replacing windows in my home

[stage20]

i have an appointment next week to get an estimate on window replacement.
are their things i should ask for or avoid? seems their are so many types of windows available and i dont want the salesman trying to sell me something i dont need.

my neighbor got hers replaced and they look great installation wise, so i am going with the company she chose. her only complaint was she wanted impact rated windows but couldnt afford them.

im in florida, so it does make your insurance a few bucks cheaper and you arent required to have shutters with these windows.

basic 1 over 1 30x54 is what i need, but beyond that i dont have a clue. looks like they start around 150 and go over a grand.

 

[jd_1138]

I'd be careful. Some of those window co's send out subs who do half ***/rushed work -- not properly insulating or installing.

I'd probably try to cut out the middlemen slick sales people and hire a local window professional who has great references. The cheapest possible prices are not really cheap if you're losing $2k a year on wasted energy.

 

[LB-1911]

i have an appointment next week to get an estimate on window replacement.
are their things i should ask for or avoid? seems their are so many types of windows available and i dont want the salesman trying to sell me something i dont need.

my neighbor got hers replaced and they look great installation wise, so i am going with the company she chose. her only complaint was she wanted impact rated windows but couldnt afford them.

im in florida, so it does make your insurance a few bucks cheaper and you arent required to have shutters with these windows.

basic 1 over 1 30x54 is what i need, but beyond that i dont have a clue. looks like they start around 150 and go over a grand.

Makes for a good read and should be informative.

Questions About Buying New Windows, Doors or Skylights?

- See more at: http://www.nfrc.org/windowratings/#sthash.WqQeGoBV.dpuf

 

[---]

I've had both impact windows and accordion shutters. I prefer accordion shutters.

 

[Falcon67]

We have Anderson vinyl, Low E, dual pane double hung. They work well and look good on the house. Vinyl insulates better than wood or aluminum. Aluminum is cheap and will sweat in the winter, especially if your house is "tighter" air-wise after the window upgrade. We didn't really care about the double hung, it was just the way the windows were made like it or not. However, after install we found out we really like that feature. On most windows we lower the top sash more than the lower. Also as above - the install will make or break your upgrade. The best window is junk if it's not sized and installed properly.

 

[6768rogues]

I agree with Andersen and have had them for many years.
I would go with shutters rather than high strength windows. You will not know how well replacement windows are installed, so it makes no sense to have strong glass when the whole window blows out.

 

[readhead]

Why do you want to replace them? What will be the ROI?

 

[chops101]

I have all Anderson windows and doors.. And accordions.
Impacts are nice but not worth the price delta for me. Impacts are also a burglary deterrent, but one thing that is never mentioned; when that wooden missile hits your impact window in a hurricane, you still have to replace that $1000 shattered window on your own nickel. I only have to beat my accordion back into shape with a body hammer and dolly.

 

[Showkey]

Be careful just buying a name..........all the manufactures have varing grade windows all with their name on then. All have "builder grade" all the way to premium custom grade.

Then there are all options low E, low iron, tinted, double or triple pane, gas fill, film in the middle, wood with alum or vinyl or Fiberglas cladding.

 

[stage20]

Why do you want to replace them? What will be the ROI?

House is 1980. Single pane aluminum. Seals are dried out and peeling on the grids. They also hold moisture on the inside which leaves mold spots. I can clean them but after a few months of them fogging up mold spots are back. Looks and also decreasing powerbill should help in the decision to upgrade. Plans are to do new siding within the year so I wanted to get the windows handled first.

 

[Robert Haas]

I am a glass shop owner, been selling and installing residential windows for over 40 years.


I am more then happy to help you with this project from strictly an advisory point of view as my shop is 4 thousand miles away from your home.

First and foremost you make dang sure the person selling you the windows is the same company that installs them.

Do your home work, glass shops seem to come and go and if you have a warranty or service concern it is comforting to know they will still be around in 4 or 8 years.

If you have come to a comfortable relationship with your glass shop now it is time to think about not only what brand of windows you want but what type, materials, and installation technique is to be used.

