Replacement windows

Well, I've got some quotes on window replacement. We have 17 that have outlived their usefullness. "Renewal" by Anderson came in at just a tad over 18K (gulp!) and some of the "Window World" type places came in between 4K and 7K with a visibly inferior window. I've never been one to shy away from any home project (except for electricity-its invisible and it bites! ) but I think I could do this myself, and probably step up to a higher quality window with the savings.

The more I look at the project, and watched a few on-line videos, the more confident I am starting to become. But if there is one thing I've learned over the years, there is always something within the project that I wasn't anticipating. Someone here has surely done this-what (if anything) am I overlooking? If it makes a difference, I'm fairly certain these are the original windows in the house (circa 1972).

Any suggestions, opinions, experiences you've had would be much appreciated!!

It cost me $4,700.00 to replace 5 out of 9 windows including labor. Now 2 of the windows where 45" square, 1 was 96"x60", 1 36" x 36" and a 48" x 48" garden window all double pain except the garden window. That included outside and inside finish on all windows. Now this was done in 2008 when we remodeled that side of the house and all where custom made locally. Windows replacement can be very expensive and highly recommend you get the best you can afford as the will last longer. They did it 5 years before I took over this place on the cheap and every window was leaking causing us to spend much more replacing drywall inside as well as mold problems. Those cheap windows wound up costing more than it saved in the long run.

Just my opinion but there are a lot of qualifyed folks out of work right now . I would check on craigslist under skilled services , Just do your research & dont take the first one that comes along .

Better yet If you can find one that knows what they are doing & has the contacts for buying , You might get them to help on an hourlly basis . Get them to help install one or two , Then by then you can see if you can tackle it yourself . Just a thought .

Thats a lot of markup because windows aren,t that expensive these days IMO .

Smoke, can you give us some inside the sash dimensions? That seems awful high for Anderson replacement windows as they are not that much more than some lesser known brands. We did the windows in the old farmhouse in the late 80's and it was not all that bad of a job. Tearing out the old trim strips and covering it with coil stock was the time consuming part of it. The original windows were from the late 1800's to some downstairs that were put in around 1937. You need a good 2 ft. framing square and give yourself at least a 1/4 inch on all your inside dimensions. Check all your openings for square as you measure.

One point cowboy the labor was about 10% of the cost of the windows. Finding qualified people to install them isn't hard, the windows are what are expensive really since we paid the cost straight up for the windows with no markup by the contractor. I ordered them direct from the manufacture myself. The contractor supplied the labor to install them correctly. This is how we contract all of our work by the way, we supply the materials and hirer the labor. We just did a bathroom the same way for under $2000 including a new shower that was leaking, tiles, fixtures, shower door, sink, toilet and vanity. Oh but my son sells tile so we bought it all through his company.

Smoke, I replaced all the windows in my house last summer when I was laid off. I installed paradigm windows. So far I really like them. Here is their website if you want to check them out. http://www.paradigmwindows.com/ Also, I think this is the last year for the tax credit so that would help out. Not sure where you're located, but if there is a dealer near you, you could go look at them and get pricing if you know what the RO is. Good luck with your project.

Two years ago I replaced 14 windows ( approx 3ft + 5 ft) in my house. I had never done this before and was amazed how easy it was as replacement windows are made specifically for "replacement". I bought my windows from a window factory which makes windows for several major brands. I bought their generic no-name windows for $66 each. I couldn't tell the difference between these and the "name windows at three times the price. I paid a local to help me, he worked outside, I worked inside. I paid him $100 per day for about 5 hours work it took 3 days 4 + 5 +5. I'm sure they were a little better insulated and caulked because I did them myself. It was pretty easy

SmokeKing, do you need to replace the entire window frame or just the sash?

If just the sash, look at MW Sash Replacement System
http://www.mwwindows.com/srs/index.html They are great windows and are easy to install. You do everything from inside the house.

If you have to replace the entire window frame, then I can't help you.

Let us know what you end up doing, and take plenty of pictures for us.

Bob

Wow guys-this is great! I think we need to replace the entire window(s) most of them are just plain shot. In the spring, I have to use chopstix to hold them up-my chinese carry out bill is through the roof!

As far as the dimensions go, they all vary, but they are all pretty much standard sizes, and thats why I was floored by the Renewal by Andersen-it worked out to a little over a grand per window! And what I found perplexing about their spiel was that he didn't even offer an alternative model. When we asked about a "cheaper" window, he said something about those windows being only good for rental properties-and he also spent a great deal of time trashing Pella windows, which I found completely unprofessional. I think at that point he lost my wife for good.

