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At Siding & Windows Wizards LLC we like to take care about people's houses and like to share ideas about vinyl siding, replacement windows, fiber cement siding, roofing, or anything else that can make people's life easier. Categories
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June 2018
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When you consider to start a window project and you shop around. One of a good choices might be OKNA Insul-Tec Replacement windows (500 Series). This vinyl window looks stylish and appealing. As always we are gonna look at three most important characteristics of the window: —Beauty — Reliability, Performance and Warranty Beauty
Reliability, Performance and Warranty
What could be done better in that replacement window
So the OKNA Insul-Tec Window (500 Series ) has 11 stars minus one star, the total comes to 10 stars. It is pretty much a durable and stylish window, worthy of consideration
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 Finally you are tired to look at your old windows, so you decide to make your house beautiful again. Now you need To Choose The Right Replacement Window Company Window installation project is very important task. You want to get the best windows at the best prices. That’s why it is very important to evaluate each window company with great attention. We want to suggest you a quick checklist:
We hope that now you are better prepared for a window estimate and it is easier for you to choose the Right Replacement Window Company.
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What is in OKNA windows and doors warranty11/16/2017 OKNA window company provides Lifetime Limited Warranty. We all like the word “lifetime”, but what about that nasty one “limited”. Let’s see how Okna Windows and Doors warranty works. The vinyl frame and vinyl components of the OKNA replacement windows and sliding doors are warranted to be free from defects that might result in blistering, flaking, corroding and fading of the window or a sliding door. You get this coverage from the date Okna windows installed into your house. You are covered as long as you own the house. Plus this warranty is fully transferable to the next home owner as well. Which is very generous allowance. Usually other window companies do not allow transference of the warranty or allow it for the next 20 years only. Okna Windows company warrants that insulated glass unit is gonna be free from obstruction between the glass, including moisture on the internal glass surfaces caused by seal failure. This warranty is lifetime for the first homeowner and it is transferable for the next one as well. It is very generous gesture by Okna company as well. Most other companies give 10-20 year non transferable warranty on a glass. Hardware of the replacement window has a lifetime warranty as well. Okna Windows company warrants that all hardware shall remain in good working condition, for as long as you own your house. It is fully transferrable to the next homeowner as well. All of the above was that “Lifetime” warranty. Now let’s talk about the “Limited”. Under the limited part of the warranty, there are some cases when the warranty is 10 years only. When you order Okna replacement window with a special color, the window is gonna be painted. The Okna Window company gives 10 years warranty on that paint only. The same thing is with hardware with custom paint coating. It is warranted 10 years only. Now, let’s see what should you be looking for to talk well with the Okna Customer care. The only thing you need to find is a warranty sticker, which is located on the sides of the bottom and top sashes. If after some time these stickers discolored and peeled off, then check the top channel of the window frame. There is one more warranty sticker there. So all in all Okna Windows and Doors Company provides very solid warranty and surpasses in many cases the warranties of their competitors. If you want to print out Okna window warranty, feel free to do so by downloading the file at the bottom of the post. 
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 If you are a fan of wood windows and you are looking for to replace them with a pretty window. You may consider Andersen 400 Woodright Series windows. They are a bit of an upgrade to Andersen 400 Series. Usually the price difference between these two fluctuates around $150-$180 on a higher end. So let’s see if it is worth to pay a bit extra for 400 Woodright Series. Beauty of Andersen 400 Woodwright Series Window The interior of Andersen 400 Woodwright window is made from wood. The wood finish is available in pine, oak or maple. The pine wood is available in primed white color. If you want any other color, you should hire a painter or do it yourself. You should not forget to paint the windows in the next one or two weeks from installation, to keep the warranty active. Andersen 400 Woodwright Series Windows do not have balance covers. The balance channel is open and some dust and spider web can accumulate there. The thickness of the frame and the sash combined is about 2 1/2 inches. It means that the glass area is not gonna get smaller. The Exterior of Andersen 400 Series Woodwright window is made from Fibrex material. This is a composite material of wood and vinyl. It makes the window more durable and maintenance free. Andersen 400 Woodright window has a sloped sill and does not have weep holes. The window is available in 7 exterior colors. Performance of Andersen 400 Woodwright Series WindowsAndersen 400 Series Woodwright windows are Energy Star qualified. The U-Factor is 0.27, SHGC is 0.32. The glass of the window has Low-E coating and Argon Gas. This is a double hung window. Both sashes can be tilted in for easy cleaning. The Air Infiltration rating is below 0.30, which is an industry standard, nothing to boast about. Andersen company uses rubber weather stripping and it is very unsubstantial. On these Andersen 400 Woodwright Series windows the air tightness is higher than on Andersen 400 series. There is double weather stripping on the top of the bottom sash, as well as at the bottom. The bottom of the lower sash locks tightly into the bottom part of the frame as you can see on the pictures. So overall the window is gonna be more energy efficient, than Andersen 400 Series. Andersen 400 Woodwright series has block and tackle balance system. It does not need any adjustment or lubrication. Quality of Andersen 400 Woodwright Series WindowsAndersen 400 Woodwright Series windows are made from high quality pine wood material. The exterior is made from Fibrex, combination of vinyl and wood fiber. So the outside of the windows is durable composite system. Does not require painting or any other maintenance. Andersen company provides 10 year limited and 20 years transferrable glass warranty. The interior wood cladding is covered by warranty 5 years only. Andersen 400 Woodwright Series Key Points:Positive Points:
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So all in all, Andersen 400 Series Woodwright windows are sharp looking and stylish. You should definitely go with them if beauty is your goal number one. If you are looking for energy efficiency, you should look elsewhere.
