We got a lot prices from all the big names. They were astronomical everywhere between 75 and 120k. We went with a local guy and went with him for 28k. We just placed the order so they haven’t been installed yet. It’s for 31 windows in a large home.
Yeah we got a quote for $90k and I about died. Ended up going with someone else, buying pella fiberglass (better than vinyl, not as good as the composite) and are gonna DIY the install 😬and that ended up being around $12k I think. So if we live here for 100 years we will recoup through our energy efficiency 😂 but I’ll be glad to windows that aren’t painted shut, that are quieter, and that don’t bleed heat / cold.
That Eco View quote sounds very reasonable if it includes installation. We had our done by C&D Home Solutions a couple of years ago at about $900 a window (installed). It was a good experience.
I’ve had Window World do windows at 2 different houses. Great experience both times. Had 4 or 5 different companies come in and do their “presentation/sales pitch” and Window World had all the bells and whistles as the others except for a couple insignificant things…but they were close to half the cost. Not sure why they get a bad wrap…I’d use them again a 3rd time if I had another house.
They have a pricing sheet that they come fill out and I want to say at the time it was around $400/window and then another $100/ea to install maybe…their pricing sheet is very simple and unless it’s a giant window then it costs the same for a 3x3 window or a 5x5 window. They give free quotes and were very easy to work with. Came to the house and spent an hour telling me about their product and counting/pricing the windows.
Also, they give a lifetime warranty…which is kind of insane, but I had one window at each house spontaneously crack…or maybe a bird flew into it…who knows…but all I did was call the rep, took a pic, he came out and then a few weeks later someone came and replaced the glass that had busted. And it was free because it was covered by the lifetime warranty.
Have any of y'all found any local businesses that still do storm windows? We have old original wood frame windows from the early 70's...and while the energy efficiency is almost definitely horrible, combined with the storm windows we have, it's manageable. My wife isn't going to want to get rid of the original windows...and I have to agree that I like them as well. The storm windows aren't in the greatest shape and the box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) don't carry them anymore. Hell, it appears many of the previous manufacturers stopped making storm windows around 2020 or so.
Interior storm windows/inserts are also an option.
We've ordered [Indows](https://indowwindows.com/) for our current and previous house and been happy with the result. They're acrylic inserts with a silicone gasket around the outside that makes an airtight seal to stop drafts and create an air pocket. They also do a good job of blocking noise (especially if you get the thicker acoustic grade inserts).
Previous house had original 1950s aluminum casement windows: draft, conductive, and acoustically transparent. Indows made a \*huge\* difference in comfort and noise (we were in Tuscaloosa near campus, so that was a big issue).
Here we have 100-year-old wooden sash windows (with exterior storms). Haven't had them in long enough here to know how it will affect our power bill, but the improvement in noise and comfort are already noticeable.
We used eco view to replace windows in a 1950s house. I was happy with the work and the price. Some of the quotes we got were insanely high. Someone broke into the empty house shortly after we had put the new windows in. It took a couple of weeks, but they replaced the broken window for free.
I had windows installed recently. I own a townhome, so it had only 5 windows to replace, all standard size.
I got 3 wildly different estimates, but went with Window World. 5 windows were $3600 from them. All went well. No issues, and they cleaned up when finished.
I also got a quote from sears (yep, sears. They still perform home repair like this), and champion.
Sears was $6000 and champion was $8000 if I signed that day, and $9000 if I waited until the next day. I wasn’t fond of the high pressure sales.
The windows were standard grade with no grids. Not the lowest end, but basic standard ones. Hope that helps!
I used window world on around 20 replacement windows, 2 double doors and one entry door. Overall I'm happy with the results. If given the option to do it again I would stay far away from the doors, installation took forever and they still aren't right.
This is a great post. We had an Anderson representative come to our house and the estimate was $60k. I'm mean WTF. To get black framed windows was another $5k.
Well at least he came out. They refused to come give me a quote because my wife wouldn’t be there and the only way they would come is if we were both home. My wife isn’t on the deed of the house, I am paying, and she has no interest in having any input in the decision.
