Window Replacement Advice

[Homerboy]

We're looking to get some/all of the windows in our house replaced in the near future.

Ideally, and immediately, we will be replacing a large (6x6) fixed picture window in the front of our house with side-by-side double hungs. While we'd like to do the rest of the 18 windows in the house, at the same time, I just don't think that's in the bankroll right now.

That being said, we're looking at almost assuredly a vinyl/vinyl window purely based again on the economics of things. Wood interior is just not worth twice the price and likley a 6-8 month waiting period either. If money were no object, sure.

We've had two quotes thus far (next week a third) and both were for roughly $2,000. One for provia endure and the other for Pella 250 windows. Any pros/cons or input to either brand? Should I be on the lookout for anything? Am I going to hate vinyl/vinyl?
I was told basically that any 100" opening (height + width) is going to basically be $1000 a window - it's just the going rate nowadays across the board. Is this true? Any input is appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[NutBucket]

Get the best warranty you can find...which would mean going with Pella, Milgard, etc. I had a seal fail in a Milgard window so the glass fogged up. They are about 10 years old. I read the phone rep the serial number that's on the glass and a couple weeks later a guy shows up and replaced it, no questions asked and perfect fit.
Does your window have southern exposure? If so the vinyl may warp. I think the next step up materials wise might be fiberglass?

 

[lightduty]

We're looking to get some/all of the windows in our house replaced in the near future.

Ideally, and immediately, we will be replacing a large (6x6) fixed picture window in the front of our house with side-by-side double hungs. While we'd like to do the rest of the 18 windows in the house, at the same time, I just don't think that's in the bankroll right now.

That being said, we're looking at almost assuredly a vinyl/vinyl window purely based again on the economics of things. Wood interior is just not worth twice the price and likley a 6-8 month waiting period either. If money were no object, sure.

We've had two quotes thus far (next week a third) and both were for roughly $2,000. One for provia endure and the other for Pella 250 windows. Any pros/cons or input to either brand? Should I be on the lookout for anything? Am I going to hate vinyl/vinyl?
I was told basically that any 100" opening (height + width) is going to basically be $1000 a window - it's just the going rate nowadays across the board. Is this true? Any input is appreciated.
Thanks!

How much are you spending on your windows project in total?

 

[Homerboy]

Get the best warranty you can find...which would mean going with Pella, Milgard, etc. I had a seal fail in a Milgard window so the glass fogged up. They are about 10 years old. I read the phone rep the serial number that's on the glass and a couple weeks later a guy shows up and replaced it, no questions asked and perfect fit.
Does your window have southern exposure? If so the vinyl may warp. I think the next step up materials wise might be fiberglass?

Good point on the warranty and I will discuss that in more detail with the dealers.

The window face South/South West - quite a bit of sun exposure in the afternoon and evening. This is another reason we want to replace it as the UV rays are just cooking our living room - their used to be a school across the street blocking a lot of the evening sun, but that's been torn down and it's a park now so it's a lot of direct sunlight for more hours of the day. This is Wisconsin though so it's not like year-round 100* days or something

Yes, fiberglass is the next option for the exterior, but again, you're talking $$$ over the vinyl.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Yeah per what I know about windows and it isn’t much, focus on the warranty and how long they will last vs energy savings. The difference between crap and excellent insulated windows is minimal. The difference between crap and excellent windows vs losing seal or falling off track or ballast thingy breaking is huge.

 

[PowerEngineer]

We went through this same windows replacement exercise about a decade ago. The cheap builder-chosen windows just didn't hold up very well.

We ended up replacing our windows in two phases. The plus side was that we got to evaluate the windows and the installer before putting all our money into the project. The downside was that the desirability of have the new windows look similar to the old windows limited our choices a bit.

We have been very happy with our Milgard windows. We also let them talk us into some reflective coating on the south and west facing windows which has really helped keep temperatures down in the summertime.

IMHO you should also carefully choose the installer. I'd rather have the best installer than the best brand of windows.

Good luck!

 

[NutBucket]

Years ago I had an apartment with a big southern exposure. Even the "cheap" UV film from Home Depot did wonders to keep the heat out. The stuff definitely works. I would assume most decent windows have something similar?

