What the difference between Andersen and Renewal by Andersen?

Having been in this industry for most of 2 decades, and now being an Andersen Certified Contractor, one of the most common questions I get is, “What’s the difference between Andersen and Renewal By Andersen”?  While this can be a loaded question, and for many years it has, I can answer this in a very simple way.  I hope this helps.

First off, Andersen has been around since the early 1900’s, Renewal was founded in 1995.  It was the culmination of the best known window company in America realizing that they were missing out on replacement window opportunities.  Vinyl replacement windows are a big business, and since Andersen only made standard sized, new construction windows, they were missing out of a window market completely.  So they devised a way to not only provide for that need with custom sized, pocket style installation windows, but they offered full service sales and installation as well.  I can sincerely say that the Renewal window is a great built replacement window.  If someone needs just a pocket style window installation, as opposed to full frame tear outs, it’s hard to beat the quality of the product and installation.

However, times have changed and Andersen offers custom sizing in 4 of their 5 product offerings (100, 400, A, and E-Series).  Also, consumers are far more educated today with the advent of the internet and the focus on better materials.  Now that homeowners are aware that vinyl windows don’t deliver on all fronts, they look for better materials. Today, as has been the case for quite some time, there are options such as custom sized clad wood options, fiberglass, as well as other composite materials such as Fibrex and Ultrex.  What that means for homeowners is that they can get new construction units as a replacement. Some of those can even be offered as a pocket style installation, otherwise known as an insert.

So what’s the difference? Renewal offers a single window that an be customized and custom sized to a multitude of options.  It has great glass, great finishes, and a great warranty. But, they have only 1 window.  A certified contractor has 5 different units, one of which has 57 different exterior colors/finishes.  Depending on what a homeowner is trying to accomplish, there may be 3 or more different windows that may fit the bill.  This allows for a homeowner to get what they want rather than settling for what a company has. When it comes to patio doors, Renewal doesn’t have one of their own so they offer the exact same unit you’d get through an Andersen dealer or contractor.

Another big difference is the installation. Renewal is primarily an insert window.  That doesn’t mean they can’t do a full frame installation, but it does mean that their product has to be manipulated to fit with adding extension jambs and interior casing.  Also, it doesn’t have an exterior flange, so installing as a full frame presents waterproofing challenges when the exterior of your house has siding or the original window had brickmold around it.  As a certified contractor, all of my windows have a flange available, and all but one of them come with extension jambs attached for a clean install.  I wouldn’t dare speak poorly of another contractor in general, but full frame installers have a deeper skill set for custom issues that may arise.  In short, we’re prepared for most any window or door situation.

The final thing that separates Renewal from a Certified Contractor is our approach.  In general, the Renewal business model involves heavy marketing and a very large support team. There are pros and cons of each.  Having a big team can be great and lots of marketing definitely helps with brand awareness.  That’s the reason I get that question so often, people know who Renewal is.  But that also means they have a lot more overhead expense than a Certified Contractor could. I personally don’t have a showroom of my own, but I have access through my dealer to a great showroom in Indianapolis.  I also don’t have my own warehouse, which means I don’t have the expense of a warehouse. My team is expanding, but I have an office manager and a crew I’m responsible for, and soon to be service manager that handles things I can’t always get to immediately. That means my customers don’t pay for 401K’s and HR managers, which means lower cost for the same project than those companies that do. At the end of the day, my customers are getting what they pay for and not paying more than they need to.

In concluding, I will say this.  There are some really great people that work for Renewal, and they are part of a great corporation at Andersen. But here at United Home Services, I can offer more specialized products, and a far shorter process, and the assurance that you’ll know who’ll take care of you if you need something.  Plus we’re a whole lot less expensive. Give us a call today.