Hey all,
Looking to replace all my windows and getting some bids now. It's a 25 year old home, standard suburban dark red brick with the original builder grade single panes. 3k-ish square feet, two-story. Think it's like 40 windows...some of the larger windows count as three (or even 4 I guess if they have the arch part). Main reason is current windows offer basically no thermal protection, secondary bedrooms get really cold and seems like the heater can't even keep up sometimes. Also the lack of sound-suppression is also a factor.
1) Thoughts on grids? Checked and looks like my HOA doesn't care. Think I will skip them in the back for the sake of the view (pool, greenbelt) and slightly lower cost, but not sure about the front of the home. I read grids look good on older traditional homes, grid-less on modern or craftsman homes. But what about your standard boring suburban brick tract home?
Not sure if that is considered modern. I am leaning towards keeping them. I don't clean my own windows so don't really care about that factor.
2) My first bid was with what is considered a high-quality window outfit. I am thinking about laminated glass in our bedroom (5-6 windows) to help suppress sound, and standard double-pane vinyl elsewhere. Their bid came in pushing 55k(!). I used them on my last house for a partial job 10 years ago with good results...they were expensive then but not that bad.
I received a bid on a value company, and it was around 22k.
-Both companies either make their own windows or are the sole distributor of some manufacturer I've never heard of.
-Both in-source their installers and it's the same team that always services the area. So not like the cheap company swings by a Home Depot parking lot the day of install.
-The stats look similar, both are 1/8 in lites and half-inch spacing. Both have lifetime warranties, although think the expensive outfit is the only one that would transfer to a new owner. But I don't think we plan to move within the next 20 years.
-Both companies have good reviews online (expensive one IS better but the value is still good reviews overall), A+ BBB ratings.
Is there any real reason to consider the higher bid that I am missing? Or to avoid value companies in general? It isn't Window World, which I've seen mixed reviews.
3) Anything else I should be asking during the bid process? I have one more planned, which I think is sort of in the middle of the first two.
Thanks!
Looking to replace all my windows and getting some bids now. It's a 25 year old home, standard suburban dark red brick with the original builder grade single panes. 3k-ish square feet, two-story. Think it's like 40 windows...some of the larger windows count as three (or even 4 I guess if they have the arch part). Main reason is current windows offer basically no thermal protection, secondary bedrooms get really cold and seems like the heater can't even keep up sometimes. Also the lack of sound-suppression is also a factor.
1) Thoughts on grids? Checked and looks like my HOA doesn't care. Think I will skip them in the back for the sake of the view (pool, greenbelt) and slightly lower cost, but not sure about the front of the home. I read grids look good on older traditional homes, grid-less on modern or craftsman homes. But what about your standard boring suburban brick tract home?
Not sure if that is considered modern. I am leaning towards keeping them. I don't clean my own windows so don't really care about that factor.2) My first bid was with what is considered a high-quality window outfit. I am thinking about laminated glass in our bedroom (5-6 windows) to help suppress sound, and standard double-pane vinyl elsewhere. Their bid came in pushing 55k(!). I used them on my last house for a partial job 10 years ago with good results...they were expensive then but not that bad.
I received a bid on a value company, and it was around 22k.
-Both companies either make their own windows or are the sole distributor of some manufacturer I've never heard of.
-Both in-source their installers and it's the same team that always services the area. So not like the cheap company swings by a Home Depot parking lot the day of install.
-The stats look similar, both are 1/8 in lites and half-inch spacing. Both have lifetime warranties, although think the expensive outfit is the only one that would transfer to a new owner. But I don't think we plan to move within the next 20 years.
-Both companies have good reviews online (expensive one IS better but the value is still good reviews overall), A+ BBB ratings.
Is there any real reason to consider the higher bid that I am missing? Or to avoid value companies in general? It isn't Window World, which I've seen mixed reviews.
3) Anything else I should be asking during the bid process? I have one more planned, which I think is sort of in the middle of the first two.
Thanks!
