What is your rough estimate of the cost of replacing the windows on an entire house all at once?
Assume a larger house something like a 2800 sq ft house.
It’s really going to be driven by the number and kind of windows in your house. Count them up and then do the math. If you just want a WAG here we go…
Assume 10 big windows per floor, 2 floors for your house and then assume $750 each to replace and you’ll be looking at $7500 to do the house. Seems low to me given kitchen windows and bay windows will cost more, double pane and wood vs. plastic frames change the base price etc. etc.
Also the type of construction will matter a lot. Stucco is a pain to cut out and patch, as an example I am familiar with. Also have to consider if there is leakage, mold or rot insect damage around the old windows, which would need to be addressed as part of the replacement.
It also depends on if you are replacing the entire window including trim and what not or just replacing the window (basically a window insert).
I just had 9 of mine replaced, of various sizes, with the inserts and it came to about $7,000. I replaced 4 with single hung, low-e windows and the other 5 with sliding, low-e windows.
It can be all over the place, depending on what you do.
You can go the cheap “replacement” windows approach, where they come in and do the whole thing in a day or two with vinyl windows.
If you don’t go that route, it’s going to depend on what quality of windows you get. Figure for a typical 5040 double casement window to be anywhere from $250 - $1,000 but then you have to figure installation-- install windows, trim and repair sheetrock and siding, then paint.
My cousin just got all the windows in his just purchased 3 bedroom, 1800 square foot one story ranch replaced for $2500. They look good but are cheaply made vinyl but he plans on selling the house within a year so he didn’t care. I have a similar house that I plan on staying in for 20 years, I spent about $10,000 on mine.
I just spent $25K on 8 smallish windows, two three-panel sliding glass doors, and two front doors. All double-pane insulated w UV & IR blocking. And the real kicker: hurricane proof. At least for moderate definitions of “hurricane” and “proof”.
As said above, the OP needs to narrow his field a bit by giving us some actual facts to go on.
Thanks…this is very helpful. I appreciate your time.
From what I’ve seen, the ultra-high-end brands compared to other good quality brands seem to be about 10-20% better and cost about twice as much. I call it the “Mercedes effect” when that happens with cars.
Estimates are free. Call three different companies and have them all come out and give you an estimate. Make sure they know they’re not the only one coming out. They should also have samples with them so you can decide on the quality you’re looking for.
Yup … you get what you pay for …
You have to know what you want before you can “call three different companies”. Most window suppliers don’t do installation-- you have to get a contractor to do that. The OP needs to determine which he wants to go, and the call the appropriate people.
It’s funny, last winter my ex stopped over to drop off out daughter and I was in the middle of putting that stupid weather proof saran wrap over a few of the worst windows. They’re vinyl windows, but they’re contractor grade garbage and cold (and technically warm*) air pours in where the sashes meet. Anyways, she said 'why don’t you just put new windows in?"/“Uhh, I don’t have 10K to spend on something that would save me, maybe $10-$15 a month in heating bills.
*I know a window guy and in summer if you mention to him that this is probably his busy season for replacing windows, you’d be wrong, it’s the dead of winter. As he says 'no one notices a warm breeze on the back of their neck at 9pm while they’re watching TV but they do notice a cold draft and after a few weeks they get fed up with it and get the windows replaced”.
Of course, I think there’s more to it than that. I only notice my vertical blinds moving around in winter, (barring winding days) they don’t move in summer.
Maybe it’s a regional thing. Last time we did window replacements at my workplace, the three places I called did both the inventory and installation. The quotes were inclusive. Residential-style building/windows, these weren’t commercial quotes.
2800 sqft home with 32 windows, iirc $30K for good casement windows, roof, gutters, and two exterior double doors. Stucco home but that wasn’t an issue; you don’t usually cut the walls for replacement. Most of the windows done in one day (all but trim & sealant.) Roof was steep so more expensive than usual, and I don’t recall the breakdown.
That was about 2005. It’d be higher today.
