How much do new windows cost (installed)?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I know this varies from place to place, but I’m just looking for a ballpark number here.

My house was built in 1997. I moved in around 2005 and noticed right away that drywall around the windows and the vinyl on the windows themselves mildewed quite a bit. Between that and some other things I figured there was a problem with that and sent an email to the manufacturer asking them about the warranty on them. His reply was something along the lines of “The windows are fine, your showers are too hot, besides, the warranty doesn’t transfer to a new owner so you’re not covered anyways”.

For the last few years I’ve just kept up with cleaning the mildew a few times a year. About two years ago I installed vertical blinds in one of the windows that I can see from the spot where I sit when I’m watching TV…seeing them wave back and forth all night is annoying, especially when I have to hear the furnace click on and off all night. Checking all the windows I’ve found that there’s a rather large gap where the two sashes meet right at the edges and there’s quite a draft there. I’ve put plastic over some of the windows, but it’s a PITA. I’ve also stuffed some foam insulation into those gaps, but it really doesn’t do much. I’d be willing to guess the contractor that built the house paid about a hundred dollars for these windows.

Anyways, I’ve toyed with the idea of replacing them, but I have 5 single windows and 2 doubles (so call it 9) and my total WAG is that it’s probably close to a thousand dollars a piece to get decent ones put it. Not only do I not have ten grand to lay out, but it would take an awful long time to make that up in energy savings.

So, as my thread title says, how much is it actually? I’m talking from about from calling someone and saying “I want new windows” to being totally done with the project and it looking like nothing happened. Siding trimmed back out, any drywall damage taken care of etc.

These don’t need to be state of the art windows, I’d be happy with something that doesn’t actively let air come through it.

Looking at exactly one site on the internet, it looks like plain old double hung vinyl Pella windows are about $275. Call it $2500 for 9 of them, what could I expect to have a window guy install them (and, like I said, make sure everything is done right, siding and drywall isn’t left for me to finish etc). I also assume buying them directly from a window installer and buying them all at once and getting them installed would get me a better price than the price listed on the Lowes website.

Also, for the record, while I’m really good at fixing things, I’m awful at carpentry. Installing these on my own is totally and utterly out of the question.

2

Things could be different in your area, but here’s what I’ve paid. Back sliding patio doors, double-glazed, tempered glass, vinyl trim–$1300 including installation (installation included the wood framing on inside & outside of the doors, which actually is something we could have done ourselves, making the price a bit cheaper).

Three-panel front window, not quite floor to ceiling but almost, double-glazed, $960.

Bedroom window, double-glazed, $270. This window is approximately 2.5 feet high and 5.5 feet long. (For some reason this was the only window in the house not double-glazed when we moved in. We noticed quite a draft emanating from it, hence the change.)

If you do all the windows at once you could probably negotiate a better deal. We have done this window by window at different times.

3

We replaced all our windows this summer and the cost was somewhere around $500 each for standard sized windows, including installation. I’d say the windows alone were around the same price you found – just under $300.

Get a lot of bids. We were doing a lot of work – windows, siding, and roof. The first people we called – window specialists – wanted almost as much for just the windows as we paid for the entire job.

We went to a contractor because of the size of the job (and the one-stop shopping element) and it was a good decision. You may be able to buy the windows and have the contractor put them in, but it might cost more than if you buy them from him.

It’s certainly better to do them all at once.

4

I hadn’t thought about getting a contractor, I’m planning to do my roof soon as well. The roof itself probably has, let’s say, 5 years left on it, but the skylight is a train wreck. My plan was to just replace the roof this summer* or next summer and do the skylight (and any sheathing which I can see bowing) at the same time. Maybe it’s worth hiring a contractor to handle the roof AND the windows…I’d also need the trim (soffit/fascia) painted as well. I was just planning to ask the roofers if they could do that. It would probably be a one day project for each coat, but I had shoulder surgery and really can’t wrangle a ladder around my house.

Of course, the flip side to that is even with discounts on all these services it still means having to pay for everything at once. Let’s just say the windows are 5000 and the roof is 4000 and paining is 500. It might be easier, financially to do one project each summer than to do it all at once, even if it means paying significantly less.

*The roof I’m keeping a very, very close eye on. Like I said, it’s in okay shape, it’s just starting to show it’s age, but last winter I noticed some minor ice damming. Getting the roof redone is actually more important than the windows. The windows are for comfort, but the ice damming and leaking skylight can do damage to the house.

