Cost of replacing windows

[ladonnarosso]

We are in the process of doing some home improvement and need to replace our single pane glass windows that are over 30 years old. We got a quote yesterday and I am having a hard time figuring out if it is a good deal or not. Have any of you replaced windows and if so, how much did it cost? We are replacing 10 windows at this time. It's totally necessary, as our energy costs are through the roof.

[feh]

We are in the process of doing some home improvement and need to replace our single pane glass windows that are over 30 years old. We got a quote yesterday and I am having a hard time figuring out if it is a good deal or not. Have any of you replaced windows and if so, how much did it cost? We are replacing 10 windows at this time. It's totally necessary, as our energy costs are through the roof.

Get multiple estimates.

[wjcalderon]

I replaced 10 windows about 2 years ago. The final cost was $5700.
I'm sure the cost varies by location - I live in central Mississippi.
I agree that you should get multiple estimates.

[disneysteve]

We got a quote yesterday and I am having a hard time figuring out if it is a good deal or not.

No way to know based on only one quote. Get 3 or 4 quotes and makes sure they are pricing similar products, or if not, that you understand the differences.

[Singuy]

Also you can buy the windows yourself and just get a quote on labor. Each window(the energy savers one) are between 150-300 depending on the size.

[Drake3287]

We had the same issue. We recently were having our 2,100 sq. foot two story house painted including replacing some of the exterior wood siding that had gone bad and the contractor suggested that now would be a good time to replace the windows simply because the exterior siding work was already being done and would save us a lot of labor costs down the road.

We agreed it was a wise investment and replaced all 15 windows including slider and garden window for $9,000. Living here in California the price wasn't bad, I'm sure in other area's it might be half the price.

[amastewa93]

Windows are a crucial part of saving energy and now that many people know that as a fact, many places have upped their charges for replacing windows. I spent $5,000 replacing about the same number of windows, but that was five years ago.
When I got them replaced, I got multiple estimates.

[Fishindude77]

In my neck of the woods you can buy good quality, average size (+/- 3' wide x 5' tall) all vinyl replacement windows, installed for about $400 apiece. This includes removal and disposal of old, wrapping the exterior jambs in painted aluminum flashing, caulking, etc.

[GrimJack]

Wow, this post brings back memories - I worked for Win-Dor Industries in Billings MT in the early '70s. I assembled double- and triple-paned windows. I became a glass-cutter master and at the end of the day, my job was to take an 8 foot iron bar to the dumpster and break up all the glass. Talk about your tension relievers!! One day I stepped on a triple beam balance and set it 230, I backed off the weight until I realized I only weighed 155 then I noticed that my pants only stayed up because they were folded over and belted tightly.

I was pretty oblivious - did I mention that that was the year i started my decade long love affair with LSD. I finally straightened out in 1984 roughly.

[ua_guy]

Windows can be a real scam. We had to replace our aluminum single-pane windows in our old house, and we had one quote as high as $20,000. The house was only 1400sqft and had standard size windows, and we weren't looking for anything spectacular. We had a total of 10 windows to replace.

Things to think about:

Window type and efficiency.
Contractor grade vinyl, double-pane windows with a low-e rating are pretty cheap. Check similar sizes at Home Depot/ Lowes for a baseline price to get an idea of baseline material cost. You can go with "nice" windows, which would be vinyl-wrapped aluminum, or wood windows, triple pane, integrated lattices, etc and those get much more expensive, especially custom sizes.

Window "options"
Figure out if you want the replacement windows to slide and operate the same way as the old ones. See what kind of different latches are available, any coatings you might want (UV, tint, etc) and glass type-- tempered for windows next to doors, bathroom, etc.

Replacement method
This will depend on your home's construction. Old aluminum windows can simply be cut out, and replacements installed without even cutting the exterior siding. A better replacement method is to cut back the siding, remove the old window including its flange, and install the replacement window with its flange, and finish with exterior trim boards. If you already have exterior trim boards around the windows, the job is even easier. You also need to consider any interior work that needs to be done. Sometimes older windows are integrated with the casement boards, and you'll need to re-do the interior window trim or re-cut casement boards to fit the new windows. Sometimes it's as simple as butting the new window up to the old casement boards as long as the exterior fit is correct, then caulking the seam on the interior after the exterior install is complete. If your home is brick or has intricate wood windows, etc, install can be a lot more complex.

Get different bids, compare installation methods, understand what the contractor WILL and WILL NOT do. For example, they might install exterior trim boards, but not paint them.

We used vinyl double-paned contractor grade windows from Jeld-wen which we bought at Home Depot and we figured that it took us about 2 hours per window on average for the install, and that's on the high side. 2-6 hours to finish trim, painting, and we did have to cut new casement boards and wanted to do new interior window trim, so that added to the cost.

If I recall correctly, we did a total of 10 windows, 2 which had to be custom ordered, and a slider (which we paid someone to install) we were in it for about $8,000 total. The slider was about $1,000 of that, and it included all the paint, caulking, trim, sawzall blades, etc.

[ladonnarosso]

Thanks everyone for the replies! We ended going with a company that is doing 10 triple paned argon filled windows and installing them for $5700. My husband negotiated a bit with them and talked them down from about $7300 so I'm pretty satisfied with that.

[MichaelHulse]

There are various companies for replacing windows differ in their cost. Calculating the cost to replace windows can be tricky, as there are many factors that contribute to the final expense. Talking about some windows, double-hung, double-pane (energy efficient), vinyl window, expect to pay between $450 and $600, including installation. Wood windows are more expensive. Recently my uncle had done a window replacement in the package. We can view online at alphaimpactwindows.com about such window replacement ideas. Have a word with them once who will provide who replacement at a very reasonable price.