Simonton 5500

[justnotsure]

I am pretty sure that I have finally decided to get the Simonton 5500. I live in the "Kentuckiana" area. Our weather changes daily. Rarely is it as bad as Michigan in the winter or Arizona in the summer. Sometimes the rain pelts the house sideways. Other times the summer will be dry for 2 or 3 months. I have 16 windows of various sizes that need to be replaced. I can get Gorell 5300 or Triple Pane casement windows with krypton for $7200. I will be getting the Simonton for approx. $6000. I feel that the Gorell would be the better window, but with all of the other things that are soon to be in need of repair or replacement on my home in the next few months or years, I hate to spend the extra if the Simonton is a good quality window. The place selling the Gorell has a better warranty but it would be 6-8 weeks before they could install and I wasn't very impressed with the attitude of the sales rep. Their sales rep started trying the "if you buy it tonight" tactic. He ended up extending that special pricing though and someone even called me a day or two later with a the price quoted above which was maybe $500 less. I am not sure what to make of Simonton's warranty. It seems a little less than what I came to expect after looking at Alside's, Gorrell's, Gilkey's, Home Depot's and Window World's warranties. I am not sure what kind of warranty the independent contractor I am hiring will have on his labor but he will be able to get them installed in 2 weeks and his business has been accredited with the BBB for over 30 years. What kind of recommendations do you have as to options that I should get on the Simonton? Am I making a mistake?

[Windows on Washington]

$7200 for 16 triple pane/krypton casements is a killer price. Did they quote you $500 under that number? If they did...I would jump all over that deal.

[justnotsure]

Sorry that I wasn't a bit more clear on that. It was $7200 after the $500 was taken off. I thought it seemed like a great price, but I am just not sure that I should spend that extra $1200. The triple pane krypton may be overkill for the weather in this area.

[Windows Dun-Rite]

If you are happy with Simonton the average price of $375.00 per window is very cheap. The 5500 Simonton is a good window. I've installed, I'm sure over 1000 of them way over. Much better than anything I've ever seen at Lowes or Home Depot. The American Craftsman that I have seen at Home Depot has a thin wall extrusion. Not as sturdy as Simonton. I have installed 1 job of American Craftsman around 20 windows or so. I was not happy with the thickness of the extrusion. I had to be very careful not to over tighten installation screws. The frames bowed very easly and I could have pulled the screw through the vinyl frame if not careful.

[TheWindowNerd]

We have great sucess with Simonton.
Additionally I do not like the sales lowering tactics.

[Windows on Washington]

We have great sucess with Simonton.
Additionally I do not like the sales lowering tactics.

+1. Kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. As far as your window choices go, you can't go wrong with either.

[justnotsure]

Thanks for the input, folks. One more thing, will it make a huge difference in my energy savings as to which package I get on the windows? How much can I expect it to add to the windows to order them with options other than standard?

[TheWindowNerd]

I would talk with the dealer you have gotten a quote from and ask what package they find best for your area.
You can spend as little as $10 per window for options or $200+.

[justnotsure]

Thanks to everyone for all the information. I was really glad I found this site. I feel much more comfortable with the decision I made to get the Simonton 5500 due to the recommendations of the pros on many of the different posts.

[vwalk]

It's been a few months since your last post. I'm curious if you ever got the 5500's installed. What's your opinion of the windows?

[justnotsure]

Thanks for asking. I was just thinking that maybe I should type up a follow-up post. Well, as it turns out my installer had done lots of windows, but never Simonton. I told him that I had read good things about them online and was interested in them. No problem. He had them installed and looking good way sooner than any of the big window installers could get to it. After installation, I had some major howling and whistling noised going on when the wind blew. So, I mentioned it to him and he came out and took a look at them, but saw no problems. That was just before Christmas I think. Well, sometime over the holidays--when I was home ALL DAY LONG listening to the most awful howling and whistling and whining-- I was almost sick that I had spent all that money on these windows. I contacted the installer again and he was quick to set up an appointment with the Simonton dealer. The rep came out and looked everything over really good and the only problem he found was that the installers had failed to fill in the holes that were in the window frame.(I don't know if they are for a type of screw I didn't need or what they are for.) It seems that the wind was finding it's way behind my siding and into those little holes. (I may not be understanding it correctly though.) He must have filled every little hole he could find because I haven't heard a sound--not even a whisper--out of those windows since. He sealed up around the screws and where he didn't put screws. I absolutely love the windows! I could watch the birds eating out of the feeders this year with no cloudy film in between my glass panes AND there was a lot less cold coming in through there.