advice on replacement windows

[the_bird]

OK, so we've been in the house for a little more than three years, and we NEED to do something about replacing the windows. Most of them appear to be original to the house (1942), all single-pane glass, all in bad shape, some don't seal up very tight, the storms are in terrible shape, snow blows in during the winter, they're incredibly drafty - all of that. Not salvagable.

So, the plan has long been for me to replace them - but there's only so much time to get stuff done, hell, I'm not Yuri. I've done pretty much everything else on the house, gutting the nursery, adding onto the deck, building the fence, insulating the attic, replacing doors, adding tons of storage to the basement - but this is one project I'm not looking forward to (the fact that it's a two-story house doesn't help, I have an irrational fear of dropping them twenty feet to the ground). A few are unusually sized, another complication.

So, I've had Home Depot come in, and they've quoted me a little under $7K to replace all of the windows, all thirteen. A little more than $500 per opening. All-inclusive. It'll be done in a couple weeks. They'll finance for me, no interest for six months, then a five-year payback. A very good, energy efficient window, so I'll qualify for the $200 tax credit. It'll be done before the dead of winter, so I'll save a couple hundred bucks on heating, I'm sure (plus have a much more comfortable house).

It'll be one fewer project on the to-do list.

So, what do you think? Should I go ahead and do it? I hate spending the money when I know that I *could* do this project myself for a lot less money - but I probably wouldn't get it finished until Spring. My brother, who helps me a lot with bigger projects, is a lot busier these days with his newborn, which adds another complication.

So, what should I be looking out for? Any words of guidance? We actually had Sears in a couple weeks ago, but they're an absolute joke. I know I should probably talk to some local contractors, but I would also really like to get this done sooner rather than later, both so I can claim the tax credit this year and so that I can start cutting back on the heating oil intake.

Thoughts? Should I buck up and pay the man to do the job that I should be doing myself? It just seems like I'm admitting failure... I think I need a shrink.

 

[Bobby_M]

Replacement windows are pretty easy to do and most contractors are raping you. Did you catch how much of that $500 a piece was materials vs. labor? I think my dad paid $150ish per window at Lowes depending on size and stock vs. custom order. Are you sure you want replacement windows? Is the frame in decent shape? Reason I ask is, replacements only fill the space left when you take the sashes out of the window. Your sill, frame, inside and outside trim is left in place. If that's OK with you, go with replacements.

Here's how ya do it. You take the front stops off. The wood strip that keeps the front sash from falling into your room. Then remove the sash. Take the middle stop out and remove the back sash (usually the upper). Then you push the replacement window into the opening until it seats against the back stops (with a bead of caulk all around on that back stop. Center it and shim it square. The front stops go back in to hold it in place and hide gaps. I found that these stops, usually decorative trim, need to be ripped down to keep them from sticking out of the window opening. There... that's not so bad, but how much is your time worth?

 

[Sandy]

Yeah, $500 per window seems pretty high, but it really does come down to how much your time is worth to you. I live in a house pretty similar to yours from what it sounds like, and I also need to replace ALL of my windows (only difference is i have like 33 of them), so i completely understand your dilema.

Unless you have really odd sized, or a lot of really big windows, the materials (windows) should really only be $150 - $200 per window (and that's for GOOD windows...from Home Depot in fact).

I guess if i were in your shoes, i'd probably try have a couple of smaller contractors take a look and see what they can do. You might get lucky and find someone looking for a quick little job to keep a couple more laborers employed a bit longer this time of the year.

 

[uwmgdman]

Pay the man and brew while he's doing your windows.

 

[the_bird]

Pay the man and brew while he's doing your windows.

Heh, I've thought about that. I might need to take a couple days off to "supervise," which I can do in the driveway over a propane burner, right?

I'm leaning towards just getting it done. The financing is appealing - I don't really feel like dealing with the hassle of coming up with a couple grand to pay a contractor (life would be good if it could come out of pocket without feeling pain, but nothing doing until the beginning of next year).