Some great points made everyone, and I appreciate it. My new driveway is slated to be poured day after tomorrow, so after I write the check for that, I'll jump into this window thing with both feet (and a camera) and I'll keep you posted!!

one of the problems with Anderson is they don't make windows in "standard" sizes.
I found this out 15 years back when my mother had to replace all the windows in her 7 year old house and she chose Anderson.
buying their stock sizes and trimming out the holes in the walls to fit saved about half compared to having Anderson custom build windows to fit the existing holes.
They're great windows, but there are comparable products out there for significantly less these days.
Also - paying extra for argon filled windows is a "scam". within 3 years, all of the argon has migrated out of the space between the panes and has been replaced by ambient atmosphere.

If the Andersen guy is bad-mouthing the Pella's, I'd probably go elsewhere myself as I believe Pella (and Peachtree) make better windows.

Your best friend in removing the old ones will be a sawzall. Make sure you have plenty of long metal cutting blades.
Also get lots of caulk and/or that spray foam stuff for sealing around the new windows.

Smoke King, could you post an interior and exterior picture of one that you want to replace, like the one you said had to be held open with chopstix?

Bob

OK.. here is my $.02 change not available.... this is certainly something you can do yourself. Anderson seems WAY high and you can do just as good for less. I have family in the insulation business. I am VERY picky about insulation ESPECIALLY around windows. When we remodeled, the guys that installed our windows did a shitty job of insulating them and I went back and redid all but three. (just hadn't gotten to them yet and the ex can deal with it now) Expanding foam is your friend although u can stuff around with fiberglass batting too. It's simple and easy and I would give you a hand if I was close....

Well, finally got around to starting this project. Bought one window to see how it would go, and I was pleasantly surprised when I was done, save for the trim (I'm replacing all the woodwork in my house this winter so I left it off) in 90 minutes!

I ended up getting a "pocket replacement" window which really simplified things. After looking over the estimates, I noticed that the PR windows was what I had been quoted for, and honestly, now that I know how simple it is, I would have been sick to pay so much to have them installed!

Ordering the rest of the windows this afternoon, can't wait to put this long overdue project in the rearview mirror! Thanks to all for advice etc. The confidence I gained was immeasurable!!

bczoom said:

If the Andersen guy is bad-mouthing the Pella's, I'd probably go elsewhere myself as I believe Pella (and Peachtree) make better windows.

Your best friend in removing the old ones will be a sawzall. Make sure you have plenty of long metal cutting blades.
Also get lots of caulk and/or that spray foam stuff for sealing around the new windows.

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I agree 100% . Anderson is a nice window ...but you are paying for the name .
Lets talk about the installation . I am a reited contractor and have done lots of window replacement in 35 years .

1. What is your siding on the house ? Is it lap siding or plywood? Is it stucco, Brick ?
2. Do one window at a time . You may decide its a bigger project than you care to do and you do not want a bunch of open holes in the house .

3. Can they be reached off the ground without scaffling or is some of this repair going to be on the second floor ?.

I think with home owner skill level you could do them yourself . Its not Brain surgery .

You may find removal is much easier than you thought. Pictures of the side frames would be a great help in deciding . Once you remove your inside trim you can take a flashlite and see the type of fastening system they used . It may be as easy as using a long blade metal cutting sawzall blade and cutting the nails/ screws that sercure it in place .
A word of caution . A lot of times it may be worth your time to score a cut tight against the inside trim molding before trying to remove it . . If the room has been painted many times paint can stick to the trim and tear out a big piece of finished drywall paper and then you get to do sheetrock repair too .



EDIT : Well there you go ! Glad it all worked out ! I guess you can forget what I said .

FWIW when I built my house I had Peachtree give me a hell of a deal, they took photos of the house for brochures and I got my windows at half normal price. Personally I wish I had ponied up the money and gotten Pella. Several of my window latches have broken and been replaced. I'd say Anderson, Hurd, Marvin and Pella are all better than Peachtree. I didn't know that then.

BigAl said:

EDIT : Well there you go ! Glad it all worked out ! I guess you can forget what I said .

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Nope, everything you said was spot on Al. And had I not held back to do more research as to my options, I would've have purchased replacement windows and installed them exactly as you outlined. (doesn't take much to get me to break out my Sawzall!! )

I guess I wasn't aware at the time of these "pocket replacements". They install from the inside, you just tear out the old window and leave the window frame and sill intact, and just slip em' in. Eight screws, A little caulk, a little fiberglass and a little expanding foam and voila! You are done! And for the record, I did end up with Pella. I think that Peachtree, Crestline etc (anything in that price point really) are probably pretty close in quality. We just decided that the name recognition with Pella would be a good thing to toss around when we go to sell the house in the next couple of years.

Our neighbors had their windows replaced.
They had a huge front window. The contractor replaced it with three smaller windows that they bought at Home Depot.
The other windows were larger that the ones that they installed.
They used plenty of caulking to fill the void.
I could break into their house by just pushing the window in.
We will go with our local glass people.