A Window of Opportunity
This year, Custom Contractors Inc. (CCI) celebrates its 25th year in the Hawaii window market. CCI has sold an impressive 200,000 widows to more than 15,000 customers during that time period.
“You have to adapt to the times,” noted owner Luis Larcina. “As our customers’ needs change, we want to be there for them. A lot of our customers want to transition away from jalousie windows. They are extremely hard to clean, let in dust, dirt and noise, and do not let your AC run efficiently. Most importantly, the jalousie window accounts for over 85 percent of entry points during burglaries.”
The aluminum-awning window has been CCI’s biggest seller to date. The manufacturer, Victor Sun Control, has been making this style of window for more than 53 years and converted several of its components to deal with Hawaii’s harsh salt atmosphere.
“It’s been a great product for Hawaii right from the beginning,” said Larcina. “It addressed all of the jalousie short comings, is easy to clean, seals tight, meets building codes and features Torque Bar activated cam lock security. As Victor Sun Control’s largest customer nationwide, we have a lot of say as to how the product is made, and the quality shows.”
CCI offers endless glass opportunities for its windows ranging from simple tint (reduce glare), obscure (privacy), laminated or tempered (for safety and security), self cleaning (for ease) to Low e (for ultraviolet reduction).
A close second in CCI’s inventory of replacement and new construction windows is its vinyl line, PLYGEM (formerly CertainTeed), one of the country’s oldest and largest manufacturers of this kind of window.
Among the various architectural shapes offered are single and double sliders, single and double hung, casements and sliding doors.
While all of the options may seem overwhelming and confusing to the average homeowner, this is where CCI’s experience and expertise comes to the fore-front.
“When I go into a home, I find some of our customers know what they want, most are open to practical ideas and applications,” said CCI head estimator Robert Abbett. “We sit down and examine the homes unique variables including trade wind direction, path of the sun, privacy and security issues and aesthetics,” he explained. “We then choose a window and glass type to meet that need.”
While CCI’s core value is home replacement windows, it also has extensive commercial and high-rise experience in Hawaii. The company specializes in Lanai enclosures (Kahala Towers and Kapiolani Bel Aire to site two condominiums) and builds its own bay windows.
Contact: 483-0100
