Advice on window quotes?

[ks]

Hi everyone -- apologies in advance for those who might have seen this on the other board; I was told it was okay to post in both places because some people don't frequent both sites.

As I said on the board before, I'd just like to thank everyone in advance for your time and efforts here.

Anyway, here's the bullet: Five windows to be replaced, in a small condo unit.

2 windows are 34x53 with 6x6 grids
3 windows are 35x77 with 9x9 grids

All double hung, wood, single paned with storm windows. I've been looking at vinyl. I have to have the grids to follow condo appearance rules. I've been pricing double-pane vinyl windows with low-E, argon, and grids -- all the usual stuff. These are all prices installed.

Here's the quotes so far:
Window World Series 4000: $1820
American Jewel 3000: $2365
Simonton Reflections 5500: $3006
Philips Marquee: $3065
The Window Man DH-11 (by Soft-Lite): $3636
Schuco Corona 4000: $4000

A lot of people in my condo complex have used Window World, and they seem to be happy and the windows look fine. I can't pretend that money is no object, here -- I'm not rich, it's my first place, and god willing I'm not going to live here forever. I know Schuco is well regarded, do I want Cadillac windows on a non-Cadillac home?

But, I don't want to get the cheapest thing if they're going to look crummy in a few years.

I'm trying to walk a middle ground here between cost-effectiveness and quality. Any advice or suggestions on these quotes would be greatly appreciated.

[Paul Tillson]

thank goodness for the people that are the experts on this board. However I have been around real estate a lot and you are right on your decision to go middle of the road in this residence.

If you go high end the property probably won't support that price increase and you lose out. Middle of the road you will probably get a decent windwow and you can talk up the upgrade when it comes time to sell.

Randy and the guys will be great help in the windows area.

[Bill]

I have experience with American Jewel; they made a decent window for the time about 10 years ago called Series IV they replaced it with an inferior window. The window they are currently selling is very thin and weak in my opinion, I recently saw it at a trade show and nothing has changed.

American Jewels Heat Gate product looks good on paper with a low U-value but it is nothing more than a high performing glass system in a poorly designed frame. They do make a decent casement window.

Stay away from the Alside Excalibur it does not cost very much to upgrade to the Sheffield.

Everyone knows I’m a Simonton guy so to me it looks like the best value is with the Reflections 5500.

Bill

[randy]

I agree with both responses. Installation is critical though.

[ks]

Heh -- that's exactly the part I feel like I have the least amount of control over. I guess I could tell good installation from bad installation. But I can't tell good installation from merely adequate or mediocre installation; I don't know what to look for.

And even if I could go around and look at a dozen houses, I can't tell people "give me that same crew" because it's likely that no one remembers who installs their windows. Or that crew could have long since moved on to other employers.

You've all heard it before, I'm sure, but window shopping is pretty hard for novices. The people with the American Jewel windows are also well-regarded installers in this area, and they do sell other types of windows (Certainteed Bryn Mawr II, Kensington Huntington, Dove Millenium). Are those brands better than American Jewel?

[Bill]

The Bryn Mawr II is pretty close in quality to the Reflections 5500; the only Kensington model I know is their Quantum that is a very high end performer.

Bill

[ks]

Here's a dumb question...what does it mean when you say a window frame is thin and weak? Does that mean that it'll sag, that it won't hold up to a heavy wind, that it can't be installed properly, that it'll warp?

Sorry to have to ask such a basic piece of information. I'm still learning. I finally got a chance to see that American Jewel product I referred to above -- one thing that I did like about it was that it has a slim frame, so it looks as if I'd preserve more glass area. But I was mindful of some of the concerns you raised.

I don't live in an extreme climate (Washington D.C.) so I'm wondering if the thinness or weakness would be as much of an issue for me as someone in the Northeast, or someone in a hurricane zone.

[Windows on Washington]

Here's a dumb question...what does it mean when you say a window frame is thin and weak? Does that mean that it'll sag, that it won't hold up to a heavy wind, that it can't be installed properly, that it'll warp?

Sorry to have to ask such a basic piece of information. I'm still learning. I finally got a chance to see that American Jewel product I referred to above -- one thing that I did like about it was that it has a slim frame, so it looks as if I'd preserve more glass area. But I was mindful of some of the concerns you raised.

I don't live in an extreme climate (Washington D.C.) so I'm wondering if the thinness or weakness would be as much of an issue for me as someone in the Northeast, or someone in a hurricane zone.

Thin and weak makes a difference regardless of climate. Thin and weak will mean that the window may not potentially seal properly and will distort under load (wind or clamping/closing). That being said, I don't know the American Jewel product as Bill as stated earlier. I am completely unfamiliar with it but I was just commenting on the thin and weak tag.