There are many reasons that replacing your old windows seems like a bright idea. But new views come with a steep price tag.
While some contractors tout resulting energy savings as a reason to invest in their window wares, their extravagant claims and estimates often are sketchy. Plus, ratings that Checkbook receives from local homeowners indicate some companies often supply their customers with substandard products and do lousy installation work.
To make your search for new windows easier, Star Tribune readers can access Twin Cities Consumers' Checkbook's unbiased ratings of local window installers until Dec. 5 via checkbook.org/startribune/windows.
Start window shopping by visiting installer showrooms. Ask staffers to explain features and installation techniques and grab catalogs to peruse later. And if you are adding or enlarging windows or doing new construction, get ideas online and from home design magazines.
You'll want windows appropriate for your house's architecture and your neighborhood. If you live in a historic district or a neighborhood with a homeowners association, find out what is allowed. For example, preservation officials or homeowners association rules might ban vinyl windows or specify certain types of window muntins (grids). Ignore them and you might have to tear out what you install.
You'll find a very wide price range for each type of frame material. In general, vinyl is the least expensive option and wood usually is midrange with exterior-clad wood more expensive. Fiberglass models top the price list.
Despite what you might hear from a salesperson, new windows that replace old, drafty ones won't pay for themselves in energy savings. Check claims about energy savings with info available from the independent Efficient Windows Collaborative (www.efficientwindows.org).
For information on durability, check Consumer Reports. It periodically tests about 15 models for resistance to wind and rain. Also compare warranties: Better-sealed window units tend to come with warranties of 20 years or more and don't prorate reductions in the covered value as time passes.
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