Cost / benefit of replacement windows?

[SecondCor521]

Hi all.

My home was built in 2004 as a builder grade spec home. It has completely average and adequate finishes and features.

Two guys knocked on my door from a window company and gave me a spiel about me being an advertising home for which they would cut me a great deal on the windows. I'm mildly intrigued but would do research first. And I've got several other "blow that dough" priorities ahead of the windows (travel and a new roof, to name a couple).

How much should I expect to spend? My house has eight typical sized windows, plus two little horizontal ones above the showers in the bathrooms that I probably would just leave because those two are newer. Their argument is that I'm not paying for Anderson Windows advertisements - which is true; I see Anderson advertising all the time and I know that costs money.

How do I know that they're a company that will be around for any issues and won't just go bankrupt and reopen under another name the next day (as I've seen happen with another small business in another industry recently).

 

[Koolau]

I don't know how to guide you in window shopping (sounds funny, doesn't it). But I wouldn't buy windows from someone knocking on my door. We bought windows once from a very old company in our town. They built ALL their own windows on site. We knew the owners a bit and felt comfortable after talking to them about what we could expect. They promised us that we simply would not believe how quiet they would make our house.

We bought at what we thought was a good price (much less than other sources we checked) and we were, indeed surprised at how quiet the house became after installation. It was almost a miracle. We could detect a difference in our heating cost (not on a monthly bases but over a season, it was significant, though I doubt the windows paid for themselves over time - but maybe).

 

[Jerry1]

Find a company that's been around for a long time. In my area, Wallside windows has been around a long time. Not top of the line by any means, but when we were selling DW's parents home a few windows needed replacing. We discovered that they were Wallside and about 25 years into their 30 year warranty. Wallside came out and replaced them - under warranty, no questions asked. I would expect the same thing from Anderson or Pella. Yes, both are much higher end, but it's not just advertising. They're better windows and they'll be around for a long time.

 

[rk911]

Personally I would never buy something as important as windows from a door-to-door sales critter. Buy from reputable dealers and get several bids.

 

[Route246]

I know a little about this. The advice given is good.

Basically, you get what you pay for. There is a difference depending on if you're trying to flip a house and make it look better for sale vs you're planning on living there and care about finishes. There is a huge cost and quality gap.

Try asking ChatGPT "what is the difference between retrofit and new construction windows?"

It explains pretty well. You can continue to ask for more details, explain your situation, budget, requirements, etc. Have a chat with it and it will give you some useful answers (mostly)

Sorry, this sounds like a pitch for ChatGPT and chatbots in general but it does a pretty good job of explaining.

 

[pb4uski]

.... How do I know that they're a company that will be around for any issues and won't just go bankrupt and reopen under another name the next day (as I've seen happen with another small business in another industry recently).

If they are cold calling by knocking on doors that should tell you something.

 

[SecondCor521]

Thanks for all the replies.

If they are cold calling by knocking on doors that should tell you something.

Well, yeah, it tells me they're probably a small local outfit just getting started.

My son started a successful and growing and good business over the past three years. He started with pretty much nothing and started out serving his family and friends, did great work at good prices, and built his business on word-of-mouth.

I'm not sure small is necessarily bad.

At the same time, I do recognize economies of scale and that probably applies in the window business.

I'm actually not even sure my windows need replacing. My energy bills aren't great, but they're not horrible. The windows are mostly fine - I have one broken sash, but I could just have that repaired if it bothered me more than it does now.

 

[pb4uski]

But it is hard to know if they are the startup that will thrive or the start up that will fail.

If your house was built in 2004 even if it was builder grade windows I'm skeptical of the payback of new windows.

How much longer do you plan to live there?

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Thanks for all the replies.



Well, yeah, it tells me they're probably a small local outfit just getting started.

My son started a successful and growing and good business over the past three years. He started with pretty much nothing and started out serving his family and friends, did great work at good prices, and built his business on word-of-mouth.

I'm not sure small is necessarily bad.

At the same time, I do recognize economies of scale and that probably applies in the window business.

I'm actually not even sure my windows need replacing. My energy bills aren't great, but they're not horrible. The windows are mostly fine - I have one broken sash, but I could just have that repaired if it bothered me more than it does now.

But, new businesses have a high failure rate. That's a gamble I wouldn't take with windows since they're so expensive. If you're going with a local company I'd look for one that's been around for years AND has family also working there ready to take over the business when the owners retire.

Congrats to your son BTW.

 

[SecondCor521]

But it is hard to know if they are the startup that will thrive or the start up that will fail.

If your house was built in 2004 even if it was builder grade windows I'm skeptical of the payback of new windows.

How much longer do you plan to live there?

Fair points.

I don't really know. I like it here in Boise, I like my (paid off) house and my neighborhood, and my three kids are all within about 10 minutes. Probably several more years.

 

[SecondCor521]

But, new businesses have a high failure rate. That's a gamble I wouldn't take with windows since they're so expensive. If you're going with a local company I'd look for one that's been around for years AND has family also working there ready to take over the business when the owners retire.

Congrats to your son BTW.

Yeah, that was my initial niggling concern.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm proud of him and my other two kids too.

 

[SecondCor521]

I think I've already probably decided not to do it.

