First time home owner with a house being built around 1990s. I am asking for quotes to replace the 2 "Bay Windows" on the Front and Kitchen/Nook area.
Rough dimensions: 2 22x56s (sides), 59x56 (middle).
I have had quotes from Home Depot, Pellas and Lowes. The Pella guy told me that technically those 2 windows are not true Bay Windows.
Regardless, I am blown by the quotes coming from those guys where Pella is the most expensive one, followed by Home Depot (Simonton brand) and Lowes (Reliabilt brand)
My original budget was about 5k with 6k+ as the worst case. Pella high end quote is 3x as much. Home Depot (2x).
Lowes so far has the cheapest quote. But for the life of me, I am struggling to understand that the material cost (windows) is roughly 2k. But the labor/installation is 2x as much. They were asking 4k to 5k to install. Is that normal?!
I heard that Simonton is a better brand than Reliabilt. But the does the additional 3k warrant the Simonton over Reliabilt?!
Any constructive feedbacks would be much appreciated since once we are done with the "Bay Windows", we will be replacing the other windows in our house.
Windows Replacement in Central VA
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Windows on Washington
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Re: Windows Replacement in Central VA
Where in Central VA?
FYI...Wouldn't use a vinyl product from Lowes or Home Depot and damn sure wouldn't use what is normally comprised of their labor.
Your window is a "bay" shape, but is not a bay unit. The walls are framed and it consists of two double hung flankers with a center picture window.
The Reliabilt window is junk. The Simonton is "OK" and I don't know what Pella unit they quoted you.
FYI...Wouldn't use a vinyl product from Lowes or Home Depot and damn sure wouldn't use what is normally comprised of their labor.
Your window is a "bay" shape, but is not a bay unit. The walls are framed and it consists of two double hung flankers with a center picture window.
The Reliabilt window is junk. The Simonton is "OK" and I don't know what Pella unit they quoted you.
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HomeSealed
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Re: Windows Replacement in Central VA
Good feedback above.
As far as the pricing, it sounds like you have 2) banks of 3 windows for a total of 6? If someone is 3x's your $6k budget, that doesn't sound right. If they are wood full frames with stained interior, new refinished casing, etc you are pushing closer to that, but no way something like Pella 250 vinyl replacements should approach that number.
Regarding the "material cost" vs "labor cost" and overall price, trying to analyze what you should pay based on what you perceive as "cost" will likely lead you to a poor decision. There is a substantial cost to running a sustainable business in this industry, much like a restaurant meal that costs a few bucks is several x's that on your bill.
The fact is that home improvement is one of the most complained about industries in existence (BBB always top 3), and also has an extraordinary rate of failure, something like 90%+ before 10 years. Both of those points are based mostly on companies that don't charge enough to survive and consumers thinking that they are getting a "great deal" are ultimately the ones that suffer.
As far as the pricing, it sounds like you have 2) banks of 3 windows for a total of 6? If someone is 3x's your $6k budget, that doesn't sound right. If they are wood full frames with stained interior, new refinished casing, etc you are pushing closer to that, but no way something like Pella 250 vinyl replacements should approach that number.
Regarding the "material cost" vs "labor cost" and overall price, trying to analyze what you should pay based on what you perceive as "cost" will likely lead you to a poor decision. There is a substantial cost to running a sustainable business in this industry, much like a restaurant meal that costs a few bucks is several x's that on your bill.
The fact is that home improvement is one of the most complained about industries in existence (BBB always top 3), and also has an extraordinary rate of failure, something like 90%+ before 10 years. Both of those points are based mostly on companies that don't charge enough to survive and consumers thinking that they are getting a "great deal" are ultimately the ones that suffer.
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