I need to replace the windows in my townhouse. Live in Jackson. Any recommendations on good Windows & contracors. An outfit in Asbury Park was scheduled to come & give an estimate but never showed. I called & was told by the guy in the office that he had called me & left a message that his guy couldn't make it. BS! I never got the call. So they emailed me an estimate based on what I want & require a signature & 50% down & THEN w/ have someone come for a final estimate. Yeah ok. NOT. Considering Lowes.

I am not a fan of replacement windows. I have seen several different types and manufactures none of which i was impressed with. If you have to go with replacements, which in your case you do.

  I suggest going with middle to upper grade. Most often the windows installed in townhomes, condos etc are new construction vinyl .

Do your research on the windows and look for reviews online for that particular window company. Installation ,depending on what type of window is already there should be relatively easy. Without actually seeing the conditions its hard to say. Post a pic of one of the windows if you can

I had the whole Renewal By Anderson thing done at my house. I am pleased with the choice. I like the fact that Anderson stands behind the windows, and there's no finger pointing if anything happens years down the line.

We considered replacement windows about 10 years ago. They wanted something like $30,000 (we have a lot of windows). The sales guy was a sleazebag who kept asking "would you rather give the money to me or to Al Qaida?"

 

My calculations indicated that even if I did save whatever percentage on my fuel bill I'd have to live to 125 to break even. Throw in the bullshit factor and it's more like 175 years old. Do the calculation yourself. Replacement windows are a bad investment. You'll never recoup what you spent.

 

Instead of throwing all that money away I found a carpenter who spent a couple of weeks on site with an assistant. He did what had to be done to the old windows, including replacing glass and re-caulking. He opened the windows that had been painted shut, replaced molding, even painted everything. My windows are much improved but not airtight. Still (1) I saved a ton of money (2) got to keep the beautiful old windows on this 90-year-old house and (3) avoided a scam.

 

P.S. tradesmen who don't show up or don't return calls in two days or are too busy to provide estimates or otherwise piss me off immediately go on my shit list. 

Charleslee:

There can be some confusion in the phrase "replace windows" with some taking it to mean "replacement" windows and others thinking of "replacing windows with new ones" meaning the entire window rather than just the sashes(movable parts). Big difference in cost and labor.

If you want to replace the sashes and keep the frames, the Anderson Replacement ain't bad for product quality, but Anderson gets a real premium for it's name, paid to the base company and the installers. Yes, it's backed by a big name, no doubt, and I've used Anderson more than most other companies myself for new and replacement installations, just not their program. But it's a pricy option.

Marvin also makes a very good replacement product for the sashes, with it's own well insulated side tracks, called Tilt-Pac. Another wood based product, like the Anderson prime window, it's well made and has great options.

 

As to real "replacement windows"  of the Vinyl type, check into Simonton brand, it's one of the best out there, and has been around a long long time. Lots of optional choices in size and type and finish.

Certainteed isn't bad either, if you stick to their upper graded choices.

 

 

Think twice about using big box stores, oftentime the installers for them ONLY work for them  because they don't have enough work on their own, They are paid less, and often rush thru the work to make the days pay, usually piece work. And remember, most of those outfit insist on full payment for labor AND material up front. Reputable recommendations have always said make payments during the job, with something held back till the final dab of paint or caulk is on. I have even seen building permits with a restriction on this final payment requiring final inspection before that payment.

 

Oneshot makes a good point about posting a decent pic being a help to those of us in the know. We could steer you in the right direction IF you weren't sure of the best choice in your case.

 

BTW, if you are at all handy, replacement widows are well within the ability of someone who has a modest skillset and patience to RTFM. You don't even need much in the way of tools, and you can work at a pace that won't ever leave a hole in your house overnight.

Built Rite Windows in Toms River. Great warranty

 

http://www.builtritewindows.com/

Thanks guys. I really appreciate It. I can always trust members here for great advice. No bullshit-I mean it. I want to replace the windies,, frames, everything. Thanks for the heads-up concerning big box stores & their contractor crap. More expensive too. They want $250-$300 per window for installation alone! I cancelled my appt. w/ them & am having Built Rite Windows come for an estimate. Like most if not all of you, I'm sure, I'd much rather utilize a family owned business anyhow. I like their attitude thus far so we'll see? They have installed @ my development & are aware of the requirements.

I used Home Depot ("big box store") many years ago, didn't know anything else.  Apparently I got lucky, the job was done with a good quality, no complains.

 

I had the whole Renewal By Anderson thing done at my house. I am pleased with the choice. I like the fact that Anderson stands behind the windows, and there's no finger pointing if anything happens years down the line.

I was doing some consulting work for them at their manufacturing facility in MN.  Very good quality, lifetime warranty.  But you have to pay for the brand name.

I used HD when we moved to the area for a 10-foot bay window.  The guys dropped off the window afetr a week or two and crushed the mounting bolts on the bottom that hold much of the weight.  It wasn't really their fault because the HD house brand should have crated it more logically.

However, we finally got the THIRD window installed after they crushed the second one too (same crew).

 

The double pane of course gave way soon after the brief warranty so the moisture crept in quickly.  My mother was over recently looking out the big window and remarked that it looked like some kind of privacy glass.  I said 'no ma, that's condensation'.

 

I had one guy come in to estimate the other normal-size windows and he quoted me something like $3000 PER double window.  When I stifled a laugh, he got mad and yelled at me for "dragging him all the way here for nothing!"

 

The former owners put in cheap crap that sags to the point where we have a hard time even locking them.  I was impressed with the Andersen re-nu program, but as was said, they are pricey.  There was a contractor named Henri DeMarne who wrote a home improvement column for many years.  He always recommended Andersen and said to stay away from Pella, without mentioning the actual name (but readers could discern the point).  What I like about Andersen is that they make them, they install them, and they back them up, and they aren't going away anytime soon.

I had the whole Renewal By Anderson thing done at my house. I am pleased with the choice. I like the fact that Anderson stands behind the windows, and there's no finger pointing if anything happens years down the line.

We did the entire house this way.  I'm extremely satisfied with the product, the installation and the warranty.