Seems like there always comes a tipping point during a remodel where everything shows up at once and all the pieces start to come together. Case in point? In the past two weeks we went from torn open walls to a near complete kitchen! (Eeeeek!) This, of course means we have a lot of catching up to do. So, I thought I’d get some mini posts going, in order of arrival. First up? Windows (and a little giveaway at the bottom of the post!).
When going through the list of must-haves for our basement remodel, this was one of top necessities. In total, there are seven windows downstairs, and not a single one of them was in good shape. The one in the shower? Totally broken. The kitchen? Beautiful, but ancient. The rest? Functional, but not well installed, definitely drafty and – maybe the worst part – no screens! Being eye-level with the garden, every time we would crack a window, it would blow so much dirt in, that we rarely opted for fresh air down there. Well, that’s all about to change, thanks to these gorgeous new windows from Milgard.
The day after our drywall went up, the windows arrived, and I was so happy to see them go in! Our first experience with Milgard was in our main kitchen remodel, where we used their Ultra Series, so we knew we wanted to work with them again, for consistency and quality. This time, though, a few factors made me decide to switch things up and go with the Trinsic series instead!
First off, this series features an incredibly durable vinyl window, which is great for a basement. We didn’t want to worry about painting or staining, or the maintenance of that. Vinyl is also more affordable and highly energy efficient. Some people think that because it’s less expensive that it’s a lower quality product and that is so not the case! I can tell you that having them all installed now, we already feel the difference in energy efficiency downstairs.
Funny enough, Trinsic is touted as the most modern style, and our home is anything but. However, when I started looking at all the details, the minimalist nature of the hardware in this line really sold me on the look of this window. On top of that, the frame is thinner, which meant we were getting the most natural light possible in the space, which was a pretty big selling point for this dark basement!
Before I even started comparing the different Milgard styles, I knew I wanted awning windows for the majority of the basement. This style is hinged on top and opens outward, keeping out the rain. The window opens with a crank, and also requires latches on either side – which is a lot of hardware on one window. For that reason, the hardware style was a big factor and I love that the latches in the Trinsic series awning windows practically disappear on the side, while the crank neatly tucks away. (Sidenote – we haven’t installed the screens yet here, and I have a feeling we’ll keep them down for the winter, and pop them in in the summer when we start opening the windows again!)
For the slider – which you can see below – the idea is similar. The SmartTouch® lock, which is unique to the Trinsic Series slider window, has a squared-off profile that blends into the frame. You can also see what I mean about the basement basically meeting up with the yard! Ha! We opted for sliders in a couple spots where the ‘view’ doesn’t matter as much as they are a bit easier to operate and open, so we put one here – in the storage area – and one in the bathroom as well.
Ready for a quick before & after!? (Or maybe it’s a how it started / how it’s going!?). Here’s a reminder of the sweet, but falling apart basement kitchen as it was this summer…
And here’s where it’s at now! As you can tell, we’ve had some dark, rainy days here so it’s been a bit hard to get photos, but the progress has been amazing!! I already can’t wait to use these windows more this summer – we will have alllllll of them flung open, happily getting some fresh air downstairs!
I hope you learned a little something today about the window selection process! If you did, please leave a comment below for a chance to win a $50 Visa Giftcard from Milgard!! (Contest ends 12/24/20!) Tis the season for giving and they wanted to give a little something back to you all as a thank you for sitting through my window Ted Talk – ha. And if you have any questions for me about our windows, ask away!!