5

you’ll be laying out major money. maybe a bit more might be worth it.

also make sure the area around the window is sealed and insulated. there are small voids and cavities in installing windows and these might have poor or no insulation. not just the space between the window unit and opening but the spaces above, below and adjacent to the opening. drywall deterioration indicates an installation that was done poorly for such a young home.

you might have a thermal image done of your house. you might notice not only major heat loss at the windows but loss in the wall area surrounding the windows.

these cavities could be filled with foam insulation at the time the windows are installed.

double glazed windows and combo storm/screens are worth it.

6

$500/$1,000 is the range for normal middle of the road quality, depending on size, shape, location, tempered, kind of siding, drywall, casing, staining.

You want the contractor to measure and order them. Seriously, windows can be a pain to measure correctly, and if there’s a mistake, you want the contractor to pay for another window, not you. Do not ignore this advice. Don’t even think it.

Do not go with any kind of high pressure sales tactics. If it’s their price today it’ll be their price tomorrow, too.

I’d you’re looking to save money, put them in in the winter, guys are looking for work, and may be more willing to negotiate on price.

If your home is older than 1978, you’ll need the contractor to test for lead paint. If lead is present you’re going to pay more.

Most municipalities require a permit, make sure the contractor takes one out. It proves he’s licensed and the city doesn’t have an issue with him. It also makes the home easier to sell when you have legit work done and a record of it.

If more than one contractor says it’s condensation, it more than likely is.

If you have any specific questions going through this process, you can ask me.

fisha, contractor

7

Sorry, didn’t see your post, Joey.

With the ice dams and the moisture around the windows, it’s looking more like a ventilation/insulation issue that’s causing this. Google ice dam causes, prevention, diagrams. I’d give you some links, but my phone is acting up,

Have a contractor do all the work, you’ll get a better price, and the coordination and headache will be his, not yours. If you don’t have all the money, you can go for a second mortgage, or go through the contractors financing program. You want someone who has been in business (not in the industry, in business, under this name) for at least five years. Most contractors go bankrupt within two years, and you want someone who still answers the phone if there’s a problem in the future.

8

I know a guy that does windows that says he’s actually pretty busy in winter. As he said 'people don’t feel a warm breeze on the back of their neck in summer, but they do feel a cold draft all winter so that’s when they end up replacing them". But, like I said, windows aren’t the priority, I’m just curious as to if my ‘thousand dollars per’ WAG was anywhere close to correct.

My ice dam is/was very minor but I know exactly what it was from. It’s from my bathroom fan vent. The warm air melts the snow on the roof and caused the dam. I noticed it when I saw water running down the inside wall of my basement. I assumed snow was packed up against the outside wall but when I checked I didn’t see any, but I did see a few drops of water coming out from behind the siding. Doing some looking around, I could see very minor evidence of water coming in near the roof vent, running along the underside of the roof to the soffit, going behind the siding and coming back in at the sill. When I checked the sill it was a bit soft, indicating that it had probably been happening for a while but that was the first time it happened enough that the water dripped down.

Needs to be taken care of, just not right this second.

9

reroute the vent fan out a side wall if you can. or mount a new vent fan in a sidewall.

this is also a big heat loss having in vent vertically.

10

I had 4 windows replaced this past summer with single-hung vinyl low-e windows and the cost including installation was about $2600. They were all different sizes. I’m planning to get the 4 bedroom ones replaced this summer.

11

Check for rebates and credits for installing Energy Star windows. I don’t think there’s a federal tax credit, but there might be a state tax credit or something offered by your local utility company.

12

I absolutely agree with having a licensed contractor do the work. And check license info*, BBB, references, etc.

Anecdote: Someone I know spent thousands having floor-to-ceiling two-story picture windows replaced on a 20-year-old home several years ago. The company that installed them did a really shitty job, the windows slowly leaked for several years, and the upshot was she was looking at a $10-15,000 job to replace the framing, drywall, windows, paint, because this whole two-story window wall had become rotten and unstable.

That said, I bought the replacement windows myself when I had them done three years ago, and paid roughly $200 per window for the labor with a licensed contractor. I think I saved money by buying them myself at Menards (I was initially going to have a neighbor do it, but he got sick and couldn’t) but it worked out just fine and I had a legally-enforceable one-year-warranty, which I wouldn’t have gotten from my handyman neighbor.

*In most states I believe you can get this information on your state dot gov licensing page.

13

Another advantage of a contractor is that if they find someone wrong that’s not in the original job, they can fix it. When replacing the siding, they discovered rotten wood under the door, so we were able to put in a nice new door at the same time (for additional payment, of course, but it wasn’t a scam; we figured we’d have to replace the door anyway and it’s better to do it at once).

