Window Trends: Your Guide to the 7 Product Lines of Milgard Windows and Doors

Window Trends: Your Guide to the 7 Product Lines of Milgard Windows and Doors

December 29, 2018
By:
Martin Whitmore, President of US Window & Door
Milgard Windows & Doors

Replacing the windows in your home can seem like a huge task.

How do you choose between different materials, finishes, and insulation styles?

Milgard is a highly regarded manufacturer of premium windows and glass doors.

Let’s go through their product lines and learn more about Milgard windows and compare windows in each of their product categories.

1. Tuscany Series

The Tuscany series is made using a specialized vinyl formula to provide the appearance of traditional wood windows and sliding doors with the longevity of synthetics. It includes their patented smart touch locking system.

Milgard controls the manufacturing process all the way from vinyl formulation to frame extrusion. Every step along the way they implement high levels of quality control and precision manufacturing. They come with a lifetime warranty for defects that covers both parts and labor for the original homeowner.

The Tuscany is available in 11 different frame colors and numerous window and door styles. The paint is specially formulated to allow UV rays to pass right through it, preserving your windows appearance much longer than with traditional paints.

2. Montecito Series

The Montecito series was designed by Milgard for new home construction. They aren’t recommended as replacement windows or doors, for that Milgard instead recommends their Tuscany series.

Both series are considered higher end by Milgard but have different use cases. The Montecito series is also available in numerous color and window styles. You can get everything from bay windows to standard single and double hung.

Like the Tuscany, the Montecito comes in a variety of energy efficiency levels. Milgard wants to ensure that their windows will meet even the most stringent of new home building codes.

3. Milgard Windows Style Line Series

The Style Line series is a high-quality and affordable window and sliding door line from Milgard. It lacks some of the premium touches of their Tuscany and Montecito series but still provides you with very high-quality windows.

Style Line windows have slimmer frames than more expensive vinyl windows. This reduces your cost but also increases the amount of light admitted into your home. Many people prefer the slimline appearance of the Style Line to the thicker, more traditional design of Milgard’s upper-end windows.

The Style Line series is available in eight different colors and six different window styles. They also offer an energy package upgrade that includes multi-pane window glass to better meet Energy Star standards.

4. Ultra Series

The Ultra series is one of Milgard’s highest quality window and door lines. It uses extremely durable fiberglass framing for the entirety of the supporting surface.

Fiberglass is widely regarded as one of the best materials for window and door frames. It reduces water, sun, and weather damage much better than wood and provides better insulation than most vinyl windows.

The Ultra windows and doors use frames made entirely of fiberglass and designed to expand and contract with the panes inside them. This prevents seal damage common in cheaper windows. With the addition of multi-pane window glass, you create a better environmental seal at your windows and doors. This helps lower your heating and cooling costs throughout the year.

6. Aluminum Series

Aluminum is another material being used to replace older wood windows and in new construction. It’s completely non-corrosive and typically outlasts traditional wood windows.

Aluminum is one of the lightest and strongest building materials available. Aluminum window frames can be extremely thin, allowing for vanishingly small interruptions to your sightline. Most people love the striking appearance of properly machined aluminum.

The only downside to aluminum windows is their high thermal conductivity. Simply put they don’t insulate as well as fiberglass, wood, or vinyl window frames. This effect can be reduced by adding thermal barriers in the frames but they still can’t compare to true insulative windows.

If you live in a climate with colder than usual winters you probably shouldn’t go with aluminum windows.

7. Moving Glass Wall / Quiet Line Series

The last Milgard windows and doors line is slightly different for each category. For windows, they have the Quiet Line series while for doors they have the beautiful Moving Glass Wall series.

Quiet Line Series

The Quiet Line is the top of the line offering in windows from Milgard. They use triple pane glass to provide the best insulation and sound blocking available. They’re great if you live on a busy street, near an airport, or just enjoy the silence of your home.

Each pane also has a special noise-reducing glaze applied to further limit noise transmission. For extremely loud environments you can even get laminated options to further reduce outside noise.

Moving Glass Wall

If you’ve ever dreamed of opening up your home to the outside the Moving Glass Wall system is for you. This premium offering allows you to replace an entire exterior wall of your room with a sliding door system.

This allows you to seamlessly open up your home to the beauty of nature whenever you like. Milgard offers several different materials, colors, and opening styles for their moving glass walls.

Make Your Windows Work for You

Choosing what kind of Milgard windows to install in your home shouldn’t feel like a chore. Spend a little while figuring out what features you’re looking for then find the product that best matches them in your budget.

Don’t be afraid to start comparing Milgard windows pricing, you can get a free estimate for each of their lines here.