Quote comparisons

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Chad in Minnesota
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Quote comparisons

#1 Post by Chad in Minnesota »

Okay, I’d love to have some advice on comparing 3 quotes. All are from family owned companies that have very good ratings on Angie’s List, so I’m comfortable with any of them. We're replacing 2 separate areas that are 96” x 60”. We currently have 3 DH in these areas but are looking at 50% picture window, surrounded by 25% casement on each side. Then there’s a 36” x 22” area that we’re changing from DH to a slider.

Quote #1
Soft-Lite (Imperial LS)
Double pane with super spacer & better view screens $4,500
Triple pane with super spacer & better view screens $5,050

Quote #2 (same guy as first quote)
Provia (Endure model)
Double pane roughly $4,500
He tried to get a quotes, but said he needs factory authorization because of the size of the opening. But he said the Provia double pan would be similar to Soft-lite but upgrading to triple panes for Provia was extremely reasonable. He estimated it’d be roughly $4,650 . I should get firm #s on Monday.

Quote #3
Sunrise (Sunrise model)
Double pane $5,950
Triple pane – he thought triple pane was “overkill”. Based on another Sunrise quote I did get for triple pane, I’d guess this guy would be around $6,600

One thing the last guy mentioned is that by going with Sliders instead of Casements, we could save another $1,400. That means the double pane in option #3 would be $4,650. We're not married to the casements, so I could get quotes from the other two for sliders as well. He also said the Ultra-U 8 layers and 12 layers would cost the same.

Sunrise was the only brand that I really got to see first-hand. It was impressive. However, you guys have spoken highly of the Imperial LS and the triple pane price seems very reasonable.

Thoughts, concerns, questions I need to ask?

masterext
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Re: Quote comparisons

#2 Post by masterext »

Chad
You saw the windows, which window do you like best? Which contractor do you like best? We cannot comment on price unless its agregiously high or low.
You are asking us to make your decison, these are questions you should be answering yourself.

Chad in Minnesota
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:08 am

Re: Quote comparisons

#3 Post by Chad in Minnesota »

Well a week ago I didn't know anything about windows. Now I know what I've read on these boards, along with what the sales reps have told me. I will say I've only seen the Sunrise, everything else was just brochures - and everything looks good in them. :D

Let's look at it this way;

Soft-Lite / Provia / Sunrise
DP $4,500 / $4,500 / $5,950
TP $5,000 / $4,650 / $6,600

If Provia TP are only $150 more than DP, it makes no sense to get their DP, so they're out. However, I don't know enough about Provia to know if the $350 savings from Soft-Lite is worth it. My gut says 'no'.

Based on what I've read, I think people here like the Sunrise and Soft-Lite pretty equally. So it's hard to justify the 32% price difference for Sunrise.

The Sunrise rep said he thought TP was overkill, but it looks like TP is recommended here a lot.

If you're still following along, I guess I'm trying to say I'm leaning towards the Soft-Lite TP.

randy
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Re: Quote comparisons

#4 Post by randy »

Good job Chad, you've looked at some of the best options available and gotten good apples to apples comparisons.

Triple pane is most definitely not overkill for Minnesota. Sunrise is a very impressive window aesthetically, but the frame isn't overly stout when compared to the other choices, and that could possibly be one of the reasons the contractor is trying to steer you away from it.

I agree with your thoughts on Soft-lite being the better choice than Sunrise based on the pricing. The new Endure window line seems pretty impressive as well and it wouldn't be a bad choice either.

Chad in Minnesota
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Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:08 am

Re: Quote comparisons

#5 Post by Chad in Minnesota »

randy wrote:The new Endure window line seems pretty impressive as well and it wouldn't be a bad choice either.
Randy, thanks for the feedback. Is there any concern that this product line has only been around for 3 months?

I'm checking to see if this company has a showroom, then I'll be able to compare the Soft-Lite and Provia side-by-side.

randy
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Re: Quote comparisons

#6 Post by randy »

I wouldn't be concerned about that at all, as the company has a great reputation in the industry and the performance numbers on the window are very good.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Quote comparisons

#7 Post by Windows on Washington »

Looks like a pretty solid line up and I would definitely lean towards the TP option.

Chad in Minnesota
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Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:08 am

Re: Quote comparisons

#8 Post by Chad in Minnesota »

Thanks Randy and WoW!

Tomorrow I should get an exact quote on Provia. That'll allow me to compare the triple pane for Provia and Soft-Lite. And I want to see if their Sliders are cheaper than the Casements, like the Sunrise rep suggested. I'll also to dig for the NFRC #s on these windows so I'm not just comparing on price.

Thanks again for the support!

Chad in Minnesota
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Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:08 am

Re: Quote comparisons

#9 Post by Chad in Minnesota »

Just thought I'd check back in and mention that we ended up going with the Provia windows in triple pane. And we decided on Sliders instead of Casements because it saved us $1,500. Both brands looked similar and Provia seems to have a similar u-value to the Soft-Lites, .19 vs .17. The AI is .07 for the Sliders. Plus, we like the Provia double-hungs better because they don't have the extra latches to tilt the windows, it's incorporated into the locking mechanism.

Finally, Provia's TP was roughly the same price as Soft-Lite's DP. Our sales rep thought it might be because Provia set their price in September (when oil prices were low) vs SL setting their prices last March.

Thanks again for all the help, either directly on this thread, or shared on this site throughout other threads. There's a lot of great, free, knowledge being shared here and it helped me out a lot!

randy
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Re: Quote comparisons

#10 Post by randy »

Good decision, and well thought out. Hope the install goes smoothly and you're soon enjoying some great new windows.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Quote comparisons

#11 Post by Windows on Washington »

Sounds like a nice unit all around.

Keep us posted on the install and follow up.

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