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Author: | Art |
In Reply To: | RE: Where to start in Illinois (posted by Bill) |
Subject: | RE: Where to start in Illinois |
Posted At: | 2004-10-04 23:30:33 |
Bill -
First let me say that, like you, I'm just a homeowner and not a pro. I too live in the greater Chicago area - in fact, my town is pretty much bisected by the dividing line for LaSalle and Grundy counties. I'm biased by what I've seen on this site and the other window site in that I became convinced that Schuco was the way to go. That install is now complete and I have to say that the info was correct - they're great!
The installer that I contracted with handles several more high quality lines but he feels that Schuco is THE best and, while I'm sure he makes a profit, he isn't out to retire in just a year or two. Besides the outstanding quality of the windows it was his integrity, knowledge, experience and expertise that I contracted for - and received. That having been said, there are a number of very good brands available in our area and it's up to you as to how good you want the windows to be and how much you want to spend. Several high quality windows besides Schuco and in our area would be: Gorell, Gilkey, Simonton, Alside (not all lines in any brand) and possibly a few more. Home Depot and Sears sell and install Simonton windows under private label and are EXPENSIVE - especially for what you get - not poor quality but a real premium price for just a good higher mid-range window.
One thing to keep in mind - the pros will all tell you that a great install can make a poor window good but a poor install will make a great window bad. Whomever you contract with, be sure, be positive, be comfortable that he will install the windows correctly. If in doubt, look elsewhere.
My suggestion would be to watch this forum for a couple of weeks as you would be amazed at what you'd learn. Also, using the Search function can accelerate your knowledge/learning curve exponentially. Just type in the brand or the name of the individual and you'll have immediate access to almost all the posts about/from them.
Sorry for having gone on so long.
Best of luck.