Installing Vinyl Replacement Windows - Part One, Making the Decision

Our home was built in 1962.  Considering it's age, and the standards in effect when it was built, it's a great home - fairly tight and energy efficient.  Our windows were mainly double-hung, wooden, single pane windows, with older, not-too-high quality aluminum combination storm windows (an upgrade from old storm windows which had to be changed out every spring and fall).  That means that in the winter, our windows frosted up, and it was notably cooler next to the window.  Worse, the combinations were so hard to operate that we usually either left the storm window open, or removed the sliding glass portion completely (which, of course, completely defeats the purpose of even having storm windows).

Initially, being concerned about how vinyl windows would look, I didn't want to replace them - I looked at replacing the aluminum storm windows with newer, more efficient, easier-operating ones.  Unfortunately, the storm windows I liked would cost around $200 per window - enough, considering all the adds for "$189 per window installed" I've seen, to make me consider other options.

Unfortunately, I discovered that those cheap replacement windows aren't really so cheap.  I decided that although I didn't need the ultimate in high efficiency, it didn't make sense to get windows that wouldn't at least qualify for the federal tax credit.  To my amazement, by the time the first quote was complete, it was over $20,000 to replace 14 double-hung windows and 7 casement windows!  Of course, this also included wrapping all the trim with aluminum, and a few other extras.  We quickly determined that we didn't need to replace all the windows - the casement windows were reasonably efficient, and didn't have storms on them anyway, so we dropped them off.  One double-hung in the basement was never opened, and could be just sealed up, and two windows in the garage were also not worth replacing.  Since our home was brick, we thought we could live without wrapping all the trim, so we dropped that out.  All these changes reduced the quote down to about $13,000 (to replace 13 double-hung windows).  This was from a reasonably high-quality supplier - not the ultra-cheap guys.

Although this quote looked better, it still was a big chunk of money, so I decided to take a look at the possibility of doing it myself.  After spending a bunch of time doing research on the internet, looking at lumber stores, and talking to others, it looked like I could do the job for around $225 per window - assuming I went with a mid-grade vinyl window (almond, not white), with the standard "Low E & Argon" construction that was required to meet the standards for the tax credit.  Even assuming my estimates for supplies, tools, etc were low - always a valid assumption when I'm planning a project - I was certain I could replace all 13 double-hung windows for under $4,000.

Having decided to tackle the job myself, now it was time to decide which window to order.   Options for do-it-yourself replacement windows range from around $100 for super cheap sliders or single hung windows to $800 or more for aluminum clad wooden windows.  Since we were looking at vinyl double-hung windows, we ruled out the super expensive ones.  I don't believe it makes good sense to order the very cheapest in almost anything, so I eliminated the super cheapies.  For ease of ordering, I looked at all the big box stores - Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards.  I also checked out 84 Lumber and a couple of smaller stores.  I ultimately decided to go with American Craftsman windows from Home Depot.  I chose the "8500" series - a notch above their "Builder Grade".  I was impressed with the look and feel of these windows in the showroom, and I just liked them better than Jeld Wen, Reliabilt, and a couple of other brands I looked at.

On a side note, if you read any "Do it Yourself" forums, you'll see plenty of bad things about the big box stores, and every product they sell.  That doesn't match my experience in general, and definitely not with these windows.  You do need to do your homework, since the staff at Home Depot may not know everything you need to know, but they try to be helpful, and I thought these windows were top notch.  I'm certain you can buy better windows, but I believe the windows I installed were at least as good as some others I saw that were twice the cost.

Having decided to do the job, and which windows to buy, I was now ready to order and install them.  In future posts, I'll describe my experience in measuring, ordering, and installing replacement windows.