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Andersen 400 Series Window Review11/7/2017  The most popular choice among Andersen window products is Andersen 400 Series. It is a worthy choice, the window has great exterior and interior look. Once these windows installed into your house, everybody is gonna see the difference and compliment you on the look of your new windows. The Beauty of Andersen 400 SeriesThe interior of the Andersen 400 window is made from the pine wood and available in 3 colors. The wood frame has clean cuts and smooth lines. The pine wood is available in 3 colors. If you would like to paint the interior of the windows into your favorite color, then you should find a painter. You should remember as well to paint your windows in the first weeks of installation, so your warranty is not gonna be voided. Andersen 400 series come with balance covers. It means that no dirt or spider web is gonna accumulate in those channels. The thickness of the frame and the sash combined is 2 1/5 inches. It means that your glass area is not gonna become smaller. The exterior of the Andersen 400 series window is vinyl. This construction of the window, makes it more durable. The window is not gonna rot, does not have to be painted or maintained in any other way. Andersen 400 series windows have a sloped sill and do not have a weep holes. The window is available in 7 colors. Performance of Andersen 400 Series WindowAndersen 400 Series are Energy Star qualified windows. The U-Factor is 0.27, SHGC is 0.32. The glass of the window come with Low-E and Argon Gas. This is a double hung window. It means that both sashes are moving and can be tilted into the house for the easy cleaning. The air infiltration rating is below 0.30, which is slightly below the industry average of 0.33, but not impressive. Andersen company is using rubber weather stripping. On the top and bottom sashes of the window, the weather stripping is very limited. It means that Andersen 400 Series window is not gonna be very energy efficient. Some people complain, that they can feel cold air coming into the house. Andersen 400 window has block and tackle balance system. This system does not have to be adjusted or lubricated. Quality of Andersen 400 Series Window Andersen 400 Series windows are made from pine wood. The exterior of the window is covered with vinyl to protect it from rain and snow. The window is very durable and well built. Andersen company gives 10 year limited warranty and 20 years transferrable warranty on glass. The wood components of the window are covered for 5 years only. Andersen 400 Series Slide ShowAndersen 400 Series Key Points Positive points:
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Andersen 200 series window11/1/2017  When you like the smell of the wood you may want to go with Andersen 200 Series windows. With these windows you can get slick exterior design and natural wood interior. Andersen 200 is a cheaper option than Andersen 400 series. Once you put them into your house, they will make it more valuable and attractive. Andersen 200 windows do not come in custom sizes. All the sizes are standard. Most of the time you can use it in new construction house. Just make sure to find out the available sizes from Andersen window company. The Beauty of Andersen 200 SeriesThe interior of the Andersen 200 window has beautiful design and clean look. The pine wood comes primed in white color. That’s the only interior color available for this window. If you want more colors you are gonna have to switch to Andersen 400 series or just hire a painter and paint your new windows into any color you want. You should remember as well, that you are gonna have to refresh that paint each 7-10 years. The Andersen 200 windows come with balance covers, but no night latches. The thickness of the frame and sash combined is 2’’. It makes your windows look bigger, without any loss of glass areas. The exterior of the Andersen 200 series window is vinyl. This way you can enjoy the wood inside of your house and do not worry about painting the exterior of your windows each 5 years or so. Once installed, the window looks nice and easily becomes part of the house. The Andersen 200 is available in 2 exterior colors only. Performance of Andersen 200 Series Andersen 200 series windows are not Energy Star Qualified for New Jersey if it is a basic package. You should upgrade the window with better glass options to get Energy Star qualification. The U-Factor is 0.30, SHGC is 0.31. The window comes with Low-E glass and argon Gas. This is a double hung window, so both sashes are moving and can be tilted inside the house for easy cleaning. Air infiltration of the window is below 0.30, which is an industry average, but nothing to brag about. We can say that several streams of air are gonna escape the house or get into the house without your permission. Andersen 200 series window has block and tackle balance system. It does not need any lubrication or adjustment. This system is very durable and performs around 28,000 cycles before any failure. Quality of The Andersen 200 Series Window Andersen 200 series window is made from pine wood. On the exterior the wood is covered with vinyl for extra durability. Interior of the window is primed pine. So the window is well built and durable. Andersen company gives 10 year warranty on vinyl exterior and 5 years on wood components. The glass of the Andersen 200 window gets 20 years transferable warranty. When the window is installed into your house, you have the responsibility of painting the interior of the window, right after the installation. If you don't do it, the warranty on wood components might be voided. Andersen 200 Series Key Points:Positive Points:
