Excel Windows
Specialty & Custom Windows
Arches, garden boxes, half-rounds, and one-off shapes. When a standard window won't fit the opening or the look you want, we build to order.
Soft-Lite Elements
Our flagship vinyl, and the line we reach for on most custom shapes. Same construction as the standard units — the shape changes, the build quality doesn't.
- .01 CFM air infiltration against the .30 CFM industry standard — the tightest number in the lineup
- Comfort-Foam R5 — polyurethane fills the frame cavities a typical vinyl window leaves hollow
- Metal-free Warm-Edge Super Spacer at the glass edge, where sealed units fail first
- Fused uPVC frames — welded corners that hold a curve without opening up over time
- UltraSmart triple-fin weatherstripping on operating units
- AAMA Gold Label
Soft-Lite Classic Plus
The value line, and the one to look at when the finish matters as much as the physics. Same AAMA Gold Label construction as Elements, with four glass packages so the glass can be tuned to the elevation rather than the whole house getting one spec.
- Four glass packages — Low-E double-pane (U-0.29) up to Solar Ultra Low-E triple-pane (U-0.23)
- AAMA Gold Label
- Lifetime limited product warranty, transferable once to the next owner; optional glass-breakage rider
- Woodgrain interiors — Brazilian, Medium Oak, Cherry, Light Oak
- FlexScreen — a PVC-coated spring-steel screen that hides in the pocket, with no rigid frame to bend
Not every opening is a plain rectangle. An arch over a front door, a half-round in a gable, a garden window off the kitchen, a trapezoid following a stair — these are the windows that give a house its character, and they are exactly the ones a stock size can't solve.
Every window we install is built to the measured opening anyway, so a custom shape isn't a different process for us — it's the same process with a template. What changes is the measuring. A rectangle needs a width and a height. An arch needs its radius and its spring line, a trapezoid needs its angles, and a half-round has to match the curve of the opening above it or the trim will never sit right. We take those measurements ourselves and we take them twice.
The most common mistake on specialty work is a shape that's close but not exact. A half-round an inch off its radius, or an arch whose curve doesn't match the one already in the brickwork, reads as wrong even to someone who couldn't tell you why. It's the difference between a window that looks original to the house and one that looks like a replacement.
Garden windows are their own thing. A garden window projects out a few inches from the wall with glass on the top and sides, giving you a small shelf of light for herbs or plants, and the side panels usually vent for airflow. Because it projects, it has the same considerations as a bay on a smaller scale — the seat and the head sit outside the insulated envelope unless they're built into it, and every joint where it meets the siding has to be flashed.
Most specialty shapes are fixed rather than operating, which is usually the right call: an arch high in a gable is there for light and proportion, not ventilation, and a fixed unit seals better than any operating one. Where you do need it to open, we'll pair a fixed shape above with an operating unit below.
The glass and frame arguments are the same as everywhere else — foam-filled frames rather than hollow, a metal-free spacer at the glass edge where sealed units fog first, and welded corners. A specialty window is not an excuse for a lesser unit, and on a big fixed arch the glass package matters more than usual because there's more of it.
ProVia Endure
A heavier-duty vinyl with a wider colour range — useful on a feature shape that you want to read as a deliberate architectural element rather than white trim.
- Graphite-infused foam frame — U-factor as low as 0.17
- ComforTech warm-edge glazing
- Lifetime Limited product warranty covering vinyl, hardware and the sealed glass unit including breakage
Sierra Pacific & Pella
Real wood and clad-wood, and usually the strongest option for true custom work. On a period home an arch with a stainable wood interior is often the only version that looks right.
