Mission Statement
We believe our first responsibility must be to the builders, remodelers, homeowners, and all others who purchase our products and service. Our products must always be of the highest quality. We must constantly strive to seek better methods to produce better products. Our orders must be promptly, courteously, and accurately filled. Our service must be promptly, courteously, and accurately performed.
Secondly, we are responsible to those we employ, the men and women in our plants and offices. We must strive to give them just management, fair wages, reasonable hours, clean and safe working conditions. Each person is considered an individual and encouraged to make contributions to the short and long term good of the vinyl replacement windows company.
Our third responsibility is to the communities in which we live and work. We must be good citizens and support good works. We must preserve our environment.
Atria's fourth responsibility is to development. We must create a vision for future growth into new products, new marketing and new ideas. Our company family depends on us to continue building a profitable and secure working environment.
Company History
Atria Building Products was founded in January of 1981. The company began selling windows and doors to builders and remodelers and supplying interior magnetic storm windows to homeowners in Central Ohio. In 1986, Atria opened a facility in Gahanna, OH and began producing insulated glass units in 1987. Atria started fabricating windows and by 1992 were manufacturing the TechLine 1000 & 2000, VinylTech 2000 and TechClad 2000. A 40,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Millersport, OH was then acquired. In 1995 the company began production of the TechClad 3000 wood/clad windows featuring a unique design with a poplar interior with an aluminum exterior. In 1998 Atria created a pre-hung door division, combining quality doors and hardware with state of the art "maintenance free" frames. In 2001 the company headquarters and manufacturing plant were combined into a 95,000 square foot facility in Johnstown, OH.
Today, Atria supplies several major home builders in the Central Ohio area, as well as dealers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Atria windows have been furnished to new homes, condominiums, apartment complexes and remodeling projects throughout the Midwest and to locations as far away as Russia. Atria will continually strive to supply quality products with outstanding customer service.
The Window Doctor is Dave Gerhardt, president
of Atria Building Products, Inc. Dave has over 30 years of window experience, including design and manufacturing; installation, service and sales.
He has window patents in the U.S. and Canada.
Energy Savings
It is hard to compete with the marketing of national window companies, who can take their negative features, and with a few mega-bucks, turn them into selling features. For Example:
Due to national distribution, they successfully lobbied EnergyStar® to approve one type of LowE glass for all regions in the U.S. This “One size fits all” approach enables them to provide the same window to customers in Phoenix, AZ as they provide to customers in Minneapolis, MN. A huge cost savings for the big guys, but it is not wise energy conservation for the Northern regions, nor for our planet. The extra tint (low solar heat gain) that is required to stop the sun’s heat in the south also blocks the sun’s warmth during the longer heating season in the North. This has resulted in a costly injustice to those homeowners in the northern regions. However, successful (and even deceptive) marketing, promotes the solar blockage for summer’s heat, along with “U” values and bypasses the effects of total energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions when compared to a medium or low solar gain.
An independent study, “Determining the Effects of Passive Solar Heating on Whole-House Energy Consumption,” Final Report; November, 2007; addresses the effects of passive solar heating on whole-house energy consumption. (www.enermodal.com).
The study found that in the northern climates, low solar gain products underperformed as compared to all others. Another way to explain it is that windows sold to Northern homeowners with southern energy glass, will actually cost the homeowners more in annual energy dollars than generic clear insulated glass. According to a recent article on “The History Channel,” Our Sun creates more energy on the earth’s surface in one hour than mankind uses in one year. Why block this natural heat source and replace it with man made energy?
I am not advocating clear insulated glass for any part of the country, unless tri-paned. Low E coatings add to the comfort level and help reduce or eliminate condensation. However, common sense says that darkening the coatings to block earth’s natural heat source is not the best solution in colder climates, and it is not backed by solid regional energy consumption data. Therefore, the best formula for the colder climates is Low E glass with a low U-Value and a high Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). In the summer, additional savings can be obtained by simply pulling blinds or shades.
Next article: Why vinyl is final. Why mechanically fastened windows are a long-term risk to leak and cause mold inside the house cavities.
Vinyl is Final
You do not see too many fully welded, solid vinyl windows being replaced, but there are a lot of windows with wood, aluminum, aluminum clad wood, and vinyl frames with wood sashes being replaced. It is unfortunate that many of these windows are less than 15 years old. The best way to understand the difference from all welded vinyl windows, and all the others, is to divide them into two categories:
- Fully welded windows which must include all corners of the frame and sashes
- Mechanically fastened windows, including fiberglass, aluminum, wood, aluminum clad wood, and welded frames with mechanically fastened wood sashes
Builders, remodelers and replacement contractors that have installed fully welded windows generally do not want to revert back to mechanically fastened products. Here are the reasons:
- Fully welded vinyl windows:
- All corners of the frame and sashes are factory fused together creating one part. The strength at each corner is the strongest part of the entire window.
- These corners are permanently welded into 90 degree angles, assuring that the window is manufactured and delivered square.
- Welded windows with integral nail fins are easier to install square and plumb
- Welded corners cannot leak. This includes water, air, dirt, etc.
- Welded corners do not separate over time due to settlement, or expansion/contraction of materials.
- Welded products are easier to manufacture. This one is more important than it first sounds. Welded products are manufactured with computerized welding equipment that minimize human error. That improves quality and consistency of window frames as well as producing savings in the window price to the final user.
- Vinyl is tough. Vinyl has proven itself in hurricane climates; vinyl is chambered (not hollow) to add strength and insulation value.
- Mechanically fastened windows:
- The corners can separate over time. Each corner is two separate contracting parts held together by nails or staples. Some of the old craftsmen used glue and screws, but I’m not aware of any of today’s windows that are glued and screwed at all corners, if at any. This includes fiberglass products.
- Water will penetrate the slightest crack
- Water that enters through cracks in the corner of a window will continue below the window and into the wall cavity behind your drywall.
- Dampness and water in the wall cavity will cause rotted wood (studs and window frames), and will rot under-layment in floors; and it will cause mold.
- Mechanically fastened windows are easy to rack and tougher to install square and plumb.
These are only the short lists of advantages and disadvantages of the two types of windows. Fully welded vinyl windows with wood interiors are also available by some manufacturers and offer the best of both worlds – welded vinyl frame and sash outside, and wood inside.
A good rule of thumb is: If you want to buy a boat - go fiberglass; a violin - wood; a ladder- aluminum; windows – vinyl, it’s final
