# Replacing Windows - Andersen, wood vs Fibrex



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/renewal-by-andersen-a168840.html
Want to see more just Google "Renewal By Andersen".
One of the last places I'd be getting prices for installed windows is from a box store.
They do not have full time people that do any of the work. They sub it all out which raises the price.
All Factory reps work off of commission. Which again raises the prices.
Hire a local contractor and there is no commission, and he has a vested interest in making sure the job is done right.
My own personal experience with Anderson is waiting for weeks for a rep to come look at a customers vinyl clad rotted out windows only to have them show and tell me there out of warranty and he had never seen that happen before.
All the bottom sashes in the double Hung's and the whole bottom sill in a bow window and he tried to tell me they must have been installed wrong.
Since then I've had to deal with two more whole houses with rotted sashes and one single window all Anderson.


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## HomeSealed (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd agree that you should explore other options. The RBA is nice looking, but your thought on the pricing is not unfounded. I also do not recommend box store installs. There is not necessarily anything wrong with subs in general, but they typically pay a fraction of the going rate which can lead to a revolving door of installers with hit or miss quality. If you are set on Andersen I'd try to find a local window company that offers it.


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## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

HomeSealed said:


> I'd agree that you should explore other options. The RBA is nice looking, but your thought on the pricing is not unfounded. I also do not recommend box store installs. There is not necessarily anything wrong with subs in general, but they typically pay a fraction of the going rate which can lead to a revolving door of installers with hit or miss quality. If you are set on Andersen I'd try to find a local window company that offers it.


+1 to both comments.

Not sure I would call it nice looking though when you see it next to other windows in a similar price point.


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## Window Geek (Jan 8, 2014)

rachelhaberman said:


> We are planning to replace all the windows throughout my house. 22 windows in all. We've gotten quotes from Home Depot for Andersen 400 Series and Renewal By Andersen. The challenge is there is a massive pricing discrepancy and RBA won't line item the quote, so I can't tell what I'm looking at. RBA is literally 25% more than Home Depot.
> 
> The Andersen 400 Series are wood windows with a vinyl exterior, full frame replacement. The RBA windows are Fibrex with a wood veneer interior, unknown if it is full frame or insert (waiting on a response from the vendor).
> 
> ...


I would stay away from RBA. The price discrepancy comes from the simple fact that they mark up their windows so much more. I'm not a fan of the 400 series, but you can do worse. Fibrex is not a very impressive material.

The Big Boxes can get you a competitive price on the product, but stay away from their installers. The turnover rate of the sales people is comparable to McDonald's. Actually you can probably get better advice on windows in the drive through at McDonald's than you can at HD. 

You should be able to get better windows than Anderson for the money, but each market is different and different distributors have different markups. We built the same floor plan in 2 different states and had planned on using the same brand in both, but the price for the identical window package was 20% higher across the state line (different distributor).


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