The windows I have are fine. Grok (like chatGPT) suggests $6K to $18K installed, average of $11K. There's no payback there, sound isn't really an issue (quiet neighborhood), and I've got other higher priorities as mentioned.

I'll still do the appointment, but I'll probably tell him up front I've decided no. I'm sure he'll want to go through with the pitch, but we'll see.

Thanks for the good thoughts as always.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

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If you want to get more info on windows this guy puts out a ton of great videos. Based on his videos we chose a local Anlin windows dealer. It was about 14k a few years ago for our 11 windows and 1 slider glass door. We love the new windows. Big difference in noise level and temperature control. They slide great compared to the old windows and are more secure with dual locks.The screens in the new windows are almost invisible. They do have a slight green tint to them due to the low e glass.

 

[Allytx]

We bought some a few years ago and saved some on utilities. One huge benefit that no salesperson seems to emphasize is how much outside noise disappears. I really appreciate that.

 

[Montecfo]

If you feel you need new windows then do get some quotes. And do not focus on the big advertised names. They usually are not a value.

Be dubious of claims of utility savings "paying for" the windows. Unless your windows are truly ineffective, the utility savings will be small compared to the cost of the windows.

I see this more as a quality of life to purchase.

 

[Koolau]

If you feel you need new windows then do get some quotes. And do not focus on the big advertised names. They usually are not a value.

Be dubious of claims of utility savings "paying for" the windows. Unless your windows are truly ineffective, the utility savings will be small compared to the cost of the windows.

I see this more as a quality of life to purchase.

Yeah, the new windows we got were SO easy to operate where as the old ones were warped and were real knuckle-busters. They had "stops" that allowed you to leave them open a few inches but no one could simply slit the screen and let themselves in. They folded in for cleaning and were also more attractive than the old ones. Definitely quality of life BTD.

 

[DrRoy]

The cost can vary a lot, but several hundreds per window. If you want to do it, you should get several bids from different vendors.

 

[Flyfish1]

We used Replacement by Andersen last year on our whole upstairs. Interesting process as they don't have to take molding or siding off. Not cheap but very good windows.

 

[athena53]

Mine ran to $1,000+/window. Every time. I've used Pella, Andersen and one company that DID knock on my door- Midwest Home Improvement I think. I researched them, they looked decent and they did OK except that when the $10K balance was due and I handed over my credit card (which I'd used for the $1,000 deposit) and they said they took only check or cash. Later I looked. That was NOT in the contract. So I lost the 2% Fidelity cash back. I should have looked helpless and said, "But I don't HAVE that much in my account". I also didn't like the bidding process. Here's the average cost in your area. (Big, scary number.) Here's our regular price. (Less scary.) Prices are going up next month. You get this % off if you sign within the next week. You get this % off because it's our slow season. I turned down the 2% they'd give me if I let them put their sign in my yard while they worked.

In my case, the house was built in 1995. It's holding up well in general but, you know. Builder grade. When we bought the house in 2015 there was condensation between the panes in a few windows and we got the price knocked down for that. I figured that would happen elsewhere, too, so I've been gradually replacing them and most are done now. I didn't notice any difference in the utility bills and I live on a very quiet street, but it's more preventative. I'm planning on selling next year and while I have no fantasy of getting the cost back I think it will be a good selling point.

 

[aja8888]

Unless you have no windows at all, justifying an energy cost savings from new windows is not realistic. Now if you have single pane windows and wish to go to double pane, that's a good consideration for noise reduction (minimal though). Old windows can get drafty when caulk hardens over the years, but you can re-caulk them.

I have several friends who replaced all their windows over the years and any payback (immediate or at house sale), was not evident.

If you are going to replace the windows, don't forget to replace the doors too!

And if you really want to blow the dough, replace the siding!

 

[Aerides]

We spent way more, but we have all hurricane windows and 4 sets of french doors. The builder grade windows had been in place 25 years before that, and they looked it.

But are you in an area that experiences extreme weather? Do your windows look icky? If you still want to replace, I'd do the general local research and get 3 quotes.

 

[Out of Steam]

I don't know how to guide you in window shopping (sounds funny, doesn't it). But I wouldn't buy windows from someone knocking on my door.

My one-point judgement is that any company that sends someone to my door unsolicited is a scam and not a legitimate business.

 

[CO-guy]

When some salesperson comes cold-calling, whether they're a new business just getting started or they've been around a while, it's none of my concern. It also doesn't change the fact that I am absolutely not interested in finding out which it is.

Your home being used for advertising? Cost savings from direct sales? These are lies. I can't imagine doing business with someone that started off repeatedly lying to my face in order to get my money.

As others have said, if you decide to get new windows, get a few bids from established contractors and go from there.

 

[aaronc879]

My parents were shopping around for windows last year and were shocked by the crazy high price. I think they said it was over $1000 per window. That was not for anything special. If you are asking about how long it would take to break even on energy conservation, it wouldn't be in your lifetime. Maybe not your kids lifetimes. At those prices I wouldn't replace a window unless it was actually broken to the point that moisture or animals were able to get in the house.

 

[engineernerd]

I had a guy come to the door with the same line this spring at our second home in Arizona.

Our street isn't especially busy, and the tree in our front yard largely obscures the view of our front windows from the street...