American Craftsman Windows

My wife and I are adding to our home, and looking at American Craftsman windows at Home Depot, which also sells Anderson windows. The American Craftsman are less expensive, and offer "tilt out" capability and screens for the base price (that is, not as an option), whereas both are Anderson add-ons. Obviously, Anderson has a reputation for quality and dependability. Has anyone here any experience with American Craftsman windows. Also, does anyone here know how long the company has been in business? That is, long enough so that their windows and warranties have gotten a reasonable "test of time". Thanks. Peter

 

I've installed several sets of them for people that just wanted me to do the labor, and I bought a whole pallet of 'em ( mismeasures) for $50/ea out there one day and used 'em in a rental house I built. They are not a BAD window, if you add the qualifier "for the money", but don't mistake them for Andersens.

Any "house brand" at a bigbox store like HD has to be the minmum bid guy to make something for them, so they cut corners where they can...the vinyl is thinner, they use single strength glass standard ( you can spec double strength...if you order, do that), the first guy I put a set in for had 2 cracked glasses before he got them home, the welds I've seen come apart.....( and never seen that on any other brand)....they ain't paying Bubba the welder enough to get a quality melt I guess.....and so on......

But if money is an issue, then FOR THE MONEY, they probably do beat Andersens. I like Andersen, but their tilt feature with the spring loaded plastic jambs is crap....along with several other wood clad window makers that use it....They have certainly met the test of time....had an uncle that moved into a house in NewJersey that had Andersen installed in 1927...one of the wood sashes had rotted and they were able to get a replacement sash from Andersen cause they were STILL making the same window.....reckon you can get replacement parts from Ford for a model T ?

 

If you want vinyl sliders, Certaineed is extremely good and better than American Craftsman.

I bought a set because Consumer Reports rated them well. I liked them.

 

I agree with both replies. Andersens and Amer. Craftsman are apples and oranges, and the latter has had only middling reviews--not bad but not great. One key factor to look at is the warranty--how long, what's covered and whether it's transferable. On that count and others, CertainTeed (which I'm about to have installed in northern NJ) are as good as if not better than anything on the market. Another top maker is Simonton, which sometimes sells under other names including Sears--though Sears can be way overpriced for sales and installation. But if you don't want vinyl and instead want (vinyl- or aluminum-) clad wood, Andersens seem to be the best value for new construction (generally cheaper than their big national competitors, Pella and Marvin). As for quality, all three are very, very good, and the choice might come down to who gives you the best deal. (That said, everything I've read suggests that any window is only as good as the installation--cheap ones can perform very well if properly installed, and expensive ones can be practically worthless if not.) Hope this helps.

 

I disagree slightly. Good windows installed badly will be bad windows while bad windows installed well will not overcome the limitations of bad windows.

The front of my home has all Andersens (I had replaced) while the the back and sides of my home have a mixture of cheap vinyl replacements that came with the house and Certainteeds that I had installed. One can tell the difference! Most of the cheap vinyls are sagging and don't lock properly anymore. The newer ones I did have held up for years so far.

 

I'm in a similar situation: one not-very-well-made, 10-year-old vinyl window that came with the house. I haven't experienced sagging, and the insulation is fine, but there are cracks where there shouldn't be, and the workmanship isn't so good. So you're right about that (and that's why I'm going with CertainTeed and not a truly cheap brand for several windows I'm about to replace). I guess my main point was that installation is key. BTW I'm also doing the back-of-the-house vinyl, front-of-the-house clad wood thing (with Pellas, largely because Andersen doesn't offer true replacement windows in this part of the country--or at least not in NJ--and we don't want to knock out perfectly good frames; also, non-stock-size Marvins, which we'd need, were even more expensive than Pella).

 

This was my first window replacement project, and after trying to convince my other half to go the expense, I am very pleased with the product thus far. I chose Home Depot because of convenience and location. I had a problem with one window with not enough tension on the window when raised. I called Home Depot and they gave me a 800 number to call the rep. I waited about 5 min on the phone and explained the problem. He said the tension is adjustable and they are sending me the tool to adjust the tension. The wife is very pleased with the windows and we are purchasing more. It sure beats painting and re-glazing the windows every 3 years, our winters here in Central New York are quite extreme. Most impressive was that the window replaced pitted, bare aluminum storms and the window itself. When the windows are shut, the level of noise traveling thru the open single layer glass went to almost zero. Not a bad product thus far. Their 800 number is 800-299-9501 and they are located in New Jersey.

 

I had AC windows installed as replacements a few months ago. I have had no problems with them at all. I do not see any problems with the construction or quality of the windows. I had them installed by my own installer who is more than competant, and he has installed them in many other homes as well. I have the 8500 series.

 

I myself am disappointed with Certainteed. My home was 4 years old when I bought it. One year later major condensation in about 50% of the windows. I read their warranty which everyone says is great but one exception, condensation not covered. I've installed many American Craftsman windows without incedent. I do recommend the homeowner purchase something better, but in the end, the customer is the boss.

 

Does ANY manufacturer's warranty cover condensation? I just re-read the CertainTeed warranty, and it notes that because condensation is due to humidity levels within the house, it's not related to the quality of the window itself.