Acrylic Blocks

[Eric]

Anyone have any experience w/, or know anything about the products sold by the company below?

http://www.hy-lite.com/

http://www.hy-lite.com/images/acc-nc/optionsImg2.jpg

[dhill]

Not sure about that particular company, Eric. I'm thinking, and I may be waaaay off, that's the same product sold by Lowes. Anyway, I checked on doing some block windows, particularly for the bath room, and man, let me say, that stuff gets expensive very quickly.

[Eric]

I'll have to check out Lowes... are you saying that this product can get expensive, or the real glass blocks?

[bkrahmer]

I looked at that product, and it does get extremely expensive. In addition, they don't work well for small windows. I thought I would be able to get a 2x3 6" block configuration in a 16x22 RO. Nope. Suprised the hell out of me to find that they can't fit 12x18" worth of blocks in 16x22".

[dhill]

Yeah, the block windows get expensive. They also get time consuming. Each block has to be mortared into a track and between each. By the time you buy all the materials needed and figure your labor, well, it adds up. They make nice windows, though.

[bkrahmer]

dhill, you are talking something totally different. We are talking Hy-lite pre-fab windows.

If you really want block, then getting the blocks and doing them yourself will save you a lot of $$.

[dhill]

Yes, I am talking building them. That gets expensive, too. I have seen the prefabs also. They are sure nice windows, but as you've said, very expensive.

[Eric]

So, it appears to be cheaper to use the real blocks.... any estimates on how much it would be to do a 3'x8' area?

[bayoudonnie]

So, it appears to be cheaper to use the real blocks.... any estimates on how much it would be to do a 3'x8' area?

I just priced a 4' X 4' bathroom block window at Lowes for $298.00

[bkrahmer]

I just priced a 4' X 4' bathroom block window at Lowes for $298.00

That's $65 worth of block from mcgillswarehouse.com...

[bayoudonnie]

That's $65 worth of block from mcgillswarehouse.com...[/quote]

bk, I'm no brick mason. According to the instructions you wedge it into place, grout around the outside of the window, wait till it starts to set up, pull the wedges out and fill in voids, then finish tooling the joint. That sounds fairly straight forward and I won't have to wait two to three weeks to get a brick mason on the job. It also has to do with the fact that the 2nd construction draw comes after the house is blacked in and all exterior doors and windows have been installed.

[bkrahmer]

Donnie, I'm not criticising your choices. I thought we were still debating prices. :)

I still don't get why they are so freaking expensive. I think I was quoted close to $600 for a Hy-Lite brand 4'0x4'0 window.

Good luck

[bayoudonnie]

bk, I am finding out that everything is higher in price since my last build. The aggravating thing about it is the appraisors don't figure in the 20% increase in materials in their numbers. According to my framer, they come as a completely framed unit with low-E insulation. I look at it as $289.00 to fill a hole with a really nice looking alternative. More than I would normally price a window out, but in a higher end spec home, eye candy for the potential buyer to lean towards my home.