Andersen Windows

As far as installation, it was estimated that they could install about two windows a day. We got 167 total windows. When they were working on the ground, they were installing about six to seven windows a day. Right now, they're at about six windows a day. They're not quite half way through yet. We got some competing proposals, but the one we selected was also a contractor that had roofed the same facility about two years before as a subcontractor. That roofing project is $1.3 million. So, we had confidence in what they could do. It's the Exterior Specialties Incorporated. They've been great to work with. I talk with their project lead every day.

As far as the windows, we're happy with the overall quality. The only thing that I had an issue with is there's no locking mechanism for these windows being in a commercial install. There was a mess up on our order for the frame expanders. We had to order a 12-foot units and the ones that came in were 8.5 foot. So the selling dealer, Smith Doors & Windows coordinated filing of the claim with the Andersen Windows. Fortunately, the replacement of the additional frame expanders we needed to complete our project are actually gonna come in before we need them. So we're happy with that. That claim filing was handled extremely well by the selling dealer.

There are other things with the house that have gone wrong, but the door was not one of them. That is working out fantastic, and I'm thrilled with the quality of it. It's gonna sell the house. That door opens out into an atrium that's like a big glass shed that's 30 by 15 feet, and the other side of that is the pool. It's in between the kitchen and the atrium. We'll have an island that has a stove on it, but we'll have an overlap on the inside of the house so that people can sit there, have drinks, open the doors up, see all the way out past the atrium into the pool, and it'll all be one integrated place.

The biggest issues that I had were related to supply chain. Once we ordered the windows, it took six months to get the windows in. When the contractor came to install the windows, they opened the first one up and found out that Andersen had sent the wrong windows. We have a 4-inch exterior wall and the windows that were sent were for a 6-inch exterior wall. There were a couple of different options for how to deal with that. One of the options was to return a $20,000 worth of windows to Andersen and have Andersen remake them.

We weren't super excited about that because it'd taken six months to get the windows in the first place. What we ended up doing was the contractor was able to put the windows in, but they had to redo all of the framing on the interior and exterior and they needed to get a certain part from Andersen. We decided that would be the better way and he negotiated with Andersen, that Anderson would pick up the extra labor material cost for redoing all the trim. It took three months to get the part in that they needed. It took nine months to get the windows in from the time that we ordered them.

It worked out and I put a lot of that to our contractor. I'm doing additional work and the fact that he was authorized by Andersen with the extended warranty was a big deal for me. He was great in terms of trying to make the best out of a potentially very bad situation. It took less time than it would have taken to redo the order with the right windows. It ended up saving Andersen some money because they would have taken a huge hit and loss had they had to redo the whole order. I appreciate the contractor to think out of the box and find a solution. I've recommended Andersen and this contractor to a bunch of neighbors.

The installation crew was great. But we waited a long time for the Andersen Windows. Also, a lot of the stuff was damaged when they arrived. There are three items that were damaged, one being we have a four-unit sliding door. And inside, they're double windows. I thought it wasn’t cleaned off until I realized it was. It was damp, marked in the inside of the windows, between one of the windows. That on one of the sliders, and there are two sashes. Different windows, but two lower sashes.

Once they were all in, they're beautiful. There are many things we paid, and we paid a fortune for these windows. We had the things that were damaged prior to arriving to us pre-painted. So, we have the inside white and the outside was another color. But two pieces of trim were the natural wood. They were never painted. We're still waiting on those to come in. I'm looking at our sliders have these two unfinished pieces of regular color wood on either side. More than what I thought should have happened with Andersen. Andersen is known for the quality. And we paid a lot more than my sister did. We could have had that to save. It's still an impact window. Our impact window is not rated any higher than hers. It's just that it was an Andersen window. We know what we hear about them. But that lacked.

We started this whole thing in the early part of this year and we still are not done. And we're getting ready to go into 2023. There's no reason for the alarm system guys to add what they need to to the ones that are missing now until Andersen is totally done. We're missing a door that has to be replaced and two sashes. So, it's three windows that we can have alarmed. So, we would not have them come all the way out here and pay them to come out because it would have cost us, and just for us to tell them, “Hey. And by the way, we have three things that are going to be replaced, so you get come out again.”

We contacted Ford Lumber and they said, “We're doing the best we can do. Andersen hasn't gotten them to us.” So, this is a bit disheartening considering we've already paid. When they got done in October, we paid 100%. Everybody is paid. We could have said, “We're not gonna for this door and those two windows because they're wrong. They're bad.” I paid 100% to everybody because they were installed. But we have not gotten our product. My husband is disappointed and he has made it known to everybody that he wants his house alarmed. We have no security in our house right now.

Andersen is not the only one that costs us money. So did Ford Lumber. We know how business is. We didn’t 100% to Andersen Windows. Part of our payment was for Ford Lumber's part. That's their job. So, for I can't reach out to Ford Lumber and have to jump hoops and ask Andersen Windows to do their thing. Ford Lumber is doing what they're supposed to. I would love to contact Andersen, but I'm afraid I'm going to jump over somebody, and I don't want to get Ford Lumber upset.

I have a lot of windows as well, and I have no fault with them. Everything that was put in properly works properly. In fact, I got Andersen windows with the construction, and then I was having a porch converted to a room. It was very well done. However, I didn't know and I wasn't asked if I'd like the lip to lift the windows up, so I didn't even think about it. The windows that I didn't need to replace were Andersen and they had the lip. The new windows arrived without any lip and they were very hard to open, practically impossible, because there's no place to put my hand. I bought those in addition to and had those installed on here. I'm not crazy about them because they show, and I can't have windows that I can't open. That was the whole point.