Choosing The Right Company To Do Window Replacement At Your Home

You’ve been putting it off for ages and now you’ve decided that those old windows that let in wind, rain and snow as well as the light, have got to go. But how do you find the right company to fit your needs? Is it as easy as looking up a local contractor in your online Yellow Pages for window replacement? Or is there more to it than meets the eye?

Local Store Options

Start by making a trip to your local home improvement stores to learn more about the various options for window replacement before bringing a parade of contractors to your home. The more you know about terms like “Low-E glass” and the different styles of windows (and the pricing options), the better prepared you will be. Remember it’s always easier to walk away from a store if you feel like you’re being pressured into buying than it is to get a determined contractor out your front door.

While these stores all offer “cash and carry” options for the DIY homeowner, recognize that not all home repairs are equal. Unless it’s an area where you have a lot of experience window replacement can be a very tricky job. If you can’t do the job yourself and don’t yet have a contractor in mind, you can always make an appointment for the store’s team to properly measure your windows and to give you an accurate installation fee.

The advantage of this is you know what the cost of the window replacement up-front, and you can easily figure out the basic cost of the windows themselves – the rest, of course, is the cost of installation. You’re under no obligation to go with their estimate, but keep in mind that the large chain stores do offer you distinct advantages that a small contractor may not: Their company’s name and reputation is based on the products they sell and the contractors they hire, so they will stand behind a job that’s done. If there is an issue, you can try to resolve it first at the store level and then go beyond if you have a problem that your local store manager can’t or won’t resolve.

If you are going to use an independent contractor for your window replacement, learn about the products they sell. Many are aligned with one specific type of window over another. Learn about the products, their prices and their warranties. As well, compare the “name-brand” windows sold through those contractors to the “store-brand” versions sold in home renovation stores. Don’t just compare for price – compare for energy rating and company warranty to ensure your decision isn’t based on price alone.

Choosing The Best Contractor

When choosing a local contractor for your window placement, ask family and friends for referrals. Word of mouth really can be the best form of advertising.

Be wary of the guys “doing work in your neighbourhood.” They may be completely legitimate start-ups with little money for fancy promotional materials, which will do a bang-up job doing window replacement and stand by their work. But they may also be working in town for a short time and impossible to track down if something goes wrong. Be equally wary of companies that use high-pressure sales tactics to get you to sign a contract and hand over a deposit then and there. The price they offer on one day should be honoured when you’re ready to sign with them when you’re ready to have your window replacement project begin.

When narrowing down your choices for window replacement, ask to contact recent clients of each company. If one can’t or won’t supply names, remove them from your list. Follow up by calling your community Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau to make sure they’re in good standing. Not everyone is good at window replacement so do your research to make sure you find the one that best first your needs.

Finally, keep in mind the old phrase – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.