Renewal by Andersen in Colorado

[kejana]

We have about 22 year old windows in our home with aluminum frames. Especially the ones that are south west facing have really deteriorated. The plastic frame inside has warped, the insulation is bad, there is ice inside the windows in the winter and of course it gets super hot in the summer, they're also all leaking. Basically they're crappy windows.

So we need some new windows. We first just checked Lowe's for the Pella Thermostar Windows and they quoted $700 for one window (the windows are pretty large). Now we had someone from Renewal by Andersen and the quote for the three worst off windows was $4500. It all sounded good, I guess we had a good sales guy . Mostly we agreed, because I'm worried that windows will warp/ change color etc. because of the extrem sun exposure. But now I'm having second thoughts, they're very expensive and there are a lot of negative reviews about them as well.

We also had another estimate set up with Clear Choice Windows which are a lot cheaper...

Any advice? I tried to search the board for which windows work best for Colorado, but for some reason the search function also on the other board sends me right back to google.

[Windows on Washington]

There are a couple of threads where folks in Colorado decided on a Sunrise window.

That would be my recommendation in this application. I am not sure if the RBA provides any benefit with the exception of lightening your wallet.

[kejana]

There are a couple of threads where folks in Colorado decided on a Sunrise window.

That would be my recommendation in this application. I am not sure if the RBA provides any benefit with the exception of lightening your wallet.

Thanks, now that I'm logged in the search function is also working .

[kejana]

Is this the right Sunrise? Are they not with the BBB?

http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-revi ... r-co-26506

[HomeSealed]

+1. If you can find Sunrise, Softlite, or HiMark Okna out there, they will all out-perform that RBA product . You may have some fiberglass options as well... The material that the RBA product is constructed of is primarily comprised of vinyl, and has very similar properties as such. Not a bad window, just no reason to justify premium $$$ though either.

[TheWindowNerd]

I would agree that an EP(exceptional performance) vinyl window, example of which have been mentioned, would be the best and the best bang for your buck.

[Window4U (IL)]

Is this the right Sunrise? Are they not with the BBB?

http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-revi ... r-co-26506

No, that is not the Sunrise that was mentioned. Sunrise is a manufacturer out of Temperance, Michigan. They make Sunrise, Vanguard, Restorations, Verde and the entry level Essentials. All their window models but the Essentials are built using the same frame and sashes and are very close to each other in features and quality.

[kejana]

Okay, I found a vendor that has Sunrise Select Windows:

He came out yesterday and also brought a sample for the Amerimax. It also turned out that we might have to replace a lot more windows than we thought due to water leakage. We thought we could do the worst ones first and wait with the others, but he thought that we don't really have time to wait. Not sure if that was a sales tactic, obviously it's hard to see what's going on below the window sill.

So it may be a matter of what we can afford in which case we might decide for the Amerimax. I read some people had bad experience with them, but I can also find just as many good reviews.

We will also still have Home Depot come out (Simonton windows) and another company that carries the Simonton 9800 series.

Which of these options sound best? If we do go with the more expensive windows we could only do a few at a time and potentially risk more water damage with the others. Or we pick a cheaper window and get more windows done .

[randy]

Stopping water infiltration and it's resulting degradation should always be your first priority. If that means going with a mid-range product instead of a premium product, that's what I'd do. However, before I settled on the lesser windows, I'd confirm that water infiltration is truly occurring around all of the windows.

Simonton's 9800 is a good window, particularly in your area, where access to premium products is limited.

[HomeSealed]

Very well said Randy. I agree on all points.... My only additional comment kejana would be to focus more on the local Simonton dealers. Box store installations can get dicey due to the fact that they generally pay their installers far less than the going rate. They are typically a revolving door which does not bode well for quality.

[kejana]

Thank you.
We got a pretty good quote from Colorado Window Source, the Sunrise windows only came out to be about $900 more than the Amerimax. So we would defenitely like to go with those. We're still kinda contemplating the price and if there are any windows we can leave out and do later. But the only ones that we could wait on are some cheaper picture windows that don't make much difference to the total cost. And all the big sliders really have to be done, so there's not much choice.

We still have another appointment set up for Wednesday for a local dealer who carries Simonton 9800.

My husband doesn't want to give up on Home Depot, what Simonton line does Home Depot carry and is it really a lower quality than for example the Simonton 9800? I know the installation can be problematic, that's why I don't really want to go the HD route, but I just need some good arguments .

[HomeSealed]

The Sunrise is hands-down the best window that you are going to see.
The Simonton is decent, and the HD unit itself is no different than local guys can offer. You want no less than the 5600 from HD, which = 5500 and = 9800. They have different dealer networks that use different nomenclature for the same product if you are wondering why there are so many different designations.
The point on installation is very real, and should be given sufficient weight. On top of it, you generally don't get a "bargain" price with those guys. It may come out the same or more than your other quotes, although I will say that their pricing structure seems to vary wildly by region from what I've seen.

[TheWindowNerd]

I would definitely pick a specialist, not a big box.
TheWindowNerd.

[randy]

As others have already noted, the biggest drawbacks to the big box route are price and installation. They will have a rotation of installers, some of which are pretty good, some of which are hot and cold, and some of which have no business installing windows at all. Since proper installation is so critical to the performance of the window, why take the risk?