Newest Features Found in 400 Series Windows

Since the Perma-Shield cladding system was first introduced in 1966, window and door performance has been on a steady track of continuous innovation and improvement. Perma-Shield is now a key feature of our 400 Series product line. In our pursuit to offer the best solutions to meet our customer’s needs, we thought we’d share the newest features we’ve added to the 400 Series offering over the past couple of years:

Canvas exterior color now available – A color that’s been growing in popularity, Andersen 400 Series windows and doors now offer canvas as a standard color option.

Andersen® Exterior Trim System – Why use low maintenance windows, doors and siding, then choose wood trim that needs painting every few years? The Andersen Exterior Trim System installs in as little as 5 minutes and comes in a range of styles from contemporary to traditional. Not only is it fast to install, but ordering it with the windows consolidates a step in calculating and purchasing building materials too. Andersen trim is made of Fibrex^® material, a time-tested composite combining the strength and stability of wood with the low-maintenance features of vinyl. Fibrex material has twice the stiffness of vinyl, withstands temperature changes better than vinyl and can be made in dark colors. Color matched options coordinate with Andersen A-Series, 400 Series and 200 Series windows and doors.

Tilt-Wash Double-Hung Insert Window – We now make an insert version of our popular 400 Series tilt-wash double-hung window prepped for fast, easy replacement. The product features a 3 ¼” jamb depth for convenient replacement, and each window comes with an install kit containing key materials needed to complete the job: instructions, screws, shims and backer rod. In addition, each unit comes with its own exterior stop covers for a clean, finished look when the job is done.

Replacement Casement – The Replacement Casement, prepped for quick, easy installation and available without an installation flange, is pre-drilled with through-the-jamb installation holes allowing for installation from inside or outside the home. Special replacement extension jambs preserve original alignment of trim and paint lines. An installation kit comes with each window and includes innovative, self-hanging shims for consistent accuracy in installation, backer rod to increase the durability of sealant joints, fasteners and instructions.

Andersen on the Road: EEBA™ Houses that Work™

The Energy and Environmental Building Alliance developed the Houses that Work educational program based on years of field research from the US Department of Energy’s Building America program. The day-long program delivers education based on that experience for improved building performance and increased profitability.

Each module is designed to provide high-quality, up-to-date building science information to the residential building sector. Attendees learn about ways to improve performance, efficiency, durability, safety and health in the homes they build, making them a better value for their customers and incorporating green practices into their business formula. Certain Houses That Work classes can also count towards accreditation continuing education units (CEUs) for a number of professional associations, including AIA, AIBD, BPI, NAHB, RESNET, GBCI/LEED, and NARI.

The full day session explores how many complex changes in home design, building materials, mechanical systems, appliances, consumer lifestyles and expectations over the last 30 years make every builder’s, supplier’s and trade contractor’s job more complex and demanding. The segment outlines the basic building science physics of air, heat and moisture flow that every builder should know so they can understand why some buildings work and others don’t.

Another session, for existing homes, explores cost-effective opportunities to implement energy efficient and green technologies and strategies into remodeling projects for existing homes. The fundamentals of building science – air, heat and moisture flow – are applied to help participants understand how elements of a house all work together as a system and how this knowledge can be used by remodelers to reduce risks and find the most cost-effective energy improvements for individual homes.

Houses That Work classes have helped thousands of building professionals benefit from understanding the house-as-a-system approach. To learn more, or to find an upcoming class near you, visit their website.

“EEBA” and “Houses that work” are trademarks of The Energy and Environmental Building Alliance.

Andersen® 400 Series Windows and Doors – A Perfect Fit for Any Job

A classic blend of engineering and craftsmanship, featuring standard and custom sizing, myriad shapes, styles and color options – the 400 Series product line from Andersen is one of our most popular product lines, and is rated by builders and remodelers as the most durable, most weather tight, highest quality and easiest to install.

Each Andersen® 400 Series window is designed to Andersen’s highest standards, and available in an array of options. With five exterior colors to choose from, and a choice of interior finishes, these energy efficient windows feature durable vinyl cladding over wood using our Perma-Shield® system that never needs painting. With an extensive range of styles, sizes and shapes, 400 Series products are an excellent replacement option, offering custom sizing in insert models to fit almost any opening.

