Uneasy feeling about recent insall of vinyl slider windows

[BRUUUUCE]

i've just has vinyl replacement slider windows installed. i admit, i don't know much about install. what i do know i learned online. but i have some questions i was hoping people could address. i have the installer coming back tonight:

1 First, on two windows, i insist they are too big and measured wrong. they had to cut a "hole" into the sill for the window to sit in. none of the other windows required this. now, the windows look dumb because there is not an equidistant amount of "pane"" going around the window. the installer says there is nothing that could be done to avoid this.

2. the windows are sliders. on almost all the windows, the widnow on the left --- the pane that goes across is not level where it touches the pane of glass. it dips up in the corner that's in the center of the window. is this normal? almost every widnow has this


3.how can i tell if a window is too small and they tried to make it fit. the one slider in the kitchen has like another piece of vinyl on the one side that i do not think is part of the window. that piece is not on the other side.

4. the molding job to finish off the windows in the insideis horrible. what degree of quality should i expect from a professional? first almost all the corners have big gaps which they tried to fill with caulk and there is caulk everywhere. on top of that, thye used silicone and not latex, so i can't paint them

5. after they were installed -- and after i was told three times that the window will qualify for he tax credit -- i find out from the manufacturer, that they will not. the one rating passes, but the other is .38. what recourse do i have?

thanks for any suggestions. all of this is giving me quite a case of anxiety. some times i think i'mgoing to have a heart attack over all this

[Windows on Washington]

First off, take a deep breath. Calm and collected approach is your friend here. I can tell by your typing that you are all worked up.

Back to your experience. It sounds like it was a pretty miserable install but there can sometimes be a disconnect between proper and what the customer perceives. Do you have another installer or contractor that you were talking with before or that comes recommended?

I think you need to have someone that knows good work look at the project and give you honest and directed feedback. Hopefully you have not paid the balance and will have an opportunity to negotiate with your installer to the successful completion of this project.

Post up some pictures if you can.

[BRUUUUCE]

hi,

yeah. i am pretty upset. sorry about the typos.

we only gave them a little less than half. he said that's all he wanted to order them initially.

I'll try and post some pix tomorrow. yeah, i wish i had someone i could trust to look at the work, but I don't. i don't look forward to our meeting tonight because i get the feeling he's going to dismiss my concerns.

[Windows on Washington]

You may be better suited to have someone else look at it or post up some pictures before you meet with your contractor. Better to be educated prior to discussing this project with him.

[BRUUUUCE]

too bad you're not in the central Jersey area -- i could use you!

he's still coming tonight, so we'll see how he reacts. those are just the major problems; there are minor ones, too. some windows don't slide very easily, two do not lock properly and on the one the lock is not even close to lining up.

i'll post pix tomorrow if i can figure out how to do it .

[Delaware Mike]

Them darn Jersey contractors! I've been on a commercial project off of exit 8A on the NJ Turnpike. You can keep those NY drivers with those NY tags and Yankee's hats. Always in a hurry and rushed. Please keep us informed. If you're close to the Turnpike, a few minutes of my time wouldn't cost you anything.

[Windows on Washington]

Them darn Jersey contractors! I've been on a commercial project off of exit 8A on the NJ Turnpike. You can keep those NY drivers with those NY tags and Yankee's hats. Always in a hurry and rushed. Please keep us informed. If you're close to the Turnpike, a few minutes of my time wouldn't cost you anything.

+1

Mike is one of the good ones.

Don't click on his request a quote button because he will be billed. I am sure the moderators would let you post up your email address so that Mike and you could get in touch if need be.

[BRUUUUCE]

Mike, thanks for the offer. I would take you up on your offer, but I'm in Clinton, quite a distance away.

I'll post pix in a bit, but I'm still concerned about a lot of things after the meeting last night. The owner of the construction company came with the head of the installation crew. The owner could not understand why were questioning the quality, at one point got very loud and angry and then "fired" as a client (we were going to use the same company for siding; he said he would never do it for us after all this.) The installer seemed more understanding and agreed to address all the issues which at times seemed to displease the owner.