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Andersen 100 Series Windows10/31/2017  When you want to have Andersen windows without paying the highest price, you may consider Andersen 100 Series. These windows have an interesting style and clean look. Once installed, 100 series are gonna add that shiny look, your house deserves. The Beauty of Andersen 100 Series The interior of the window has much cleaner look than vinyl windows. All the corners of the Andersen 100 series window have a clean cut and you don’t see any uncut vinyl from fusion welding. That makes your window look like part of the room. Andersen 100 series window does not have balance covers and night latches. The window can be made in 4 interior colors. The thickness of the frame and sash combined is 2’’. It makes the window look very slim and elegant. It is especially good if you have smaller windows in the house. It means you are not gonna loose any glass area. You may increase your glass area if your old windows have thick frame and sashes. The exterior of the window looks very clean as well. Once the Andersen 100 series window is installed, it is easily becomes part of the house and enhances the beauty and attractiveness. The window can be made in 6 exterior colors. Performance of Andersen 100 Series Andersen 100 series window is Energy Star qualified window. U-factor of the window is 0.27, SHGC is 0.32. Low-E glass and Argon Gas are standard option in 100 series. The window is available in single hung option only. It means that only bottom sash is moving and can be tilted in for easy cleaning. Air infiltration rating is 0.3, which is lower than the industry average of 0.33, but not impressive. It means you may feel some small streams of air coming into the house and out of the house without your permission. The Andersen 100 series window has durable block and tackle balance system. It does not need lubrication or adjustment, it can be opened and closed about 28,000 times before failing. Quality of The Andersen 100 Series Window Andersen 100 Series window is made from Fibrex material. The Andersen window company claims, that this material is much more durable and better performing than vinyl. It does not expand in summer or contracts in winter. Andersen company gives 10 year transferrable warranty on the window and 20 years on the glass from the date of manufacturing. When cleaning the frame of the window, you should use appropriate cleaner recommending by Anderson. Some of vinyl cleaners cannot be used on Fibrex. Andersen 100 Series Key points:Positive points:
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Andersen Windows Company10/30/2017  Andersen Windows and Doors Company is one of the largest window manufacturers in the U.S. The company was started in 1903 by Danish immigrant and his family. Since that time Andersen company grew steadily. Today in addition to Andersen Brand, the company has other branches. One of the main is Renewal by Andersen for window replacement services. It includes: Silverline and American Craftsman windows and doors as well as Eagle Window and Weiland Sliding Door manufacturers. So in other words, the company is extremely big and diversified.
We would like to concentrate our attention on Andersen windows only. We will post reviews below. Just click on the link when it is blue in color:
As you can guess, the base model is Andersen 100 Series window. This is new construction single hung window. It has interesting design and comes with several glass options as well as 4 interior and 6 exterior colors. If you want to go one step higher, then it is gonna be Andersen 200 Series double hung window. This window brings the warmth of the wood into your house at the acceptable price. Andersen 200 series available in 2 colors only, while choice of glass is very wide as well as the finish and color of the hardware. At the top of the line of Andersen window company is Andersen 400 series, Woodright series, A and E series windows. The main difference in these windows is materials they are made of, color options and design options. The frame of these windows is much stronger, than Andersen 100 and 200 Series windows. Andersen Windows and Door company has got a good pipeline of products. Many people like their good design and quality of the windows. Some other people claim, that Andersen window company lost its glow when it started selling its products at Home Depot and Lowes. They say, that window company is no longer a luxury brand, because you can buy their products at the high volume retailer. So there is no longer exclusivity and mystery in Andersen windows. At the end of the day the most important thing is your goals, weather it is energy efficiency, beauty or performance. You should pursue whatever is most important to you.