Options and accessories available for Andersen 400 Series products include glass choices for energy efficiency, coastal performance and privacy. TruScene® insect screens are available for 400 Series windows, providing more clarity, fresh air and sunlight than an Andersen conventional insect screen.  Grilles are available in a wide selection of standard and custom patterns and hardware options are available in a dozen different finishes and a variety of styles to complement any décor.

We could go on, but instead let’s hear from some people who chose 400 Series windows about why they love this product. Then take a moment to learn more about how the 400 Series product line can work for you. No matter the style or age of the home, there’s an Andersen window that’s a perfect fit.

Bigham Farm Finds Historic Perspective with Andersen® Woodwright® Windows

It was July 1 of 1863 when the Bigham family, frightened by the cannon fire on the nearby battlefield in Gettysburg, abandoned their farm and fled for safety. They returned later to discover their farmhouse was requisitioned by the Confederate army and used as a field hospital. They rebuilt the family business and shared their story with future generations. While the story lived on, the home and barn fell into disrepair – until Laurey and Gary Schroeder purchased the farm and launched a restoration effort using Andersen windows to bring the house back to its original state.
Interest in the Bigham farm revived when Hollywood came calling to film parts of the 1993 movie Gettysburg and used the barn as a backdrop for some of the scenes. While the barn underwent some renovations for the filming, the farmhouse languished as a rental property until recently when the Schroeders engaged Fox Restoration and Remodeling, LLC to bring the building as close to its original condition as possible. The original windows were long gone, and vinyl replacement windows had been installed in their place.
Fox Restoration brought in supplier John H. Myers & Son to quote the windows. Rick Snider, the Myers representative, knew the Andersen 400 Series Woodwright insert window would be the ideal solution. The homeowners didn’t want to disturb the original woodwork still inside the farmhouse, and wanted to preserve the outside details and wide wood trim. The Woodwright insert window helped them keep the historic look while providing 21^st Century energy efficiency standards.
Without any original windows to refer to, the owners found photos showing period farmhouses with original window designs. Andersen worked with the supplier to custom-design a simulated divided light grille matching the original look.
The homeowners were so pleased with the look that they also ordered Woodwright® windows for the attic and basement windows. As is the case in many old homes, some window openings were too damaged to use the insert; full-frame Woodwright windows were specified.

A drive up the road leading to the farmhouse is like a trip back in time. Standing on the front porch, surrounded by the land that looks very much as it did in 1863, and you’re transported to the 19^th century. That’s what the homeowners will experience now that the project is completed: hosting local history and bringing the Bigham farm history to life for a new generation. With its new windows, the journey is nearly complete.

Now Available: Architectural Collection Prairie Style Pattern Book

Following the release of its Craftsman Bungalow and Georgian/Federal Home Style Pattern Books, Andersen now introduces the newest addition to its pattern book series: Prairie.

Andersen Home Style Pattern Books are designed to give builders a simple, effective resource to illustrate historically accurate detail in house designs. Using the pattern books as a resource with clients, the books provide a common style language and serve as a tool to communicate how to achieve these historical details while satisfying the desire for modern building performance.

“At Andersen, we greatly admire and respect the American roots of Prairie style architecture,” said Jay Libby, Andersen Windows. “The Prairie style, with its open floor plans and clean lines, has left a permanent and positive mark on today’s home designs, and on American architecture as a whole.”

This latest addition to the series of spiral-bound pattern books is dedicated to explaining and defining the Prairie style — pioneered by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright — considered to be the first architectural style of American origin. The book contains illustrations and descriptions of the architectural elements that contribute to the Prairie style including proportions, groupings, positioning, accent windows, color pallets and combinations; grille patterns and trim details; entry door, hardware and art glass options. Andersen has a long-standing relationship with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and offers an exclusive series of art glass based on Wright’s original designs.

The Prairie style is one of many house styles that the Andersen Architectural Collection of products can help you achieve using windows and doors that feature architecturally authentic style details. The Architectural Collection takes an innovative approach to windows and doors by focusing on the style of home first rather than the features of the windows and doors themselves. That same approach is reflected in the historic intentions of pattern books, which Andersen will continue building on: expanding the series of available pattern books to include the predominant styles of homes found throughout North America.

