Hi,
I'm thinking about replacing my drafty 85 year double hung windows. Can anyone tell me what they think of the Renewal by Andersen windows and what the approximate cost per installed window might be?
Thanks,
Gary
I have some Andersen windows and Pella windows. Mine are not Renewal but I thought I would mention that the vinyl on the Andersen can be sun damaged which I think is ridiculous. I would go with Pella next time in my house all the way.
Thanks for the input. I'm also considering Pella replacement windows which I can order at Lowes. They seem to be well built.
I had them installed about 5-6 years ago. Top buck window if you want wood inside-you won't like the price. Some are a real bitch to tilt in, so I made some long tapers to help. Some are hard to slide down. You won't like the price.
Totally different window from the replacement/new construction ones you see at the big stores. They are not a vinyl frame, but a composite. I remove the screens in winter, so I made some jamb covers as there are some long slots that can collect dirt, etc. I believe Pella had problems a while back with their cladding,\\-not sure if it was their Precision line or not.
Can't say I'd recommend Renewal by Anderson.. You might want to look at a quality wood window.
Thanks for sharing your experience with these windows, Rick.
I had visited the Renewal by Andersen showroom and looked at them. They claim that their Fibrex material is far superior to vinyl! The saleman was highly reluctant to discuss the price of a particular size/configuration of window saying that they wanted to visit my home, take measurements,etc. The most information I could get regarding the price per window was that it was well above $500, but probably less than $1000! From your experiences, it sounds like they don't perform well enough to justify their high cost.
I'm leaning toward the Pellas at this point, but wondering if anyone can tell me more about the Pella replacements sold by Lowes, or Marvin windows, which I've heard mentioned as being competitive with Pella.
Thanks again,
Gary
saleman was
size/configuration of
measurements,etc. The
experiences, it
Well, in 1999, a 40X52 was $781, a 40X38 $683. The picture window, which had to be tempered glass, was a 3 piece unit with fixed glass side units. That was $2924
Those prices were for white pine veneer, clear glass, with screens, installed. This was in a brick ranch, replacing aluminum frame windows. The main advantage-you don't lose as much glass area with the Fibrex material. As I understood at the time, each window has a serial number so sash can be reordered if needed. I think they also come pre-stained now.
Again, not a bad window, tops in the field when they first came out, but there may be better choices nowadays. And many builders aren't sold on Andersen (or Pella) for new construction any more. You can do the Pella ProLine replacements yourself, but the Precision line is installed by a Pella contractor (at least that's the way it was when I got the Andersens)
I suggest you do a search of the newsgroups to see what others have experienced...There are a lot of window manufacturers out there.
Rick,
The pricing info and other advice was quite helpful.
I was able to find a link to a thread with a lot of good talk about windows in case others are interested.
Gary
We had an RBA rep come and give us the 3-hour sales pitch, did measurements, did the cheesy heat lamp demonstration, etc. Our price for 17 double-hung windows, including installation, was about $13,300. That was with the "if you buy it today" incentive discount. We felt very pressured by that tactic and decided to shop around. Needless to say, the rep called back several times, hinting that we'd still get the discount. We did more research after seeing the RBA (which looks just like vinyl to me) and decided that in order to maintain the historic look of our 1930s house, we'd go with Marvin clad wood sash replacements. We're still waiting on that order to come through, so I can't comment on how good they are. The materials price for the 17 sash kits was about $8,500; we'll see what the installation cost will be.....hopefully the total will be less than the RBA quote, and more pleasing to the eye.
ASKo,
As my home is about 85 years old, I don't think that the modern looking, curved front of the RBA sash would fit my home either, and I do think they are over-priced for a vinyl-based product(even if it does have 40% wood fiber in it!).
I was wondering - does Marvin offer a pre-primed or painted option for the interior wood, or will you need to paint them?
Hope all goes well with your project. Please share your results with the group when the dust has settled.
regards,
Gary
The Marvin Tilt-Pac does come in pre-primed interior, with aluminum clad exterior, and that's what we've ordered. We will, of course, need to paint them once they're in, but that will be a long project. For more information on the process, see:
Gary, Oh, and here's another site showing the process for sash replacement. They say it's simple, but I am expecting, as with all old houses, that we will have unforeseen issues that will make it a bit more complex.
i do not know much about any thing outher than the glass, glass frame bar's, butal, spacers in the channel but here are some things i can tell you about (renual by anderson and anderson) their windows are supplyed from cardnil plants and i know cardnil warrenty's the butal on their windows to not break a seal for 20 years if you dont konw what that mean's i will define it.
There is butal on the window fram to hold the glass on and seal the gasses inside that make them more efficant. their is menny different kinds of coatings for the glass and different tempors and the real expensive glass, Laminated glass (2 or 3 peaces of glass abrazed togather) outher wise knows and safty glass.
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