Andersen vinyl windows

11 years ago

i just had a visit from a contractor who said he offers Andersen Vinyl Windows and I was shocked. i have never seen such a low quality/ flimsy window; they also looked very cheap. i would have thought Andersen would have made a better window. however, after seeing it and researching it, i see that its not quality at all. anyone else have imput on this or am i crazy?
a neighbor talked me into havng his nephew stop over with the damn andersens which i honestly thought were garbage, it was supposedly their upper end 9500 series. the design was straight out of a comic book. i could only imagine what their lower end looks like.

so, after all the research, i am signing a contract tomorrow night for StarMark Windows.
im excited about the starmarks. ill report back in 3-4 weeks.

This post was edited by jabek on Tue, Feb 26, 13 at 18:05

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Comments (12)

HomeSealed
11 years ago
Good choice, the Starmark is a great window.
mmarse1
11 years ago
no, you are certainly not crazy, ansersen make a horrible vinyl window in my opinion and as you eluded to, it looks extremely cheap as well.
home depot offers andersen vinyl under the name " american craftsman", its the same poor quality window. i just removed an andersen vinyl patio door that someone picked up at home depot a few years back and its warped and leaks air ike its going out if style; talk about junk. we put in a high quality patio door and all is good and the customer is very happy.
good luck with your starmark project and please report back when they are installed.
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I am not a big fan of that product based on its performance ratings, personal experience, and overall poor reputation. Do a web search of reviews for Silverline and American Craftsman to get more feedback on that topic. In Indiana you have access to a bunch of products that are superior in all measurable areas, including but not limited to : HiMark/Okna, Sunrise, Softlite/Gorell, and Homeguard which is right in Grabil. All of those option offer sandstone, beige, cocoa, or all three. The 400's are a nice choice as far as wood windows go, but make no mistake, the vinyl lines that Andersen offers are an entirely different animal. This post was edited by HomeSealed on Wed, Jan 30, 13 at 15:24
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I'd recommend looking at JELDWEN's Siteline EX product. I used to sell Marvin's for years and still do once in awhile. In my area, I sell almost 7 figures a year in JELDWEN windows. I can say that their quality is near Marvin's and is 30% less. They also have a color called "Artic Silver" which looks like clear anodized but is an applied finish. Anodized coating SUCK as they scratch easily and cannot be touched up. If you don't believe me, ask your dealer what they warranty is on anodized product. If they don't say 5 years or less, ask for it writing prior to ordering. Artic Silver is a 10 year warranty through JELDWEN(20 years if you look at their Custom series product, which is equal to Marvin). As for Hurd, if they're close to the same price as Marvin I would pick the Marvin if you're not interested in JELDWEN. Hurd is a crappy brand name and what's the point of buying "knock offs" if there's not enough savings to justify it? I don't go to the flea market and expect to pay 10% less. My advice, look at JELDWEN's Siteline EX product. If you don't like the quality, buy Marvin. Find a GOOD dealer in your area that knows what he's doing and you feel you can work with. Call the manufacturer and see who they prefer in your area(they'll give you their best dealer who buys the best). Lastly, remember pricing isn't everything. One mistake can easily suck out what you saved by "shopping around"...
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400 series casements are NOT vinyl per se, they are a vinyl clad (they call it Permashield) wood window. What exactly are you referring to as your concern? And what is that large brass colored screw doing there? The caulk in the corners is just that caulk, as far as other issues, not certain what you are speaking of but the installation is obviously not complete. Back up a little bit and take more pictures.
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PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
11 years ago
Great job not getting sucked into the BS that is out there.

Given your choices....you hit one out of the park by comparison and got a great window.

Hopefully the contractor is a solid contractor and you get a great install.
vinylwindowguy
11 years ago
The Starmark window is a premium composite window and is better than most if not all replacement windows on the market. That said, the Andersen product you are comparing it to is the entry level box store product and will not match up well with any quality VINYL window. It is simply the low end of the replacement market.

If you compare Andersen's top of the line replacement product, the Renewal By Andersen window, to a top of the line VINYL window (such as the OKNA 800 ...the Envirostar) You have two windows closer to each other. The OKNA 800 series is a fully welded vinyl window and the Renewal is a composite made of wood fibers and shredded vinyl mixed with epoxy. I prefer the construction of the 800 window, especially the welded corners. The Renewal material can't be welded, so it is 'butt joined' at the corners.

Also, the Renewal costs 2 to 3 times that of the 800, and is only sold by dealers who commit to sell only Renewal by Andersen, hence the cost difference.

This post was edited by vinylwindowguy on Fri, Mar 1, 13 at 11:05
mmarse1
11 years ago
The Okna 800 also destroys the Andersen renewal in terms of energy efficiency ( Ufactor ) and air leakage.
millworkman
11 years ago
Plus you don't get raped by the Renewal Salesman.
Karateguy
11 years ago
The Renewal does not compare favorably in any respect, other than they look nice out of the box. A warranty of only 10 yrs is not good at all. Mechanically fastened construction with a composition that has a high content of vinyl is a recipe for problems IMO, as is mixing in wood fibers. I have seen them in pretty rough shape after a decade or so.
The other Andersen vinyl option is Silverline/American Craftsman. A little bit of searching goes a long way in figuring out the reputation for quality in that line.
barrybud
10 years ago
We made the mistake of buying American Craftsman in 2002. They were a far superior to the aluminum units we replaced. The problem was in 5 years we had 3 out of 13 with glass seal failures. They came out and replaced all 3 at no cost. Fast forward to today now 10 out of the 13 have the same failures and the 3 they did on 2007 are the worst with mold between the glass and our house always has very dry air. Now they want to charge us to replace them.
I am currently looking at OKNA 800 or Starmark. Besides having great specs I am able to support a business in my own state.
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
10 years ago
Barry,

Sorry to hear of that.

You will certainly be looking at a much better unit now and I am sorry you had to buy these things twice.
barrybud
10 years ago
WoW,

I was this close to doing a deal with Renewal By Anderson because the last thing I wanted was vinyl after my experience. The quoted me $7700 for 5 double hung (the worst of the 13) and that was my 2 week price which expires this Tuesday.
After doing some more research here at the wonderful GardenWeb, I found what seemed like unbiased info from great folks like mmarse1, HomeSealed and you. I never would have know about OKNA right here in my backyard with out you guys/gals.

After looking at the specs on the 800 and Starmark I cant believe I was going to put down that kind of $$ for an inferior window. Normally i don't make any purchases with out doing research at this stage in life. RBA really puts on a good show then the pressure comes. Good luck trying to find the specs on their line though. If its on the web site its very well hidden. Maybe under the privacy policy ;-)

My hope is I can get one of these higher quality windows near or at a better price.
Thanks again for all the help!
PRO
Windows on Washington Ltd
10 years ago
Barry,

That is awesome. Stories like these kind of make the day for the guys that help contribute to this board.

Not so much because you are buying window "X" or window "Y" but because we hopefully helped out and got you into the right product for your application and something that you will be happy with.

Happy Sunday!!
fenmaster
10 years ago
We mostly use the 800DX and have tremendous success.
I get to pick them up right at the factory.
theWindowNerd...

Andersen vinyl windows

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HomeSealed

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