Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
Coin Sniper |
I have a small single story range, the windows need replacing. Looking for major reputable manufactures. Who have we had, or not had good luck with? Pronoun: His Royal Highness and benevolent Majesty of all he surveys 343 - Never Forget Its better to be Pavlov's dog than Schrodinger's cat There are three types of mistakes; Those you learn from, those you suffer from, and those you don't survive. | ||
|
| Member |
Living in the great white North, installation is important. Anderson and Pella are good but expensive. Having good windows will help your heating bill. Do not cheap out on windows and check the guarantee. | |||
|
always with a hat or sunscreen |
My 18 month long saga to repair 2020 massive hail damage (roof, gutters, siding, windows, porches and decks) to my house saw new Pella windows installed. Certifiable member of the gun toting, septuagenarian, bucket list workin', crazed retiree, bald is beautiful club! USN (RET), COTEP #192 | |||
|
| Member |
FWIW, I manage a large window/door/siding/roofing company. My crews install appx 2k-3k windows/yr. There are many good regional vinyl manufacturers, so don’t be afraid of a company just because they aren’t a household name. OTOH, do your research and make sure you’re not buying from snake oil salesman hucksters; the industry is rife with them. For vinyl, we do primarily Polaris EnergyWall 8000 series, and SoftLite Elements, although IMO, SoftLite quality is down a bit lately. If you want wood interiors, Andersen 400 Series as well as their premium A Series and E Series lines are very good. Stay away from the 100 and 200 Series. I’m also not a fan of their more recently acquired via merger all vinyl lines. I’m a BIG fan of all 3 lines of Marvin; Essential, Elevate, and Signature/Ultimate; but those can be a “buy once cry once” proposition. In my opinion, Pella is too expensive for the quality that you get, although their upper tier windows are fairly decent. You’ll just pay a TON more than they’re worth, to subsidize their advertising machine. Sorry guys that bought them; it’s just my take. Stick with double pane low-e/argon, preferably with IGUs built at a Cardinal Glass plant; not simply Cardinal floated panes that are turned into IGUs at some mom and pop plant. Andersen and Marvin use only Cardinal IGUs. No need for triple pane. The energy ROI vs cost vs additional seal failure risk isn’t worth the added expense. Proper installation is worth as much or more than a quality unit. If these are basic insert double hung replacements, and you’re handy, don’t be afraid to read up a bunch, watch a bunch of videos, and DIY. Just do your homework. Then hire an experienced guy with an aluminum brake to wrap the old frames and trim outside. You will NOT achieve a good job at that without a LOT of experience. Also, buy them from a local lumberyard, not a big box store. You’ll get good service after the sale that way, and an advocate for any warranty service. If there’s any issues later on, the box store will spin you off on an 800 number until you want to strangle someone. If you go with Andersen, make sure you buy from a Circle of Excellence Dealer, and ask for/wait for their most experienced rep. Good luck! | |||
|
| Member |
Checkout a good German made Tilt and Turn style window instead of the typical double hung. I cannot remember the brand name, but it had 9 locking lugs, 3 continuous seals, triple panes, and the windows opened fully into your house for egress/cleaning or tilted in for ventilation and were extremely secure. No double hung could hold a candle to these things regardless of mfg. At the big box stores in Germany, a standard sized tilt and turn window runs about $200. Neuffer, Tilt & Turn Lately, I have been reviewing a lot of High Performance Home videos. I'm a Civil Engineer, so that kind of stuff interests me quite a bit. One thing I have NOT found is a good way to air seal replacement windows without tearing the siding or brick veneer off the house. It simply cannot be done, at least not with the products and applications I have seen. Typically, they use a special adhesive tape around windows bonding it to the substrate behind it sealing out the air and moisture. I have never seen anyone do that on a typical window replacement job. ---------- “Nobody can ever take your integrity away from you. Only you can give up your integrity.” H. Norman Schwarzkopf | |||
|
safe & sound |
This is something to keep a close eye on, especially if you're home doesn't have a brick exterior. My neighbor wanted to replace his windows. The windows he was replacing were also replacements at one point in the past. He was complaining of water intrusion, drafts, etc. The original vinyl windows were installed with a nail fin. Those were cut out, with replacements slid into that void and secured in place. The problem was that the original window was never installed properly and sliding a replacement inside of it didn't correct any of the original issues (mainly flashing or lack thereof). One he discovered this he decided to replace his windows as if the house was new construction. Old window material completely out, newly prepared openings, and replacement windows with nail fins which were correctly flashed. | |||
