I live in South Jersey and I have been looking to replace all the windows in my house. I got a quote yesterday for the following.
1 Garden Window (roughly 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall)
2 Slider Windows (roughly 6 feet wide by 4 feet tall)
1 big fixed frame(the fixed frame is 7 ft by 7ft) (this will have a Double Hung on each side, included on the next line)
11 Regular Double Hung windows
I got a quote for approximately $12k for Custom Weld II by Ideal Windows. These will have all the Low E and are advertised to have Rvalue of 3.3.
Is this a good price. I signed a deal, but I think I was pressured into it, so I am thinking of cancelling (I get 3 days). Also, is there any good companies in South Jersey/Philly area anyone can recommend. I appreciate any help I can get, Thanks in Advance.
Quote Help in South Jersey
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Delaware Mike
- Posts: 947
- Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:32 pm
- Location: Delaware, New Jersey, Philadephia Area
I pass by the Ideal Window Outlet everyday on my way to my store. Their main target in my area seems to be contractors. I've had several of them that once purchased their products approach me about stepping up to something nicer. The product that you are looking at from Ideal is low to mid-end at best.
LifeV
I had the Ideal custom weld II energy star windows installed last month in my house and I am very happy with them. I got 15 double hung's for $251 installed and 2 picture windows for $376. If you can get the Ideal windows for anywhere near those prices, I would grab them.
Don't listen to the salesmen on this board pushing the overpriced, so called high end windows. I could live in my house for another 30 years and still not see any savings if I went with the schuco windows. I had a quote for the schuco windows, that was more than double that what I ended up paying for the ideal's.
Don't listen to the salesmen on this board pushing the overpriced, so called high end windows. I could live in my house for another 30 years and still not see any savings if I went with the schuco windows. I had a quote for the schuco windows, that was more than double that what I ended up paying for the ideal's.
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Delaware Mike
- Posts: 947
- Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:32 pm
- Location: Delaware, New Jersey, Philadephia Area
Drake
I'm personally glad that you love your dollar store windows. Why don't you ask me how many hours I spent yesterday re-glazing windows that another window company sold to a homeowner, that is now seeking help from any window dealer that will service his windows that are only 4 years old? The company that sold these windows has it written in their contract that they will be responsible for installation only. Warranty on materials will be the resonsibility of the manufacturer. These windows have the very same Intercept spacer that your Ideals' have. I know because I've sold them and installed them before years back for another company that I once worked for. Plus the color of that blue white vinyl is plenty sharp.
One thing that I think that you are not taking into consideration is that most of the Schuco dealers on this site do carry a couple of different brands. If we have a customer purchase Schuco or any other of our different vinyl products we are still going to make about the same profit on the project. I personally would want my customers to still love their windows after 5 or 10 years. This is why I like Schuco and their TPS glazing.
My store is in a rural area that is saturated with contractors that do a ton of replacement windows. There are no other window dealers around excpet the guys that are on the TV. We service windows all of the time that we had nothing to do with. At the price that was paid for your windows how much do you think they cost your contractor? Do you think that your windows are just as nice as a Schuco or Simonton. If a Schuco dealer quoted you at around $500 to $600 a hole, do you feel that was out of line?
I personally would love to purchase all of my sneakers and workboots at Payless or Walmart. But, I've come to realize that after 30 days when the soles comes unglued and my feet are killing me at the end of the day that they are not acceptable. Especially, when I have to spend my time to go out and re-purchase another pair. An intial investment in a pair of Redwings or Wolverines that will last a couple of years and be more comfortable makes a little more sense to me.
I made the comparison between windows and workboots because most people have had at least one bad experience with cheaper sneakers and shoes. If you had an authorized Schuco dealer install a Corona 4000 for less than $600 you would have basically purchased an S-class Mercedes for the price of a Accord or Camry. To purchase an Ideal product at what you paid was fair. You basically bought a Yugo for the price of what a Yugo is worth.
