Talking Windows, Doors, Soffits and More
This past Saturday I went out on a fact finding mission to get answers to some of the questions I had regarding windows, doors, soffits, gutters and downspouts for the Oakley Home 2.0 Project. In the end I came away with a lot more information than what I had expected in more ways than one. Below is description of what I learned.
Windows: Whereas the Starter Home 2.0 Pleasant Ridge house featured white, double-hung vinyl windows, the Oakley Home 2.0 design calls for large casement windows with a dark bronze or black exterior finish. While vinyl windows are fine for double hung applications and readily available in white, they are not a great choice for casement styles, and do not come in dark bronze or black colors standard. This has lead me to look at aluminum clad wood windows and fiberglass windows from Pella, Marvin and Andersen as the most likely candidates for the window package in this project. Talking with a Pella rep, the cost and performance of the aluminum clad wood vs. the fiberglass is virtually the same, so it is really a matter of personal preference when it comes down to which one to choose. Right now I am leaning towards the fiberglass, but reserve the right to change my mind as I become more familiar with each style.
Exterior Doors: The Oakley Home 2.0 features 4 different exterior door types ranging from a flush swing door to the garage, glass swing doors to the front porch and second floor porch, a 2-panel sliding door in the basement, and 4-panel sliding door to the deck. The swing doors are going to be painted steel doors similar to what was installed in the Pleasant Ridge home, while aluminum clad wood provides the most flexibility for the sliding doors. The biggest selling point with aluminum wood clad option being the ability to incorporate 16' wide x 8' high four-panel sliding doors out to the deck (shown in the image below).at 1/3 the cost of the bi-fold doors that I had originally designed.
Soffits, Gutters and Downspouts: The final item I wanted to verify on my field trip to the various building material suppliers was that the color options available for soffits, gutters and downspouts included a 'dark bronze' option (or something similar), which is what the exterior color palette was designed around. Fortunately, 'dark bronze' along with dozens of other colors were readily available from multiple manufacturers, some of which are pictured in this sample deck.
