review of Sunrise Essentials in Houston

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steve r
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Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:01 pm

review of Sunrise Essentials in Houston

#1 Post by steve r »

I just had 26 windows replaced and ended up going with Sunrise Essentials double hung.
I obtained bids from 6 different places ranging from a couple of big names to several smaller contractors and after overcoming " paralysis by analysis" I finally settled on using one of the regular posters here - Randy w/Ultra Windows. The bids I received varied by over 100 % and the presentations ran the gamut from the classic " hard sell, one call close" to very low key. One guy was so bad I actually refused to even let him give me a quote. In the end there were a couple of guys I felt fairly comfortable with and had a hard time deciding.
Anyways, I ended up choosing Randy because he not only had the best price but seemed to place the most emphasis on doing a proper installation.
I chose the Sunrise Essentials which is their value line because after comparing them to their premium line (can't remember the name right now) I decided I couldn't justify the extra cost.
The external appearance was quite similar but the Essentials definitely use a lighter weight frame. They still have the same warranty except for glass breakage I believe.
Here in Texas my primary concern was improved A/C performance and so far I am fairly well satisfied. I was hoping for a nite and day difference but honestly would only rate it as noticeable. In hindsight I kind of wish I had chosen a darker tint glass package but that is not available in the Essentials line. There is still some noticeable heat gain when the sun is shining directly thru. I also used to have solar screens on the west side and have removed those so the house is quite a bit brighter inside now which is nice,but visibility from the outside looking in is much better now too which is not so nice. I live in a fairly rural neighborhood so that is not really a problem but another side effect is that we receive several bird strikes a day now - only a couple of fatalities though.
I would rate the windows appearance as very nice - comparable to any others (vinyl) I have seen, and they open and close quite easily - especially compared to my 10 year old aluminum framed originals.
Its too soon to tell how they will hold up and it is just now dropping into the 80's so I can't comment on the cold weather performance. Winters here are pretty mild though and I usually keep the windows open anyways weather permitting.
We haven't had any hurricanes yet either so I can't say how they will perform in extreme wind/rain although its a pretty safe bet I'll find out soon enough.
I will say that Randy's crew did a great job on the installation and he followed thru on everything he said he would. One comment I would add though is the caulk that they use to seal around the windows has a very strong odor. Its not a latex or silicone but something else (smells similar to paint thinner). If you are the kind of person that is sensitive to that kind of thing (like my wife) it is something to keep in mind as it takes 2 - 3 days to dissipate. Other than that there were no problems at all.
Overall, on a scale of 1 - 10 I would rate the windows an 8, and the install a 10.
If you are on a budget , I feel they were a pretty good choice.

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