Looking for replacement windows in Bear, New Castle, Newark, or Wilmington Delaware? Then checkout our tips from replacement windows Delaware for buying windows and selecting a window contractor.
Tip #1 – Getting a Window Estimate
- What to look for – Generally speaking, getting a estimate should take around 30 minutes. The person giving you the estimate should be able to walk around your home, take measurements, then sit down with you and show you the options and styles that are available for your home, educate your about the window lines they carry and answer any questions you may have.Personally, I prefer to do business with the owner of the company or someone who has experience installing windows so that they can see any problems that might arise before the job starts.
- What to avoid – Professional sales people who have no experience installing windows and come with long drawn out sales presentations that are 2-3 hour long.These type of sales presentations are professionally scripted, designed by marketers and presented by professional sales people. There is really no need for this, except to get more money out of you through a process of confusion and scare tactics. Remember… the estimate should last approximately 30 minutes.
Tip #2 – Avoiding Pricing Games and Traps
- What to look for – After all measurements are taken and you select the style and options you want, the person giving you the estimate should be able to give you the final estimate right there on the spot.
- What to avoid – Be on the alert for companies who send out professional sales people instead of the owner or an installer. Since they work on commission, they often often use scare tactics, today only deals, high pressure techniques, multiple price drops and calls to the manager when you don’t buy.Getting a window quote should be a painless and a hassle free process that takes around 30 minutes or so.
Tip #3 – Installing windows in the winter or summer
- Some people avoid having their windows installed during the coldest months of the winter or hottest months of the summer. However, there is no problem with installing during these times. The installer will normally close the door or isolate the area off with plastic, and remove and install one window at a time, preventing the extreme cold or heat from entering the rest of the house.The sooner you have new windows installed, the sooner you can enjoy more comfort and energy savings, no matter what the time of year.
- What to avoid – Obviously you don’t want your windows installed during a storm and you don’t want your installer to remove multiple windows at one time leaving huge holes in your wall for hours or more.
Tip #4 – Air infiltration, the hidden factor few people talk about.
- All windows are not equal. Sure they may have insulated glass, double or triple panes, low-e or other fancy options.However, all things being equal, air infiltration is the one factor that will determine how good your windows really are.The air infiltration factor determines how much outside air will slip through the windows and many windows manufactures will not even give you this information.Fact is… many replacement windows leak way to much air and this is like having a BIG HOLE in your wall.One factor that determines how much air your replacement windows will leak is: the amount and type of weather stripping used on the window, a good window will have triple weather stripping.Many of the mass market outlets or low ball contractors sell windows that don’t have enough or the right kind of weather stripping to stop the outside air from blowing right into your home. And the next problem is the installer…
Tip #5 – The Installers and what a Professional Window Installation should look like.
- Many installers, even thought they may have some kind of fancy certification, are not real detailed oriented. They try to see how fast they can install your windows and leave out the fine details and adjustments because, frankly you’ll never pick up on these, until now.They don’t install the unit plumb, level and square and in many of the cases I’ve seen, the jambs (sides) are bowed outwards from not using shims and/or over tightening the fastening screws, creating an gap between the weather stripping and the window letting outside air slip right into your home.And the third air infiltration leak is around the window itself. When your installer puts your new windows, in they should use a special closed cell foam between the unit and the wall to eliminate any air gaps or spaces, they should also use a high grade caulking around any exterior or interior trim where needed to plug up and gaps where air can blow through.
- What to avoid – In many case you’ll have roofer or other rough type carpenters installing your new vinyl replacement windows. Many of them are used to working with rough measurements, since you don’t need to concerned about a 1/16th of in inch when doing roofing or other types of rough work, and it’s kind of hard to re-adjust to working with detailed measurements like a 1/16 or 1/32 of in inch. Finish type of mechanics are better for the task of installing replacement windows, since the replacement windows need to be installed with great precision to avoid gaps that let air and water seep through the window. And in some cases, you’ll have new trim installed on the interior and have your exterior wood capped with vinyl coated aluminum, so you’d want a person who pays attention to fine details.
- What to look for – Your new replacement windows should be level. plumb and square. The sides need to be perfectly straight so that the weather stripping seals correctly. We also like windows that have triple weather stripping since they seal much better. They need to close evenly and should be easy to lock. The sides between the window frame and the house should have closed cell spray form to prevent air and water leakage. All gaps in the exterior and interior should have a high grade of caulk applied to them for the final seal. Interior trim should have nice miter joints that fits together tightly without using wood filler, and the exterior capping needs to be done in a way to prevent water from seeping in to the frame of the house. You also want to avoid face nails when possible, in the aluminum capping, since this looks terrible and can make the aluminum buckle and wrinkle.
Just by using these 5 simple tips from Replacement Windows Delaware for buying Replacement Windows, you’ll save you a lot of headaches when you deal with a replacement window contractor in Delaware.