Vinyl, fibrex, or fiberglass

[flash]

I am shopping for replacement windows on my 50-year old brick exterior house to replace single pane aluminum windows. The windows will either be casement or sliders. So far, I have considered Sunrise (vinyl) and Anderson (fibrex). I have not talked to a fiberglass manufacturer, but am thinking about it. What's a girl to do? Also, Sunrise installer said he can install 6 windows, french door and new entry door in one day! Really? Anderson installer would run 2 guys and take 2-3 days for same job. I've not heard of Sunrise before shopping. Any comments from happy or unhappy customers? Installers - any thoughts? This is a big investment, so I want to be sure I am comfortable with decision. Each material has strengths and faults - what should I watch for or consider given my location in Colorado.

Thanks in advance.

[HomeSealed]

Sunrise is one of the elite window choices available along with Softlite and HiMark. The fibrex Andersen is not terrible, but is typically overpriced and holds 0 advantage over a premium vinyl window. They have a great sales pitch, but that is about it. When in doubt, compare the thermal and structural ratings of the windows that you are looking at... they will be VERY telling as to the quality of the window. There are some decent fiberglass choices as well like Inline and Marvin, but in most cases you will pay a premium over a vinyl choice that will offer performance that is equal or better.

[flash]

Thanks. From what I've seen on this website, Sunrise seems to be a good choice. Thanks for your response. Should I be concerned about the time to install? I am worried that it will be too fast. It would average about an 1 hour per window/door for removal and install. The house is a ranch style, so windows accessible from ground level.

[HomeSealed]

It is hard to say without knowing/seeing the exact circumstances of the install, but an hr per opening is not out of the question. When I was installing we could knock out 20 openings in a 10 hr day with perfect quality (3 man crew), but now my 2 man crews take a day and a half on 8 window jobs. Either way can work and result in a quality product, it just depends on the crew.

[flash]

ok. Your response makes me feel better. One final question - casement or sliders. It is my understanding that casement provide better seal than sliders - true? The three large windows are wider than they are tall, if that makes a difference...

[flash]

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.

[TheWindowNerd]

Vinyl in general will be your best choice.
Whether or not to do casements vs sliders??
Cost difference?
How they look?
Configurations? cmr vs mullions
Screens on the inside vs outside?

[Randy]

Did you get to see the new Sunrise casement? Sunrise did an extremely good job in the design - outstanding performance, narrow frame for maximum glass, and aesthetically beautiful.

[masterext]

if i'm not mistaken, the new sunrise casement is reinforced with fiberglass makng it somewhat of a hybrid which is pretty cool.

[HoustonWindowExperts]

I have experience with the Andersen 100 Series windows. I would suggest moving over to a good vinyl as the Pros on this board have mentioned above.

The advantage to the Andersen truly lies in the ease of being able to paint the product. It is not a fiberglass product and contains 40% actual wood from their wood mills.

I think that they are charging a premium product price on a mid-range product and partly to do with their cost of advertising and brand name recognition.

[Windows on Washington]

I have experience with the Andersen 100 Series windows. I would suggest moving over to a good vinyl as the Pros on this board have mentioned above.

The advantage to the Andersen truly lies in the ease of being able to paint the product. It is not a fiberglass product and contains 40% actual wood from their wood mills.

I think that they are charging a premium product price on a mid-range product and partly to do with their cost of advertising and brand name recognition.

Painting Fibrex is not very easy. It is 60% vinyl by constitution and I have never seen it done very well.

While they may allow for sanding in the "Care and Maintenance" sections, they specifically say the following in their warranty:



Damage caused by the following:
Sanding or improper washing

I wouldn't trust Andersen one bit unless I had something specifically from them.

They have several standard colors but if your color is not one of those, you are a bit out of luck unless Andersen is going to start doing custom options.

[masterext]

If your installer insists or recommends 3 days opposed to one, so be it. Last thing you want is a rush job. Sometimes door installations can be very time consuming.

[HomeSealed]

I agree with those points. Doors have a pretty wide range of installation time depending on the circumstances. My original point was just that a one day install should not be alarming, especially if they have 3 or more on a crew, but 3 days would not be out of the question either.