You all know that I just bought my first house last year. I need to replace all of the windows in the house (they're all original from 1936) and get new siding.
Right now, I'm soliciting quotes and estimates for just windows, just siding, and both at once from several different companies. If I can only afford one, it'll be the windows, as I'm pretty sure I'm losing a lot of money in heating/air conditioning. But I still want an idea of what the siding would be down the road.
I've asked friends for recommendations, I've looked through r/HomeImprovement for their recommendations. But this is a first for me - and a huge expenditure. I'm understandably nervous and I guess want to know what to expect to the best of my ability.
What I'm wondering is if there is anything that I need to be aware of or know that I'm not going to have any idea on until it goes left? Like, when you've done something like this, what do you wish you'd have known?
No, I don't have any experience to offer unfortunately.
I'm going to be in the same boat - my widows are ancient.
I replaced the windows in the front of the house, as these were original 1930s leaded glass, very decorative but in really bad state of repair. The contractor we hired took the windows, fixed them up, and sandwiched them between a couple of panes of glass - so they look the same as original but much better insulated.
They did a great job, but that is probably down to luck in choosing the right contractor - I don't really have any secrets or tips. We asked for quotes from a few places, chose one that was not the lowest but where the folks seemed decent.
Dealing with contractors always makes me nervous, I have no clue how to rate them.
Likely be a big difference in cost between getting decent wood replacements and plastic ones.
I've always just used my dad or people he knows. Personnel recs tend to ensure you get someone with a clue and not a cowboy. None of your local friends have any ideas?
Quote from: Tyr on February 18, 2022, 12:07:58 PM
Likely be a big difference in cost between getting decent wood replacements and plastic ones.
I've always just used my dad or people he knows. Personnel recs tend to ensure you get someone with a clue and not a cowboy. None of your local friends have any ideas?
The three places that I've asked for recommendations from so far were all recommended by friends. But there's a lot that goes into this - and it's not cheap. I don't want to go in blind. My parents had their windows replaced after I went to college, and my dad's whole family is filled with construction workers and carpenters. So the only real experience I have is from 100 miles away with family doing the work.
Quote from: merithyn on February 18, 2022, 12:27:56 PM
The three places that I've asked for recommendations from so far were all recommended by friends. But there's a lot that goes into this - and it's not cheap. I don't want to go in blind. My parents had their windows replaced after I went to college, and my dad's whole family is filled with construction workers and carpenters. So the only real experience I have is from 100 miles away with family doing the work.
... might those folks bot be able to offer some insight into what to look out for and questions to ask?
Quote from: Jacob on February 18, 2022, 12:29:21 PM
Quote from: merithyn on February 18, 2022, 12:27:56 PM
The three places that I've asked for recommendations from so far were all recommended by friends. But there's a lot that goes into this - and it's not cheap. I don't want to go in blind. My parents had their windows replaced after I went to college, and my dad's whole family is filled with construction workers and carpenters. So the only real experience I have is from 100 miles away with family doing the work.
... might those folks bot be able to offer some insight into what to look out for and questions to ask?
They've since passed, unfortunately. :( My people are not long-lived.
Quote from: merithyn on February 18, 2022, 12:32:45 PM
They've since passed, unfortunately. :( My people are not long-lived.
:console:
CB and I just got new windows. I should have asked up front who pulls the permits and sets up inspection (as it turns out they did, but it's something I should have asked.) Also I should have asked how much damage they were going to do to the house. (We have a stucco house, so you're in a different situation, but we had to get a handyman out to do mudding and repair the framing wire.) Everything else went great.
Windows :
Expect salesmen to lie.
Expect installers to take advantage of your lack of knowledge by trying to cut corners and cut cleaning.
Siding :
Why replace it? Old sidings last forever. Painting it might make for a great results & keep the charm of your house.
Quote from: Grey Fox on February 18, 2022, 01:52:49 PM
Windows :
Expect salesmen to lie.
Expect installers to take advantage of your lack of knowledge by trying to cut corners and cut cleaning.
Already anticipated. Already have mitigation plans in place. :)
Quote
Siding :
Why replace it? Old sidings last forever. Painting it might make for a great results & keep the charm of your house.
Cheap siding was installed probably 10-15 years ago, and it shows. Additionally, I'm going to close in my back porch, and that will need to be resided when I'm done with that. I figured I might as well replace the crappy siding when I redo the back porch.
I had my windows replaced when I moved into this place 19 years ago, and it was very successful. I didn't go with the wood because I didn't want the maintenance hassle, but your results may vary and material might be better now.
