We need comments suggestions bits of wisdom, trying to get this decision made so we can get the tax credit this year. It is a lot of money for us so I am not sure if we are just being too critical or not.
We have been looking for windows to replace the out of date single pane windows in our house (18 in total all DH). The current windows are original to the house (built in 1954 and are wood inside and out. We also want to add a bay where two side by side DH are now. We originally received 4 quotes two from companies that sell Vinyl windows (Champion and Gilkey) and two from companies that offer more of a wood window (Andersen and Pella). Our current windows, trim and molding in the house is wood (all stained a maple color) so we have decided to stay with a wood window. We will stain the windows to match the existing woodwork. We are leaning towards just doing half the windows this year (still will be enough to qualify for the whole tax credit) and then the other half next year just to spread the cost over two years instead of one.
We have also decided to go with a full install rather than an insert; the overall price difference was only about 10% more.
We have so many questions and concerns and it seems like when we get one answered we it brings up two more. This Saturday we drove to the showroom for Andersen and Pella thinking that would make up our mind but it did not.
Our current windows do not have grilles, but we want to have grilles in the new ones. We want the grilles to be inside the panes of glass (to make cleaning the windows easier), but worry that having the inside of the grilles not matching the wood we stain will look odd. Â.What have some of the folks on here done with this issue, do the grilles look ok white when the rest of the wood and trim is stained a maple color.
Our other question is of course which window to go with, we have yet to receive our quote from Marvin and to see their window so maybe when we do we will fall in love and say that is the one (I hope).
The Andersen rep that came out was at first talking Renewal and we have a quote for those, but he also provided a quote for a full tear and install of what I think was the Andersen 400 series. I have yet to receive the written quote from this fella so I am not 100% sure what window he quoted for the full tear out. We looked at some Renewal windows in a showroom and I did not like the way they looked on the inside, they wife is ok with them though. I looked at the 400 series and the 400 Woodwright and I liked the Woodwright, unless I am looking at the cutaway for the Andersen windows wrong it looks like they use the fibrex material for a lot of the outside of the window (not sure if that is good or bad). For the window grilles it does not look like Andersen offers natural wood on the inside, we would go with white I guess and that worries us that it would look odd.
The rep from Pella has sent me PDFÂs of the quote for both insert and full tear out (they seem more responsive then the Andersen guy). The Pella window for the full tear out is the Proline with Low E SunDefense, Dual LowE Argon Gas. I do not like the way the Pella windows achieve the ability to tilt out, it seems like compressing the jamb and then just pushing the window back in will result in failure of the jamb down the road. I thought the Andersen method of achieving that was better, but the parts were not and sturdy as I would have liked. For the grills on the Pella windows they do offer a natural wood on the inside, but again we a worried that it will not match the stain on the rest of the window or the trim. I do like the fact that the Pella window seems to have more wood in it then the Andersen.
We have not had the rep from Marvin out yet, I hope to get that this week. We are hoping that they have some of the best parts of the Andersen and Pella line and none of the bad (and close in price).
I guess I should add that we are both around 46 years old and we plan on being in this home the rest of our natural lives, so we need this to be the only window replacement we go through.
Sorry for being so long and thanks for any input you may have.
sfjeff
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Windows on Washington Ltd
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