I figure the cost of the windows is probably $2,500 - $3,000, so what I'm wrestling with is whether it is worth another three or four grand to have it D-U-N.

I need to do something, the question I'm still wrestling with is whether I feel like doing it myself, having to deal with getting the materials, all that, or just wanting to get it done. Now that I think about it, I have a huge, HUGE project that I'm going to be working on next January, so getting time off is going to be a bit troublesome (installing a whole new portfolio management system that I've been begging for).

Grr, another point in favor of "paying the man!"

 

[Blender]

We replaced all or ours about 15 years ago and it is well worth it. You might try replacing one and see how it goes and then determine if you want to do the rest.The regular bedroom windows are really not that difficult once you get the hang of it. Remember that you have to trim them out and paint the trim. Is that in the quote. You will need a good trim saw? 7K sure sounds like a lot of money.

 

[david_42]

Yes, replacing one window is straight forward. It is also a steep learning curve for a one-off.

No, it isn't easy. A good contractor can do a window in less than an hour.

I added a bathroom to one of my houses and replaced the kitchen from the studs in in another, so I am no stranger to home projects. There are times when it is wise to substitute capital for labor, replacing windows is one of them. Don't forget, an older home probably doesn't have standard sized windows, so we are talking measuring, fabricating and installation. If the contractor makes a mistake, they eat it. I still remember helping my father install triple-track storm windows 40 years ago. I learned an important lesson that month.

I had the windows in my Sunnyvale home done and it took two days. The change in comfort level and sound level was amazing.

Home Depot & Sears both use local contractors for much of "their" work, but Home Depot has always come in with a better price for me.

 

[the_bird]

Sears was an absolute joke. It was at least twice as much in total cost, about $1,200 per opening. They had their bull**** "volume discounts" and "10% if you sign up today!" No information to leave me, not even a damn brochure, on the actual windows that I would be buying, so that I could comparison shop. The sales guy had no clue about the tax credit program.

Every single deceptive-sales practice I can imagine was present - I think they've learned their sales lessons from the timeshare industry (SWMBO made me sit through one of those presentations last year).

 

[Flyin' Lion]

FWIW we have seven windows in our house that we are getting replaced at a cost of five grand. Every window is an odd size that has to be special ordered, and between work and school and a newborn on the way I did not want to do this job myself.

Thirteen windows for seven G's doesn't sound like a lot to me, I say go ahead and do it.

 

[Kevin K]

For the love of God shop around.

Get 4 or 5 quotes, and ask for references.

Check out contractortalk.com for more info. (need to be a contractor to register, but you should be able to search the forums w/o registering.

 

[Yooper]

We replaced all our windows, in two installments. Most were the standard long windows in old houses. They were about $450, with labor and the "wrap" and such things. We spent $5000 one year, and then about $7000 the next. (We have a big older house with LOTS of windows). These guys worked for a couple of days straight, always at least two of them. No way we could have done it. Yes, one window is easy. It takes a long time, but you could do it. But older houses have issues- what if you take out the window and something is rotted? Or, it's not plumb. Then you are messing around with more tools and still have the big hole in the house while you're fiddling around. Then for the upstairs, you're dealing with ladders, etc. Nope- for all that hassle, it's not worth it. Hire the professionals.

Lorena

 

[uglygoat]

seal them up with plastic... worry about it in the spring...

 

[Reverend JC]

Wow, that price for those windows made my butt pucker so tight when i stood up my chair came with me. I have a house built in 1920 that we are thinking about getting some quotes on for windows, ( 17 down, 20 up) i was aware it was expensive but holy crap. I may try one of the lower ones myself and if that is easy i can span that project out to a window or two a weekend unless i get fast at it and then just pay for the uppers to be done.

