Major suppliers in the global aluminum alloy window market in 2021
Windows are the eyes of the family-big and eye-catching, usually the first thing you notice. Therefore, when it comes to installation and replacement projects, you need to contact a professional. Hiking windows is a long-established company with a long history dating back to 1946. It is now part of a larger family of window companies called Cornerstone Building Brands, which is the largest China sliding window manufacturer, according to Vice President window marketing. Cornerstone Building Brands also owns ReliaBilt, a sister brand of Simonton, only available at Lowe's. Both Simonton and ReliaBilt offer the same range of window styles.Simonton Windows is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, and is known for its vinyl replacement windows, the overall quality and energy efficiency of its products, and national distribution capabilities. However, Simonton chose not to disclose its unit sales. Hoffens said, “Our products meet the design and performance needs of renovation and replacement projects and are available in a wide range of distribution channels, including professional wood mills, professional distributors and Distributors, home centers and consumer retail."
"The choice of windows is largely influenced by location and [house] architectural style," Hoffens said. "We found that homeowners who buy replacement windows usually choose more traditional double-hung windows (East Coast) and modern sliding windows in the West." For new buildings, single-hung windows are a popular choice, and more and more The homeowner is adding black frames, “using windows as design elements for the interior and exterior of the house,” Hoffens points out.
Simonton offers a variety of window styles: double-hung windows, single-hung windows, sliding windows, casement windows, awnings, bay windows, bow windows, picture windows, geometric windows and garden windows. If you start to feel overwhelmed, here is a brief description of each term so you can make the best choice for your home.
Once you have chosen the ideal window style for your home, you can begin the design process. Simonton runs on a custom model, which means you can tailor the window selection to meet your specific needs. You can decide the size of each window, how it opens and closes, the colors and finishes of the interior and exterior, hardware finishes, glass options, grid styles, etc. "Although most of Simonton's sales are white interior windows and white exterior windows, we do see a trend in the use of colors on windows," Hofens said. "We provide a variety of colors, hardware, and glass packaging. Options to help homeowners customize their windows to suit their style preferences."
When it comes to windows, structure and durability are the most important. Builder Magazine ranked Simonton as the number one for the highest quality vinyl windows in its 2020 brand usage study. Here are some of the materials that make Simonton products stand out.
Compared with wood and glass fiber, vinyl is a more weather-resistant material because it is basically a synthetic plastic made of chlorine and vinyl. In particular, chlorine has flame-retardant properties, making it a particularly ideal material for household projects such as windows. The maintenance cost of vinyl windows is also very low because they do not require regular painting. They are not as rotten, peeling, or flaking like wooden windows.
"Simonton specializes in making vinyl windows for replacement and new construction projects. Our windows are known for their superior quality and outstanding durability," Hofens said.
Simonton offers the option of using a very special glass with argon filling and a durable spacing system between the window panels. Low-E glass not only prevents ultraviolet rays from fading your furniture, artworks and other treasures, but also adjusts the temperature to prevent cold air from escaping in summer and entering in winter. Simonton is also equipped with ProSolar Low-E glass, which can further prevent fading, and ProSolar Shade Low-E glass, which has three layers of silver to provide higher insulation while still maximizing exposure to light.
In order to manufacture windows manufactured in factories in West Virginia, Illinois and California, Simonton adopted a simplified process. Long units of vinyl are cut into slats to make a frame, and then fused together-similar to a welding process. Prepare, cut and assemble the gasket between the glass and the glass plate. The actual window is combined with the frame and glass through a series of small processes, and then the performance and design are checked and tested. "All Simonton-manufactured windows have passed the AAMA Gold Certification, which includes some of the most rigorous testing procedures in the industry," Hofens said. These tests check for problems such as air and water penetration.
Simonton has taken measures to ensure that its windows can withstand all weather conditions. "All our windows and courtyard doors can be configured to meet the requirements of all Energy Star climate zones," Hofens said. "We also have products with high-performance thermal options that can contribute to net-zero residential construction."
Energy Star is a government program that seeks to find energy-saving options for products and services nationwide. "All the product series we ordered can meet the Energy Star standards for various climate zones established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," Hofens said. These climatic zones include the north, north-central, south-central, and south.
“In addition, our (Reflections) 5500, Madeira, and (Impressions) 9800 product lines have selected selected series as the most efficient energy star products in 2021,” he added. These product lines use triple-glazed windows, combined with ProSolar Low-E glass, warm edge gaskets, and gas fillers to form two insulated air spaces to achieve excellent thermal performance. As we all know, energy-star-certified windows can reduce electricity bills by an average of 12%.
