I imagine many of you are wondering just where in the world we’ve been for the past two months since I last posted about the tiny house.  Maybe even a few, “Have they abandoned this harebrained idea??” (Which just might be something that has also crossed – and I’m sure will again – our minds on occasion with this adventure…)

Well, we’ve continued to slug and drudge through the black box of window purchasing these many days.  If only we’d had some foresight into how the window industry works!  But, we’ve learned much since we basically started with minimal knowledge of windows and all their choices. And…………

The windows are now PURCHASED!!  Oh, hell, YEAH!  After all the frustrations we’ve had with the purchasing, we’re being very realistic with our expectations for the rest of this window-acquiring process.  Lots more steps for things to go wrong (will their delivery get delayed, will they be made to the quality we’re expecting, will any be incorrectly sized… and potential for things I can’t even think of!)

But, on the other side of this purchasing torment, we feel like we ended up getting a pretty good deal on the cost of the windows.  But, really, who the hell knows.  The window industry makes it really, really hard to assess that.  I have to admit, that does make me more nervous about the potential for hiccups…  You pay for what you get?!  Here’s hoping these days led us to a good decision…

For any of you interested in the details, we decided to go with Andersen E-series windows.  We’ve heard good things about Andersen windows and the scarcity of complaints on the internet about the company seemed a good sign.  The E-series windows are Andersen’s wood windows with aluminum cladding on the exterior.  We had a couple of recommendations for using this material for windows in a tiny house, and both Eli and I have an affinity for wood.  Although vinyl windows are the cheapest and most versatile material option for windows, Eli and I were NOT excited about the toxic process to create them, nor about having more plastic in our lives.  Also, a couple trustworthy sources felt vinyl windows wouldn’t stand up well to the rigors mobility would instill on them.  So, we’re quite happy to have been able to make the hope for wood/aluminum clad windows into a reality!

Also despite all our frustrations, we were able, in the end, to do the window purchasing through a local window shop.  I do have to say, though, Lowe’s was much more transparent than any of the window shops on options and pricing and gave us a much better idea of how decisions on each option affected the price of each window.  But – even to the chagrin of the Lowe’s clerk assisting us – the Lowe’s software still didn’t make it easy.  Ultimately, though, Lowe’s doesn’t carry Andersen, and a last attempt at a final local window shop proved fruitful.  We’re happy to have been able to support a local business.  Fingers crossed nothing goes sour with the order!