 

[the_bird]

Wow, that price for those windows made my butt pucker so tight when i stood up my chair came with me. I have a house built in 1920 that we are thinking about getting some quotes on for windows, ( 17 down, 20 up) i was aware it was expensive but holy crap. I may try one of the lower ones myself and if that is easy i can span that project out to a window or two a weekend unless i get fast at it and then just pay for the uppers to be done.

I thought about doing that, paying them to do the second floor, doing the first floor myself (the pricing works out fine, as long as you buy at least three, there's no BS "volume discount"). I had them quote that out for me - it's around $3,800.

BUT, then I'll have windows that don't match. Maybe close enough, maybe not. The weird window, the one that's definately custom-order, is on the first floor. And, I'll still have to climb the learning curve, by the time I get done, the project will be over. Most of the worst windows are on the first floor, and I don't really see how I'm going to have time to get to this project.

I'm definately leaning towards just doing it and getting it done, sooner rather than later. I guess my biggest fear is taking out the old window, screwing something up, or whatever, and having a big gaping hole in the house for hours (in the dead of winter).

 

[lustreking]

I've replaced 8 windows in my house so far. I think it's pretty easy to do. It's been a while, but I can probably pop one in in about 30 - 45 minutes. You should be able to do all of the work from inside the house, so the second floor shouldn't be a problem.

Don't worry about HD having to special order your windows. I think pretty much any replacement window has to be custom made.

I would second the recommendation of trying one window yourself to see how it goes. I probably paid less than $150 per window.

Another good thing about doing it yourself is that you don't have to do it all at once. If you wanted to, you could do one window a month and the total wouldn't cost any more than buying them all at once. It's definitely easier to pay for one window (or one room) at a time, rather than a whole house full of windows.

However you get it done, you should defintely replace those windows. We have noticed a huge difference in the comfort of our house as well as the heating bill and we've only replaced 2 rooms so far.

-S

 

[the_bird]

Hmm... looks like there WAS a $600 MA tax credit for this last year, but that the purchase needed to be made by the end of March. No idea if the credit is still in play for this year ($200 from the Feds plus $600 from the state would do a lot to defray the cost). Have to look into this, one of SWMBO's friends was working for an organization that was helping people with this stuff.

 

[the_bird]

Oh, and I don't know if this is hard-sell sales tactic or not, but the price just came down 10% if I sign the contract between the 15th and the 20th. That gets me to about $6,100 for 13 windows, minus the Federal credit, minus a potential state credit, minus my energy savings for doing this quickly. I think I know which direction I'm heading now.

Thanks, peeps!

 

[Bobby_M]

Another tip! Buy some Lowes or HD 10% off coupons on Ebay. Anytime I spend more than $200 in either place, I use one of those coupons. It's easier to use a Depot one in Lowes because they don't ask any questions.

 

[the_bird]

Well, I did decide to go ahead and have Home Depot do the replacement. They've been here for less than two hours and are about halfway done. Nice.

That, in a nutshell, is why I'm not doing this project myself.

 

[Hippie]

I was about to post some advice and 'volunteer' to help you, but I guess I should have noticed this thread earlier I am happy that it is working out. Later on I'll find my link for state incentives for "green"rojects and edit it in...

 

[olllllo]

Yeah bird, I was going to fly out and "help out" too... for a few beers. I've installed all kinds of windows...

XP, 2000, NT....


You can just mail the beer.

 

[uwmgdman]

Well, I did decide to go ahead and have Home Depot do the replacement. They've been here for less than two hours and are about halfway done. Nice.

That, in a nutshell, is why I'm not doing this project myself.

Are you brewing while they install the windows?

 

[the_bird]

I should be, it's 60 degrees out. But, I'm short on ingredients, pretty piss-poor planning on my part. SWMBO is on her way to Amherst, so she'll stop by the HBS and pick me up what I need for my pale ale.

 

[Hippie]

Hey Bird,
I am sorry it took so long for me to post this, but here is a link to incentives for "green" projects like yours in any state...

http://www.dsireusa.org/

later, Hippie