I need to replace the windows from my house. This will be my first time.
- Thread starter Eppy99
- Start date
I would suggest a good rectal anti-inflammatory, something that kills Monkey pox. Then pray (or wish real hard) for wining lottery numbers.
After you get the first quote, go watch some you tube videos on how to install windows. Go to ABC distributors and blow the manager for the best deal. Drink lots of fluids.
After you get the first quote, go watch some you tube videos on how to install windows. Go to ABC distributors and blow the manager for the best deal. Drink lots of fluids.
Actually all of it is 100% true for me, except, much to my surprise the manager was an old fire fighter that I had done a huge amount of training with, way back in the day. I only had to go as far as a belly rub.
go to Lucy's trailer and steal hers, I think mobile home windows are all pretty standard
Hey A-hole it's called Manufactured housing and you can't have my windows!
We've had 3 houses built but never had to replace. There will be large price ranges. You will have companies like Window World or Feldco that are in the lower to moderate price range. Should serve you fine, but if you are staying long term I'd look for Renewal by Anderson. They will cost more though.
Solid window too more in line with Anderson. I think both companies have better than average warranties.
Ok OK Ok .. serious then. Yes it's probably going to be more than you want to spend, ESPECIALLY right now. The second thing is, right now it's probably going to take 3-5 x longer than years past to get someone there to do the work. As far as I am concerned, these are constants, no way around it if you are hiring it done.
I would go to the normal "go to" people and get recommendations with referrals on contractors. If you go with the known people people in the industry, there's less opportunity of being hosed over. follow all the same for the actual window manufacturers. That industry is pretty competitive and If you are comparing apples to apples, there probably won't be 3-5% difference in any quotes or quality that you get.
Now if you want to super shop and and go with that one guy that's 50% cheaper than all the others.... See my first post above.
Are you in the Bloomington area? If so, I honestly would go over to ABC on Curry pike and make them prove to you that you want them to be your supplier. They know what is going on and are not in the business to screw you.
I would go to the normal "go to" people and get recommendations with referrals on contractors. If you go with the known people people in the industry, there's less opportunity of being hosed over. follow all the same for the actual window manufacturers. That industry is pretty competitive and If you are comparing apples to apples, there probably won't be 3-5% difference in any quotes or quality that you get.
Now if you want to super shop and and go with that one guy that's 50% cheaper than all the others.... See my first post above.
Are you in the Bloomington area? If so, I honestly would go over to ABC on Curry pike and make them prove to you that you want them to be your supplier. They know what is going on and are not in the business to screw you.
Wood, Fiberglass, or metal?
Standard sizes or custom?
Go in knowing the terminology and ballpark for what each typically costs.
Expect at least 4 weeks lead time to order, but could be as much as 12 if you're getting something less standard.
Pella dealers are pretty straightforward, but you pay a premium for the national name. You can get the same kinds of windows for substantially less if you're willing to work for it.
Andersen windows. Not Renewal by Andersen.
We replaced all double-hung (there are multiple OTF jokes here) windows last July. 15 windows; about $23,000.
Came down to Andersen and Pella. Marvin Windows were in the mix but much more expensive. Came down to a local Andersen dealer who differentiated himself by replacing all the interior wood casings and painting them first in the specific white to match all trim and staining the casings in the den, again to match. No one else would do that. We would only be able to use their standard colors/stains. This company also did this specific work at a lower total cost than other Andersen dealers who didn’t offer matching colors/stains.
Wood windows, aluminum clad. Exterior trim was almost a perfect match. Installer and team were meticulous.
Stay away from vinyl and the guys just trying to fit window sashes in your existing frames. Go all the way with complete removal of frames.
Visit multiple dealers, even if they are selling the same windows. Pay for quality.
How much difference where there in price between the companies that you had quote you? Did they break out the product cost and the install cost or was it all one lump quote? Just curious.
I went thru this a few years back. Did a lot of research and went with Starmark Windows by Okna. Not sure if you have a local dealer for those as they are not nationwide. However, the material they’re made of is the most durable out there. Stayed away from vinyl as they can warp in the heat over time. Wood windows will be impacted by weather and not seal properly as they get older. Marvin has a line of windows that look like wood but are made of a composite material that will not weather that would be a good backup option.
Be prepared to pay!! Windows are not cheap.
I replaced 3 basement windows last year and spent around $1500. Prices were up about $100-200 per window.
We had a guy from Bee Windows and Doors over a month ago to give us a price to replace our front door. The one we chose had a retail price of $42,000! After we saw that my wife and I just sat in stunned silence for a moment. Bee would give us a discount, but it still came to over $20K. He said to replace our windows it’d probably be $70K or more. Needless to say, we kicked his ass to the curb. Likely we’ll just buy one from Lowe’s and find a good contractor to install properly to hopefully spend no more than $5-7K.
Good luck, you’ll need it.
Check out the U-Factor, Solar Heat Gain, Air Filtration, Water Penetration, Visible Light Transference, Jambs size and whether the windows are a low E2 or low E3 (the number indicates the number of panes in the windows - E2 has two panes, E3 has three panes, etc.). Pay no attention to Univee's advice to avoid vinyl windows. And his recommendation of Andersen windows is crap, as you'll see from researching the above factors. He's right about Marvin windows . . . really nice, probably the best, but way too expensive. Marvins are for wealthy folks.
We bought OKNA 800dx vinyl windows because they had excellent U-factor, solar heat gain, air filtration, and water penetration ratings. They're low E2 windows with argon in the space between the two panes. We've been very pleased with the windows . . . and we're in a LOT warmer climate than Indiana.
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We just replaced our front door with a ProVia - excellent doors - and spent just over $6200. And that's with a sidelight too. We thought we were being extravagant.