I’m currently replacing all the windows in my house. It’s stucco, and I’m completely reframing every window. The windows are midrange vinyl double glazed UV protected, with an assortment of casement, double hung, and picture windows. My contractor says a good rule of thumb is
$1000 per window.
$1000 per window is probably a good napkin estimate. There is huge variation in quality of window and installation. There are several window suppliers in town I would never ever buy from and lots of installations I see that are sub par.
I have retrofitted many windows and doors in stucco homes, including 5 in my own house this summer. Typically the stucco is brought right up to the finish frame, sealing over the windows nailing fin, a full replacement necessitates cutting the stucco from over that nailing fin. If the windows have large wood battens you can probably get away without stucco cutting/repair. You can get windows with ‘renovation brickmould’ that is a little bigger and covers the hole from cutting out the old nailing fin. I often will also install new larger battens to cover cut stucco as it is near impossible to fit the new window exactly the same in the old opening.
An issue with retro fitting windows in any home; stucco, siding or whatever finish, is effectively tying into the old house wrap. It is nearly impossible not to damage house wrap when cutting / removing stucco or siding and trim. Work arounds with caulking and peel & stick are usually used but it is very hard to guarantee a prefect seal. This and most of the labour can be avoided by using inserts, but with inserts you have to be confident the old seal is in good condition. You often do no know if it is bad until you remove the window a find a rotten sill in the rough opening.
In 2005, my two-story, 1600 sqft house was done for $6500. 8 windows and a sliding glass door. Double-paned vinyl with the low-energy coating. 50-year warranty that can pass through to a second owner.
Anyway, you really do need a quote. Prices vary quite a bit - even seasonally, since window installers tend to be in higher demand at this time of the year than in the spring or summer. In my area, most people contact the contractor first and then get recommendations on the types of windows they work with.
One caution: sometimes the installers find damage that might take additional work. In my case, one of the old windows was allowing water in between the window frame and the wood studs framing it. A couple of boards needed to be replaced, which was easy and cheap, but clearly it could have been a whole lot worse if it had another 10 years to slowly leak.
Nothing to add re: price. Good windows are expensive. Just want to suggest the value of going with an established brand/installer.
In our last house we went with all vinyl no-names. Decent windows, but when some issues developed down the line w/ the mechanisms, we found the manufacturer had been bought out and the installer was out of business. Were eventually able to get parts, but was more of a hassle than we anticipated. So the guarantee is only good if you know how is honoring it.
This past time we did our entire house with Marvin, installed by a well-established local window and door store which was an authorized seller/installer of Marvin. There are so many things that can crop up with installing windows and doors, our preference was to not have some glorified handyman sawing holes in our house.
You can drive yourself crazy trying to find reviews. Someone will hate/love each and every brand imaginable. And a couple of the big names did have major issues with some of their lines a while back.
Final thing - consider resale. To a potential buyer, it might mean something to hear the windows are all Pella/Anderson/Marvin/etc., as opposed to noname brand which you might believe is just as good.
This too.
A couple houses ago I lived in a tract McMansion on a hillside. As did all my neighbors. We all had the same brand of windows installed all across the mostly-glass back of the house; three stories worth. These were huge but cheaply made houses where the developer had only spent money on the surface trim. IOW, they were chrome-plated crap. Not that anybody had realized that when they bought.
Many of these windows had a latent defect that first rotted out the sash, then the frame, then let water run down inside the exterior wall. One of my neighbors spent over $100K replacing essentially the entire back wall of a three story tall 100 foot wide house. All new framing, sistered every joist, new floor & ceiling ends, etc. Major surgery. Then came all the new windows of a better brand. plus new siding, new flooring, paint, wallpaper, etc. It’s amazing how much stuff is fouled up when just the last 6" of a house rots off.
Unfortunately the window manufacturer had already gone bankrupt from the other tens of thousands of houses they’d wrecked, so his homeowner’s insurance ate most of the cost. He was still out of pocket some serious dough though. It didn’t do his next years’ HO premiums any favors either.
Bottom line: Any time you peel back the cosmetic skin of a house, expect to find at least a couple adverse surprises. Spelled somewhere between $ and $$$$$.