vinyl replacement windows...

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woody

woody

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just got a price quote from Champion....basically, $10,000 for the whole house....5 bedroom windows, 1 bath window, 5 kitchen windows, and 4 living room windows....15 total.

Seems like a good company and a good product, but unsure I'm willing to toss $10k into a house that's only worth $130k (in a decent market)

Definitely need to replace tho....and companies are hungry for business....any thots or suggestions?
 
That seems high to me. That had better include installation and a months supply of hummers. If they're all normal sizes, I'll come to Appleton and do it for $8500. Check Home Depot/Lowes/wherever......

Windows are easy to replace. Typically it's just a matter of removing external trim, removing caulking, pull window, install vinyl window with screws, caulk, replace trim, drink Capt and Coke......onto window 2.

:banana: rated.

If you don't have the time, hire a local handyman. It's really hard to f$*k up a window replacement. :cool:
 
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I had a contractor replace 10 windows (3 of them 4x5 feet) and a sliding glass door for about $6000 three years ago. That was when many contractors had so much business that they wouldn't return your phone call. You would think they would be a little hungrier now.
 
Not that tough of a DIY project. You could take your time and replace them one or two a weekend. What's the exterior material? Does the window replacement involve any brick work?
 
$10K sounds high but it all really depends on how much glass is involved and what styles. Single hung, XOs, XOXs, small pictures, Sliders, etc.

Also you might see if there is a company who installs Milgard windows. They are one of the best. Great window, nice latching mechanism, and good customer service.

Although you can do it yourself, with something like this it's not a bad idea to sub it out. Retro windows don't seal as well as originals because originals have a flange that laps the frame work and is sealed with a product like Bituthene or Mostop. These materials are lapped so that if any moisture gets to the window flange, it will simply run down the paper and not enter around the window.

Most retros rely solely on caulking. Paying a couple of hundred more and having someone elses bank account on the line is a nice thing on the exterior of any house.
 
My last 2 houses have had double pane windows. Each house has one window that fogs up between the 2 layers of glass during the winter. This has happened after 5+ years, and of course, the builder warranty has expired. This is caused by a broken seal. I would recommend carefully reading the warranty for anything that you may consider.
 
The old farm house cost me 22K to replace 22 windows and wrap the trim outside, that was 15 years ago but the heat bill went down 40%.

For what its worth, since I'm near your area.
 
john_eckels said:
My last 2 houses have had double pane windows. Each house has one window that fogs up between the 2 layers of glass during the winter. This has happened after 5+ years, and of course, the builder warranty has expired. This is caused by a broken seal. I would recommend carefully reading the warranty for anything that you may consider.
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Unfortunately the only way to fix the problem is to replace the glass. They can usually cut the glass out from the frame to make the replacement and it's a lot cheaper than replacing the whole window (glass and frame)

It is a good idea to fix them as there tends to be a significant heat loss due to the lack of insulation caused by a bad seal. The air trapped between the 2 panes will form an insulating barrier .





BTW, for what it's worth. IMHO, triple pane windows versus a double pane is not worth it. The added cost of the additional glass makes a minimal difference in the insulating barrier of the window.
 
$10k for 15 vinyl replacement windows is par for the course down here.... about $350/window + $300/each install fee. I'd get a quote from every legitimate window company in town for two options. One for all vinyl and one for alum exterior / wood interior...
 
$10,000 is high. Shop around, but definitely use local ;)


Good Luck man.


And check craigslist too. You can get some killer deals on there; I've been looking.

greenbay.craigslist.org

appleton.craigslist.org


As you know, your area is LOADED with people sitting on building stock.
 
freds40 said:
$10K sounds high but it all really depends on how much glass is involved and what styles. Single hung, XOs, XOXs, small pictures, Sliders, etc.

Also you might see if there is a company who installs Milgard windows. They are one of the best. Great window, nice latching mechanism, and good customer service.
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I'll 2nd this. I replaced all the existing windows in my home, and got all the windows in my addition (23 total) from Milgard about 6 years ago. They've been great - and lifetime warranty for the original owner. I called them this summer about 2 windows with broken seals. No questions or hassles, they had a guy out a few days later.

Although you can do it yourself, with something like this it's not a bad idea to sub it out. Retro windows don't seal as well as originals because originals have a flange that laps the frame work and is sealed with a product like Bituthene or Mostop. These materials are lapped so that if any moisture gets to the window flange, it will simply run down the paper and not enter around the window.
Click to expand...

I dread having to do this again because I went with stucco - I imagine it would be a real PITA to R&R windows on a stucco building.

Most retros rely solely on caulking. Paying a couple of hundred more and having someone elses bank account on the line is a nice thing on the exterior of any house.
Click to expand...
 
The wife and I paid $6k for 10 a couple years ago. The sasd part is, the new house will need them in a few years but I will probably tackle them. the old house was brick and they had a hell of a time when they did the job. The new house shouldn't be bad at all.
 
Rattler said:
The wife and I paid $6k for 10 a couple years ago. The sasd part is, the new house will need them in a few years but I will probably tackle them. the old house was brick and they had a hell of a time when they did the job. The new house shouldn't be bad at all.
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Woodys house is brick ;)
 
Along with all the other accurate opinions on cost and difficulty with doing this type of work, I'll add that when I was looking into windows about six years ago, Champion's particular "proprietary" extrusion left a lot to be desired; with vinyl windows it is important that all sealing surfaces match up in ways that work to lock that seal (Imagine C-channels over flat folds, L-angles opposing L-angles, etc) so that as the winds blow and the window flexes it stays strong and doesn't flex too much. Champion's system then relied on friction fits as opposed to mechanical fits. I'm not sure about them at this time but whatever vinyl window you look at should be strong by virtue of its own internal mechanical moldings as opposed to stick tape, friction fit and "gravity glue". BTW, my experience is that the "low-e" coatings and inert gas between double panes really is worth it for energy savings. HTH. :cheers:
 
I replaced 8 windows a while back. I got them at Lowes. I took the whole frame out and started from scratch. I did it myself since I'm usually broke. Barely have enough to buy the window, let alone have some install it.:). The job was not hard and it complimented the house nicely when I got done. Also noticed the rooms were quieter and the power bill went down some.

Consumer Reports has good article about replacing windows...on your own or using a window company or contractor.

I
 
Woody,

We had 17 windows replaced at our house for 8K installed from a local dealer. We probably got a better price since we ended up replacing all of the windows on 2 houses at the same time.

Home depot was the most expensive. They were like $4,000 more for one house.

We've been happy with the vinyl windows. No condensation in the winter and does a good job of noise insulation.

I would think that during this economic recession you'd get a better price. Shop around and get some quotes to see who is really hungry for business.

Charles
 
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