Window Replacement in Andover, MN
Nearly half of Andover's homes were built between 1990 and 2009, and those first-generation windows are now the ones we replace most often.
Owner-run. The owner has personally installed more than 10,000 windows over 24 years in Minnesota. Licensed residential contractor, MN Lic. BC809328. EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm.
Andover's housing, by the numbers
Andover had 32,601 residents in the 2020 Census and, according to the city's own comprehensive plan, more than 90 percent of its housing is owner-occupied. It is a city of people who plan to stay, which is exactly the kind of homeowner who cares about doing windows right the first time.
The median Andover home was built in 1994. The 1990s were the biggest decade at 26.4 percent of all housing units, with the 2000s close behind at 22.4 percent. Together that is 48.8 percent of the city built in a 20-year span. The 1980s account for 17.2 percent and the 1970s for 16.4 percent. Only about 23 percent of Andover homes predate 1980, and homes from the 1950s and earlier are rare at under 4 percent combined.
What this means in practice: the typical Andover window job is a 1990s or 2000s home whose original builder-grade windows have reached the end of their useful life at the same time, all at once, across the whole house.
Two kinds of Andover neighborhoods
The city's comprehensive plan describes Andover as primarily a residential community with both established urban and rural neighborhoods, divided by a Municipal Urban Service Area line. Inside the line are the sewered neighborhoods along Hanson Boulevard, Bunker Lake Boulevard, Round Lake Boulevard and Crosstown, most of them from the 1990s and 2000s. North of it is rural residential Andover, larger lots and a higher share of 1970s and 1980s homes. Crooked Lake, on the southern border, is the only fully recreational lake in Andover, and the homes around it span most of those decades.
In the newer sewered neighborhoods we see the classic 20 to 30 year failures: fogged glass from failed seals, broken balances that let a sash drop, vinyl that has warped or discolored on the sunny side of the house, and wood sashes with rot at the bottom rail. On the rural acreage from the 1970s the problems are older and colder, aluminum sliders and early casements that frost up and leak air. Homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint on the trim, and our crews follow EPA lead-safe work practices on those jobs. The Window Guys is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified firm, and our crews include certified renovators.
Andover's permit rule
The City of Andover's fee schedule lists a building permit specifically for same-size window replacement in one- and two-family homes, alongside siding and roofing permits. The city's guidance on when permits are required treats window sash repair or replacement and glass repair as normal maintenance that does not need a permit, so swapping a sash is one thing and replacing the whole window is another. Our office handles the Andover permit application and the inspection scheduling. You will not be filling out forms or waiting at the counter.
Insert replacement or full-frame in Andover?
Because so much of Andover was built after 1990, insert replacement is a real option on many homes. An insert is a new window set inside the existing frame; the exterior trim and siding are undisturbed and the job moves quickly. It works when the frame is square, dry and solid, which is often true on a 1990s or 2000s house.
Full-frame replacement removes the entire old unit down to the framing. It is the right choice when there is rot in the frame or sill, when the original window was poorly flashed, or when you want a different size or style. It is also what most 1970s Andover homes need. We inspect every opening before we recommend one approach or the other, and it is normal for a house to get a mix: inserts on the protected side, full-frame on the side that takes the rain.
There is an Andover-specific reason to get this decision right. Because the sewered neighborhoods went up in tight batches during the 1990s and 2000s, whole streets of homes are hitting the same failure point within a few years of each other. That is when a lot of window companies show up with a one-size-fits-all pitch. Ours is the opposite: measure every opening, look at every frame, and recommend inserts where they will hold up and full-frame where they will not.
The Window Guys in Andover
We are owner-run, and the owner has personally installed more than 10,000 windows over 24 years. Our main line is ProVia; Andersen and Marvin are also available. Exterior aluminum wrap and interior wood trim, meaning jamb, casing and stops, are done by our crews on every job. Andover is about 25 to 30 minutes from our base in East Bethel, so we are in and out of the city regularly, and we work throughout Anoka County and eight surrounding counties.
Begin with Quick Price, our online pricing tool at build.windowguysmn.com. Enter your windows, see a number, and if it fits, we schedule an in-home visit to measure and confirm the details. Whether your kids go to Andover High School, Oak View Middle, Crooked Lake Elementary or Rum River Elementary, or you are up in the northern strip served by St. Francis Area Schools, the process is the same, and the same owner stands behind it.
After the in-home visit you get a written scope listing each opening, the approach for it and the window ordered for it. Nothing is ordered until you approve that. When the windows arrive we schedule installation, and most Andover homes are finished in one to two days, with the interior trim finished and the site cleaned before we leave.
Andover window questions we hear most
Do I need a permit for new windows in Andover?
The City of Andover's fee schedule includes a permit for same-size window replacement in one- and two-family homes, while sash repair and glass repair are treated as maintenance that does not need one. Our office pulls the permit and schedules the inspection as part of every Andover job.
My 1990s Andover home has foggy windows. Do I need inserts or full-frame?
Usually inserts, if the frames are dry and square, which is common on 1990s construction. Fog between the panes means the seal failed, and an insert unit set into the existing frame fixes that without disturbing your siding or exterior trim. If we find rot in the frame or sill during the in-home visit, we will recommend full-frame for those openings.
Do you work on the acreage homes north of Andover's sewer line?
Yes. The rural residential part of Andover has a higher share of 1970s homes, and those usually need full-frame replacement of the original aluminum sliders or early casements. Because they were built before 1978, we follow EPA lead-safe work practices on the old trim.
How long will a typical Andover window job take?
One to two days for most Andover homes, since insert replacement on a 1990s or 2000s house goes quickly. Full-frame replacement with new jamb, casing and stops takes longer. We tell you the schedule before we order the windows.
Ready to price your Andover windows?
Get a real number online first, then book an in-home visit when you are ready. No pressure and no sales games.
Also serving nearby: Ham Lake, Coon Rapids, Anoka, Blaine, East Bethel.