In addition to various window designs, Simonton also has a number of window series for different regions of the country. Each series has slightly different options in terms of window style, glass, color, hardware and grille. In the eastern region, Simonton provides the Reflections, Asure and Impressions series for window replacement, StormBreaker Plus for coastal windows and ProFinish for new construction projects. There is also an exclusive series of high-quality windows called Prism, which can only be purchased through dealer Norandex, suitable for homes in the eastern region of the United States. For the western region, Simonton has three product lines: DaylightMax, Madeira and Verona. The region includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Simonton has three product lines for replacement windows in the eastern region. The first is the Reflections series, which is Simonton's most popular traditional vinyl series, including 5500 windows and 5050 windows. Reflections 5500 windows can be customized in design colors and hardware finishes, and use advanced glass options to provide additional sound insulation and higher energy efficiency. With Reflections 5050 windows, you can get a standard traditional vinyl frame. The Reflections series includes double-hung windows, sliders, pictures, casement windows, awnings, geometric windows, garden windows, bow windows and bay windows, as well as sliding patio doors and garden doors.
As Simonton's narrowest frame series, Asure provides stylish replacement windows. These windows are energy efficient, customizable, and receive a 5-star rating from customers. The series includes double-hung windows, slider windows, picture windows and geometric windows. The standard colors are tan and white. It also has sliding patio doors that can be customized with six hardware finish options.
If you like the appearance of classic wooden windows, but don't want to risk water leakage or UV penetration, Impressions 9800 series is your best choice. These replacement windows mimic the appearance of wood and the durability of vinyl and are one of Simonton's most energy-efficient options. This premium series includes double-hung windows, casement windows, 2-lite sliders, 3-lite sliders, awnings, pictures, geometry, bay windows and bow windows. The Impressions series is fully customizable, with 13 internal, external and hardware options.
Call all coastal homeowners. The StormBreaker Plus series has hurricane grade products, which means that the frame and glass are resistant to strong winds and any potential flying debris. Given the robustness of these products, they also provide additional safety and noise reduction features. The series has a wide range of customization options, including 22 window styles, three door operation styles, multiple configuration options, and 16 design options-including grid patterns, colors, and glass.
The ProFinish product line is used in new construction projects. There are four series in the series: Brickmould 600, Brickmould 300, ProFinish Builder and ProFinish Contractor.
The Brickmould 600 series is also a coastal, impact-resistant series, with the same customization options as the StormBreaker Plus series, but with more choices and the appearance of traditional wood. The ProFinish Brickmould 300 series includes multi-layer vinyl windows with optional flat shell decoration and also imitates the wooden appearance.
The other two series in this product line are the Contractor series and the Builder series. The Contractor series is economical and leak-proof. It has a variety of door and window customization options-22 in total. The Builder series includes some of the most popular window styles, in fact there are 17 different types, as well as various glass and color options.
Prism did not appear in the main center of the Simonton Window series because it was exclusively provided through dealer Norandex. Prism is one of Simonton's high-quality vinyl replacement window series, featuring double-hung, sliding, side-hung, geometric, garden, bow and bay, and sliding patio doors and garden doors. With Prism, you can also choose from custom exterior colors, custom interior wood grain, high-quality hardware finishes (such as brushed nickel and polished brass), and high-quality glass and grid options. In this series, there are actually four product lines: Platinum, Ultra Gold, Gold and Bronze. Among them, Platinum has the most choices and Bronze the least.
If you live on the West Coast and have old aluminum windows, DaylightMax is a good alternative window choice. Narrow bezels are energy efficient and use 40% more daylight than wide bezel windows. The series has 13 window styles, "unlimited" configuration options, four frame options-cattle, craftsmen, brick molds and blocks-as well as a wide range of exterior colors, hardware finishes, grid patterns and glass options.
If you want gorgeous vinyl windows that mimic the appearance of wood, and you live in the western United States, then you should start with the Madeira series. These traditional wide-frame windows are one of Simonton's three most energy-efficient windows, ideal for the appearance of classic buildings. Like many other Simonton windows, the Madeira collection is fully customizable. With 14 window styles, endless configuration options, as well as a variety of exterior colors, glass options, grid patterns and hardware finishes, your design inspiration can be brought into full play here.
As West Coasters' high-quality narrow-frame windows, the Verona window series are modern and versatile. Due to the choice of ProSolar Low-E glass or ProSolar Shade Low-E glass, this series also has high energy efficiency, both of which contribute to energy saving. The Verona series has 10 window styles, four grid patterns, four frame options, and a variety of glass and color options.
One of the things customers like most about Simonton is its accessibility. You can purchase Simonton Windows through its ProNetwork, which is ideal if you are looking for a contractor. This will guide you to major retailers, such as The Home Depot, or local contractors who can consult with you. Another option is to find a supplier. If you already have a trusted contractor or want to install the windows yourself, this is a viable method. This option will point you to wholesale distributors such as ABC Supply Co. and local suppliers in your area.
