Back in March, I began a series (Part I: Beginning, Part II: In-Home Consultations) about our first truly major project since buying the home that’s become known as “Rock Father HQ” back in 2010 – total home window replacement. Rather than wrap it up right away after the install, I wanted to make sure we’d lived with the windows for a bit prior to sharing some final thoughts on the whole thing so that others might have a little more ammo going into their own project. The odd thing is, buying windows is very much a mystery, and with so little information regarding pricing available online (old-school sales tactics that I don’t appreciate), I’m letting everyone know how our job played out. Welcome to Part III: The Vast Realm of Pricing.
Prices reflect a 1300 sq ft home in Chicago’s Northern Suburbs, with eleven windows (eight if you count the doubles as one a piece):
Renewal by Anderson: If you’ve heard the rumors of their pricing being off the charts, you can be assured that the rumors are true. For the four upstairs windows alone, we were quoted $5,238 – and that was with a “20% Local Discount” plus a “5% Presentation Day Discount” – you know, the kind of gun-to-the-head “buy today!” tactics. A sliding patio door would be $2665, and a French door would be $5,305 – also touting these as “discount pricing.” Add the lower level into the mix, and windows-only would’ve been around $10K, not counting the patio door. Entire project – windows + doors could’ve brought the entire thing in around $15K. Main difference here is that these are composite windows.
The Home Depot: The Andersen American Craftsman Professional 70 Series windows were quoted at $1,946 for the upstairs, $3,559 for the downstairs. Sliding door (didn’t quote French) was $3,194). Total job could’ve been done for around $8K on the high-end.
Pella Windows and Doors: As previously-noted, Pella was my top choice in terms of styling and features. Total cost for their vinyl windows: $7,538. They offered the potential for a discount to bring it down to around $6K. I also priced the sliding patio door or French doors that could’ve brought the entire project up to $12,129 on the high-end.
Feldco Windows, Siding and Doors: As noted in Part II, I knocked Feldco out of the running after realizing that they have an “F” Rating with the Better Business Bureau, and have been “challenged” by the BBB over “Standards of Advertising” several times over the past few years due to their “Buy One, Get One” sales. Note here: Even after asking them to stop, they’re still calling me with sales pitches four months after the fact.
Stay tuned for Part IV: Pulling the Trigger and the Install