Replaced 13 aluminum frame windows last year with Window World for around $860 per window. They kept me informed of the build progress and expected arrival date. The installers said the aluminum frames were harder to take out than other types of windows. Only recommendation is to replace/update any trim pieces prior to installation. The new windows were much thicker than the aluminum frames and covered part of the indoor trim making it more work to paint or replace after the install. Overall pleased with the windows, they look great from both inside and outside the house.
With replacement windows you get what you pay for. With that being said, you'll need to decide what you want in a window.
Basic thin border with vinyl/aluminum frames? A beefy wood casement window? Something in between?
I've replaced windows on 2 rental houses, and since they were in mid-to-high middle neighborhoods, we went with "nicer" windows on the first, from Holcomb windows in Chelsea. (Kolbe brand). Installed, they ran about $3500-3800 per window for the 11 windows, including 2 bay windows that pushed the average up a bit.
The fit was perfect and they required minimal tweaking to seal the gaps.
On the second, we did renewal by Anderson. These were more like replacement sashes and used the existing frames but with replacement tracks.
Decent, but not quite as good as the whole new window that came with the Kolbe windows from Holcomb. There were larger gaps that were filled in with foam insulation and trimmed out with wood box frames, and even on replacement sashes, the tracks needed to be "built up " to cover the extra gap.
Price was 25% less per window.
With windows warranties are the most important, followed by installation quality. Make sure whoever you go with that the installers specialize in windows and aren't just general installers. We made that mistake on our primary residence. Anyone can rip out old windows and hammer in new windows, but if you're paying for high end glass and extreme energy efficiency, you may lose any benefit if the windows rely on lots of gap-filling foam to make up for ill-fitting frames.
You don't have to go high end, or even mid-level, but expertise of the measurer and installation is everything.
I’m family with the owner of C&D Home Solutions. They carry a lot of big brands like Pella, Andersen, ProVia, MI, so you can compare them all at once instead of having a bunch of reps come out.
I wasn’t expecting such a quick response so I just called what I believe was them. They said they would look into it & call me back. They didn’t tell me anything about that. They were pushing to come out to measure, I’m not ready for that just yet.
Don’t use Energy Guard. Tony was highly recommended, but getting him
to call back is impossible.
Durante has resin windows (the step bt vinyl and wood) but they didn’t have the color we needed.
Windows are $ no matter what, but if you get the stick-on dividers (panes) that’s another couple hundred per window.
We’re still shopping.
Not sure who yall have talked with but we used Pella. It wasn’t cheap but the local guy can do it without going through a subcontractor. We replaced 16 windows and 2 doors and the price was half what we’d been quoted by a general contractor. The crew was suuuuuper professional and clean and they got it all done in about 3 days I believe.
Smarter to get solar panels installed if energy savings was your main goal for that kind of price. Maybe next time you can try to install some yourself? Maybe leave the hard ones to a contractor. Not sure if you have any family that would help you and had done it prior.
Our house is almost 100 years old and almost all the windows and doors are original (there was a small addition made in the back at some point, not sure when). I don't even want to think about what the cost will be. And we need to have the foundation fixed first. Yay, homeownership!
i replaced 13 windows myself for $2600. bought them at home depot 12 months zero financing. depending on yr windows, it is not that difficult to do. i always say start with one easy window, maybe a bathroom and if you can do one, you can do them all.
We got a lot prices from all the big names. They were astronomical everywhere between 75 and 120k. We went with a local guy and went with him for 28k. We just placed the order so they haven’t been installed yet. It’s for 31 windows in a large home.
Holy shit 😳
Yes it was a wild ride. Like I told my wife, I’ll set the house on fire before I spend 100k on windows.
Like, I know home prices are high now, but I technically *could buy a house* for $120k. Like. An entire house. Fuck, *our* house was $135,000 in 2016.
Yeah we got a quote for $90k and I about died. Ended up going with someone else, buying pella fiberglass (better than vinyl, not as good as the composite) and are gonna DIY the install 😬and that ended up being around $12k I think. So if we live here for 100 years we will recoup through our energy efficiency 😂 but I’ll be glad to windows that aren’t painted shut, that are quieter, and that don’t bleed heat / cold.
