Choose quality replacement windows

You can select from a variety of colors to coordinate or contrast with your existing exterior. If you choose wood windows, keep in mind that this window material requires significant upkeep. The glass package is one of the most important components of a window when it comes to saving energy. Dual and triple pane glass : Replacement windows typically come in two options of glass panesdual and triple pane.

Dual pane is the standard choice which includes two panes of glass with an airspace in the middle. Triple pane glass adds an extra pane of glass and an additional airspace. It provides increased energy savings and additional sound-blocking capabilities.

Argon gas : An invisible, odorless gas that is denser than air. This gas is filled between the gas panes, typically in dual pane windows. The purpose of the gas fill is to increase the thermal efficiency of the window. Krypton gas: An invisible, odorless gas that is denser than both air and argon gas. This gas is filled between the glass panes, most commonly in dual pane windows. It is one of the best choices for creating an exceptionally efficient replacement window.

But how do they stand up over time? You need confidence that your purchase will be able to withstand harsh summers, brutal winters and everything in between. Ultimately, you need to be able to trust that any home improvement product can do what it states on the box, and not break or be easily damaged when tested by the rigours of every day life. Will cheaper products always give you that peace of mind?

A warranty is essentially a guarantee from a service provider that their product will achieve a certain standard. Should the product fall short of that standard or promise, the customer has a sound avenue to seek complementary repairs or replacement. When it comes to pricing and estimates, there are some shady operators out there. Unsuspecting homeowners can be stung by unforseen expenses and left out of pocket. When seeking estimates and working with contractors to plan your home improvement job, here are some essential questions to ask that will help you make an informed decision:.

Ultimately, any product, whether cheap or expensive, will only perform as well as its installation. Apart from making the all-important decision of window type, you also have options in Low-E, energy-efficient glass, gas-filled glass chambers, and a variety of other optional extras including. Now you can be prepared and have peace of mind, no matter what mother nature throws at you.

Andersen offers a limited warranty covering 20 years for glass, and 10 years for non-glass parts. Moreover, this warranty can be transferred to the new owners, making it a very attractive offer.

They have a good track record for reliability and a good reputation among builders. However, one thing to keep in mind is that homeowners are not able to many of the Andersen windows themselves. These ranges are often sold to installers that are part of an established network. The installers offer custom consultation, project management, and fitting services.

Pella is another leader in the window industry with an extremely good reputation and quality replacement windows to match. And just like most of the top brands around, Pella has a lot of options on offer. What makes them stand, however, is their unwavering commitment to quality.

Pella offers some of the strongest warranties in the business. Their Limited Lifetime Warranty is provided to the original buyer of the product. However, unlike some of its competitors, this warranty is non-transferable.

The warranty also differs depending on your product range due to the fact that all product lines may not reflect the same type of quality. Nevertheless, Pella still offers a year warranty on wood — making them one of the best brands to choose when you check replacement window prices.

Pella definitely offers you amazing quality in both their premium and standard-quality windows ranges. These are the type of windows that can absolutely add massive value and energy efficiency to your property. Milgard started fabricating aluminum in and has since then become another household name in the window replacement industry. They believe in providing a superior product that has the edge over anything its competitors have to offer. They also endeavor to produce products from their local manufacturing plant that not only looks better than anything else on the market but also outperform with innovative design and installations.

Their range of windows comes in an affordable assortment of styles and materials to choose from. At Milgard , you can find the following window types:. Milgard offers a Lifetime Warranty on parts and labor, which is also one of the best warranties in the industry. Additionally, the coverage extends for 10 years from the initial date of the original warranty to any successive owners. Simonton has been manufacturing windows since and in this company was voted number 1 for quality in a study by Builder magazine.

In , Simonton was acquired by Ply Gem while continuing to produce vinyl replacement and new construction windows and doors. Today, Simonton Windows is proud to be one of the leading brands in the industry that offers a great service every time. So, if you are looking for affordable windows that do not lack quality, you should be considering Simonton. Alside is undoubtedly one of the most trusted names in windows today with more than 65 years of experience.

More importantly, the vast majority of windows installed by Alside over the past quarter of a century are still in use.

They offer several energy-efficient lines for premium vinyl replacement or new construction. Alside Windows come in several new construction and replacement lines. These windows are custom-made to fit in an existing window opening. Alside windows are mostly sold in the mid-west and eastern parts of the country, usually at Lowes as well as independent home centers. For more than 65 years, Alside has provided exceptional replacement windows for homes and businesses.

Their commitment to innovative design, advanced technology, superior craftsmanship, and outstanding customer service has defined their legacy as true leaders in home windows. As with many of the top window manufacturers out there, a lot depends on the installation and the contractor responsible for the job. A few negative reviews have cropped up related to negative experiences with local contractors. However, when it comes to the design, functionality, energy- efficiency, and aesthetic appeal of Alside Windows , you can rest assured you are investing in a quality product.

Below is a list of the best replacement window companies with reviews of their product offerings, costs, available styles, installation options, warranties, and more. Each of these companies rates highly on all of these factors. Andersen is the most searched for replacement window company.

They have extensive style and material options with different levels of energy efficiency, security, and quality to meet the different needs of all homeowners. Here is a summary of the different series of windows offered by Andersen, listed from most to least expensive:.

Andersen offers premium, high-quality replacement windows, but also has low-cost options that are still great quality. Once a buyer chooses the material and style that best suits their needs, they can choose between a number of glass options that Andersen offers, which are suited for different environments and needs. For example, Andersen offers Sun Glass, which has a subtle tint to block out sunlight, for warmer southern climates while its PassiveSun and Triple-Pane options better handle temperatures in cooler Northern climates.

