Replacing Andersen Casements

Jaketoo

I have an old customer who has a large house with lots of Andersen casement windows. He wants to replace them all. He asked me to give him a quote a couple years ago. I got bogged down doing the quote when I found out Andersen casement windows made these days are different sizes than these existing ones from 1986. None of them would be a good fit. I looked at some vinyl replacements, but I never found any windows I liked. I never did get back to him.
He called Renewal by Andersen. He had them do 2 windows. The windows are nice, but they did a terrible job installing them. A real hack job. It looks like they made them to small for one thing. They did some real funky things with the trim inside and out. The most noticable thing was really wide casing inside. I would say it was over 4". It may have even been baseboard. All the other windows have 2 1/2" casing. Both windows leaked. They didn't insulate the big pockets between windows and framing. And he paid 4800.00 for these 2 double casement replacements. He is really unhappy. He wants me to replace all the other windows.
Now I find myself right back where I left off. Renewal by Andersen will not let me buy their windows or install them. The vinyl replacements I have looked at just don't look good next to an Andersen, and the Andersen standard size casements don't even come close to fitting the openings. Anyone run into this problem?

dougchips

Jake,

you can get some replacements that are stainable on the inside and when you run you interior extension jambs and trim they look great. Other than that a white or off white replacement with the stained jambs and trim looks good. IMO wood casements are a pain to maintain with the sun fading the finish when the window is open during the summer.

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A W Smith

have you tried Marvins? they will make any size. every window is made to order which sucks as far as lead time, but heck he's waited a couple of years for the wrong windows anyway. Ive always wondered how those renewal by andersen looked like. Got a cell phone that takes pictures? Id like to see that mess they made and use the images as a selling point. please post em.

Also replacements dont work very well in an andersen casement because of the jamb cross section unless you rip the entire frame out.

Also I worked with another contractor replacing an entire ranch house of old wood andersen casements last summer and was able to get exactly the same size in andersen clad casements, Are you on the right page in the andersen product guide? they make 200 and 400 series that are very different. Ive always hated their product guides with all the tabbing and different window styles scattered from one end of the book to the other.

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Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

Jaketoo

I will take some pictures and post them. I am going to go back and pull the casing off some of the windows. So I can see exactly what the rough openings are.

Patrick

I have never really run into a situation where I couldn't find an Andersen unit that came very close to the original. We have also become very good at installing replacement windows into the old casement frames.

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

Tom M

One of the benefits of a company with longevity I haven't ever had an issue matching up Andersons either.

Paul Joseph

You can usually just order the sash section from Anderson and not have to change the entire window

Jaketoo

Maybe I'm missing something. I thought for sure I could find Andersen casements to match existing size. But I went over this several times, and found the standard sizes were not matching up. The other thing is the homeowner told me he already looked into this and he was sure they would not work. I will know for sure when I pull the interior casing off, and measure the rough openings.
I did just come accross these SILVERELINE Andersen vinyl replacements.

A W Smith

And the Andersen product guide for professionals makes an excellent base for your mouse pad on the arm of your recliner. I was looking around the room wondering where my product guide was when i realized it was under my right hand. Hey I didn't know the woodwright was a replacement window by Andersen? Ill hafta check that out as far as lead time and pricing.


anyone remember the old Andersen casement glazing with the one piece insulated glass? if you broke one you ordered a whole new sash.


There was a knock off company I think from Lakewood NJ back in the seventies that used the name Anderson. Andersen would run a disclaimer advertisement only once a year stating they had no connection to this company at all and cautioned the buyer to look for the Andersen logo and note the "e" in Andersen for the genuine product.

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Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

Tom M

Jake did you measure the unobstructed glass on the sash? Use that number to narrow your search. The date of course may be useful for a sales rep.

Tom M

Al I recently changed old Narrowline windows with high performance Tilt wash. I dont know if you ever used the conversion kits but its a nice way to earn money and easy installation.

maceycon

I am REALLY surprised you can not find and Andersen that is close enough. I have never run into that problem. Go with a Harvey Majesty. They are Aluminum clad exterior and Wood on the interior. They will make them to any size.

A W Smith

many years ago I replaced all the windows in my parents home with narrolines. I was frustrated at the time that Andersen didnt make a window that tilted in for cleaning. Now almost 25 years later they make a tilt wash conversion kit for them. Too late my parents passed on.


About 13 years ago Northeastern Lumber gave me an Andersen design guide which was full of sizes not in the product guide. It was a ring bound guide about 5 X 8 or so, Had just about every concievable mulled and transom combination as well as pages and pages of 30 degree and 45 degree bay and box and bow combinations to fit just about every size opening. The owner cautioned me to not let it out of my hands. I don't know why but he handed it to me like it was golden. I haven seen one (or asked) since.

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Al Smith
http://www.awsmith.com

Jaketoo

I measured from the inside face to inside face of the extension jambs. Then I looked at the specs on the 400 series casements. It shows 1 1/8" from that face to the outside of frame. So I add 2 1/4" to each measurement. For example one of the more common windows (double casement) measured 51 3/4" from inside ext jamb to inside ext jamb. add 2 1/4" (for the 1 1/8 wide jambs) to that measurement and you get 4'6". Look in the Andersen book, and the best match is 4'8 1/2" the next size down is 4' 0".

maceycon

Why don't you get the rough opening measurment? You can take off the trim or drill holes. Replace the unit.

Jaketoo

Yes that is my plan. I already told the homeowner I need to come back and remove some casing. I have to plow snow today, but I will try and get som R.O. measurements friday.

maceycon

If you know you are going to get the job. Drill 1/8 holes in the casing then stick a screw driver in the hole until you hit the framing. you can then measure how far in the screw driver went in and add that to the inside measurement. Do that on all 4 sides to get your RO. I do that instead of removing the trim. Sometimes the trim gets destroyed and the customer has to look at that for 3 week waiting for the windows to com in.

Jaketoo

That's a great idea. I will do that. I will also bring some white caulking to fill the little holes.

Patrick

The Easiest way to measure the old wood andersens, and the way i do it every single time, is to Hook your tape on the extreme left side of the brickmold on the left side, to the left side of the brickmold on the right side of the window. That gives you your unit size width, and then from the bottom of the sill nose to the center of the top brickmold to get your unit size height.

BTW, that 1-1/8 number is not correct if you are measuring an old wood window.

Eagles new construction wood windows are all custom sized btw

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Originally Posted by Celtic
Like I said...I'm sure you are very good at what you do ~ whatever that is and where ever it happens.

Tom Struble

they make the woodwright series to the 1/8 its Andersen's replacement window they call it a pocket replacement.good unit in my opinion you can also use it as a prime unit with the flanges