Has anyone had replacement windows put in?

[Wife_and_mommy]

I'm looking for good/bad experiences with private contractors, large companies, or individuals who do this type of work. I can't seem to settle on who to choose.

Thanks for sharing any experiences.


Elizabeth

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Our second morsel due early February 2006!

[Rachels]

We had all our windows replaced. We chose Harvey windows and have been really happy with them. My DH is an architect and often uses them in home designs. We considered NewPro windows, which seem great, but the price tag and the unbelievably high-pressure sales pitch were a total turn off.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
New baby coming in October!
(Holy smokes, it's a boy!!!)


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou
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Nursed for three years!

[BillK]

My wife and I had our 1.5 story home converted into a 2 story. Before doing that we had "custom" Marvin windows put in the first floor to replace the old worn out original windows. When we had the 2nd story put on we got "prehung" Anderson windows for it.

Both jobs were done by different private contractors - and both contractors did a nice job. Personally - I'm not a fan of huge companies that "sub" out their work to the joe-schmo contractors (like Lowes and Home Depot do). I believe you get a better job from individual contractors - their reputation is at stake based on their work.

Also - make sure you get a certificate of insurance from any contractor performing work for you. You certainly don't want him burning down your house by accident and then find out he's not insured.

Anyway - back to the windows - I wish we'd have not had "custom" Marvin windows made for our first floor to simply replace the existing old windows with the same exact size - there are no pre-set channels or holes for screens - so we've never been able to have screens in any of our first floor windows (thankfully we have A/C and it's not a "huge" deal but it would be nice sometimes) - whereas we got screens that just pop in and out of the Anderson windows on the second story.

That's really all I can offer. Good luck!

[kath68]

We had our windows replaced five years ago with a private contractor. Based on the experience, I'd recommend asking some questions -- (1) what are the rules about permitting in your area? -- Here replacement windows require a permit and and inspection. One reason why is that the frames of the new windows take up more space than the old ones, so the openings are smaller. So, in bed rooms, for example, it may change the size of the window so that it no longer meets code for fire safety (people have to be able to fit out bedroom windows, apparently). We had to have windows enlarged in one bedroom.

(2) If the job isn't done in one day, what are you going to do for clean up? What about clean up in general? We had shards of glass in our back yard when they were done. I was not happy about that.

(3) What about trim? The trim around our sliding glass door was replaced and unpainted. We had to take care of painting.

(4) What about cracks in the wall? We have a stucco finish, and there were cracks in it around one window as a result of them removing the old windows. We were responsible for taking care of that, and the touch up paint, too.

(5) What if there are problems we discover later? How easy will it be to get someone out to fix it? The company who did ours were really good about sending someone out to make adjustments to the sliding glass door, which after time would not latch properly.

HTH

[zuzu]

We had a local contractor who came highly recommended do ours. We received estimates from some of the national/regional replacement window companies, but didn't love the brands they offered, nor the high pressure sell. We ended up getting CertainTeed brand and have been very happy with them. They were rated at the top (I think) in Consumer Reports that year and come with a lifetime guarantee. They have other nice features as well. It was the first improvement we made to our home, and it was well worth it!

Have you tried asking your neighbors or others in your area who have replaced theirs for any recommendations? That's how we learned of our contractor.

Melissa, mom to Sarah (5/03)

[bostonsmama]

DH and I are looking into the same thing, as our windows are nearly 20 years old now and don't stay "up" on top and the seals are worn so our cooling bill is probably higher than it should be. With that said, the little bit of research we've done has been daunting. We got an estimate from a local branch (Mr. Rogers Windows) where they have a lifetime glass replacement warranty for accidents, and they use wood-look Anderson windows, but it's to the tune of $700 per window!! I was in shock! My dad had his entire beach house redone in Anderson windows/doors for less than $9,000 installed and he has 12 windows and 5 sliding glass doors. I don't know what the terms were for the stuff Kathy brought up, but they certainly did a great job (and he doesn't even live there....he handled it all by phone). Our house, OTOH, is worth 1/3 the price of my dad's beach front cottage, so there's no way I'd be willing to sink that much into our home (11 windows + sliding door x $700= Yikes!).

If DH and I could get away with only replacing a few windows, we might look into taking that Home Depot class on how to replace existing windows and install new ones. It's surprisingly easy...you just might need to have someone come "finish" the work by patching drywall and affixing moulding around the edges, then painting. If we do that, there'a wherehouse center near us that has Pella and Anderson windows that people have returned as special orders (some over $5,000), all for only $69 and $89 ea. You'd have to look for months to accumulate ones that look the same, but it's a worthy project. My mom did this in her great room addition, and you could never tell they're not the same.

I'd heed the warning of the PPs though if you do have it "done," because it's no joke when you get raked over the coals by a contractor. Having just had a shoddy experience with the landscapper we highered to install sod, I know that we could have done a lot more research before we signed this yahoo on to do the job!

L

[alkagift]

We had ours replaced by Pella. We went to the Pella store since we wanted a certain style and we got the Architectural line of replacement windows. They sub the install out to a reputable (at least here) renovations firm. The install was great, our service has been very good and we love the fact that they're aluminum outside and solid wood inside. NOT cheap, though, really not.

Allison
Mommy to Matthew, who is TWO!

[Wife_and_mommy]

Wow. I thought windows would be a relatively easy improvement.

I appreciate all the advice. I hadn't heard of Harvey or Marvin windows. Every time I try to do research online Microsoft comes up so it's been difficult.

Our windows are 25 years old and long overdue. Our AC runs more than it should as well. DH is not the handy type so doing it ourselves is out.

Thank you all for the tips. :) Can't wait to show this to DH.


Elizabeth

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Our second morsel due early February 2006!