To view the Prairie Pattern Book in PDF format, visit http://www.andersenwindows.com/ideas/home-style-library/prairie.

For more information on the Andersen Home Style Library and how to order pattern books, visit http://andersenwindows.com/ideas/home-style-library.

New Andersen® Art Glass Sample Book Available

Windows and doors are one of the few architectural features that are seen and enjoyed both inside and outside a structure. Choosing the right windows and patio doors can complement and define a building’s architecture – and express the owner’s taste and style.

Andersen helps homeowners choose the right accent from the Art Glass Collection with a helpful art glass sample book. This sample book features 10 ½” x 9” individual samples of the 11 unique designs that Andersen offers. A sample may be pulled from the 3-ring binder and held up to a light source to help clients visualize how art glass can make a powerful statement, or provide privacy to a room.

The collection, grouped into three series, includes 11 unique designs to choose from and offers the creative flexibility to choose the style that expresses the customer’s individuality. Andersen art glass panels add even more variety to the selection of Andersen® windows and patio doors to transform a single room or an entire home. The three series are:

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT® SERIES – made under an agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. “Frank Lloyd Wright” is a registered trademark of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

ARTISAN SERIES — includes two designs influenced by 20th century American and European architectural schools. The primarily clear glass panels balance geometric shapes against organic lines for an extraordinary, asymmetrical blend of art and nature.

CLASSIC SERIES — a diverse collection representing major architectural design themes from the late 1800s through the 1930s, as well as one southwestern-inspired motif. The symmetrical patterns are available in distinctive color schemes, as well as colorless glass. As a final crowning touch, caming in the Classic Series art glass panels may be finished with a gold or silver tone.

Each finely crafted insert is available in a wide range of sizes to precisely fit almost all new or existing Andersen® windows and patio doors. Andersen also offers a 10-year limited warranty on art glass.

Historic Park Inn Restoration: Wright Where It Belongs

There’s no denying the bold vision and dramatic design of Frank Lloyd Wright’s many works. Preserving and revitalizing his last standing hotel in Mason City, Iowa, was a multi-year effort of false starts, overcoming funding shortfalls and sheer perseverance. Yet 101 years after the hotel’s first grand opening, the Historic Park Inn once again opened its doors as a Prairie School lodging experience – with views enhanced by Andersen Windows.

The finished building garnered raves at the September 1910 opening, but only 10 years later, the hotel faced an uncertain future – a farm crisis hit the area and a newer hotel with larger rooms opened nearby. Over the years new owners struggled to use the space in different ways, changing and updating its original design thereby gradually distorting the clean lines and breathtaking interiors. By 2000, when the city of Mason City purchased the hotel, it was in need of significant repair and restoration to reveal its architectural significance and original splendor. The building was listed as one of Iowa’s most endangered historical landmarks.

A group of passionate advocates created a formal organization, Wright on the Park (WOTP) and worked on a strategic plan for restoring the hotel. They began searching for new building products that could help carry the spirit of the older vision and found Andersen^® windows.

Following the prevailing wisdom among preservation experts, WOTP carefully assessed all windows to determine which ones could be restored, and which would have to be replaced. WOTP then arranged to purchase 72 casement windows for their guest rooms, and provided old images and art glass samples for Andersen to create and donate custom art glass inserts that replicated the look, color and texture of the original art glass windows. As they studied the photos, Andersen designers created custom window stops to replicate the authentic look and feel of the windows.

The completed hotel celebrated its grand reopening in September 2011, just over 100 years after first opening. A tour through the space shows the careful thought that went into bringing the original terra-cotta and white lobby tile to light, and how the new windows so carefully blend with the design, they go nearly unnoticed. The reopened hotel sparked a Wright renaissance in Mason City, with new attention being paid to a collection of Prairie School homes in a nearby neighborhood, and a new interpretive center helping to inform tourists and Prairie School fans. Thanks to the careful efforts of WOTP, with support from companies like Andersen, this hotel’s second life will be a much longer one.