Vinyl Replacement window in New Negland

[selam]

I live in boston and would like to replace 8 double-hung windows. So far, I have talked to Castle, Anderson and Simonton. Anderson is unbelivably expensive and Simonton does not look like a good quality. I have no clue which one to choose, any advice out there?

Thanks all

[buddy110]

Gorell, Okna, Soft lite and Sunrise

[selam]

Thanks a lot, I will check if they have agents in New England. Do they carry their own installers or hire subs? So, you do not recommend the ones that I mentioned earlier?

[buddy110]

Thanks a lot, I will check if they have agents in New England. Do they carry their own installers or hire subs? So, you do not recommend the ones that I mentioned earlier?

Don't know and yes

[bierhere]

I live in MA. I think the companies you will likely find are:

Okna ( mine being installed in two weeks )
National Vinyl Products
Harvey
in addition to the national brands: Anderson, Pella, and Marvin.

[pondscum]

I'm in the Boston area and I ended up with a combination of Sunrise Restorations and Pella Impervia on my house.

Lots of contractors in this area install Harvey products. It's a decent mid-grade product, local manufacturer. I wanted something more high-end for my home, though.

[jackiec]

I'm in Boston area also. Okna Starmark windows are being installed in 2 weeks. Be sure to include them in your search.

[mpk]

jackie - what did the okna starmarks run you; if you don't mind my asking?? i have read great comments on the starmarks; they are on my short list after doing a lot of research. the only thing i'm not crazy about in this process is the lack of transparency on price.... installers (i'm south of boston) are all over the place on quotes; and it doesn't always depend on the price/quality of the window. any new england installers post here?

[copykatpro]

I live in metrowest and ended up putting Sunrise Restorations in my house. Nice window but so are the others that Buddy mentioned. MPK is correct in that pricing is seemingly all over the map. But that really depends on how honest or crooked the salesperson you're dealing with is. Good luck.

[Skydawggy]

But that really depends on how honest or crooked the salesperson you're dealing with is.

No it doesn't. Often the price has a lot to do with what the dealers overhead is and how badly they need business. Would you consider a store like HD to be crooked or dishonest simply because their price on a refrigerator was higher than Lowes? Where in the world do people get these silly ideas that all pricing should be the same from company to company and if it isn't, it means the higher priced company is dishonest or crooked? That's why it's called competition. You might also be surprised that some people don't mind paying a higher price for something if they precieve they will get a higher level of service or installation.

[copykatpro]

Sky, that's not how I meant it. I understand the variables that go into one company's pricing over another. But that shouldn't result in a 100% markup. I'm just saying it's not uncommon around here to get estimates from companies that average well over $1000 for a vinyl window and expect people to go for it. In my humble opinion, a more honest salesperson will give you a reasonable estimate up front. There are plenty of them out there, they just seem harder to find, especially to a homeowner that's just starting out.

I've gone through this process twice and the second time was way easier thanks to these boards. But my first time was really difficult because I had no idea what I was doing and no one that could tell me why window A was $800 cheaper than window B or if either of them were any good in the first place other than biased salespeople that will tell you whatever you want to hear. I was experiencing a lot of sticker shock at the time and that was my only real barometer of quality. I think this is the more common shopping experience for consumers which is why so many people come to these boards questioning what they just went through.

One thing that's been written over and over on these boards is you get what you pay for. But that's only true if you knew what a good window is and a realistic expectation of what it should cost. But most of us don't have that initial knowledge which is why these boards are invaluable.

[jackiec]

Starmark .25 glass package. 10 dh, 1 picure, uncapped , $560 ea. installed. Capped would have added $90 per.