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OKNA Enviro-Star windows10/27/2017  When you want to get to top of the line, then you should consider OKNA Enviro-Star ( also called 800 Series) Double Hung windows. These replacement windows are the highest window line of the OKNA manufacturer. The Beaty of the OKNA Enviro-Star Windows  Eviro-Star series double hung window is a breakthrough product, which available in many glass and structural options. This double hung window when installed into your house blends in seamlessly and rejuvenates your house for many years to come. The interior of the window makes your room comfortable. When you install Enviro-Star windows, you can feel yourself proud and happy. The window comes with balance covers, no spider web or dust is gonna get into the balance channels. Night latches are standard as well. The Eviro-Star window has many interior colors and options. The thickness of the frame is a bit on higher side of 3 1/4. If you have smaller windows in the house, then you are gonna loose some of the glass area. When most of the windows in your house are big, then you are not gonna notice any big difference. The elegant beveled exterior profile of the Enviro-Star window will make the exterior of your house to look unforgettable and long lasting in memories of your family and friends. The 800 series double hung windows can be painted to match any exterior. These windows, once installed, are gonna look like the eyes of the most beautiful person you ever met. Performance of The OKNA Enviro-Star Window Okna 800 series double hung windows have the highest energy efficiency ratings in the industry. The U-Factor of the window is 0.20, SHGC 0.29. The window comes with triple pane glass, triple layer of weather stripping on both sashes. All that means, that you are gonna be able finally donate that heavy wool sweater and wool socks. The temperature in your house is gonna stay stable. Air infiltration is 0.01, which one of the best in the industry. No doubt that the air is gonna come in to your house or out of the house with your permission only. At the bottom of the window sash there is magnetic seal, which draws the bottom sash to the window seal, so it closes like a door of a fridge. The balance system of the window is very reliable as well, does not need any adjustment or lubrication. You can open and close it about 28000 times. Quality of The Enviro-Star Window The 800 series window is made from a high quality virgin vinyl. What does it mean? Well, it means, that all the OKNA windows installed into your house are not gonna fade too much in the next 10-15 years. You are gonna enjoy the true colors of the window for many years to come. The frame and sashes are fusion welded for extra strength and beauty. High density composite reinforcement is in the top part of your window sash. It makes the window very durable and 171 mph wind resistant. All in all, when you install these windows into your house, you are gonna feel yourself proud about that achievement. In other words your house is gonna become your precious nest, your fortress, where you are gonna feel yourself comfortable, happy and secure. Eviro-Star (800 series) Double Hung Window Key Points:Positive Points:
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okna 700 series windows review10/26/2017  When you have hard access areas in your house, then one of the good options might be OKNA Casement 700 Series. Double hung windows are the best choice for window replacement, but in some places like around kitchen sink or bath tub, you may consider installation of a casement window. Beauty of OKNA Casement 700 Window  OKNA 700 series windows have modern design and look. Once it is installed, it becomes a part of the house. The interior of the window has straight modern touches and eliminates all the unnecessary noise, that other windows have. The window has well designed crank in and out handle. When you do not use it, you can easily fold it in and the handle becomes part of the window. The exterior of the window has relatively thin profiles, which adds to the beauty of the window, without sacrificing the energy efficiency of the window. Performance of the OKNA 700 Window OKNA 700 casement window boasts with high energy efficiency ratings. The U-Value is 0.24, SHGC 0.27. The air infiltration rating is below 0.02, which makes this casement window solid like a wall, not a stream of air is gonna come into the house or out of the house without your permission. The window sash has triple layer of weather stripping, which gives all that extra insulating qualities to the window. In the window is used multi locking system, which improves security of the house substantially. There are two locks inside the frame of the window, when you lock the window, these two locks draw the window sash very tightly. OKNA 700 Series casement can be opened 90 degrees for easy ventilation and cleaning from the inside of the house. Quality of The OKNA 700 Series  The frame of the OKNA 700 series window is made from high quality virgin vinyl. The sash and frame of the window are fully welded for exceptional strength. The glass panes of the window are separated with HeatSeal warm edge spacer system for excellent thermal performance and reduction of the possibility of condensation of the window glass. 700 Series Casement Window Points:Positive Points:
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