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Pamy
Member
01-01-2002
| Friday, June 26, 2026 - 7:29 pm 
We had 22 ( it included the windows in our back house). It was worth it, kept the house cooler. It's been about 10 yrs and they are still like new
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 12:33 am
I get those cash offers wanting to buy my place but no reasonable place to go in Orange County CA and I have absolutely no desire to relocate. So I have to keep climbing stairs.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 5:37 am
We have a main floor master bedroom and while our office and movie theater are upstairs we can easily live on the main floor for the most part. We only momentarily considered replacing only the front facing windows but actually when pulling the screens out the windows that failed were two in the back of the house and two in the front. No way of knowing which ones would have failed or how many if we hadn’t stopped. It will be a few weeks before we know at least the initial bid but we’re prepared for a sizable cost. I should have added that during the door upgrades last year we didn’t upgrade the door from our master to the patio. It doesn’t match exactly the doors from our family room to the patio but we had it painted and I changed the hardware so it looks pretty much the same. We rarely, like in almost never, use it but now is the time to just get it all done.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 10:11 am
Yes, that is a good thing to have, all essentials downstairs.
We do have a very limited number of one story units, but they are pretty small.. Would be adequate but are rarely on the market. I do like sleeping upstairs with a view looking at a very large elm tree.
But it seems like everything you have done and plan to do are making your environment better and better.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 3:20 am
Mack, so glad you did not go Anderson. I do not care for them, did not want them when we replaced our windows, was not listened to, and now I'm stuck with them. Ugh.
Here's a little story and something you should check into before you sign anything for any windows you buy.
In the main bedroom, on one wall, we put in 1 giant window that is really 3 windows all next to each other. After they were put in, it was time to decide what to get for window treatments. I wanted Plantation shutters, but no way that was in the budget. Lol! So, I figured i would get individual blinds that went inside the windows.
Well.... I discovered that with these Anderson windows, you can't do that. Because you would have to install the hardware into the frame of the window and that would void the warranty. Wait what?!? Who designs these things? If I wanted shades, I would have to get one very long one to cover all 3 windows at once and put the hardware into the wall, which is ridiculous and would cover the fancy-dancy frames the windows have and just look ugly.
I googled what other people did, and there were a lot of complaints online from people with the same exact problem. One person posted a solution for what he did and it was ridiculous and not a perfect solution. These complaints started years ago, so Anderson isn't listening.
I lucked out and got a set of very expensive blinds (maybe Hunters) from an estate sale from a mega mansion that was being torn down for $50 that fit perfectly, and a carpenter friend who put them up for free and somehow managed to do it without voiding the warranty. They're an old set (they have cords to pull them up and down, and to open and close the shades) but they look brand new. Maybe the old ones have a different way to attach them, or the more expensive ones have better hardware. I don't know, but I love them.
Moral of the story, figure out how you want to cover your windows and check to see if it will void the warranty before you sign anything and save yourself a major headache.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Sunday, June 28, 2026 - 7:16 am
Thanks for the heads up. Indeed one of the things we want to do is replace a lot of the window coverings we have today. Some actually were installed by the original owners of our house some 26 years ago. We’ve kind of lived with them but with new windows and slightly different configuration it’s time to update/upgrade.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 7:01 am
We are going ahead with our window replacement using the same company, in fact the same project manager, that did our doors awhile back. Their window count is a little different than ours but they count the arched top of our three palladium windows as separate windows so the final count was 39 windows versus our count of 36. They are also going to replace the last two exterior doors we didn’t replace in the previous work. One is the door from our master bedroom to the patio that we rarely use but it doesn’t exactly match the other two doors from our family room to the patio. It also isn’t as energy efficient as the new doors. They will use the same manufacturer and line as the family room doors so other than being a bit smaller it will be an exact match. The other door is actually the service, sometimes call a man door, in the garage to the driveway. Again it rarely gets used but part of that is that it is failing so I just leave it be.
We are not using Anderson windows. Nothing really against Anderson because they are great windows but we’re getting all the windows and the last two doors replaced for 60% of what Anderson wanted for just the windows. According to Consumer Reports Anderson gets an A+ and the company supplying our windows gets a B+. At our age it just doesn’t make sense to go with Anderson. We did talk to a friend who is a real estate agent and she said the key if we sell like in the next ten years it will be the windows and doors will have been replaced will be certified energy efficient. The brand has little to no impact and the warranties are almost exactly the same. Because of lead time to make the windows and the doors and our travel plans looks like it will be September before we actually get the work done.
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Pamy
Member
01-01-2002
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 7:29 am
We got Anlin windows. We love them. Good luck with the project!
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 8:07 am
We’re going with the Mezzo Series windows from Alside. The doors will be from ProVia. ProVia also makes windows but the cost is close to Anderson. We really like their doors so stayed with them.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 9:03 am
Congrats Mack on getting that part decided and done with. It's a stressful thing deciding because it's such a huge commitment.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 9:30 am
It was kind of hard but after breaking a window and having three others malfunction when we tried to pull screens it had to be done. We met with our financial advisor and together we gamed out a way to in essence to pay cash for them so no monthly payments. Barring a downturn in the stock market he says he’ll recover the whole outlay in five to six months or sooner.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 3:48 pm
That will be a relief to have it all done.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-26-2000
| Monday, July 06, 2026 - 11:34 pm
We live in a lovely over-55 community where the windows get replaced when needed by the condo association. As do roofs. And exterior painting, and buildings and roads. And we have an in indoor swimming pool and gardeners. I found this place about 15-20 years ago from going to estate sales. Bwahahahaha!!! I said when we have to get off the steep freaking hill with the steep freaking driveway, we should move to this place. And we DID! MY estate sale will be a doozy. I have already told Bigdog if I go first, and we are still here, just tell all the neighborhood women to come and empty my clothes and shoes and accessories.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-06-2000
| Tuesday, July 07, 2026 - 1:48 am
Ah, we have to handle our own windows and garage doors but our association does cover roofing, painting, concrete, asphalt, landscaping, clubhouse, pools, tennis/pickle all court, basketball court, kiddie play yard and a few benches and even free poop bag dispensers for dogs. We are all age, though.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Friday, July 10, 2026 - 2:58 pm
We met with the project manager for the window and door project today and completed the final details. He will write up the final contract next week for us to sign. On the advice of our financial advisor we will take a loan out with the window company but that’s only to float the funding until after the first of the year. We have the funds but taking them out now would cost us more income tax. We’re not going to do the install until mid September because of our travel plans and it won’t be quite as hot then. Means we’ll only be “borrowing” the money for 90 to 120 days with no penalty for early payment. The project manager knows this and supports it.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, July 10, 2026 - 4:47 pm
How many windows can they do in 1 day? Curious minds want to know.
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