Windows Purchase


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Old 05-08-07, 07:13 PM
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Windows Purchase

Hello,
I am in the middle of building a house. Our contractor quoted us a price for Anderson windows. When it came down to the purchase, it looks as though they are going to run about twice the quote. Can anyone give me some good places to buy Anderson windows for a reasonable price.
Any tips in going through this process?
Thanks,
 
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Old 05-08-07, 07:39 PM
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The best advice I could offer is to get several estimates from various suppliers. There should be a wide variety of Andersen dealers near you. The yellow pages is probably your best source for local infomation like that.
 
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Old 05-08-07, 07:58 PM
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Thanks for the reply.
I have done that, but there are very few in my area. Do you know if i were to try a supplier a few hundred miles away will they deliver and does that normally cost more?
Any other preferences in your opinion for windows? I have seen some posts referring to tis being the Top end of windows. What brand, in your opinion is a step down?
 
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Old 05-08-07, 08:18 PM
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Delivery would obviously not be free. You could check big box stores and see what their delivery charges would be for your location. I can't even hazzard to guess.

Andersen has spent millions in advertising to make people perceive that they are "the best" so it seems their advertising is working. They do have a nice product, but it's hard to say that Andersen is better than many of the other window companies out there. Often, a company's window price does not say as much about the quality of the product as it does about the amount of money they have paid to get their name out there and develop an adequate sales, installation and service organization around them. Andersen does have a decent service department, which is worth something when you have a problem down the road.

It's hard to recommend any other particular brand since you have not provided any information about what type of window you are shopping for. But there are many other "name brands" out there that also provide a good product:

Marvin, Integrity, Pella, Hurd, Traco, Jeld-Wen, the list goes on and on. There are even companies that make a good window that you have never even heard of. Name recognition doesn't mean much, but in the window industry people are often led to believe that bigger is better. Sometimes it is... sometimes it isn't.
 
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Old 05-09-07, 03:47 AM
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Andersen does not discount windows, as I understand them, but they make a quality product and stand behind their products, unlike Pella. Marvin also makes a quality product, but is about 2/3 higher in cost. Hurd makes the highest efficiency windows available, but also pricey.
 
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Old 05-09-07, 05:56 AM
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I have heard of Marvin and Pella but none of the others.
My wife and I are building in ND so we experience weather extreme's from one end to the other so are in search of a window that can withstand it all. Whether it is the casement(i think this is the crank right) style or the double hung it doesn't make a difference to us. I don't know if one is more efficient in keeping out the warm and cold? We aren't against vinyl but would prefer wood or at least wood extension jams. Our last house had vinyl extension jams and we did not like them.
Also, i have read some of the posts on here saying that the Home Depots and Menards sell a lower quality of Andersen or the Pella windows for example? Should i stay away from these places?
Thanks again for all of the assistance.
 
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Old 05-09-07, 04:12 PM
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As a rule, I never recommend big box stores. They have a place as a glorified hardware store, but as a real home improvement store, they leave me COLD. Few of their specialists(?) really know what their products offer. Andersen 400 is the same wherever, i would not consider the 200 series for your area.
I have several customers that swear at Pella, not about them. They do not stand behind their product. Marvin is a bit pricey but a qualiyt product. IMHO, Andersen is an excellent value of cost vs value. But for the far north country, consider Hurd, pricey, but they offer the most energy efficient windows on the market.
 
 

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