thank you, Judy! I did not know this, and will call the company! Thanks a lot for the information!

Great. In my house now I have Marvin Windows and they are fine, but were very $$$$. In our new downsize, we did Anderson 400 series and are more than pleased. MidCape doesn't carry Anderson anymore, so my builder went to Hinkley's and got them. Great windows for the price. I did black, 2/2 and the front of the house is now white clapboard. Looks like a brand new house : > ).

Love Rhode Island...my daughter is Navy and we try to get to Newport at least once a year and stay at the Navy Lodge.

Hi, Judy, I had an Anderson sales person come over this afternoon and got a quote of $18,000 for 4 double hangs, 1 casement and 1 bay window (all of them fibrex and with the advertised promotion included). This is, unfortunately, way above my budget :( Will have to look for other brands or the option of having an independent contractor install Anderson.

Yes, Rhode Island is lovely, especially in the summer. Newport is not too far from where I live. . .

Many thanks again, Judy!

we have anderson in our RI house as well, sorry it didnt work for you. ours are expensive when we remodel as now they have to be hurricane rated.

thanks, nnigrt. Did you have your windows installed by Renewal By Andersen of Southern New England in Lincoln, RI, as well? I wonder if it would be more affordable if I could find a reliable contractor to order Andersen windows and then install them for me. But to find a good installer would be another adventure. . .

Years ago I replaced my original windows with Pella. They were the only ones that offered true divided lights and I wanted to keep original cape cod look. The Pellas are ok but not great. I now work at a lumber yard (we sell Andersen) on cape cod and was told to stay away from replacement windows. It is much better to get new construction windows. I remodeled my kitchen last year and replaced the Pella with an Andersen love it. Just put a new 8' Andersen slider in my den and it looks great. Also my understanding is that Renewal by Anderson is not true Anderson. If I were you I would find a contractor and buy real Andersens. I think you can do better than $18000, that price is very high especially for replacements. I am in southeastern MA and there are several good contractors here which is very close to RI.

i'm not certain who exactly my contractor called. all i know is the andersen guy was there. but none of what i had installed would have been replacements, as they were all new holes or reconfigured holes.

my primary residence has pella architect series replacements, as they were the only kind allowed by our historic district. they have the muntins between the layers of glass. only 5 years old now but we are very satisfied.

Thanks, nnigrt and jck910! jck910, I also read that Renewal Anderson is not the same as Andersen. I thought of both construction windows and replacement windows and decided on replacement windows because construction windows would be more expensive. Maybe it is time now to rethink about the option of having Andersen construction windows installed and get quotes to see how much it would be. Thanks again, sometimes I wish there were fewer options. . . Have a good weekend!

Agree about the fewer options it does get overwhelming. Good Luck

If " I also wish to get good quality", then eliminate vinyl from your choices. There have been many studies done by universities, independent labs, and the government that show if you are lucky you might get 20 years out of a vinyl replacement window. Many of the study results are published on line. Most of their advertising is propaganda, even the amount you are going to save on heating and cooling. They are playing with the numbers to make a buck.

Also, true replacement windows don't replace the original window frames, they just insert a new window into it. Quick and dirty. As JCK910 said above go with new construction windows.

@Al F., are you suggesting the possibility of obtaining unreliable information on the internet or in published product info???

SHOCKING !!! lol

@ Select & nnigrt; Awh, I'm sorry :(

@rinys - Thanks for considering Andersen. Could you give us some more information about what you're looking for? Our 100 Series windows are a great value for a composite window, so that may be something to consider. You can learn more about them here. As far as Renewal goes, Renewal windows are absolutely Andersen windows, but Renewal is a full service replacement business, which means that the cost includes absolutely everything - from custom making the windows to installing them and leaving your home as clean as we found it - which is why the cost is higher than the cost of windows alone. There are many great contractors that do a wonderful job of installing our windows as well, so it's just a matter of determining the best product for your application and whether or not you want to work with an independent contractor. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Dear all, thank you so much for your suggestions. I just signed a contract with an independent contractor and will have my downstairs windows replaced with 400 Series of Andersen Construction windows! Looking forward to the project and am really thankful for everyone who helped me at the forum.

best of luck.