The Window Guide · From an Andersen Premier Certified Contractor
Five short chapters that take you from window styles to the right Andersen series for your house.
01
Chapter 01
Nine styles, what each one does, and where it belongs.
Drifts on its own. Hover or touch to pause, drag to browse.
01/09
The classic two-sash window found on most Westchester colonials and capes.
02/09
Hinged on one side and cranked open like a door. The tightest-sealing operable window.
03/09
Hinged at the top and opens outward from the bottom. Ventilates in the rain.
04/09
Fixed glass. No moving parts, maximum light, best insulation.
05/09
Three windows projecting outward at angles. Adds a window seat and a sense of space.
06/09
Four to six windows set in a gentle curve. Softer and wider than a bay.
07/09
One sash slides horizontally past the other. Clean lines, easy to reach.
08/09
Round, half-round, elliptical, and angled shapes that give a home its character.
09/09
A short window above a door or another window. Extra light and height.
Two ways to think about it
Modern homes lean on casement, gliding, and picture. Traditional homes lean on double-hung with grilles.
Everything else is detail, and the next chapter is where the detail lives.
Windows by room →02
Chapter 02
Proportion, color, grilles, and hardware. Build a window and watch it change.
Colonial · White · Colonial grille · White
2.1
Size and shape do more for a facade than anything you can paint. Two ratios cover most of Westchester; the third covers modern homes.
Twice as tall as wide. The proportion most Westchester colonials and capes were drawn with.
Can a window be too big? Almost never. We can enlarge a rough opening, join units into a wall of glass, or turn a window into a door.
2.2
Interior and exterior can be different colors. Most Andersen lines offer around eleven exterior colors; the E-Series offers fifty plus custom.
White stays classic. Black and dark bronze outline the glass and suit modern and farmhouse homes. Earth tones disappear into stone and cedar. Pick the exterior for the street and the interior for the trim.
2.3
Grilles are the bars that divide the glass. The pattern is the fastest way to say which decade and which style a house belongs to.
The six- or nine-lite grid. Right for colonials, capes, and most of the county.
Five constructions exist: full divided light, simulated divided light, removable interior, between-the-glass, and between-the-glass with exterior bars. Simulated divided light looks most like true muntins and cleans like a single pane.
2.4
Locks, lifts, and cranks. Small parts you touch every day, so they should match the room's fixtures, not the window's exterior.
2.5
Four house styles, four presets. Tap one and the window updates.
03
Chapter 03
What Low-E, argon, and triple-pane actually do in a Northeast winter.
Scroll to assemble the unit
Outer pane
Tempered or annealed glass, 3 mm to 4 mm.
Low-E coating
Microscopic metallic layer. Reflects summer heat out.
Argon fill
Inert gas, heavier than air. Slows heat crossing the gap.
Warm-edge spacer
Seals the unit and cuts condensation at the edge.
Low-E coating
Second layer on the inner pane reflects room heat back in.
Inner pane
The surface you touch. Warmer in winter than single glass.
U-Factor
How fast heat escapes. Lower is better. In our Northern climate zone, look for 0.30 or under, and lower still on a north wall or a bedroom over a garage.
SHGC
Solar heat gain coefficient. How much sun warmth gets in. A little is welcome in January; a lot is a problem in a west-facing great room in July. We tune it per elevation.
Andersen glass options
Low-E4
All climates, every Andersen product
The standard glass. Low-E coatings on two surfaces plus argon. Right for the vast majority of Westchester, Putnam, and Fairfield County homes.
PassiveSun
Northern zone, south-facing walls
Lets more winter sun through to warm the room while still insulating. Worth considering on a south elevation with no shade.
SmartSun
West-facing rooms, fading furniture
Blocks about 95 percent of UV and more solar heat than Low-E4 while keeping the view clear. For sunrooms and west-facing great rooms.
Triple-pane
A-Series and E-Series
A third pane and a second gas gap. Quieter and warmer, and some A-Series units are ENERGY STAR Most Efficient and Passive House certified.
STC / laminated
Sound-rated glass for homes near the Saw Mill, the Hutch, I-95, or a train line.
Patterned & obscure
Privacy for baths and side-yard windows without a shade.
Tempered
Required by code near floors, doors, tubs, and stairs. We flag every one at the measure.
Impact-rated
Coastal Fairfield County and Long Island Sound exposures.
ENERGY STAR estimates that replacing single-pane windows with certified units in our Northern zone saves around 12 percent on energy bills. The federal window tax credit ended for installations after 2025, so we quote the glass on its own merits.
04
Chapter 04
Five questions, one Andersen recommendation, an estimate ready to send.
Question 1 of 5
Pick the one that fits best.
Takes about a minute. No email required to see your result.
05
Chapter 05
Everything to have in hand before we come measure.
0/10
Tick them off as you go. When you reach ten, the consultation takes an hour instead of two, and the estimate comes back without a single “to be confirmed.”
More on Windows
Service
Window Installation
New and replacement window installation by an Andersen Premier Partner.
Service
Window Replacement
Insert vs full-frame, what it costs, and how long it takes.
Service
Window Repair
Sash, seal, glass, and hardware repair. Honest advice on repair vs replace.
Andersen
Andersen Window Series Compared
100, 200, 400, A-Series and E-Series side by side.
Guide
How to Pick Windows by Room
Kitchen, bath, bedroom, living room. Which window style belongs where and why.
Ideas
Circle & Arched Windows
Specialty shapes that give a facade character, and where they work best.
Andersen
Andersen Windows
Why Andersen, and what the Premier Partner designation means for you.
Free Window Estimate
A free in-home consultation is the fastest way to a decision. We measure, bring samples, and leave a written estimate. Westchester, Putnam, and Fairfield County.
Andersen Premier Partner · BBB A+ since 1994 · Westchester, Putnam & Fairfield County
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