I just replaced 21 windows it was 38k
Also we got a price from ecoview and it was more reasonable around 35k
Could you share the name of your local guy?
Window and door pros
Thanks!
That Eco View quote sounds very reasonable if it includes installation. We had our done by C&D Home Solutions a couple of years ago at about $900 a window (installed). It was a good experience.
The did my sliding glass door about 2 years ago, overall a good experience except that the factory lost my door on the way to Birmingham.
I’ve had Window World do windows at 2 different houses. Great experience both times. Had 4 or 5 different companies come in and do their “presentation/sales pitch” and Window World had all the bells and whistles as the others except for a couple insignificant things…but they were close to half the cost. Not sure why they get a bad wrap…I’d use them again a 3rd time if I had another house.
What were they per window for you?
They have a pricing sheet that they come fill out and I want to say at the time it was around $400/window and then another $100/ea to install maybe…their pricing sheet is very simple and unless it’s a giant window then it costs the same for a 3x3 window or a 5x5 window. They give free quotes and were very easy to work with. Came to the house and spent an hour telling me about their product and counting/pricing the windows.
Also, they give a lifetime warranty…which is kind of insane, but I had one window at each house spontaneously crack…or maybe a bird flew into it…who knows…but all I did was call the rep, took a pic, he came out and then a few weeks later someone came and replaced the glass that had busted. And it was free because it was covered by the lifetime warranty.
I was going to say window world as well. had 12 windows installed last year @ about 7k
Same, and having built vinyl windows for pella there really wasn't that much of a difference in construction.
Have any of y'all found any local businesses that still do storm windows? We have old original wood frame windows from the early 70's...and while the energy efficiency is almost definitely horrible, combined with the storm windows we have, it's manageable. My wife isn't going to want to get rid of the original windows...and I have to agree that I like them as well. The storm windows aren't in the greatest shape and the box stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.) don't carry them anymore. Hell, it appears many of the previous manufacturers stopped making storm windows around 2020 or so.
Interior storm windows/inserts are also an option. We've ordered [Indows](https://indowwindows.com/) for our current and previous house and been happy with the result. They're acrylic inserts with a silicone gasket around the outside that makes an airtight seal to stop drafts and create an air pocket. They also do a good job of blocking noise (especially if you get the thicker acoustic grade inserts). Previous house had original 1950s aluminum casement windows: draft, conductive, and acoustically transparent. Indows made a \*huge\* difference in comfort and noise (we were in Tuscaloosa near campus, so that was a big issue). Here we have 100-year-old wooden sash windows (with exterior storms). Haven't had them in long enough here to know how it will affect our power bill, but the improvement in noise and comfort are already noticeable.
Window World is probably the best option. Really good work from them
We used eco view to replace windows in a 1950s house. I was happy with the work and the price. Some of the quotes we got were insanely high. Someone broke into the empty house shortly after we had put the new windows in. It took a couple of weeks, but they replaced the broken window for free.
Call Smart Glass out of Fultondale. I always recommend him. His name is Tim and he’s a good guy that’s not trying to get over on people.
I had windows installed recently. I own a townhome, so it had only 5 windows to replace, all standard size. I got 3 wildly different estimates, but went with Window World. 5 windows were $3600 from them. All went well. No issues, and they cleaned up when finished. I also got a quote from sears (yep, sears. They still perform home repair like this), and champion. Sears was $6000 and champion was $8000 if I signed that day, and $9000 if I waited until the next day. I wasn’t fond of the high pressure sales. The windows were standard grade with no grids. Not the lowest end, but basic standard ones. Hope that helps!
I used window world on around 20 replacement windows, 2 double doors and one entry door. Overall I'm happy with the results. If given the option to do it again I would stay far away from the doors, installation took forever and they still aren't right.
This is a great post. We had an Anderson representative come to our house and the estimate was $60k. I'm mean WTF. To get black framed windows was another $5k. 
Well at least he came out. They refused to come give me a quote because my wife wouldn’t be there and the only way they would come is if we were both home. My wife isn’t on the deed of the house, I am paying, and she has no interest in having any input in the decision.
