what will determine the payback of the windows
are the orientation of the window and the solar heat gain
coefficient & ufactor. these numbers determine the
efficiency of the window and should be .30 or less
(low e argon..vinyl, wood or combo of wood/metal cladding)

windows have a slow payback, but your west windows
payback first because they face the afternoon sun.
east windows slower payback as it is only from 10am
untill noon that they get full sun.
north and south windows in texas & la. slowest payback.

why would the series 100 likely cause damage to the house?

best of luck

You should be pricing more than just one brand. Take a look at Integrity by Marvin. Great windows at reasonable prices.

Minimize west windows, and make sure your build has the proper orientation and overhangs to shade the south windows in the summer. It will make a huge difference in your energy costs. Done properly, you will get no direct sunlight through the south windows for most of the summer.

Done wrong, you will be trying to air condition an oven.

Well I am really just asking about the comparison of these two windows. These are the options that I have. This builder uses Andersen windows.

The orientation of the house is determined by the lot size.

I don't have any reason to think the Series 100 will damage the house. What I mean is that I am not going just by price alone. If someone said that the Series 100 were horribly unreliable windows that would leak in a year causing water to come in the house, etc. then I wouldn't want them if free. On the other hand if they are adequate windows, albeit not as high quality as the Series 400, then I might feel fine with the Series 100.

There have been a few discussions on the 100 series here on GW. One of them may be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Andersen 100 Series Threads

I know that you only asked about the 100 vs 400 Andersen's but I would suggest looking into the 200 series as well. These are what we went with and are happy with the choice. They are a double hung window with equal efficiency to the 400's but are considerably less expensive. I would not use the 100's.

Chad...why not on the 100s? I've seen some really negative feedback on 200 series and it wasn't offered builder...

Search internet for problems with any brand or series you're considering. Efficiency rating doesn't reflect durability (though I haven't read of any issues with Andersen 400s, either.) Leaking windows cause expensive repairs so get something well-built.

I do think it's more difficult/expensive to make a non-leaking double-hung window than, say, a casement window, because of the two moving parts. The sashes can't be so loose that they leak or so tight that they don't slide. I would go to a Home Depot, etc., and play around with the ones on display. You'll find some glide a lot easier than others-might make a difference to you.

I did research here and elsewhere and don't really find anything negative per se about the 100. Many people feel that the Series 400 is higher quality. I don't really dispute that but that isn't the point. The point to me is whether I am going to spend an extra $6500 for the Series 400 or if the Series 100 will be serviceable.

I wouldn't use the 100's for two reasons: 1) They are single hung which makes them harder to clean. 2) They are composite and not wood.

As far as the 200's not being offered by your builder, If he can get 100's and 400's he can get 200's. I have been very pleased with my 200's as well as them being highly rated by Consumer Reports.

The 100 series windows are new. I would wait a few years before using them.

The 200 series is a "builder/developer" quality window that is made in two models, Tilt-Wash and NarrowLine. The Tilt-Wash is only available in white and sandstone, the sill has a poor overhang (creating a waterproofing problem if special flashing is not installed), it has a PPG Flexicron paint sash finish instead of cladding, and has no applied "true-divided-light" muntins. The narrowLine isn't worth describing but it does have a sloping sill and overhang.

The 400 Tilt-Wash has the same PPG Flexicron paint sash finish and really ugly flat applied muntins.

I my opinion, the only window Andersen makes that is worth considering for your own home is the 400 Woodwright if you can live with the limited colors and know how to fix the poorly sealed perimeter installation fins.

We are going with the Anderson 100s for our home. Our architect spec'd them for us rather than going with vinyl. They were in our budget and offered the dark bronze exterior color we were after. His opinion was that although they are new, Anderson has been around for years and wouldn't put out a poor product. The window supplier said they ahve been selling very well.

The Andersen 100 series is essentially an extruded PVC window made out of an extruded composite material (PVC and wood sawdust). It was released in the Southwest and is slowly being sold in other markets. It is like the Andersen Renewal replacement window with fins attached for new construction.

Andersen's reluctance to sell this window in the entire US makes me reluctant to use it until it has a track record in all climates.

At any rate the upper sash is narrower than the lower sash and only between-the-glass flat mullions are offered just like with standard PVC windows. It probably doesn't expand and contract like PVC so it might last longer but saying it's better than PVC is faint praise indeed.

I haven't seen a 100 series window and we didn't consider the silverline. We bought the 400 series TW.

What i find surprising is the differnece in cost you're talking about about 11K from silverline to 400 series.

Our house is about 2000 square feet. we have 3 arch windows and a lot of double hungs we're paying about 13K for the whole window order. This doesn't include any doors or any real supersized windows.

I don't know if you're getting charged full retail or maybe you just have a lot of nice sized windows.

House is about 2500 SF, about 30 windows.

I was told that the Woodwright is much more expensive than even the Tiltwash.

I'm sure it is better but the thing is whether the better matters to me.

That is, one could make a case that this Mercedes vehicle over here is better than a $25,000 Toyota. And, it probably is.

But is it a difference that is essential?

For windows, I want something that provides energy efficiency and keeps the elements out of the house and will last a reasonable amount of time.

Truthfully, I don't care much about the aesthetics of it.

Given all that, I'm just not sure it is worth an extra $6500 to get the Series 400 Tilt Wash.

I found the difference in prices of the andersen windows to be reflective of the difference in the quoted price on the site. for instance, woodwrites were 18% more than 400TWs. A series was an additional percentage on that.