Additionally, Andersen has a HeatLock coating that can be added to most glass options for additional efficiency. Andersen makes windows in any of the popularly used materials: wood, vinyl, composite, aluminum, and fiberglass. Here is a summary of where Andersen makes use of each material:. Andersen makes windows of every popular style, meaning buyers can choose between single-hung, double-hung, casement, awning, projection, sliding, picture, or custom specialty windows. Not every style is available in every series, however, so buyers should check to be sure that their desired design will work with their preferred series.

Andersen also allows buyers to design fully custom windows to be built and delivered by Andersen. They also offer smart home solutions and security options for their replacement windows. Andersen is one of the most popular window and door companies in part due to their commitment to great service for their customers.

Reviews from around the web generally show outstanding reviews from their customers, and the experts at J. Power have found similarly high levels of customer satisfaction. Renewal by Andersen took the top spot in J. Windows and Patio Doors Satisfaction Survey, with an out of 1,, while Andersen came in fifth with a score of Compared to their biggest competitor, Pella, Andersen windows are slightly more affordable and provide a similar level of quality.

However, given the variety of options available through Andersen, costs may go higher, particularly for series like the A Series, E Series, and Series.

In contrast, buyers who are looking to save should target more affordable Andersen options like the Series or Series. Renewal by Andersen is a division of Andersen that provides full-service installation to Andersen customers. Andersen provides a great tool on their website for finding retailers and installers of their windows. This tool even lets buyers search retailers by the specific collections and features they offer. For homeowners who want to install Andersen windows themselves or use a different local contractor, Andersen also provides instructions for installation on their website and with the windows at the time of purchase.

Andersen offers a robust warranty for their windows, which covers failure caused by faulty craftsmanship and failure of window materials. Specifically, their warranty covers glass, wood components, wood composite components, hardware, weatherstripping, blinds, insect screens, and exterior painted or anodized aluminum surfaces.

Andersen warranties are also transferable in the event that you sell your home. And if Andersen or one of their retailers installs the windows, they offer a separate warranty to cover failures caused by improper installation. Andersen has an extensive collection of windows with many options and an extremely favorable customer reputation.

They have a large network of retailers and installers, and provide strong warranties for their products. Their windows are also available at a variety of price points suitable for any homeowner. Pella is one of the most trusted names in windows and doors, and has one of the most extensive selections of replacement windows.

Pella offers a variety of styles and materials, and they offer different product lines for different homeowner needs. They are ordered from most to least expensive. Pella makes some of the highest quality vinyl, wood, and fiberglass windows on the market, which is why they are one of the most widely-known brands in replacement windows. Pella offers a number of window options that are very energy efficient and lets the buyer select the best type of glass for their local environment and needs.

And each type of window can be enhanced with more energy efficient glass. Pella offers wood, fiberglass, vinyl, and aluminum-clad wood windows. Each Pella series is made from a different material, but every window style is represented in at least one of those material categories. The only exceptions are bow or bay windows, which Pella only offers in wood for structural integrity.

They offer casement, double-hung, single-hung, awning, projection bay and bow , sliding, and picture window designs. Not every series has all of these styles available, so you should consider which styles are available in which materials before making a decision. Additionally, if you have unique or specialized window designs, the Pella Reserve Series provides extensive options for customization.

Pella offers a number of upgrade options for their windows, including impact-resistant glass, improved energy efficiency, between-the-glass blinds, screens, and integrated security sensors. Through this process, buyers can add and customize any number of these upgrades to their windows.

While Pella has received a number of complaints from customers with the BBB, they have taken action to resolve every issue and negative review, which shows their dedication to customer satisfaction. Power also finds respectable satisfaction levels for Pella-manufactured windows, giving Pella an out of 1, in its most recent U. Windows and Patio Doors Satisfaction Survey , just one point below the industry average. While Pella offers very high-quality windows, they also offer several series of windows with narrower options or more affordable materials in order to provide a lower cost option for people on a budget.

Pella offers a number of warranties on purchases of their windows. Each window material uses a different warranty because of the different ways different materials fail over time, but buyers of any Pella window will be protected by their limited lifetime warranty.

For replacement customers, the Pella Care Guarantee is also available as long as the Pella products are purchased and installed through a local Pella showroom.

In addition to the typical product warranty, this limited warranty provides protection from faulty or incorrect installation of the windows. Buyers always have the option to install their replacement windows on their own.

However, Pella has professionals throughout the United States who can install their windows. One of the biggest benefits of commissioning a Pella pro to install the windows is the Installation Warranty that Pella provides, which protects owners against damages that result from faulty installation of the windows.

Milgard is a very popular window and door brand with over 50 years of experience providing quality products. They have a variety of options in terms of materials, affordability, and efficiency. One important note for potential Milgard customers is that they no longer offer wood windows, which has helped Milgard keep their products affordable but may be a dealbreaker for some buyers.

However, Milgard still offers a high-quality selection for buyers looking for alternatives to wood. Like the other replacement window companies in this guide, Milgard segments their window selection into different collections, or series. Here is a summary of each series Milgard offers:. Milgard makes high quality vinyl, fiberglass, and aluminum windows, and in its higher-priced lines, additional enhancements are available. The main knock on Milgard in terms of quality is that they do not offer wood windows, which tend to be the highest quality windows available.

Milgard windows can be upgraded with a number of features that add to their energy efficiency, including double- and triple-pane windows, Low-E coatings, spacers for double-pane windows, and Argon or Krypton gas-filled spacers. As mentioned above, Milgard no longer offers wood or wood clad windows, but they do manufacture windows made of vinyl, fiberglass, and aluminum.

The exclusion of wood in their assemblies serves to make their windows even more affordable. Milgard offers all of the most popular window styles: single-hung, double-hung, casement, awning, picture, and slider. They also have a selection of specialty styles, like radius windows which use at least one curved edge.