Hi,
We are looking to replace our single-pane custom wood windows with double-pane aluminum clad ones. I have not done any research yet and thought to start here. I have heard of the following brands: Simonton, Marvin, Milgard, Andersen, Pella, and Jeld-wen and would like to know their ranking with regards to quality and also with regards to cost. We will be looking to hire a contractor to do the work for us as we are not handy people. Thank you.

 

Anything but aluminum. Reason; aluminum telegraphs heat and cold through the frame. All the manufacturers you mention also have vinyl clad windows some with wooden interior parts. While not the cheapest in town, I would lean toward an insulated frame as well. Vic, or some of the others will chime in here shortly with their opinions, so stay tuned.

 

Thanks Chandler. Just to make sure I understand what you're saying, I'm attaching an image of the windows a friend of mine just got - they're aluminum-clad wood frame windows. Wood on the inside, aluminum on the outside. You are saying 'no' to this kind? Hopefully the attachment is legible. Thanks again.

 

No, aluminum clad with wood is an excellent choice. I was afraid you were considering a completely aluminum frame, and they have a tendency to be either cold or hot depending on the weather and will transmit that weather to the inside. I have installed the exact windows for clients and they install great and operate almost flawlessly.

 

You scared me! I should have said aluminum-clad wood from the beginning. Our local discount builders supply store has Marvin, so I'm now considering Jeld-wen and Marvin. I'm still looking for general information about how the brands below rank in quality and cost. Thanks again.

 

I have Marvin in my house and my parents replaced all of the windows in their home with Marvins. I would buy them again.

My in-laws put Pella in their home and they're ok, I wouldn't choose them over Marvin unless they were quite a bit cheaper.

 

Although I'm not a big fan of ANY aluminum clad window...I know they have many more color options than vinyl clad and have a "look" that some people really want, nice sharp edges, tight square corners, etc.

I never dealt with Andersens aluminum clad...I think that was their high end architectural line which we didn't carry. I have dealt with Pella and Jeld-Wen and of the two I prefer J-W. Marvin has a very good reputation, but no experience with them.

I didn't know Simonton or Milgard had aluminum clad wood frames? I've seen Simonton vinyl and Milgard vinyl and solid aluminum and the Simonton seemed a bit sturdier.

One thing to remember is every brand has good, better, and best lines, so make sure you compare apples to apples

I'm not positive...but it seems like aluminum products weren't recommended w/in 3 miles of salt water? Or at least the warranty was reduced on the paint finishes and we almost always upgraded hinges and such to higher grade stainless steel.

 

Thank you both. I'll keep everything in mind, especially the thing about salt water. We live just a couple of miles from the pacific ocean, and the windows face west.