Make sure you know who is going to fulfill the warrantee on the windows, because some will fail during the warrantee period and you don't want to discover that the warrantee company went out of business.
About 20 years ago I replaced the windows in my house. The new ones have thermo-pane )pretty sure that's the term) which has a kind of gas barrier between the panes so heat and cold don't come through. I assume all replacement windows would have the same.
The frames are some kind of hard plastic and don't require any maintenance. I can also fold down the windows, top and bottom, for easy cleaning from inside the house. That's a nice feature and again I assume most replacement windows have similar.
After months of hearing my bathtub faucet leaking - and being told it wasn't fixable without tearing the whole thing out - my bestie and I fixed the leak. I will point out that this was the same faucet that my ex shot down every suggestion I had for fixing it.
Two trips to the hardware store - is it ever just one? - and $38 has fixed the problem.
Next, I flush my hot water heaters!
Quote from: merithyn on February 19, 2022, 05:20:20 PM
Two trips to the hardware store - is it ever just one? - and $38 has fixed the problem.
Duct tape has become expensive!
Quote from: merithyn on February 19, 2022, 05:20:20 PM
After months of hearing my bathtub faucet leaking - and being told it wasn't fixable without tearing the whole thing out - my bestie and I fixed the leak. I will point out that this was the same faucet that my ex shot down every suggestion I had for fixing it.
Two trips to the hardware store - is it ever just one? - and $38 has fixed the problem.
Next, I flush my hot water heaters!
Good job. In my experience other people that don't want to fix a plumbing problem become belligerent about it.
When I was a kid my dad made support a leaky faucet for years. He never actually fixed it, he sold the house. Leaky faucets are trivially easy to fix.
Agreed, it's easy to fix a leaky faucet or even to put in a new faucet. Usually anyways. I did have a bathroom faucet that I'd changed washers in many times before, but as it aged I had a really hard time trying to get it apart. I wanted to replace it anyway with a different type so did that instead.
We got new windows this past Autumn. One cracked immediately and we are still waiting for replacements. A friend is looking to get new ones and he'sbeing told it'll be August because of how screwed up everything is.
We got a new furnace and new central air this past year (expensive year) along with a new back door.
Also unfortunately, a new water heater and new basement floor after a flood.
I can say that the new furnace/AC/window combo didn't impact much. Its still too hot in Summer and still chilly in Winter.
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on February 19, 2022, 08:54:12 PM
We got new windows this past Autumn. One cracked immediately and we are still waiting for replacements. A friend is looking to get new ones and he'sbeing told it'll be August because of how screwed up everything is.
We got a new furnace and new central air this past year (expensive year) along with a new back door.
Also unfortunately, a new water heater and new basement floor after a flood.
I can say that the new furnace/AC/window combo didn't impact much. Its still too hot in Summer and still chilly in Winter.
Some expensive repairs there for sure!
I just had my water heater replaced. It was ten and a half years old and seemed to be working fine, but it's a ten year rated unit so I decided to replace it before any problems showed up. Would want to do it within a year or so anyways, I figured.
Quote from: merithyn on February 18, 2022, 11:45:00 AM
You all know that I just bought my first house last year. I need to replace all of the windows in the house (they're all original from 1936) and get new siding.
Right now, I'm soliciting quotes and estimates for just windows, just siding, and both at once from several different companies. If I can only afford one, it'll be the windows, as I'm pretty sure I'm losing a lot of money in heating/air conditioning. But I still want an idea of what the siding would be down the road.
I've asked friends for recommendations, I've looked through r/HomeImprovement for their recommendations. But this is a first for me - and a huge expenditure. I'm understandably nervous and I guess want to know what to expect to the best of my ability.
What I'm wondering is if there is anything that I need to be aware of or know that I'm not going to have any idea on until it goes left? Like, when you've done something like this, what do you wish you'd have known?
Go for the windows this year, the sidings next.
If your house is very old and insulation has never been redone, going triple glass won't be useful since you will lose heat from the walls and roof, which have a bigger surface than the windows. Double glass would be enough and not as costly, and... I just can't remember which state you're living now. :blush: Anyway, insulation is good against heat & cold as well.
However, if you plan to do further homework in the coming years and upgrading your insulation through walls and roof, going triple glass now would be the sensible choice, obviously.
No brand to recommend as they differ in your area from mine.
This is exhausting. I've spent tons of time combing through the BBB, reading reviews (canceled one appointment for a quote after reading the company BBB reviews), and trying to find at least three companies to come out.
