Home Depot Windows Quality Question

[Ralph]

Hi,

I will be building a 12' x 16' backyard cottage based on Little House plans purchased last spring.  I am at the stage of deciding what windows to use.  I would prefer something with raised grids and Home Depot offers the Series 3000 Double-Hung and Series 2900 Single-Hung at what seem to be reasonable prices, $100+ cheaper than the Andersen 400 Series which I'm also considering.

Does anyone have personal experience with these Home Depot or Andersen windows?

Thanks in advance for all responses,
- Ralph

[MountainDon]

How good do the windows have to be? A big part of that question is how energy efficient do they have to be or you want them to be? There are u-factor and SHGC numbers that help sort that out. That is where I began when I was searching for windows for our cabin. I also found that info sometimes hard to find online on big box websites.

The National Fenestration Rating Council has a website listing of all windows that have been certified.  Look for the certified products directory.

National brands like Andersen and Pella sometimes just cost more but aren't really better. Also look for local window compnaies. We have some here that offer a quality window for a better price.

[backattheshack]

also look at there clearance section always seem to be windows there.also check local surplus/salvage stores thats where i found my windows saved a bunch of cash...

[pmichelsen]

Another place to look:

http://www.habitat.org/restores/

Also check places for windows that were special ordered in the wrong size that you can get for a steep discount, and you can build your place to fit the windows.

[rocking23nf]

i would think the quality depends on the location, since the windows I got at home depot were made by a company local. And they were cheap, it was like 150$ for a 3x4 window.

[MelFol]

I second  pmichelsen.  Check with lumber yards. Perhaps you will get lucky.  Ask what they do with their mis-order windows. Sometimes they put them in storage and forget about them.  By accident I tripped on most of our windows that way. They wanted them gone. The ones I got are several different makes, but names like Marvin, Pella, and Milgard. They are installed far enough apart so no one will notice the slight differences. Got two more used from a Habitat ReStore, and one new off craigslist.  All are dual glazed and have at least a 1/2 inch air gap. The fixed Marvins have 3/4 gap. For me it's a cabin and the prices were so good any slight difference in energy rating didn't matter. As P says, you then have to build around the window sizes. Good luck.

[MushCreek]

If you have to have your cottage inspected, make sure the windows still have the stickers on them- they may not pass inspection without them, believe it or not. I wouldn't think a backyard cottage would have to have energy-rated windows, but I've seen stranger things.....

[astidham]

I special ordered the American Craftsman windows from HD
I had them add argon and low-E.
I have not got to see them perform yet, but they seem to be good windows.
a 3x5 cost me $130 to special order.