Look for a ProVia dealer where you are. And then ask them for a referral to a window dealer. They probably do both.
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The Starmark windows aren't vinyl? We bought OKNA top of the line windows and they're vinyl. The only downside we could see is they aren't paintable.
The days of cheap vinyl windows warping/melting in the heat is long past us.
Why not paintable? They are just PVC which is paintable. No drips no runs no errors.
You'll have to ask OKNA. That's the story we got. The outside is paintable, but with a special paint. The inside not so much.
Didn't matter to us. The outside is clad, and the inside is white anyway.
[on edit]: I'm not sure that this vinyl is PVC anyway. 🤷♂️
No. The Starmark windows are made of a composite material. Won’t weather, no worries about insects or rot. When we purchased ours we had them stained to match our interior trim. You could also get them in white, or they also had several colors you could order them in.
$6200 for a door? Good grief…I’ll keep mine that doesn’t even latch. Just push it open.
I know. We blanched when we saw that . . . but in light of the "discounted" price of $20k that Hondo quoted, I felt pretty good. BTW, that $6200 included installation and the warranty.
Anyways, in comparing the relative costs and reputations of ProVia ($6200) and Thermatru ($4000), ProVia won. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2646235/thermatru-vs-provia.
And here I thought I was a cheap bastage.
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Ours was not opening properly…so I took the guts out of it. Dead bolt still works but no turning of knob necessary to open.
We re-did all of our doors and windows, to windows and doors with hurricane cat 5 impact ratings. We waited a while on the big sliding doors as they were about 5 grand apiece, I think. The front door with stained glass insert and sidelights was IIRC about 15K all by itself. Have of that though is the upgrade for the hurricane protection. Garage door with hurricane rating wasn't cheap either. But I have no more plywood or hurricane panels to lug around.
The door we had quoted was made at an Amish factory near Fort Wayne and it truly was one hell of a door that had a lifetime guarantee. Also, it was built with a steel frame and was as secure a door that money could buy.
Are you attaching to block wall?
Just curious about the need for a steel frame
No, it had sidelight and the steel frame was so the door couldn’t be kicked in. Expect for the glass the entire door and sidelight was made from steel and fibreglass that was designed to look like wood. The installers had to be trained and certified by the company. Frankly, once we had the salesman in our midst we soon realized this wasn’t what we were looking for. Even the cheaper door, which was all steel and eventually would rust was $13,000.
I do view these things from a different lens as most all of you. I've never paid more than $130 for a brand new window, and NEVER more than $160 for a brand new 3'0 exterior door. I did pay $240 for a double 3'0 french door though once.
All of them were either vinyl windows and standard lowes/ menards doors. All lasted 30+ years with no issues. I've installed them all myself. These 5k 6k 8k ...$40k #'s make sense if you have the disposable cash or just don't have any other thing more important to use the cash on.
Current house have 14, 3'x5' double pane windows, 3 - 3'0 exterior doors w/ lights. <$2,000. 7 yrs old. Zero issues.
All of them were either vinyl windows and standard lowes/ menards doors. All lasted 30+ years with no issues. I've installed them all myself. These 5k 6k 8k ...$40k #'s make sense if you have the disposable cash or just don't have any other thing more important to use the cash on.
Current house have 14, 3'x5' double pane windows, 3 - 3'0 exterior doors w/ lights. <$2,000. 7 yrs old. Zero issues.
Lump sum quote.
Average of $2,500 less than two other Andersen dealers. More than $5,000 less than Renewal by Andersen. I can’t even begin to understand RBA pricing as their process was/is to use the existing frame and just try to fit in new sashes. “Why mess up your existing molding?” High pressure sales technique from a kid, who didn’t follow up when we didn’t bite during the presentation. Retired, former GM for RBA, said RBA, at least here, is very sketchy now.
Sorry for the late response but just drove 565 miles today and just catching up on things.
I would get a LOT A of quotes.
Recent example. I was having a back patio door replaced this spring.... this is a single full lite glass patio door with divided lite grids. I decided to go with high end fiberglass, and ProVia was the choice based upon a lot of research. I got their catalog and picked the exact model/finish that I wanted. Then got it quoted from 5 different installers.
Identical door, prices ranged from $2400-9600! I laughed the guy with the $9600 quote out of the house. The others were all in the $3-4k range. The $2400 quote was from a local locksmith that also does doors and was a licensed ProVia installer. Really nice guy and liked that he was the actual one doing the install.... not just a sales guy.
Your installation quality is probably more important than the brand you go with. We've got Pella windows (wood interior/ clad exterior). They are maybe 12 years old and most are doing fine, though there are some issues with a couple casement windows that need some attention.
Yes there are nice quality vinyl windows that will perform well and last... but you can't match the look of real wood from an interior perspective.
Recent example. I was having a back patio door replaced this spring.... this is a single full lite glass patio door with divided lite grids. I decided to go with high end fiberglass, and ProVia was the choice based upon a lot of research. I got their catalog and picked the exact model/finish that I wanted. Then got it quoted from 5 different installers.
Identical door, prices ranged from $2400-9600! I laughed the guy with the $9600 quote out of the house. The others were all in the $3-4k range. The $2400 quote was from a local locksmith that also does doors and was a licensed ProVia installer. Really nice guy and liked that he was the actual one doing the install.... not just a sales guy.
Your installation quality is probably more important than the brand you go with. We've got Pella windows (wood interior/ clad exterior). They are maybe 12 years old and most are doing fine, though there are some issues with a couple casement windows that need some attention.
Yes there are nice quality vinyl windows that will perform well and last... but you can't match the look of real wood from an interior perspective.
Very happy thus far with our Pella windows. Got them last year before prices hit the fan.
