Hi,
My house is an 1860s brick townhouse and I’m having a patio door installed to take advantage of a small, sheltered courtyard. The quotes I’ve received for Anderson ($3500) and Pella ($1800) are astonishingly different. Could this be because Pella has an aluminim frame? And even if it does, will that make a difference in Northeastern climate?
Thanks!
Linn
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Replies
Were these two different quotes from the same contractor? Most brands have different quality levels, so be sure both brands are coming from the same end of the spectrum. I'm not sure about doors, but I know Pella windows are no less expensive than Andersen. I just paid about $1300 for a good Andersen Frenchwood slider (6-0, 6-8). The labor involved to install it in an existing opening may be about another $1000. Your price will depend largely on what's involved in creating the opening and the finishing details. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Was the Andersen quote from their Renewal Division?
Have you found the Renewal division high in their quotes? I noticed this when pricing out a window replacement. I was installing some of their new construction windows in a remodel. For the homowners benefit I thought I would run the numbers on them installing (authorized installers only) their Renewal line. Surprisingly, they were higher bout 150/200 per opening.
And to the original poster, what models were quoted? As has been mentioned, each manufacturer has different models that vary quite a bit in price. The labor figure should be about the same.Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Renewal is a custom made Andersen installed unit.....I would use them in situations where stock sizes will not work. Stock 400 Series is high in quality and a whole lot less $$$$.....I'd go with them if you can!
jocobe
Be careful, Pella has a junk line of product they sell at big box stores. Sure is impressive to see that quality yellow pella label on your project. People know Pella quailty & now they can get it cheaper at the local Screw-it-up-yourself-center.
We also have contractors passing this cheaper line off as high end,
"After all, its Pella" won't your freinds be impressed.
PJE
I have never seen the Pella AL slider but the Andersen is a quality product and company.
Excellence is its own reward!
What is your rough opening size for this unit? Which specific model or product line was quoted for the Andersen and Pella sliders? If you have an opening height by width that a standard unit from either manufacturer will fit to, the pricing of Andersen Frenchwood versus Pella ProLine should be comparable, if being quoted by the same contractor/installer. How much demo and trim removal is required? Are these quotes really apples to apples, with demo and removal, new installation, trim, finish, paint, all included?
Not really enough info when you just say Andersen is x$ and Pella y$. Both companies make quality products you will be happy with. But I can certainly understand how quotes can be widely differing if being quoted by two firms.
BTW, the Andersen Frenchwood gliding patio door has a PVC-encased wood frame, factory-coated exterior faces on the wood door panels (not aluminum cladding), while Pella's ProLine slider frame and door panels are aluminum-clad on the weather sides. Both products trim out on the interior side with clear pine, ready for paint or stain.
Both products are regularly displayed and sold by the big box home improvement chains (Lowe's, Home Depot) and can usually be seen on display at a store, for comparing features and details.
Edited 11/19/2003 3:07:37 PM ET by Mr. Micro
Thanks to everyone who responded to my message. The prices were from the same contractor, but different suppliers. The doors were standard size 6'x6'8" with the rough opening to be made for that size door.
I now have a much better idea about the next step questions I should be asking--basically about whether different levels/lines are being offered. My assumption is that they were the same, but it seems most likely that a lower end Pella was quoted.
Thanks again!
I think your contractor has some 'splainin' to do. It's hard to imagine how you get a $1700 difference when the only variable is door brand. Can the price range from the low end of one brand's slider to the high end of the other be that much? By the way, if you're starting with no opening at all and are going through a brick wall and it is really a comprehensive bid with cutting and patching the brick, framing the opening, plaster patching, interior and exterior trim, the door itself and relocating and pipes and/or wires, $1800 sounds like a great price.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
A related question, since I am thinking in future of replacing the picture window in my living room with a sliding door. The how much bigger does the opening need to be for a standard 6'8" sliding door? In my house, it is exactly 6'8" from the hardwood floor to the top of the window and I don't know how much extra room there is between the top of the window and the header in the wall.
The height might vary slightly by brand, but looking at the Andersen book here....Frenchwood glider...they call for a rough opening height of 6-8. It seems like your height should be OK. You can pop off the head caing to be sure. Is the window also wide enough? The RO for a 6-foot slider is...you guessed it...6 feet.
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Thanks - the window opening is exactly 6 feet wide.
In gliding (slider) patio doors, unless things have changed since I quit the biz a couple years ago, Andersen had only one product line, the Frenchwood. If you buy one cash and carry from a big box store that sells both Pella and Andersen, it would cost you about the same as a Pella ProLine slider, somewhere around $1200.
Pella sells ProLine to the mass merchants as their price-sensitive line, and has pricier products (Architecht series, . . . ) available from their own store distribution.
But don't be afraid from using the ProLine from Pella, if it is the best-priced door for you. It is a super product.
In the biz that I left, it was my responsibility to conduct competitive evaluations and product testing on virtually every patio door out there, so that we could benchmark our own product designs against the market. So we would buy them, install them, test them in lab and field conditions, conduct builder and installer response interviews, and completely reverse-engineer the doors.
I would like to get your feedback on exactly which products were quoted, and why the difference in price.
As others have said, it doesn't sound like you are comparing apples to apples. There must be more than one source in your area. Check with local building suppliers and get a couple of quotes for specific models. I don't think you can compare a low end aluminum to a high end wood vinyl clad in terms of construction and performance. Sometimes I think peoples perception of quality is based on how many TV commercials they have seen. Personally I have a preference for Anderson and would not use anything else (anymore!).
My husband is building our house. We paid $879.00 (net) plus tax for Andersen 400 series 6' Perma-Shield Gliding Patio doors a few months ago. I liked the Perma-Shield better than Frenchwood because the glass area is a little larger.
Andersen also makes a lower cost 200 series line.
kestrel
We purchased an Anderson 6' replacement permashield slider, LOE2, w/Argon Gas, Terratone in color inside and out at Home Depot for $694.01. One of their contractors installed the slider. Here's the breakdown of the charges: Installation $395; siding work $125; new door jamb, $65; new sill, $25; less $30 for measuring. We got money back due to the installer not having to do as much siding work as he thought. Plus, the installer added more bunting/insullation around the door frame at no cost.
Our neighbor had a general contractor buy and install his sliding door w/o LOE2, w/o new sill and it cost him $2,000.
Another hint about ordering from Home Depot: If you order the window/slider/glider one month before you need it, you will save $100. If we wanted the glider in 2 weeks we would have paid the additional $100. We are patiently waiting for our kitchen glider.
Edited 11/19/2003 11:46:28 PM ET by Rip