My dad and my uncle (when they were alive) owned three window/glass/mirror stores, a storm window and door factory (aluminum), and were the Andersen Window distributor for their entire state. So, did any glazing knowledge rub off on me? Who knows?
My experience was replacing all of the windows in the 3 houses I owned in the SF Bay Area from 1984 to 2002 with Andersen windows before moving in. These were all dual pane windows. The technology just kept getting better and better. My understanding with argon gas filling is that there is always some leakage. Even the best windows continue to leak over time. And how would you know if you had a seal failure and all of the argon was gone? 555, argon all gone.
Our builder in Chiang Mai used the Windsor Windows mentioned above. We went to Windsor directly to add extras to our house like screens and interior window trim, but the builder kept trying to insert themselves into the deal so we waited until the house was done (talking about negative value add).
Windsor has been fairly responsive with new items and repairs. We've only had a few minor problems with window latches and door locks.
At the time of our build we considered going with dual pane windows to reduce AC costs, noise and the smell of burning garbage. Based on some calculations and a couple of things mentioned above we decided not to install dual pane windows. The house itself seemed to be very poorly insulated and thus conducive to air and noise transfer without regard to the windows. It seemed like too much trouble to change the house construction. Also as mentioned the type of window frame has to be taken into account.
I don't particularly like PVC window frames. So, I was not enamored with the Windsor PVC windows. But for 12 years the windows have held up. Who knows how long they will last? Just closing the windows when needed takes care of the burning garbage smell. I actually like hearing roosters crowing and the occasional tokay croaking. At least we don't have a motorcycle repair shop in the neighborhood. And it still costs less to air condition our 500 m2 house in Chiang Mai than our 125 m2 condo in Las Vegas.