Retro Fit windows are common enough and in many ways they do offer enough benefits to overpower any detractors.


As far as materials go, there are basically 3 main types of window materials used today, aluminum, vinyl and wood. There is also a recent new player and it is gaining a lot of traction out here on the west coast. That is Fiberglass.


As far as the glazing (that is the glass itself) you sound like you are in hurricane country and are looking for impact certified glazing. This is not a huge upcharge to be honest. It should not add more then 20% total to the costs of the windows and adds zero labor so there should be no additional labor expense.


I hope this helped, if you could provide a bit more information I could be way more specific and answer any and all questions you might have.

 

[Zeke]

I'd be careful. Some of those window co's send out subs who do half ***/rushed work -- not properly insulating or installing.

I'd probably try to cut out the middlemen slick sales people and hire a local window professional who has great references. The cheapest possible prices are not really cheap if you're losing $2k a year on wasted energy.

I spent 25 years selling and installing windows and I agree about hiring a local installer who has an account with a known manufacturer that has a lifetime guarantee.

The last sentence is suspect to me. I've studied the benefits of replacement windows extensively. Windows are the lowest r-rated thing in the house, They don't even use the r system because the best, bullet proof, triple glazed window with fancy gas inside, and sputtered silver LowE coating, is an R 5. So the window industry has come up with "U Value" where the numbers look to be higher and more impressive.

Yes, you might save some serious money on energy costs but you'd have to spend a huge amount on any older house to bring the energy envelope us to the maximum efficiency. The pay back is not there for anyone not planning to spend the rest of their life in that home. (BTW, the resale ROI on windows was 105%. I don't know about today's market.)

If you search my name and "windows" I've discussed them on many occasions here at the GJ.

 

[engineer2]

I don't know how they do it in Florida, but around here you have a choice of two types of installation.
1. Remove the entire window and frame and replace it with a new one.
2. Remove the sashes or panes leaving the frame in place. The new window is fit inside the existing frame. This saves a ton on labor and in some cases it works fine. Windows experts can chime in if this method is acceptable with aluminum frames.

Know what you are getting!

 

[Robert Haas]

I don't know how they do it in Florida, but around here you have a choice of two types of installation.
1. Remove the entire window and frame and replace it with a new one.
2. Remove the sashes or panes leaving the frame in place. The new window is fit inside the existing frame. This saves a ton on labor and in some cases it works fine. Windows experts can chime in if this method is acceptable with aluminum frames.

Know what you are getting!

Known as Retrofit, or Z-bar replacement, almost exclusive to use on Homes with Aluminum "nail on" style original windows. Advantage is low impact to home (no stucco or sheet rock repairs required. Lower labor required. Downsides are it does reduce the physical "daylite" opening and in some areas or applications can not pass egress codes.

 

[Zeke]

Z-bar is also called flush fin by some. I never liked the concept although I've installed many.

 

[engineer2]

Most of my neighbors replace our crappy Republic windows with retrofits because of the price and don't even realize until it's done that the window opening is smaller. The contractor's crew will do a whole house in one day.
If you are upgrading old double-hung wood windows, systems like Marvin Tilt Pacs are fast to install and don't change the opening too much.

 

[ScottsGT]

I went with Sunrise Windows after doing LOTS of internet reading. I actually had to hire a dealer/contractor that was about 100 miles away in Greenville SC. The same guy that sold me the windows is the same guy that installed them.
Funny thing is, I wanted Low E for the south to southeastern side of my house, and the wife pitch a whine fit that she was afraid the family room would be too dark. She left the room and the guys said, "Don't worry, I've got your back for no charge and she will never know" And to this day, she doesn't! LOL!!
As far as power bills go, cannot really tell because the damned power company is constantly raising the rates. But it does not take as much running the system any more to keep the house as warm, and it is much cooler in the summer. Another big savings was adding insulated garage doors since the garage is under my bedroom. House is on a hill. We use to have to run a plug in heater in the dead of winter with our split level system. Not anymore with the new garage doors.