 

[deadlyapp]

Years ago I had an apartment with a big southern exposure. Even the "cheap" UV film from Home Depot did wonders to keep the heat out. The stuff definitely works. I would assume most decent windows have something similar?

Yes - most good glass windows have a low "e" coating on them designed to reflect UV while also trapping heat inside the house during the winter.

 

[nisryus]

I am planning to replace five windows in the front of my house. Since my house is facing South West, so it gets hot in the afternoon, especially in Texas. Three of them (all on the two floor) are already fogged up. I am sure my up-stair is always so hot is partly due to this, because I could feel the draft during winter when I get close to them in winter.

My neighbor told me that instead of replacing the entire window, I could find a company that repair glass and have them fix the windows (reseal, add argon gas.. etc?) So no need to spent a grand, just a hundred or so and the window would be good as new. Not sure if that really works.

 

[BoomerD]

We installed Simonton vinyl windows in our house in CA back in 2007. VERY NICE windows, and with the Low-E coating, it was like "sunglasses" on the windows...made a HUGE difference. IIRC, they were about $10K at the time. (11 windows of different sizes and styles, 2 patio sliding doors)

We're probably going to replace a few windows at a time in this house. Most likely, we'll order Milgard. I had a Milgard sliding patio door installed this past fall. Very nice.

Windows are back-ordered just about every where. When I was looking for the patio door, 8-12 week wait was the norm. (companies can't get the glass...or it was stuck in container ships off the coast, waiting to be unloaded)

 

[BoomerD]

I am planning to replace five windows in the front of my house. Since my house is facing South West, so it gets hot in the afternoon, especially in Texas. Three of them (all on the two floor) are already fogged up. I am sure my up-stair is always so hot is partly due to this, because I could feel the draft during winter when I get close to them in winter.

My neighbor told me that instead of replacing the entire window, I could find a company that repair glass and have them fix the windows (reseal, add argon gas.. etc?) So no need to spent a grand, just a hundred or so and the window would be good as new. Not sure if that really works.

Not likely. Depending on the window, they MIGHT be able to replace the glass unit, but (afaik) you can't really reseal them and add argon. Technically, if the glass company has the right equipment, then MAYBE it could be done...but it's doubtful.

 

[NutBucket]

Right, they replace the entire pane as a sealed unit.

 

[Greenman]

No matter which windows you end up going with, find out what sealant is used for installation. The bead of caulking around the flange is the entire waterproof seal, and I've seen lots of windows done with painters latex. They should be using NP1 or Sikaflex, a lot of installers don't use it because it adds six bucks to the cost of each window.
You might also ask about the installers. Some company's use employees, some use subs that are paid by the window. The subs need to finish as fast as possible, and I've seen a few installations that were absolutely horrible.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

No matter which windows you end up going with, find out what sealant is used for installation. The bead of caulking around the flange is the entire waterproof seal, and I've seen lots of windows done with painters latex. They should be using NP1 or Sikaflex, a lot of installers don't use it because it adds six bucks to the cost of each window.
You might also ask about the installers. Some company's use employees, some use subs that are paid by the window. The subs need to finish as fast as possible, and I've seen a few installations that were absolutely horrible.

hey without thread hijacking
When installing a replacement basement window should the window be mounted on a board like a 2x4 or directly to the concrete sill or either method?

 

[Greenman]

Having never installed a basement window (don't have basements around here), I'm not really sure. I don't see any reason to add a wood sill as that's just one more area that needs to be flashed and protected. If the window gets trimmed I would use a sill so there is something to nail to.

 

[Zorba]

My in-laws have replaced windows at two houses in the last decade. They got a bunch of bids and went with Window World, which I'm pretty sure is national. Had one seal go out and had no problem getting it fixed.

Pretty sure the first house was vinyl mostly double hung. Second house was Aluminum with a thermal break, some double hung and a lot of fixed.

Both the vinyl and aluminum were much much nicer than the building grade windows.

FYI, spend your money on better coatings, Lower and a little color. The gas fills help when new, but they slowly leak out over the years while the coating keep working.

 

[Homerboy]

ok this window pricing is confusing

We're probably scaling back this replacement for right now and just looking at replacing a large picture window in the front of our house with side-by-side double hungs and the rest of the project is going to have to wait a bit.

A regional installer called "Abby Windows" quoted me $3,600 to replace our big picture window with the "ProVia - Aspect" model of window.
A local contractor quoted $2,200 to replace our big picture window with the "ProVia - Endure" model of window.