I decided since i was already over budget on windows, to go with the 400TWs over the woodwrights and A series.

Which one did you decide to install and how have they held up....I am in exact same thought between 100, 200 & is it worth the $$ for 400

I've got 400's in this build and had the cheaper andersons in a previous house. Not even a comparison. Get the 400's

@Ron Natalie what were your criteria for "not even a comparison" evaluation? Some upthread e.g. wood versus vinyl and double versus single hung aren't as important for our decision at the moment.

While the 400 give you more design opportunities, I wasn't talking about that nor the window configuration. The cheaper Andersens are, let's just say, cheap. They're there to capture the tract builder market. If you're comparing them against other things like the MWs or the lowest end of other lines, sure they're probably the best ones out there. But compared to the 400 they don't move as smooth, they're not as nice mechanically.

Ron - not sure when you got your 400's but we also had 400's in our previous home (ten years old), we choose 400's for our new build and they are absolute crap! Apparently they changed the line just about a year ago. The local lumber yard doesn't even spec them in any longer, they have went downhill. I actually have more issues with these news ones (less than a year old) than with my previous ones in the entire ten years we've owned them. Before you consider 400's, please ask to see them, you can literally take your finger nail and press softly and break the surface, exposing the wood underneath.

@Ron Natalie - thanks for the reply. We went tonight to a local Home Depot and played with the display 100, 200 and 400's they had. The 100s are about the window that we have at the moment in terms of feel. Which is not the worst, but not the best. I have to say the series below the 100s felt absolutely cheap.

The 200s and 400s mechanically felt a lot sturdier and in the feel of the window opening and closing. My wife hates the idea of the maintenance of the wood areas of the 200s and 400s though. Tough choice!

Sam Goh,

If you get a prefinished white interior on the 200 or 400, your maintenance needs will be very minor compared to finishing it yourself. Plus-the warranty covers their finishes, but not yours.

@Sam Goh - I’m also shopping for windows and have narrowed it down to either the 100 or 200 series. The 400 series is a major step up in price for me (I need to purchase around 40 windows). I liked Marvin Integrity (fiberglass) until I saw it in person... I do not like the way it looks and the wood interior version is out of my price range. The Andersen 100 series looks and operates better than any vinyl window I’ve compared it to. I’m doing white interior and exterior, so color choices aren’t a factor for me. I really don’t know which window will be better long term between the 100 and 200 series, I’m having a difficult time choosing between the two.

michelekins77 we are waiting on pricing, but were told the 400's have been having some rebates and special prices which would make them not so much of a jump...you might also look into this :)

@kcar66 -Thank you so much for the info, I’m going to price them again. My current price for size 3060 (for example) is around $300 for the 100 series, $335 for 200 series, and $520 for the 400TW series. I think Andersen charges about $100 for mulling and roughly $50 per window for jamb extensions.

I need quite a few windows (~60) so even the 100s with the smartsun might be out. Will wait for bids and see. Are Anderson dealers territorial, or are there other areas to purchase from online?

Sam Goh,

Most dealers would be happy to sell to you even if they are hours away. But how much are you saving for that hassle? The local dealer is less likely to help you out with any problems if you left the area to make your purchase. That one small change you want to make after the fact might be $200 from your local dealer, but $800 if the other dealer has to make the drive to you. Same with Home Depot-do you think HD is going to help you at all if you need help later?

If it's an appliance that will wear out in 5 yr anyway, that's one thing. When it's a part of your house that will be there for decades, I'd be glad to pay even a few thousand more from a reputable dealer that will be there for the minor problems.

If you have ~60 windows, just keep in mind that it will be exponentially more expensive for you if you have to change them all out in 5-10 yr because they're junk...

Just my $0.02, hope you can find a good solution that works well for you.

This thread is a good argument for archiving threads after a certain date. Discussions about windows are important to have, but I think starting a new thread rather than resurrecting a 7-year old thread would be advisable just to make certain "current" information is being shared. Changes in design, material and workmanship means we're probably not talking about the same windows at all, even if the series number has remained the same (not to mention the 100s are no longer "just a year old").

michelekins77, We've also deliberated between 100, 200 and 400 series. As you compare the 100 to 200, you'll find many more standard size options in the 100 series. And I have to say after seeing them all in person, I actually like the clean crisp lines of the 100 series on the exterior the best. I prefer the interiors of the 200 double-hungs, but they don't allow you to do full-divided-lite like the 100 and 400's do (which may be a moot point if you're not doing external grilles); also can't do casements in the 200 series.

@kawerkamp -I agree, I like the exterior of the 100 series and the interior of the 200 series. We have to order this week, and I’ve pretty much decided to go with the 100 series. I actually like the fact that the 100s are single hung, less potential risk for leaking air or something tearing up. We have a few casements, but switching them to double hungs was not a deal breaker for me when considering the 200 series. I’m going to do an exterior trim something like the attached photo, I think it improves the look of the flat profile on the 100s.

That's going to look really sharp trimmed out that way! Everyone I know who has the 100 series loves them. We are actually going to do a mix of 100 and 400series (400 on windows that require sizing that the 100 didn't offer, or where we really care about how the interior looks, like our great room and kitchen)....I'm hoping that with the exteriors trimmed the same way and SDL grilles on both that it won't be too noticeable from the exterior that we have some 400's mixed with the 100's on our house!

@kawerkamp could you share photos of the 100 and 400 mix? I'm considering it on my new build