Window and Installation Costs

[Morgan]

My wife and I are replacing the original wood casement windows in our

1938, stucco exterior home. We are considering aluminum clad wood exterior/wood interior windows from Lincoln, but we are not sure the cost is worth it over vinyl. We received a quote for $15,000 for 10 windows installed, including replacing the frames and repairing the stucco. Most windows are 42.5x55. The company broke out the costs to be $9900 for the windows and $5000 for labor. $1000 per window and $500 for each installation seems high to me. In their quote, they show list price as $14028 and their discounted price to me at $9900. Is this a reasonable price. We are in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I know prices here are higher.

Thanks. Morgan

[Mad Mac]

We're near LA, so I would imagine prices here would be broadly similar to yours - in June, we had a window installed where there wasn't one before for $1600, included all demolition and rebuilding, finishing exterior stucco to original colour and interior wall to a textured finish. Window itself was aluminium framed sliding double pane and included a screen. Same company quoted us a cost of about $500 each to replace two windows of a similar size to yours - cost included finishing as above.

Methinks the price you were quoted is a little excessive.

[Art Begun]

Above all you need to know how windows are supposed to be flashed during installation and make sure your job is done correctly.

[AJScott]

Garnted, labor costs may be higher in some places than others, but a grand apiece for a *sngle* window -- excluding installation?????? Excuse me while I laugh my ass off. And I'm not even what one would consider a cheapskae about things.

BTW, I personally wouldn't trust anyone but an actual living breathing stucco guy who has done work for someone I actually know to "repair" stucco.

Unless the draft from those old windows is blowing your hair around, keep looking for something a LOT more reasonable. Like several thousand dollars more reasonable.

AJS

[Art Begun]

I believe Pella has windows that replace the tracks and sashes of your old windows. So if the window frames are still good that may be a better way to go. Other brands may have them too.

[Jeff Cochran]

It would seem like you would be the best judge of this, having gotten three quotes from three different sources to compare...

Jeff

[Truitt Bottsford III]

Keep shopping. A lot of these outfits have incredible markups/ profit built in.

[HA HA Budys Here]

And remember - the people "selling" are salesmen and generally know NOTHING about construction, quality construction or the process, codes, etc. All they know how to do is sell, YOU, on their outrageously overpriced windows.

Go to Home Depot and look at what a similar sized window or set of windows costs, brand new. Then try to get the salesman to justify the price of his "custom" windows.

I've never seen a "replacement window" job where the windows didn't look like replacement windows. They often consider "repair" of stucco to mean, installing a 6-8-or 10" wide exterior "moulding" around the completed window to hide the damage stucco and eliminate the need for any real stucco work.painting/ paint matching, etc...

[William W. Plummer]

Know the difference between "replacement" windows and "new construction" windows when you go looking for prices. It is possible to use either, but a new construction window has the flap of flashing material that sticks out about 3" on all outside edges. Replacement windows are just a box that slides into the hole with the molding intact. There is a difference in the price of the two designs. Replacement windows are available in a very limited set of sizes. I just had to settle on a new construction unit for my bathroom and it worked fine but i had to redo the molding on the outside which was more work than I had hoped.

Also, look out for NewPro salesmen that come to your house. They are selling financial loans and "windows" is just the excuse. You can tell because they tell you to have everyone present who signed the mortgage on your home. You can get the same quality vinyl window just about anywhere for a lot less and not have the 2nd mortgage.

[Art Begun]

By the way, only the better windows have the nailing/flashing strip around the edges.

Thought I would mention a technique that I saw carpenters used to remove a door with minimal damage. They pulled off carefully the molding on one side, cut the nails that were then visible and the frame just came out. Put in new door/frame, put molding back and touched up paint. No sheetrock work at all.

construction"

either, but a

sticks out

mortgage on

windows.

price of his

didn't look

work.painting/

[David Babcock]

Aren't reciprocating saws wonderful?

Dave

[cwizard]

GET A NEW QUOTE.

I just replaced NINE windows in my house with store bought replacements and paid $109 each + $300 a day labor got them installed in two days. They look GREAT to me and I saved a ton of money.