall is windows + ranch slider - $3k on its own)
dining
stairwell
bathroom * 3
laundry
kitchen

Prices are 11,300 ish for cheapest, 13,189 for better (Climaguard), 14,144 for best (Climaguard + Argon)

kiwitrc

4123 posts

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#1359999 6-Aug-2015 13:44

Got my house done using Metro a few years ago. No problems at all.

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timmmay

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#1360000 6-Aug-2015 13:47

That's a fairly fantastic price. My quotes from a few years ago were significantly higher. Thermalframe for example.

Look into PVC options, it's been the standard in cold countries (UK) for years. Aluminium's only advantage is color selection.

I just had PVC French doors done, and a single door, cost was around $6K. I didn't bother with argon/low E glass, overall it makes a small difference to effectiveness compared with the other sources of heat loss, and it adds to the cost. For me removing draughts was a huge win - my doors didn't seal.

afe66

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#1360007 6-Aug-2015 13:54

We used the Thermawood Dunedin guys too in our 1920 Villa to retrofit several wooden windows.

They did the three windows round the front door (and replaced the door) and the three windows around the back door (and the back door) which are on either end of our main hall which has a heat pump in it.
Plus 4 windows in the bathroom and a slash window in the on suite (all on south side)

Overall professional, cleaned up well, one day they didnt turn up was when it snowed which was understandable but would have liked a phone call to say not coming.

They also suggested building a ledge around the outside of the door frame where the door meets the frame as an additional draft stopper which work very well.

All in all, we are very happy with the end result and it was changed the house significantly in that we used to keep the bathroom door closed and being on the south side of the house it was freezing and heating the hall way didnt work as well as it should because heat loss from the front and back doors.
Now when we heat our hall way it stays very warm and transfers the heat well into the adjacent rooms and we can keep the bathroom door open so bath time more comfortable in that we dont need to run the heater in the bathroom to warm it up before showering etc.

All in all, very happy and will be using them again when we look at putting in some more windows next year.

A.

wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1360056 6-Aug-2015 15:17

timmmay:
I just had PVC French doors done, and a single door, cost was around $6K. I didn't bother with argon/low E glass, overall it makes a small difference to effectiveness compared with the other sources of heat loss, and it adds to the cost. For me removing draughts was a huge win - my doors didn't seal.

Their numbers reckon standard = 54% heat loss reduction, super fancy argon + magic = 74%.

Obviously they are marketing numbers but might just do it anyway for the sake of 2k.

Stu

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#1360103 6-Aug-2015 16:08

They were at a home show in Auckland a couple of weeks back. Still haven't heard from them in regards to a quote. Must be busy.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1360111 6-Aug-2015 16:15

Stu: They were at a home show in Auckland a couple of weeks back. Still haven't heard from them in regards to a quote. Must be busy.

The lady told us one of their people left suddenly and they are super busy.

Stu

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#1360118 6-Aug-2015 16:19

We spoke to a guy, and he didn't seem to want to be there. Filled out the form and left him to his boredom.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? If so, please consider supporting us by subscribing.

No matter where you go, there you are.

wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1360123 6-Aug-2015 16:24

Stu: We spoke to a guy, and he didn't seem to want to be there. Filled out the form and left him to his boredom.

That sucks - pretty sure my wife just enquired on the website, they rang the next day and came out a week or so later.

mattwnz

20164 posts

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#1360128 6-Aug-2015 16:28

bfginger: Old aluminium joinery is often poor quality, insecure, some way through its useful life and could have hidden leaks. Aluminium joinery without a thermal break acts like a heat sink and undermines the benefit of double glazed glass.

Wood is thermally good but old wooden windows can lack seals which allows wind through. Seals can sometimes be retrofitted to old wooden windows.

The type of glass makes a big difference to heat retention and solar gain. Was the quote for their Low E Xcel glass? If the quote was for low E glass did it include technical specifications? Argon gas? There are different kinds of low E glass with different qualities.

Special sound block glazing with an interlayer can block far more sound than standard glass if you want to keep out the road noise.

Even with double galzing, there is a huge loss of heat through windows. Not sure if low E is worth the extra on a cost benefit basis.

Timber windows are great if well maintained. They are well sealed if the putty is kept in good condition and replaced when needed.
It is a DIY type job. If the window leaks then it usually needs reputtying.

The downside of double glazzing units, is that they have a limited life. I believe around 25 years is the normal life before the seal in them goes, so getting them replaced is an expensive exercise. Whereas normal glass in windows should last forever.

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