- Sierra Pacific H3 — 30-year clad coating, 20-year glass; direct-set is a standard configuration for fixed shapes
- Pella Lifestyle — limited lifetime wood and clad, 20-year non-laminated glass
- Stainable interiors to match existing trim and millwork
Worth knowing
Custom shape vs. squaring off the opening
There's always a cheaper option: frame the arch down to a rectangle and drop in a standard window. Sometimes that's genuinely the right call. Usually it isn't, and here's the honest trade.
| Feature | Built to the shape | Framed down to a rectangle |
|---|---|---|
| How it looks | Matches the architecture — reads as original to the house | Reads as a replacement; the infill above rarely blends |
| Cost | Higher — it's a made-to-template unit | Lower up front |
| Light | Keeps all of the original opening | Loses the glass area you framed over |
| Resale | Preserves a character feature buyers notice | A squared-off arch is visible from the curb |
| Lead time | A little longer — often several weeks | Standard lead time |
| When it's the right call | Front elevation, anything visible, anything period | A rotted, non-visible opening on a back wall where budget is the constraint |
We'll quote both if you want to see the gap. What we won't do is square off an arch on the front of a house without telling you what it will look like from the street.
Let's talk about your project.
How it works
- 1
Free consultation
We measure the exact shape — radius, spring line, angles, whatever the opening needs — and bring samples. You get a clear written proposal, no pressure.
- 2
Templated & built to order
Custom shapes are built to your opening from the measurements we take. These usually take a little longer than standard windows — often several weeks.
- 3
Install day
Same crews, job after job. Most specialty installs are a single day, depending on how many and how much trim work. On homes built before 1978 we work as an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm.
- 4
Walk-through & after
We check the shape sits true against the existing trim and that every joint is sealed. Warranty visits carry no service fee during your labor-warranty period.
Let's talk about your project.
BRANDS WE INSTALL
Last updated — we keep product specs and warranty terms on this page current with what we actually install.
Specialty & Custom Windows — common questions
Reviewed August 2026
Can you match the arch that's already there?
Yes, and matching it exactly is the whole job. We measure the radius and the spring line rather than eyeballing it, because an arch whose curve doesn't match the one in the brickwork reads as wrong even to someone who couldn't say why. That's the difference between looking original and looking replaced.
Is it cheaper to just square off the opening?
Up front, yes — frame the arch down to a rectangle and drop in a standard unit. We'll quote it that way if you want to see the gap. But you lose the glass area you framed over, and on a front elevation a squared-off arch is visible from the street. We won't do it on a visible opening without showing you what it will look like first.
What exactly is a garden window?
A small window that projects a few inches out from the wall with glass on the top and sides, giving you a shelf of light for herbs or plants. The side panels usually vent for airflow. Because it projects, it needs the same care as a bay on a smaller scale — the shelf and head insulated, and every joint flashed.
Do specialty windows open?
Some do, most don't, and that's usually right. An arch high in a gable is there for light and proportion, not ventilation, and a fixed unit seals better than any operating one. Where you need airflow we'll pair a fixed shape above with an operating window below.
Do they take longer than regular windows?
A little. Every window we install is built to the measured opening, so a custom shape isn't a different process — but templating and building a non-rectangular unit adds time. Figure several weeks rather than the standard lead time. We give you a real date at the consultation.
Are custom shapes less energy efficient?
They shouldn't be, and a specialty shape is not a reason to accept a lesser unit. Same foam-filled frames, same metal-free warm-edge spacer, same glass packages. On a large fixed shape the glass package actually matters more than usual, because there's more glass and no operating hardware to worry about.
Are these Energy Star windows?
Certain configurations qualify, and it depends on the glass package rather than the shape. Excel is an Energy Star Partner, and we'll tell you exactly which configurations qualify before you sign anything.
What's the warranty?
Two separate warranties. The manufacturer warrants the product — 20 years to Lifetime depending on the line, with the Soft-Lite product warranty lasting as long as you own the home, and a one-time transfer to the next owner. Excel warrants the labor for five years, with no service fee to come out during that period. The specifics are written into your contract — read them, and ask us anything.
Will the same crew be on my job?
Yes. We send the same crews job after job — low turnover, same faces from start to finish.
Ready When You Are
Let's talk about your specialty & custom windows.
A free, no-pressure in-home consultation. We bring the product samples, measure what we need to measure, and leave you with a clear written proposal — not a sales pitch.
