Meet Home Guard Windows & Doors
Founded in 1983 by the Barbieri family, Home Guard Industries has made Grabil Indiana their home. Nestled on Main Street in the heart of Amish country they’ve chosen to serve as a “boutique” window and door manufacturer emphasizing quality, service, and innovation. This a sentiment that’s right at home amongst the small town’s 900 residents, many of whom have spent their working careers bringing their rural craftsmanship to bear at Home Guard’s state-of-the-art 170,000 square-foot facility. Debt-free and still family-owned, Brian Barbieri assumed the role of President in 1994 and has continued to manage the business with the values instilled in him by his father.
In addition to its two lines of vinyl windows (Innovations & Home Star), Home Guard also manufactures steel and fiberglass entry and vinyl patio doors. This article will focus on their flagship vinyl window, the Innovations line.
Home Guard Innovations Line of Windows
The Innovations line is Home Guard Windows’ top-of-the-line vinyl window offering and is loaded with features and (you guessed it) innovations. For starters, the vinyl extrusions are UPVC instead of the typical PVC used in most vinyl windows. The “U” is for unplasticized and produces a more rigid, durable vinyl extrusion.
The primary benefits of UPVC are:
- Less porous surface significantly reduces maintenance
- High energy efficiency
- Increased lifespan to last decades
- Rigid and does not flex
- High impact resistance
- Bright white frame and will maintain its color over time
Window Configurations
The first thing to know about a line of windows and whether or not it will meet your needs is the configurations (or types) it’s available in. If you’ve got your heart set on casements and that’s not an option then it’s best to know right up front. The Home Guard Innovations can be found in the following:
- Double-Hung
- Slider
- Picture
- Casement
- Awning
For a detailed breakdown check out this post.
Home Guard Innovations Styling
Aesthetically the Innovations line feels very traditional with its subtle molding profile but it’s demure enough to fit in with most architectural designs. The line comes in three extruded colors; White, Desert Tan, and Clay. Additional colors are applied using a laminated film, bonded to the vinyl, giving you the option of getting creative and making a statement with your windows. There are also four laminated wood-look options if that’s your preference.
Glass Specifications
There are well over 1,000 window makers in the U.S. but only a handful of companies make glass. Of those, Cardinal Glass has long been the industry leader in quality. When you get a Cardinal IGU (insulated glass unit) you know that you’re getting the best glass when it comes to clarity and defects. As well as quality low-e coatings, argon gas, and seals for efficiency. Home Guard offers double and triple glazing, depending on the climate.
Home Guard will also build windows with laminated safety glass, as an option, for those who have security concerns and need the peace of mind that comes with security glass.
Rounding out the glass options are blinds between the glass, which is exceedingly rare in the window industry, and offset glass for superior sound reduction is also available. Last, but not least, is the option of adding a Neat Glass coating which produces a window that practically cleans itself.
A more detailed breakdown of the glass options can be found on the Home Guard website. Just click the “Glass” button you’ll find here.
Grid Options
As with most window makers grids between the glass (GBGs) are available in multiple configurations but Home Guard Windows also offers Simulated Divided Lites or SDLs. SDLs are mounted on the surface of the glass giving a much more realistic appearance than the GBGs. The SDLs are available in any of their custom colors.
Flex Screen
In staying true to the namesake of the line, Innovations makes use of the FlexScreen, an innovative rethinking of the window screen. Featured on Shark Tank the FlexScreen makes use of a spring steel frame to produce a screen that is easy to remove and install as well as is far more durable than conventional screens which are notoriously fragile. Anyone who’s ever handled a flimsy window screen knows that it doesn’t take much at all to kink and ruin one.
Integrated Tilt Mechanism
Whereas most tilting windows have an additional piece of hardware to release the catches and tilt the sash; the Home Guard Innovations makes use of a piece of hardware that both functions as the sash lock and has a catch mechanism built into the head rail of the sash. This hidden hardware results in a clean-looking interior finish that you’re sure to love.
Innergy™ Bar Reinforcement
While there are many ways of adding reinforcement to the meeting rail (the section where the two sashes meet are locked together). Some companies use steel or aluminum, which sounds great and it is strong but metals also conduct heat through the window easily. If your goal is to create an energy-efficient window (and it should be!) then there are better materials out there.
Some will choose to use a composite material that gives you the strength you want without compromising thermal performance. Home Guard takes this one step further with their Innergy™ reinforcement. Innergy™ has the strength of composite but it’s soy-based. In addition to being 700% stronger than aluminum, it’s green as well.
Weather Stripping
Home Guard Windows are not just beautiful, they’ve taken great measures to make their windows energy-efficient and the weather stripping is built to perform. The sash edges feature triple weather stripping and the sash rests on top of a flexible Q-Lon bulb seal AND a Magna-Tite™ strip. Much like the door on your refrigerator (which is the best door seal in your home) the Magna-Tite™ strip is magnetically attached to a strip in the frame of the seal.
Features like these give Home Guard Windows some of the best air infiltration ratings in the industry. When you put a Home Guard window in your home you know you’ve got something that is going to make your home more energy-efficient.
Warranty
Home Guard Windows stands behind its products and it shows in Lifetime Transferable Warranty; which includes accidental glass breakage!
Your Window Project
If you’d like some help with your window project we’d be more than happy to assist you in any way that we can. Just visit TheWindowExperts.com and we’ll do our best to connect you with a window company in your area.