I'm personally glad that you love your dollar store windows. Why don't you ask me how many hours I spent yesterday re-glazing windows that another window company sold to a homeowner, that is now seeking help from any window dealer that will service his windows that are only 4 years old? The company that sold these windows has it written in their contract that they will be responsible for installation only. Warranty on materials will be the resonsibility of the manufacturer. These windows have the very same Intercept spacer that your Ideals' have. I know because I've sold them and installed them before years back for another company that I once worked for. Plus the color of that blue white vinyl is plenty sharp.
One thing that I think that you are not taking into consideration is that most of the Schuco dealers on this site do carry a couple of different brands. If we have a customer purchase Schuco or any other of our different vinyl products we are still going to make about the same profit on the project. I personally would want my customers to still love their windows after 5 or 10 years. This is why I like Schuco and their TPS glazing.
My store is in a rural area that is saturated with contractors that do a ton of replacement windows. There are no other window dealers around excpet the guys that are on the TV. We service windows all of the time that we had nothing to do with. At the price that was paid for your windows how much do you think they cost your contractor? Do you think that your windows are just as nice as a Schuco or Simonton. If a Schuco dealer quoted you at around $500 to $600 a hole, do you feel that was out of line?
I personally would love to purchase all of my sneakers and workboots at Payless or Walmart. But, I've come to realize that after 30 days when the soles comes unglued and my feet are killing me at the end of the day that they are not acceptable. Especially, when I have to spend my time to go out and re-purchase another pair. An intial investment in a pair of Redwings or Wolverines that will last a couple of years and be more comfortable makes a little more sense to me.
I made the comparison between windows and workboots because most people have had at least one bad experience with cheaper sneakers and shoes. If you had an authorized Schuco dealer install a Corona 4000 for less than $600 you would have basically purchased an S-class Mercedes for the price of a Accord or Camry. To purchase an Ideal product at what you paid was fair. You basically bought a Yugo for the price of what a Yugo is worth.
The problem is Mike, is that the Ideal window salesman sold his windows as the top of the line. As of today, I am stuck between choosing Simonton 5500 or Certainteed Bryn Mawr II. The prices are similar and I think the windows are pretty good Quality. I have a couple of more guys coming down this week and next, at which point I will choose my window. What do you think is best??
Also, I am debating just bying windows straight from the distributor and then just paying a professional installer to install them. Is that a good idea?? It seems like it will be cheaper, since an installer charges about $100/hole and the window price is pretty good.
Also, I am debating just bying windows straight from the distributor and then just paying a professional installer to install them. Is that a good idea?? It seems like it will be cheaper, since an installer charges about $100/hole and the window price is pretty good.
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Delaware Mike
- Posts: 947
- Joined: Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:32 pm
- Location: Delaware, New Jersey, Philadephia Area
With Ideal, I'd look to their 4500 series that they had labeled under the Vinyl Tech name. We used some last year to match up a job on an apartment building and everything seems to be pretty good so far. This would be a decent grade contractor window as opposed to the stuff at most box stores and lumber yards if the price was right.
The only thing that I've ever really heard about the Brymawr II is that one of their customers that a friend of mine did an install with them had to have a rep from Certinteed come out because when the wind was blowing real hard, they had whistling and some air coming through the sashes. It may have been a fluke incident.
It seems that all of the windows that you are looking at seem to be in the same league. You should be in decent shape with a great install. Getting a good installation is critical!
The only thing that I've ever really heard about the Brymawr II is that one of their customers that a friend of mine did an install with them had to have a rep from Certinteed come out because when the wind was blowing real hard, they had whistling and some air coming through the sashes. It may have been a fluke incident.
It seems that all of the windows that you are looking at seem to be in the same league. You should be in decent shape with a great install. Getting a good installation is critical!
Thanks for the reply Mike. I guess if you were in my shoes and you you had no predetermied ideas which windows to go with and your budget for all the windows was less then ~10k. Which window would you go with?? I though Simonton 5500 (from what I read on this site) is acctually a pretty good window (they did win JD power award). I am not trying to be cheap, I just want the most value for my money. I was feeling that Custom Weld II for 12k (no matter how good the salesman made it sound) was not a good deal, and with more research I proved it to myself. You seem very knowlegable, so What would you go with??
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