The Endure is a better window (from what I can figure out) and the dude is $1400 cheaper for the one window!?!?

 

[A///]

My place had its windows replaced several years before I got it. I don't recall the brand name but it's very level with Milgard. My only issue is the reflective anti uv coating it has makes it a bit dimmer when it's cloudy or winter time. They're pretty nice and double hung all around which is nice. No idea what the prior owner spent on it but I suspect it was significantly cheaper back then than today given the exorbitant pricing on everything.

My windows tilt inward for easier cleaning, though I run curtains all around out of privacy reasons.

 

[Greenman]

ok this window pricing is confusing

We're probably scaling back this replacement for right now and just looking at replacing a large picture window in the front of our house with side-by-side double hungs and the rest of the project is going to have to wait a bit.

A regional installer called "Abby Windows" quoted me $3,600 to replace our big picture window with the "ProVia - Aspect" model of window.
A local contractor quoted $2,200 to replace our big picture window with the "ProVia - Endure" model of window.

The Endure is a better window (from what I can figure out) and the dude is $1400 cheaper for the one window!?!?

That's not uncommon or surprising at all. Lot's of company's are top heavy with big advertising budgets.

 

[MrSquished]

These UV films, anybody use a higher quality one they would recommend?

 

[BoomerD]

My place had its windows replaced several years before I got it. I don't recall the brand name but it's very level with Milgard. My only issue is the reflective anti uv coating it has makes it a bit dimmer when it's cloudy or winter time. They're pretty nice and double hung all around which is nice. No idea what the prior owner spent on it but I suspect it was significantly cheaper back then than today given the exorbitant pricing on everything.

My windows tilt inward for easier cleaning, though I run curtains all around out of privacy reasons.

Milgard makes decent mid-grade windows. I put in their "Tuscany" series sliding patio door last fall. VERY happy with it.

That's not uncommon or surprising at all. Lot's of company's are top heavy with big advertising budgets.

No shit. We had "Renewal by Anderson" come out last fall to give an estimate. 3 small-ish windows, (2-23x58, 1-28x58, 1-42x42, and the patio door. Price was over $24,000. Just the patio door was $14,000 by itself. I admit, it was a VERY nice patio slider...but fucking fuck. I passed.

Did some shopping, found the Milgard mentioned above for $300, (was mis-ordered...they wanted it gone) and I had to drive about 75 miles each way to get it. They wouldn't deliver. I had one of the 58" windows repaired, (replaced the glass unit) still looking to replace the 42x42. That's gonna be a PITA...vinyl siding, second floor over a bathtub so it has to be tempered glass.

 

[Greenman]

That's just the nature of the business. I've seen contractors with an owner, salesmen, accountant, project manager, a super intendant, and 3 field personal. Overhead is absurd, add buying leads and advertising and the numbers are out of control.
The other issue is that the goal of the specialty subs is to have no more than 6 tools and be able to train a new installer in a week or less.

 

[A///]

Milgard makes decent mid-grade windows. I put in their "Tuscany" series sliding patio door last fall. VERY happy with it.

Yep. Good for the price. This thread got me curious and I looked at the stickers on the sills and the paperwork I had. They're gassed windows too. I'm not sure how much a difference that makes to be honest with you. The garage windows are not Milgard but some brand I've never heard of that had a fair bit of ownership trickery I dug into only to find out it's owned by Milgard...

 

[A///]

That's just the nature of the business. I've seen contractors with an owner, salesmen, accountant, project manager, a super intendant, and 3 field personal. Overhead is absurd, add buying leads and advertising and the numbers are out of control.
The other issue is that the goal of the specialty subs is to have no more than 6 tools and be able to train a new installer in a week or less.

I've done some research into Renewal by Anderson and people tend to give it a thumbs down. Apparently because it's not as good as Anderson, because Renewal by Anderson is technically a separate business.

Ordering custom windows is expensive at the moment given the obvious, but from what I was looking before I got this place was that the install costs/labor is what puts it through the roof. You can get a window for around $500 that's a-spec quality but the install will shoot it to up to $1700 with most local places. I dunno if that was the pricing before or not, but I'm willing to bet contractors are taking people for rides.

Can't blame them tbh.