First one came today. At $1400/window and with 24 windows in the house, that was a big uffda. I got a quote for just doing the downstairs this year. (I'll plastic the upstairs windows next winter.) And I'll do the other 12 next year. So, for 12 windows with all and sundry, it's $18,000. Still high, but definitely more manageable.
Next person comes on Wednesday, and I'm still waiting on the third company to get back with me. We shall see...
Quote from: KRonn on February 19, 2022, 09:25:37 PM
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on February 19, 2022, 08:54:12 PM
We got new windows this past Autumn. One cracked immediately and we are still waiting for replacements. A friend is looking to get new ones and he'sbeing told it'll be August because of how screwed up everything is.
We got a new furnace and new central air this past year (expensive year) along with a new back door.
Also unfortunately, a new water heater and new basement floor after a flood.
I can say that the new furnace/AC/window combo didn't impact much. Its still too hot in Summer and still chilly in Winter.
Some expensive repairs there for sure!
I just had my water heater replaced. It was ten and a half years old and seemed to be working fine, but it's a ten year rated unit so I decided to replace it before any problems showed up. Would want to do it within a year or so anyways, I figured.
Our water heater was 6 years old and had 4 left in the warranty. POS.
Quote from: merithyn on February 19, 2022, 05:20:20 PM
I will point out that this was the same faucet that my ex shot down every suggestion I had for fixing it.
Why did he do that?
Also, I've fixed/replaced leaky faucets before and it's not hard. I suck at plumbing, too (I'm decent at electrical work, but hate/fear plumbing).
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on February 21, 2022, 05:21:55 PM
Quote from: KRonn on February 19, 2022, 09:25:37 PM
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on February 19, 2022, 08:54:12 PM
We got new windows this past Autumn. One cracked immediately and we are still waiting for replacements. A friend is looking to get new ones and he'sbeing told it'll be August because of how screwed up everything is.
We got a new furnace and new central air this past year (expensive year) along with a new back door.
Also unfortunately, a new water heater and new basement floor after a flood.
I can say that the new furnace/AC/window combo didn't impact much. Its still too hot in Summer and still chilly in Winter.
Some expensive repairs there for sure!
I just had my water heater replaced. It was ten and a half years old and seemed to be working fine, but it's a ten year rated unit so I decided to replace it before any problems showed up. Would want to do it within a year or so anyways, I figured.
Our water heater was 6 years old and had 4 left in the warranty. POS.
That sucks. The things should last longer than 6 years. Did you get any reimbursement on a replacement?
And it's such a hassle to clean up lots of water in the basement. We got a severe rainstorm a couple years back which gave water in my cellar. It was only over about one section but a hassle to wipe up. I threw out the old thicker cloth rugs because they sop up too much water. I replaced some with rubberized rugs, and others with thinner cloth rugs which will absorb some water to prevent spreading but will be easier to dry out.
This storm was so severe that many homes and businesses were flooded, including the hospital which was so badly damaged that it'll be torn down and rebuilt.
Quote from: KRonn on February 25, 2022, 09:30:22 PM
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on February 21, 2022, 05:21:55 PM
Quote from: KRonn on February 19, 2022, 09:25:37 PM
Quote from: Darth Wagtaros on February 19, 2022, 08:54:12 PM
We got new windows this past Autumn. One cracked immediately and we are still waiting for replacements. A friend is looking to get new ones and he'sbeing told it'll be August because of how screwed up everything is.
We got a new furnace and new central air this past year (expensive year) along with a new back door.
Also unfortunately, a new water heater and new basement floor after a flood.
I can say that the new furnace/AC/window combo didn't impact much. Its still too hot in Summer and still chilly in Winter.
Some expensive repairs there for sure!
I just had my water heater replaced. It was ten and a half years old and seemed to be working fine, but it's a ten year rated unit so I decided to replace it before any problems showed up. Would want to do it within a year or so anyways, I figured.
Our water heater was 6 years old and had 4 left in the warranty. POS.
That sucks. The things should last longer than 6 years. Did you get any reimbursement on a replacement?
And it's such a hassle to clean up lots of water in the basement. We got a severe rainstorm a couple years back which gave water in my cellar. It was only over about one section but a hassle to wipe up. I threw out the old thicker cloth rugs because they sop up too much water. I replaced some with rubberized rugs, and others with thinner cloth rugs which will absorb some water to prevent spreading but will be easier to dry out.
This storm was so severe that many homes and businesses were flooded, including the hospital which was so badly damaged that it'll be torn down and rebuilt.
The replacement was free, but not the labor.
Right, good that at least the warranty got you a new free one.