Is this reasonable for whole house replacement?

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greg53089
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2005 9:20 pm
Location: Sussex, WI

Is this reasonable for whole house replacement?

#1 Post by greg53089 »

Hello - I am new here and I have some questions. This may be long so sorry in advance....
I am in need of replacement windows very badly. My house is 13 years old and I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin. In the winter (~below +15F) I get an 1" of ice on the north windows (front of my house) about 12"-18" high from the bottom. Overnight I get 1/8" of on all windows but it will go away when the sun hits the south windows. As you can imagine the water has cause damage on all sills and more problems on the north widows and I am afraid it may start rotting. The current widows are pine wood double pane vinyl clad outside. Anyway you get the idea...

This is my house with approx dimensions on the windows. Replacing all windows (not replacing the small narrow side windows by the front door) including the 1/2 round and patio door. See PowerPoint
http://home.wi.rr.com/schmidtg/newwindows.ppt

So far I have 2 quotes and looking to get more.

1st is a local company who installs windows only and have been around for 20 years. Neighbor used them and liked them very well. They use Great Lakes Window ---- Their quote is $19,000

2nd is Stanek windows, they make their own windows and sell them through regional showrooms -- Their qoute is $18,000

1st guy - All windows are LowE/Argon (the big north window top and bottom are Krypton), light oak vinyl/white outside. They are also going to repair the north damge - sill, framework, staining, and drywall. This also includes the back patio door with blinds inside each glass.

2nd guy (Stanek) - LowE/Argon with heat mirror between panes. They will fix some of the north damage but not drywall or stain.

I really like the 1st guys because they were by far the nicest and they even sent their work superviosor/foreman to look at the north damage to get a good estimate on what they would need to do. They never bashed the other guys and seemed to know their crap.
The other guy (Stanek) was very pushy and bashed everyone but themselves although their product looked good. I'm not sure if the heat mirror is necessary but all of their windows have (maybe they need it?).

Before I spend $19,000 on windows, I just want to make sure if these are in the ball park. I thought about HomeDepot and Sears home improvement but I know there could be some hidden damage that would need to be repaired and I'm not sure how their contractors handle that kind of work.

Any information would be great.

Greg

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