Sure there are cheaper windows but cheaper comes at a price which is unfortunately quality. What type of windows is he quoting you on? You make take this to the window forum as well, the pro's there are more in tune with current pricing than I.

The various Andersen window lines pretty much cover the whole middle of the market in cost and quality. Which line are you looking at?

We found the Marvin Integrity line to offer very good energy performance and decent looks, and much more solid hardware at a price around that of the lower end Andesen 200 series.

I put some of the Andersen Silverline vinyl windows in my barn/workshop, but they were too ugly to have in the house and the cheesy latches are already failing. OTOH, they were better than the remaindered Jeld-Wens that also went into the barn. Fortunately I can pretty much caulk them shut and forget about them out there.

Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Examine the project for easily changed out decor type items that can be done at a later time. Cheap carpet can go down and save you thousands over hardwood. Laminate counters and Delta faucets will work until you can afford to change to granite and Perrin and Rowe. The important part of any project is the structure underneath the finishes. The cake under the icing. Don't mistake the icing for the cake!

Thank you very good advise. I'll check m contract & let you know.

There are certainly good quality alternatives and cheap alternatives, but without more details I don't think anyone can suggest anything. As lwo sagely says, don't be pennywise and pound foolish. On the other hand, Anderson (nor Marvin) are the end-all of quality windows.

Anderson is a company that stands behind there product.
That counts for a lot in my book.
You can find cheaper windows but to replace them later is an expensive proposition.
Pennywise and pound foolish is something to consider.
I think saving $$$$ on the flash and show is better then saving it on the parts of the house that are going to be there for awhile.

We replaced the windows in our house with Marvin Infinity 2 years ago. They were definitely not cheap, but they have been worth every penny. The day after they ere installed, my son mowed the lawn, and it sounded like he was 2 yards away. We have severe winters, and have always put plastic on the windows in the winter. If we didn't, we'd get inches of ice buildup on the inside of the windows and frames - which is one of the reasons the windows needed to be replaced in the first place. Since we got the new windows, we get very little condensation on the inside, no matter how cold it is outside (it was -18F here on Saturday).

There are lots of places to cut costs. Window quality would be near the bottom of my list.

Is there a room you can leave unfinished for a while? Any work you can do yourself?

This post was edited by annkh on Sun, Mar 17, 13 at 17:17

When we replaced windows several years ago we found that comparable windows from Pella were less expensive than Anderson. You might want to get a quote from them.

Are you sure you need to replace windows? If it's an energy/heating bill issue, you can get virtually the same efficiency by putting GOOD storm windows on (think Larson Gold Series, that kind of window: well-made triple-track aluminum with weatherstripping and low-e glass) as you can by replacing the windows. That is a WHOLE LOT cheaper than replacing 20 windows!

Here are some links about that:

http://www.ehow.com/list_6568299_benefits-low-glass-storm-windows_.html

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/buildings/2010/Session%20PDFs/22_New.pdf

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/windowsvolumepurchase/pdfs/low-e_storm_windows_fact_sheet.pdf

"we found that comparable windows from Pella were less expensive than Anderson"

I don't think much of Pella.

Comparison on paper but not in actual quality.

10-4, Pella may be cheaper but the windows are poor in my opinion.

As has already been mentioned, Andersen makes a full range of windows from unacceptably poor quality to reasonably good quality so it is pointless to ask a question about them without specifying the window type, model, glass type and other optional features you are talking about.

We had no problems with Pella windows installed in our previous home. The Pella products in our current home are 2 years old. We live in a cold weather climate area and they are functioning very well. I would not hesitate to use them again in a future home.

The scope of your project sounds large enough that needing to trim 10k from the beginning is a red flag to me. Are you going to be able to pay out that 10k in "unknown" costs and overruns as your project progresses?

In a market where the aluminum cladding on wood windows is usually a thick extrusion that forms the exterior half of the sash, Pella still wraps a preservative treated wood sash with thin roll-form aluminum which looks pretty bad at the corners.

They also have a bad reputation for order mistakes and poor customer service. There are just too many good windows made by reliable companies to take a chance on Pella.

Andersen is the window company you are probably talking about; Anderson is a different window company.

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Tue, Mar 26, 13 at 13:01