14

Agreed. Every manufacturer sizes their windows differently, and you want to make sure your new ones will fit in in each existing RO (rough opening). The cost is also going to depend on how much finish work there is. Do you have elaborate or unusual casing on the windows that will need to be matched? What about exterior siding repair? Try to avoid siding repair if at all possible, because you’ll never be able to just touch up the area around the windows with paint and not have it show. Inside, too. You may end up painting the entire wall that the window is in.

The windows themselves can easily vary by 2x in cost. Inexpensive Milgard windows to expensive Marvin or Pella windows. And don’t listen to your friends. Every window manufacturer has some disgruntled customers who will tell you “oh, don’t use such-and-such brand”, but the problem is just as likely to have been on the install side.

15

Having the vent come out a sidewall isn’t possible. It’s a one story house so there’s really no where for the vent to travel. I considered having the roofers move it to the soffit, but I think all that steam would just rot the wood after a while. In a perfect world, if I could afford it, I’d Ice & Water the entire roof, but I don’t know what that costs. Perhaps I can have the Ice & Water not just the overhang, (which is insulated in the attic) but also all the way up to the vent. Also, something I’ve wondered about, because I’m probably not the only person with this problem, is why the roof vents blow the steam right on the roof. Why not raise them up a foot or two, that seems like it would make more sense. While we’re talking about the roof vents, it should be noted that all the vents (roof and attic) were done terribly. Just stapled in and they’re all lifting. The fact that none of them have ever leaked amazes me every time I’m up there. I want to step on them and push them back down, but I figure it’s better to leave well enough alone. Also, the vent is about, oh, 10 feet from where the fan is (and maybe 5 feet from the other bathroom fan) so vent ducting does sit horizontal for quite a ways. I don’t recall if it’s insulated though.

I’ll look into that.

My plan, doing zero research is to go with Pella or Marvin. I don’t want to use some no-name brand* that’s going to be junk and need to be replaced in a few years*. As for repair, it shouldn’t be a difficult process. The house is framed with 2x6’s or 2x8’s and the the windows are set into the recess. On top of that, all those recess are painted white. So assuming drywall work needs to be done, they won’t need to do any color matching, just any old white paint will be fine. I’m not trekking outside right now, but I have aluminum siding and I think the windows are just ‘framed’ with J-channel. Again, should be no big deal to work with, even if they need to pull some of it back for water/weather proofing.

*My current windows are by WeatherShield (made in WI, so probably not a well known brand). Looking at their website, they appear to (actually) be middle of the line windows (for that manf). They are Vision2000’s and the Vision line goes from 1000 to 3000. Of course, they no longer have a 2000, maybe it was discontinued because they leak so bad, maybe the construction guys weren’t good at what they did and racked them when they put them in…maybe they’re just shitty windows, who knows. Either way, I’d rather just put in good windows and be done with it. Ya know, if I had a million dollars (I have a lot of things on my ‘if I had a million dollars’ list).

16

Doors and windows are typically installed from the outside, nailing/screwing through the flange.
It there is exterior trim, just removing it will (usually) expose the nailing flange. If the siding runs all the to the window, the siding will need to be somehow removed for access to the flange.
Al siding will kink.
The flange is usually 1 1/2 - 2" wide - that is the work area.

This little hiccup will make a world of difference in the installed price - removing trim is easy; working around metal siding may not be.

17

We used these guys about 8 or 9 years ago.
They did all the regular windows, replaced the picture window with a bow window, and put in a custom made patio door.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember the cost.

They did all the installs from the outside. The only thing I had to do was stain the new trim around the bow window and patio door.

18

OK, you’re going to be paying about $800 - $1,000 for a “typical” window, and more if there are grids. One thing the contractor will know is to order jamb extensions since standard windows assume a 4 9/16" jamb. But it would be pretty unusual to frame walls with 2x8s unless you were looking to get R30 insulation in the walls or something. Maybe things are different in WI.

Are you married? Are you sure your wife is OK with “any old white paint”? :slight_smile:

19

Nope, living the single life here, but all I meant by that is that entire rooms/walls won’t have to be painted to make this match since that area is a totally different color than the rest of the room. Be it White or Off White or Bone White or Super White or whatever, a gallon of paint will probably be enough for the entire project. Much better than hoping I have enough paint left over from the rooms that I’ve painted since I’ve moved in to the house and having to repaint the rooms that were painted before I moved in.