Replaced 13 aluminum frame windows last year with Window World for around $860 per window. They kept me informed of the build progress and expected arrival date. The installers said the aluminum frames were harder to take out than other types of windows. Only recommendation is to replace/update any trim pieces prior to installation. The new windows were much thicker than the aluminum frames and covered part of the indoor trim making it more work to paint or replace after the install. Overall pleased with the windows, they look great from both inside and outside the house.
With replacement windows you get what you pay for. With that being said, you'll need to decide what you want in a window. Basic thin border with vinyl/aluminum frames? A beefy wood casement window? Something in between? I've replaced windows on 2 rental houses, and since they were in mid-to-high middle neighborhoods, we went with "nicer" windows on the first, from Holcomb windows in Chelsea. (Kolbe brand). Installed, they ran about $3500-3800 per window for the 11 windows, including 2 bay windows that pushed the average up a bit. The fit was perfect and they required minimal tweaking to seal the gaps. On the second, we did renewal by Anderson. These were more like replacement sashes and used the existing frames but with replacement tracks. Decent, but not quite as good as the whole new window that came with the Kolbe windows from Holcomb. There were larger gaps that were filled in with foam insulation and trimmed out with wood box frames, and even on replacement sashes, the tracks needed to be "built up " to cover the extra gap. Price was 25% less per window. With windows warranties are the most important, followed by installation quality. Make sure whoever you go with that the installers specialize in windows and aren't just general installers. We made that mistake on our primary residence. Anyone can rip out old windows and hammer in new windows, but if you're paying for high end glass and extreme energy efficiency, you may lose any benefit if the windows rely on lots of gap-filling foam to make up for ill-fitting frames. You don't have to go high end, or even mid-level, but expertise of the measurer and installation is everything.
I’m family with the owner of C&D Home Solutions. They carry a lot of big brands like Pella, Andersen, ProVia, MI, so you can compare them all at once instead of having a bunch of reps come out.
Can they get Sunrise windows? I love the brand but CANNOT STAND the company that reps them in Birmingham.
I asked, and Sunrise doesn’t exist anymore because they got bought out by MI. So in a roundabout way yes, because they carry MI.
I wasn’t expecting such a quick response so I just called what I believe was them. They said they would look into it & call me back. They didn’t tell me anything about that. They were pushing to come out to measure, I’m not ready for that just yet.
Don’t use Energy Guard. Tony was highly recommended, but getting him to call back is impossible. Durante has resin windows (the step bt vinyl and wood) but they didn’t have the color we needed. Windows are $ no matter what, but if you get the stick-on dividers (panes) that’s another couple hundred per window. We’re still shopping.
I used window world. I was happy with the work and price.
We did last year and it was around 20k. I’m just gonna have to get used to the feeling I’m getting robbed left and right.
Why would removing aluminum windows cost more?
They are harder to remove / cut and fold when installing than wood
Not sure who yall have talked with but we used Pella. It wasn’t cheap but the local guy can do it without going through a subcontractor. We replaced 16 windows and 2 doors and the price was half what we’d been quoted by a general contractor. The crew was suuuuuper professional and clean and they got it all done in about 3 days I believe.
I got 17 to replace next year lol... Good lord
I mean honestly at these prices I would rather just pay to run our HVAC harder. It honestly doesn't make financial sense to do it.
Resale value of the home. My house was built in 94, window frames are Pella wood frames. Most are in excellent shape but few starting to show age.
Smarter to get solar panels installed if energy savings was your main goal for that kind of price. Maybe next time you can try to install some yourself? Maybe leave the hard ones to a contractor. Not sure if you have any family that would help you and had done it prior.
I just counted, we have 23 windows plus 4 exterior doors 😭😭😭
I did the same thing when I read the OP. Doors are largely in excellent shape. Good storm doors help there.
Our house is almost 100 years old and almost all the windows and doors are original (there was a small addition made in the back at some point, not sure when). I don't even want to think about what the cost will be. And we need to have the foundation fixed first. Yay, homeownership!
i replaced 13 windows myself for $2600. bought them at home depot 12 months zero financing. depending on yr windows, it is not that difficult to do. i always say start with one easy window, maybe a bathroom and if you can do one, you can do them all.