 

[Robert Haas]

The biggest noticeable difference from upgrading away from Aluminum single glazed windows to modern high performance insulated windows (vinyl, wood or fiberglass) is the massive reduction in sound transmittal. A single pane window is such a poor absorber of acoustic waves that closing an open window has nearly no discernible difference.

Funny story

We changed all the windows and a couple sliding glass doors in a nice home over in Monterey. Job went fine and everybody was happy, flash forward 3 days and I get a phone call from the home owner, she was pissed off and yelling so loud over the phone it actually could be heard through out our office. Her complaint? Sh was upstairs in her bathroom and did not hear her husband pull up in the driveway, (Like she had at the end of the day for ever) He walked in the front door and she was standing at the top of her stairs **** naked, probably would have been a nice surprise for her husband if he did not walk in with his buddy.....Yep she was pissed at me because she could not hear her husband drive up in the driveway..

 

[stage20]

I don't know how they do it in Florida, but around here you have a choice of two types of installation.
1. Remove the entire window and frame and replace it with a new one.
2. Remove the sashes or panes leaving the frame in place. The new window is fit inside the existing frame. This saves a ton on labor and in some cases it works fine. Windows experts can chime in if this method is acceptable with aluminum frames.


Know what you are getting!

I for sure want the whole window gone. I've seen replacements screwed or riveted on and it looks cheap. Im redoing the siding so I can run some fur strips if need be to seal for now but the people I talk to say they measure my opening to the 1/16. I can handle some damage in the inside of the casing if it gets me a better look on the outside. My dad does drywall so got that covered.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I've had demoed or checked out a LOT of window options and the best I've seen is the Marvin Infinity replacement windows. They are some kind of fiberglas reinforced plastic. I got mine with a new install fin and ripped the old Andersons right out of the holes. Doing the trim over was a PITA. They were one of the more expensive window options. If I had to do it again I would go the same route. I can no longer hear the neighbor's mowers, loud exhaustless diesels, race car tune ups, conversations. My house no longer hums moans or howls depending on wind speed. And this still holds after about 10 years.

 

[stage20]

well i bit the bullet wheather good or bad.
ive had a few people come out. some as low as 475 installed and as high as 1133 installed on the windows, from brick and mortar type shops .
im in florida and required to have shutters of some sort to meet code, which adds another 260 a window.
spoke with a few guys on the jobsite and tell me so and so can come over on a saturday and give you a better price, but im not sure price alone is going to sell me on something that needs to last me years down the road.

i lucked up asking around and a friend of mines brother sells windows. im in at 790 installed for simonton dual pane impact rated, double hung with a full screen included. no shutter will be required with this window.
20 year unconditional replacement. even if the window is shot at or i beat it with a cast iron pan it will be replaced. there is a lifetime warranty on the rest of the frame and even the screen.

i feel i made a safe choice with a company that is local and says they will stand behind their product and installation.
looking at 3 to 5 weeks. all of simontons windows are custom built.

hopefully the siding fairy drops off some materials and labor so when i post up pics of my new windows you dont see aged siding probably not going to happen.

 

[TractorJeff]

One poster mentioned increasing the house envelope> Our house has vinyl replacements that should have been changed along time ago. Instead the previous owner had aluminum storms put on! In the winter time, you feel drafts at the windows! So I found this Thread enlightening!

 

[Nowater]

I replaced my windows in SW Florida using windows made a short drive from my house. I insisted on insulated windows because I wanted to eliminate some noise. It cost about $500 per window and my son and I put them in at a rate of about two a day based upon when he would roll out of bed. It is quieter. Maybe I'll come home and walk in on the wife while she is naked!!!

 

[stage20]

I replaced my windows in SW Florida using windows made a short drive from my house. I insisted on insulated windows because I wanted to eliminate some noise. It cost about $500 per window and my son and I put them in at a rate of about two a day based upon when he would roll out of bed. It is quieter. Maybe I'll come home and walk in on the wife while she is naked!!!

i saw a sample of the glass. there are 2 layers of glass, 1/8 inch or so and a clear vinyl mat around 3/16 that is sandwiched in between. i dont have a sound meter, but there is no way these windows are going to transmit noise like i have now with a single pane.