When it comes to actual installation, the two routes are: hiring professionals or DIY. Admittedly, hiring a professional contractor is your safest choice, because the correct installation can keep the windows unchanged for the next 20 years, and windows...just don't. After contacting the Home Depot store, a clerk explained that most in-store inventory is set up for execution and is a great DIY project. The fact that most Simonton windows can be purchased online rather than in the store indicates that they are more difficult to install on their own. If you are looking for local experts for consultation, BH&G has a local service database where you can find contractors to meet your needs.
Of course, if you decide to DIY and install windows, you can order windows directly from Home Depot or a supplier. Remember that due to the pandemic, manufacturing has been delayed a lot, so you need to allow enough time for the product to arrive. "Like all manufacturers, our supply chain has been affected by the pandemic," Hoffens said. "In addition, we also see that homeowners are very interested in updating their houses, which increases the demand for building materials and installers. We are dealing with these challenges, and this is something we monitor every day."
If you can't find the Simonton product you need at The Home Depot, you can always look for the sister brand ReliaBilt at Lowe's.
Since Simonton Windows has so many customization options, including styles, colors, hardware, glass and other materials, it is difficult to determine the price as customers change. Generally, installation costs are the highest, and the price will depend on your geographic location. Contact the contractor in your area directly for a quote.
This is a general pricing guide for several Simonton series that will give you a rough idea of where the unit price created by Remodeling Calculator might fall.
One more thing to keep in mind: the installation cost is usually higher than the price of the actual window unit. For example, if the StormBreaker Plus window is $400 per unit, then the contractor may need $525 to install it. In addition, Simonton will not provide price discounts for bulk orders, so the number of windows will not change the unit price.
Simonton Windows provides a different warranty for each series and each product line in a series. "Simonton provides lifetime and dual lifetime limited warranties for its products (residential projects)," Hoffens said. In general, this means that the products covered by these warranties—vinyl, hardware, screens, and glass—can be replaced at any time, and many warranties are transferable, so if you move, they will extend to the new homeowner.
However, you need to read each warranty carefully, because some advertisements advertise a lifetime warranty (large print), but after careful inspection, this only applies to vinyl records, while other elements may only have a warranty of 10 to 20 years. In addition, Simonton “does not include product installation, but ensures that contractors, remodelers, and builders are trained to be familiar with the installation practices recommended by [the company],” Hoffens said. "In addition, we always encourage homeowners to investigate installation professionals to ensure they have a good reputation."
For commercial or multi-residential projects (such as apartments and condominiums), the average warranty period is about 10 years. To contact the warranty department, you can register your warranty online, if you need to make a claim, just fill out the warranty application form on Simonton.com. You can also call 1-800-746-6686 or fill out the online form to contact the customer service department.
Customer reviews of different products in each series vary based on location, budget, and the specific needs of specific buyers. Overall, customers are satisfied with Simonton's energy efficiency, product quality and customization options. Others are not satisfied with the warranty coverage and service response.
The partnership with Energy Star and the resulting energy efficiency of Simonton Windows are the source of many positive reviews. "We recently replaced the entire house with Simonton windows. Can't believe the difference in keeping our house cool," wrote Chris from Indiana.
Mary from Arizona bought the Impressions series of windows, and she agreed: “My new energy-saving windows are great. These new windows replace the original windows that I built in 1969. There are big differences, including the sound insulation effect. Yes. I can't hear outside sounds anymore."
A test conducted by Consumer Reports in 2019 showed that the Simonton Reflections 5500 series is particularly resistant to wind and was awarded the title of "excellent" in the test.
The quality of Simonton's products is also a selling point for homeowners and contractors. "I am a window installation professional, and I have used more than 10 different brands of windows. However, I always find myself going back to Simonton," wrote a contractor for the Florida Craftsman Door and Window Company. "Their products are reasonably priced, well designed, and of high quality. My customers are always satisfied with them, and so am I."
Other customers like the wide range of customization options and the ability to design windows from top to bottom. "The main reason we chose [Simonton] was because we were able to get the color/finish options we wanted," wrote Dan from North Carolina.
However, some customers were surprised to find that the installation was not covered by the replacement warranty and expressed disappointment with the response of the warranty department, so please pay attention when making replacement items.
"We strive to provide first-class customer service, and we understand that it is important to respond quickly and effectively to customer issues," Hofens said in response to warranty and customer service complaints. "Just as the pandemic has affected our supply chain, it has also affected our customer service response time. We provide homeowners with a variety of tools to find answers to their questions. For example, our website includes a variety of Troubleshooting videos to help homeowners understand and solve some of the problems they encounter."
