Specialty Products

Our Specialty Products

Go beyond vinyl with wood or fiberglass windows. Ensure privacy with acrylic block…or clear your view with retractable window screens. Whatever your niche, GEM can help you fill it.

Fiberglass

“Fiberglass windows offer the best performance…bar none.”

If your goals are superior comfort, low maintenance and small environmental footprint, fiberglass windows are your best choice.

Fiberglass windows have superior strength, conduct very little heat and cold, consume less energy in the manufacturing process than vinyl windows and expand and contract at the same rate as glass, minimizing wear and tear on window seals.

GEM carries Inline fiberglass windows—a world leader in the development, design and application of fiberglass pultrusion technology. Inline windows have been used in zero energy homes, LEED buildings and environmental demonstration projects. The sophisticated, streamlined appearance of the windows will get noticed.

Pair Inline fiberglass windows with GEM’s leading edge Window Wise installation techniques and you’ll see green.

Wood

“The warmth of wood sets a home apart from the rest.”

There’s something about a wood window that warms the heart. It feels authentic and special–which is why it’s the choice for custom homes and high end renovations.

We’ve chosen to carry All Weather wood windows because we’re impressed with the company: its quality, warranties and the materials it uses.

The interior wood is hemlock, which is a durable hardwood, and the exterior is extruded aluminum. The competition’s wood is pine or cedar, which is softer. The exterior is vinyl, which expands at a different rate from wood and can create problems with a window’s integrity, or is made from roll form aluminum, which is less strong than extruded aluminum.

True to the All Weather tradition, the window itself offers excellent energy efficiency and high performance. These windows are built to withstand Canada’s tough winters and steamy summers.

Acrylic Block

“Perfect when you’re looking for light but not exposure.”

Acrylic block windows by Hy-Lite are 70 per cent lighter and more energy efficient than traditional glass block, which means they can be installed virtually anywhere. They can be installed as fixed or operable windows, adding to their versatility.

We’ve had customers install Hy-Lite acrylic block fixed windows as entry door sidelights and transoms. Operable windows are a great choice for spots needing occasional ventilation, such as bathrooms, kitchens and basements. Tinted block cuts down on solar gain, keeping your home cooler in the summer.

Hy-Lite offers a number of accessories that allow you to combine windows and invent imaginative applications. At GEM, we can help you build something big with blocks!

Retractable Screens

“Great for an unobscured view.”

Canadians keep their windows closed for most of the year. Maximize your view and your solar gain with retractable screen windows: a screen when you want it, and not when you don’t.

The Arcor casement window has a retractable screen that hides in the side frame of the window. The Vinyl Window Designs 4 ½ inch jamb depth casement and awning windows also have a retractable screen option, which hides in the top of the window frame.

Built-in Blinds

“Maintenance-free privacy when you want it.”

It’s no surprise that dust-free window coverings are catching on. Mini-blinds installed inside the glass are a standard offering on doors these days, but few window manufacturers offer this option. GEM gives customers what they’re looking for: internal blinds installed between the thermal panes of your window.

Our mini-blinds are sealed in the airtight chamber between the two pieces of thermal glass, unlike some other window manufacturers that put the blind behind an extra layer of glass. There’s a less than one per cent failure rate over the life of the window because the blinds are protected under glass. Goof-proof operation uses magnets to open, close, raise and lower the blinds.

Customers usually install mini-blinds in casement windows, but we have made some double- and single-hung units with blinds.