Jut got 2 quotes? Help please

[corbitt74]

Hi everyone I'm new to this, so here are my question's

I live in PA around Harrisburg area. I bought a house and the windows are around 37 years old. I need new windows badly and am not sure about the quotes I've recieved, Both of which are around 15,000

The most recent quotes was by Appleby systems. Jantek makes thier windows. Triple glass, argon filled, low E, Vinyl and other bell'sand wistles
The other was company was Homeview, who sells Preservation windows, basically the same as the appleby windows, so it seems.

Here is what I have.

1 bay window that will be 25/50/25 casement 90" x 55"

5 windows 65" x 39" currently 2 Double Hung windows put together.

1 window 65" x 51" currently 2 DH windows put together.

3 windows 32" x 39" DH

1 window bathroom 30" x 14 crank out type

All the DH windows that are put together I want to put sliders in to open it up.

Now is that price too high? Are they good windows ETC? Any info would be appreciated.
I don't mind paying if its worth it and I'm sure I save much more in fuel costs consitering the old windows are crap.

What do you all think??

[oceanengineer]

Based on what I paid for my windows (installed) it seems expensive. I'm no window expert but I did some research and targeted a window brand and quality level that I liked and then got quotations from several vendors. The quotations for the same windows varied a lot - the highest quotation received was at least 60-70% higher than the lowest one. I think if you get quotes from vendors selling different brands it becomes very difficult to compare as the window specs may differ. It is also very useful to talk to people you have know who have had windows installed and recommend the installers as installation is an extremely important part of the window package (and price) and the quality of installation can vary greatly.

What I found to be very useful was to contact the building supply stores that were the main distributors for the windows - they have actual windows on display in most cases, gave me some indication of the window/door MSRP (not contractor pricing) and recommended installers for the windows. The window I selected was the Simonton 5500/Prism Platinum (double-glazed) and there was a lot of good information on their website and a list of all their distributors - I'm sure the other major window manufacturers have similar info.

Also, spend some time on this forum and go through a lot of the discussions on various brands, specifications, options etc. for the various windows - there is a lot of good info here.

Good luck

[Max10]

viewtopic.php?t=928

[randy]

Well there you have it corbitt74. A fellow consumer, who has purchased windows once himself, thinks your bids "seems expensive". And this is without knowing important factors such as exterior type, difficulty of installation, accessibility to windows, exterior capping, etc.......
Was the bay window a contained unit, or was it being built onsite? Guess that doesn't matter. What about the other "bells and whistles"? Could they be worth more money? Guess that doesn't matter either.

If you were looking for uninformed advice, you now have it. If you prefer some professional advice, you will most likely need to provide some additional information. Unfortunately, I know nothing of the brands you mentioned, as they are not available down here in Houston, and we do not use triple pane glass. The odd thing is, oceanengineer is here in Houston as well, yet he knows enough to tell you that your bid "seems expensive".

Also, while I'm on a rant -

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS MSRP, IN THE WINDOW BUSINESS!

The MANUFACTURER does not SUGGEST a RETAIL PRICE to the contractor. 15 years in the business, and I've never seen it from a single manufacturer. Any other pro here seen an MSRP, or is it a secret that is only provided to a few homeowners, now and then?

People who continue to repeat this false information only confuse others who are unable to obtain the MSRP in their area.