Windows Question

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 07/01/2014 at 16:48 • Filed to: None

0

11

Not Microsoft (stand down, Nibby), or car windows. This is about house windows. Long story follows.

Our house sits on a T intersection at the entry to our neighborhood, and we've been approached by numerous salesmen about using our house as a model home for various things from vinyl siding to alarm systems. Usually, they'll offer to pony up part of the cost of the project as long as we agree to put their sign in the yard for a time and write a glowing tribute for them.

We were approached last weekend by a guy selling replacement windows and offering a similar pitch. Our house still has the original, 30-year-old, shitty, contractor's grade windows. They really are horrible, and my wife and I have been talking about replacing them for a long time. This company is offering to eat the labor costs and give us a discount on the materials if they can showcase our house. It's not a done deal; we have to meet with the salesman tonight, and two homes in our area will be chosen. I have no idea how many homes they are offering this deal to.

So I'm wondering if any Opponauts have had a similar experience with this sort of pitch. The cynic in me says that they will likely jack the price of the product so they won't be losing too much money, or cut corners on the installation. The company has good reviews from both the BBB and Angie's List, but I've never heard of them. Just for comparison, I've called the company that did my roof, a company that also does windows, to get a straight quote. If they are competitive, I'll probably go with them because it's a company I know and trust. It will also give me a good idea of just how much this first company is willing to discount their product.

The windows they're hawking are !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I really know next to nothing about these sorts of things. They tout the energy savings possible, but I'm skeptical. Honestly, I'm more interested in making the interior of my home quieter, especially when boom cars with fart can exhausts drive by my house early in the morning. However, when I sit at my desk in the winter, which is on the northeast side of the house, I can feel the cold air spilling through the shitty original window and over my feet, so anything should be an improvement.

You guys have any experience you can throw my way? Should I ask Waymoe??

RacecaR > ttyymmnn 07/01/2014 at 16:57

1

"They will wonder how I threw my wife through the window if I take it out first...yes..yes...they will never suspect me now!! MUAHAHAHAHAA!"

Sorry, this is the only way I could reply.
Most places will cut you a "special offer" if you put their sign in your yard for X amount of months. We did it with our replacement window place and he took off some percentage. As you mentioned, it was probably some built in thing to where they really did not discount anything.

As for the windows, I would say just about anything you get at this point will be better than what you have. We did the same in the last house, and noticed it right away. The heat stayed out in the summer and the cold stayed out in the winter better. But they showed us the difference on samples of windows they had and used heat lamps. Maybe the salesman has all ready done this for you, maybe he will tonight. But that is basically what sold me. That and it was a reputable company.

And if you are shopping around, if you mention it to the guy tonight, he will probably threaten to just pull you out of the running of this "great deal" since it is only a certain number of houses in your area (yeah right).

Anywho, good luck. But if I were you, I would just go with the company who did your roof and be done with it. You know they are good, you are a repeat customer, so that may get you some savings, or at least some assistance if you run into any problems later. I would even go as far to say I would pay a little more (just a little) to use the people I all ready have successfully dealt with over someone new. But again, that is just me.

ttyymmnn > RacecaR 07/01/2014 at 17:05

1

Thanks. You touched on something I thought of as I was writing down questions for the salesman. Energy One, the company who is coming by, will likely not do the installation. If I have a problem, whom do I contact? What recourse is there if the installation is botched? As you said, with the company I know, I know exactly where to go. The owners of my roofing company used to live on my street. And their job on the roof, and the salesman I dealt with (who spent most of the roofing day in my yard with his shirt off working alongside the hired help !!!) was top shelf.

vorspringing > ttyymmnn 07/01/2014 at 17:06

0

I couldn't reply until someone else did, but yeah. Every company has the "special deal" if you put the sign in the yard, every company does the spiel about "we're only approaching a few houses in the neighborhood" unless you call them. You'll definitely notice a difference when you replace the builder-grade windows, in both sound and lack of drafts. Ask them for phone numbers of people who are willing to talk about the install process, particularly - Angie's List/BBB is all well and good but people always hold back online. Good luck, it's a PITA but it's entirely worth it once it's done.

RacecaR > ttyymmnn 07/01/2014 at 17:13

0

Wow, that's pretty awesome with the roofing guy!

As for the window thing, we used Champion (referred to as "they" henceforth) windows. They hired contractors to install, but said they were 100% responsible if we had any issues. Right before we moved, one of the windows came off track slight and one of the open stop things broke (those little things you pop out so you can leave your windows open a little and leave the house). We contacted them, and they sent out a contractor to fix it promptly. It was awesome.

Also, the place we used custom built all the windows. So if the existing hole was off .25" from a standard size, they would make the window fit by building it the size to fit the holes. And since they built them, they backed them.

vorspringing > ttyymmnn 07/01/2014 at 17:19

0

Oh, and ask if the warranty is transferable - if they're willing to guarantee their stuff for the next owner, not just you, that's a good sign.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 07/01/2014 at 22:10

0

I'd get at least one more bid, in addition to the guy you know. Never heard of Venetion brand windows, but they've gotta be better than what you've got. Triple pane will be really nice.

I put double pain vinyl Jeldwin windows in my house. They were cheap, but I've been happy with them.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 07/01/2014 at 22:36

0

The salesman came tonight and gave us what I think is a very good price. We put some money down, but we have three days to cancel the contract if we can find a better deal. I'm not sure we can.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 07/01/2014 at 23:48

0

Just curious, would you mind sharing how much you're paying per window? I put my windows in myself, so I'm curious how much I saved. If you don't want to say, I'll understand though.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 07/02/2014 at 08:44

1

I'm not supposed to tell you how much we are paying because it's part of the deal for being a "demo home," though only my wife signed that agreement. ;-) But I can tell you that the price he quoted for Pella and Renewal by Anderson as a comparison, top of the line, triple-pane, argon filled, double-hung, PVC windows was $1600/window installed. That's the price before any incentives. I've read that windows are a very negotiable project, and that you should offer at least 20% under what they are bidding. There's a lot to consider in the price of a window, installation being one of them. If you are happy with your windows, and your installation, and based on the price I looked up for a window similar to your description at Lowe's, I'd say you did well. I'm getting another quote from a local family-owned business. If it's close, I may go with them. By law, you have three business days to cancel any home improvement contract. I'm going to use the time to do more research, but I really don't think I'll find a better deal for the level of product they are offering.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn 07/02/2014 at 09:42

0

$1600 per window!!!! Granted, a triple pane double hung Pella is a better window than I got, but I paid less than $200 per window. Man, I feel good now!

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher 07/02/2014 at 09:51

1

Remember, that's like MSRP on a car, though. You should never pay that much, and anybody who does is a sap. If you can do the work yourself, you'll always come out way ahead of the game, as I discussed the other day , albeit on a smaller scale.