Replacement Patio Doors and Windows

Need to replace 2 patio doors and 4 double crank casement windows (Marvin wood interior/Al clad ext).

Have 3 bids so far from solid contractors and not convinced I’ve found the best combination of quality and price.

Renewal by Andersen makes a good product, but came in well over $10K higher than the other 2 bids.

The next 2 were suggested by contractors as being quality units that are much lower in price than Marvin, Andersen, etc. top line brands.

Weather Shield – made in Medford, WI – Crestline windows also made there. BBB and internet ratings are a bit sketchy…

Weather-Tech – Made in Sauk Rapids, MN . Visited the factory showroom and they make a good product; fit/finish/features certainly differ from the current Marvins.

Anybody have experience with either of these brands?

Any suggestions for other brands that aren’t in the top tier price range?

Thanks
Pete

PS- this is a fishing post. My 2nd day of retirement and the sooner I can get this figured out, the sooner I can go fishing…

Pella makes a good window, we have used Windsor windows for 18 years in our new houses and have had real good luck with them.

Paella architect is the standard for all the homes I build, with Marvin used on a rare occasion. I’ve torn more weather shield out than you can imagine. Used Anderson on two houses and inside of 5 years they were ripped out and replaced

I just built this place in the pics. Original house was lost in a fire. Heat loss with about 30% increase of clear glass was reduced by more than 25%

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In windows and doors you get what you pay for as a contracting business for 45 years I would never put either of the following in again.

Weather Shield – made in Medford, WI – Crestline windows also made there. BBB and internet ratings are a bit sketchy…

You can search the world over and never find a better residential window/patio door then Marvin.

BTW- nice work Randy!

Eelpoutguy wrote:

BTW- nice work Randy!

Thank you sir. Always trying

I spent a ton of $$$ on Anderson patio door in 2013 and in 2017 the active door started to warp. Anderson was SUPER difficult to deal with, they didn’t honor the lifetime warranty, and instead sent me a bracket that was supposed to fix the problem…which it didn’t.
I will never buy an Anderson product again.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

You can search the world over and never find a better residential window/patio door then Marvin.

BTW- nice work Randy!

By no means an expert but after going through a couple major house renovations in the last year or so Marvin would be my choice. We’re using a very reputable MPLS contractor and they are adamant about Marvin.

We also did a custom rear French door about 10 years ago through Shaw Stewart….they recommended Marvin. Damn thing looks brand new still. When the lock broke, out of warranty, they sent a tech down and replaced free of charge. Can’t beat that with a stick.

Marvin is outpacing Anderson here at the local yard. They’re products are nice and their packaging is about 3x more protective then the last few Anderson windows I’ve delivered

I am a retired contractor from Nebraska and have replaced hundeds of windows and patio doors. I tried to use Andersons (not Renewal)as much as possible. The total (completed)should be under 10,000. I am talking about the high end Andersens not the lows.

I worked for Andersen for close to 34 years, of the choices it would be Andersen or Pella, flip a coin on which one.

I worked as a Serviceman for both window companies for quite a number of years. My personal experience tells me that Andersens’ Best lines have my vote for quality and ease of installation.

I’ve dove into many companies window offerings over the years in my business, and I’m older than most of you here.

I’ve been invited to 3 factories for tours over the years, yes dinners, 2 night hotel, liquor and full day tours were involved. Let me say the sales men have a nice expense account.
I’m not up on quite the latest as to who has the edge in a particular product But,,,

Over the years
Marvin, Pella and Eagle have been on top for their “R”, “U” and “Air Infiltration” ratings.

Windows and doors can have the very best “R”, “U” and “Air Infiltration” rating but if the curtains move from a tiny draft they ain’t worth a c-ap! That is is a second “A-I” rating that lands on the installer. Rot over the years can very much land on the installer too!

I’ll pick just one company like Pella and say, I’m not a fan of vinyl, fiberglass is a much better improvement for a small up-charge. I push clad exterior with proper finished wood interior. Pro-Line is a reasonable choice only in the double hung design, I would not use it in a casement. Architectural series for casements and sliders. If you prefer the slim-shade option then Architectural triple pane is where you will be landing AT A COST still less than the Renewal by Andersen!

A company’s window I’ve seen also is Sierra Pacific, had my hands on their product but never on site. They look to be impressive maybe.

Tim Chrouser wrote:

I spent a ton of $$$ on Anderson patio door in 2013 and in 2017 the active door started to warp. Anderson was SUPER difficult to deal with, they didn’t honor the lifetime warranty, and instead sent me a bracket that was supposed to fix the problem…which it didn’t.
I will never buy an Anderson product again.

I can’t fathom them not taking care of that. Their home office would notify me and ship the panel as soon as they were notified that I could do the work. I always got paid for it. I can only remember them not taking care of a problem when there wasn’t moisture inside of a thermal window when the owner insisted it was. I was sent out to prove the problem was or was not the fault of the factory. When the window was cleaned on the outside, magically the moisture was gone. Guess what? She still wanted us to replace that window. I said no and it stuck. That was it in 40+ yrs. of warranty work experience with Andersen. My 2nd wife had Andersens in the new house when she was married the first time. After about 10 yrs. she had a couple seals fail and glass fogged. The company( An Andersen Dealer) she had replace them, charged her for it. They were double dipping getting money from both she and Andersen. The house was built in 1978 and all of them are still working well. A little maintenance is required. Mostly keeping them cleaned and the operators oiled.