Anderson Window & Door Installation has been providing new and replacement windows and doors for Santa Clara and San Mateo County homeowners since 2000. The company is a certified dealer for many top window manufacturers, including Andersen, Milgard, Marvin, Simpson and JELD-WEN. As a Class B general contractor, it also handles construction work associated with window and door installations, from framing and stucco application to sheet rock and trim work.

Owner John Scalmanini has more than 25 years of experience in the contracting industry. Mr. Scalmanini says he’s proud of Anderson Window & Door Installation’s ability to handle numerous aspects of its clients’ window and door projects. “We don’t subcontract any of our installation work–it’s all done by our highly-trained installers. A lot of companies pay their workers per window. That encourages them to work more quickly and cut corners so they can install more windows and earn more money. My employees are paid by the hour, so they take the time to do the job right.”

Whenever Anderson Window & Door Installation replaces a window or door, it performs a full replacement instead of simply inserting a product into an existing frame. “That causes problems,” says Mr. Scalmanini. “You can’t get a good seal on a window unless you replace the frame, and door panels will warp if placed in an old frame.”

The company is also a certified dealer for all the products it sells and installs. “We buy directly from the manufacturers, which allows us to be very price competitive,” says Mr. Scalmanini. Because it’s a certified dealer, manufacturers entrust and pay Anderson Window & Door Installation to handle any warranty service work that’s required on their products.

Mr. Scalmanini’s firm is part of Andersen Windows and Doors’ “Circle of Excellence,” the highest certification the manufacturer offers. As a result, the company receives preferred pricing on Andersen windows, and its installers are factory-trained to service various products. “It took us five years and a lot of window installations to achieve this certification,” says Mr. Scalmanini. “Now, we can pass the pricing and benefits of that training on to our customers.”

When replacing windows and doors, choose a company that’s a certified dealer for the products it installs. “It’s important for the firm to have relationships with the manufacturers of its products,” says John Scalmanini, owner of Anderson Window & Door Installation in San Jose. “To become a certified dealer, you can’t be someone who only installs a few windows per month. You have to be experienced and prove you know how to do service work. Also, once certified, companies receive preferred pricing and training directly from the manufacturer.”

Homeowners should also be wary of low bids. As a rule, contractors bidding on the same job shouldn’t have radically different prices. If one bid is considerably lower, it’s either because the contractor has made a mistake and is bidding a smaller scope, or they’re using substandard materials or labor. “When you take the low bid, you’ll get a poor installation most of the time,” says Mr. Scalmanini. “You don’t get something for nothing in this industry.”

When it comes to maintaining your windows and doors, not much work is required. Mr. Scalmanini advises to take basic maintenance steps, such as keeping the paint in good shape. “You should also inspect the seals and caulking every few years to make sure they aren’t cracking or splitting. If they are, call the installer and have them fix the problem. But if it’s a good installation, you shouldn’t see those problems. You should see nice seals for years and years.”

Q: Do you offer a warranty?

A: Yes, we offer lifetime warranties on our installations. And the warranty follows the window, not the customer, so if you sell your house, we’ll continue to honor the warranty with the new owner.

Q: How long does an installation take?

A: Most of our jobs take between one and three days to complete.

Q: How long will my windows be removed from my house?

A: We remove and replace windows in the same day. On any given day, we only take out windows that we’ll replace by day’s end. There’s no exposure to the elements or security issues.

Q: What’s the difference between retrofit installations and nail-on or new construction window replacements?

A: A retrofit is an insert window that’s glued to the outside of the house. The window’s existing aluminum frame is left in place and a new window is inserted. We don’t do retrofit windows because it’s nearly impossible to get a good seal, which can lead to mold and other problems. With a nail-on or new construction replacement, on the other hand, we replace the entire window, including the frame. This may mean removing wood trim or chipping away at the stucco. We install new flashing to waterproof the opening and then replace and match any stucco. Finally, we add new trim and duplicate the original construction.

Q: What’s the difference between wood and vinyl frames?

A: Vinyl is a hollow-core, non-paintable material. It’s a good entry-level product—it’s inexpensive and requires no maintenance. The downside is the color is limited to white or tan. Wood is somewhat more expensive and needs to be painted and maintained, but it’s a more flexible material and offers a wider variety of colors and styles.

Q: What’s the difference between a wood and fiberglass door?

A: A fiberglass door is filled with foam and surrounded by a thin layer of fiberglass. It’s relatively inexpensive, lightweight, requires less maintenance, and is usually better suited to an apartment complex than an individual home. It’s not as durable as wood—as long as it’s properly primed and painted, a wood door will last for 30 to 50 years. Wood is the better all-around product.

Q: Do you have a showroom?

A: Yes. You can see a variety of the products we offer at our San Jose showroom, or we can bring samples when we come to your house to conduct the estimate.

Q: Do you give free estimates?

A: Yes.