|
| Member |
All excellent advice. Have been selling and installing windows for 40 years. Pella, Marvin, Weathershield, Anderson and Eagle (Anderson series E). Also an unimaginable number of vinyl inserts. Did warranty work for all of the above. Installation is everything. EVERYTHING. If choosing Anderson, the supply chain punishment scenario has hit Anderson very hard. If you are forced to choose between the Series E and the 400 series, be very cautious. The sizing and ordering between those two are NOT compatible. If you flip flop from one to the other, your install will be a nightmare. Your outside finish is night and day between the two. | |||
|
Member |
As a recently retired custom home builder with over 37 years of experience I will have to agree with most of what Outnumbered said. As he alluded to the actual glass in Pella, Andersen and Marvin are made by Cardinal Glass. If you look at their warranties they are exactly the same when it comes to glass degradation which is about 1% per year. In our personal homes we have Andersen 400 and Series E products and for the most part have been satisfied with them. Andersen has a replacement window division that you can find out more here: https://www.renewalbyandersen....2Mjc1ODIxOC4wLjAuMA.. Keep in mind that when you use a replacement window you will actually be getting a slightly smaller piece of glass that what you probably had due to the nature of the construction. I had an acquaintance who decided to have his windows completely removed (exterior trim and all) and install new construction windows due to this fact. The vast majority of windows now sold are vinyl windows and the good ones are very respectable. I just spent the better part of 6 weeks in Canada and noticed virtually all the newer windows were vinyl. There may be a regional manufacturer near you that produces a high quality product. As Outnumbered said go to a local lumber yard, not a big box store to get knowledgeable people to assist you. ------------------ Eddie Our Founding Fathers were men who understood that the right thing is not necessarily the written thing. -kkina | |||
|
Member |
All Pella here, no issues. They were installed when our home was built in 2011. | |||
|
Snackologist |
Simonton windows for me. Plus they are a local company and do business nationwide. Guaranteed lifetime. ...You, higher mammal. Can you read? ....There's nothing sexier than a well worn, functional Sig! | |||
|
| Not as lean, not as mean, Still a Marine  |
My folks just replaced their windows with Anderson Replacement. These are not the Home Depot windows, they are quality, custom fit, but you pay for it! They did notice a 27% reduction in their heating consumption from before to after (only 1 year sample size though). I shall respect you until you open your mouth, from that point on, you must earn it yourself. | |||
|
| Coin Sniper |
I probably should have mentioned that the house already has replacement windows, they have all failed and are foggy, hence the replacement. I'm guessing they were cheap like everything else the former owner did. Pronoun: His Royal Highness and benevolent Majesty of all he surveys 343 - Never Forget Its better to be Pavlov's dog than Schrodinger's cat There are three types of mistakes; Those you learn from, those you suffer from, and those you don't survive. | |||
|
Go Vols! |
Any idea what brand they were? The local options seems to be Wallside and Magic. Mine are no longer made. Certainteed from the 90s. The panels are fine but the latches seem cheap. | |||
|
| Member |
I just did my house in these. I had some Pella and some Anderson as repairs. These are as good or better. https://mathewsbrothers.com/ | |||
|
| Member |
^^^^^^^^^^^ I had vinyl windows and a problem with two windows was some condensation between the panes. The manufacturer replaced them at no cost. I had to pay the 100 shipping charge. Make sure you get a guarantee. | |||
|
Political Cynic |
Renovating all my windows and doors with Anderson. | |||
|
goodheart |
We are redoing our single-pane windows with new-construction-style windows by International Windows (IWC). Most people here do vinyl inserts with the original frame left intact. As noted above, if there is a defect in the seal of the frame, putting in a new insert will not deal with that. I suspect that we have moisture seal issues due to moldy smell around the windows after rain. The new self-adhesive rubber (I think butyl?) flashings appear to be far superior to older methods of sealing windows. _________________________ “ What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.”— Lord Melbourne | |||
|
| Member |
One of the joys I find when traveling through Europe is the common tilt & turn windows. Just about every rental I've stayed at has them and when the weather is hot or, pleasant, I love the versatility of this window. Unfortunately, that style is very expensive here in the US, perhaps its where I'm located (NorCal  ) but, everyplace we've looked into they have them at fantastically high prices and availability is very limited. Perhaps another decade and things will change...  | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
© SIGforum 2024