I'll go into specifics with the photos, but the other big issue that was discovered -- I asked why the top corners of all the actual windows themselves dipped up. In other words, none of them have square corners in the top left and right. the metal strip inside the glass panes also bows but in the opposite direction. it does not sit flush like it does on the other three sides. the owner said he will have a guy from the factory come out and look at all the windows. They are Crystal windows which seemed reputable, but now I'm not sure.

[BRUUUUCE]

this is the caulk and trim job. most of the corners do not meet and the caulk is kinda everywhere. plus they used a silicone caulk which on the tube says is not paintable. the trim was not painted ahead of time, so that is a problem, too.

[BRUUUUCE]

this is one of the windows that i insist was too big for the opening. what they did was cut the sill and drywall so that the window could sit lower. the problem is -- on the inside it looks bad because on the top and sides you have an equidistant space between the end of the glass pane and the wall, but there is a very tiny distance between the bottom of the glass and the sill. the installer said he will cut the sheet rock on the inside and the top 2x4 so that the sill and trim can be lowered and we can see the bottom of the window. is this structurally sound? i asked him several times and he said he can cut and remove the top 2x4 -- it would pass code. you only need 2 2x4s going across the window.

should i be satisfied with this solution?

[windowxpertsplus]

Bruuuuuce- i am so sorry about the workmanship on your project. Most of Crystal windows are bottom of the line garbage, what made you chose this brand? We live in NJ, there are so many better choices. The caulking is beyond acceptable and silicone cant be painted as you have new stops up. a general rule of thumb is not to have a "construction company" that uses low end product from NJ do detail work, and i think it is to your benefit that they do NOT install your siding. i am in north jersey as i would have come down as well. Are the sashes on the windows welded or screwed together, it looks as if you have a welded frame but mechanical sashes which is not good either.

[BRUUUUCE]

sorry. wish the pix were better/better showed the problem. here are the curved windows. essentially, the top frame of the window is curved like a smile instead of being straight across. if you put a square in each corner it not fit flush. some are more pronounced than others

[BRUUUUCE]

here is the metal part in between the glasses. going across the top it does not sit flush like the other three sides. it bows like an upside down smile.

[BRUUUUCE]

then there's odd other issues like the spacing is off at a lot of places. like why can you see more of the outside of the window at the top instead of the bottom? (first pic)

ins the second picture, the track is not straight. it bows, too.

thanks in advance to anyone and everyone who looks at these and can offer help or suggestions. i researched the both the construction company and window manufacturer before hand. i did not go into this blindly. we talked to previous homeowners who used the company and they had nothing but good things to say about the windows, the installation and the construction company. i did not find any negative comments about Crystal. i was not aware of them like andersen or pella, but i do hear their radio commercials and like I said, on the Internet I didn't see anyone who said avoid them. We don't have a lot of money and I feel foolish at this point. I thought I did my homework and now, well, I just don't know what to do to try and salvage this.

on top of everything else, now we'll have to a different affordable company to do our siding who is trustworthy. we have a baby girl and it so hard for both my wife and I to sit and listen to hours-long sales pitches from multiple companies.

[BRUUUUCE]

Bruuuuuce- i am so sorry about the workmanship on your project. Most of Crystal windows are bottom of the line garbage, what made you chose this brand? We live in NJ, there are so many better choices. The caulking is beyond acceptable and silicone cant be painted as you have new stops up. a general rule of thumb is not to have a "construction company" that uses low end product from NJ do detail work, and i think it is to your benefit that they do NOT install your siding. i am in north jersey as i would have come down as well. Are the sashes on the windows welded or screwed together, it looks as if you have a welded frame but mechanical sashes which is not good either.

i don't want to sound dumb, but what do you mean by new stops?

we told them we want all the trim and caulk removed and redone --- with latex, paintable caulk.

should I just do it myself? i'm far from being a carpenter, but I think i would take more care in the project. but i also feel like I paid for this to be done, so why do i have to do it?