Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

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NC Rob
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Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#1 Post by NC Rob »

Hello All,

After having two of my existing wood windows replaced in my 1993 built home in the last eighteen months (and staring at two more that need to go), I've decided that it's time to bite the bullet and have all of them replaced. My home has 26 windows total, 24 traditional double hung of a few sizes and 2 specialty half rounds. I've already gotten a few quotes from the national vendors before I found this site, and realized I don't have any quotes for more mid-range or higher end windows. But the following is what I've been bid so far with all companies in their double hung dual pane product and adding tempered glass where needed, and Oriel style frames in the existing locations:

Soft-lite Nirvana from Zen Windows - $16,400
Alside Mezzo from Window World (as their 4000 series) - $13,200
Champion Comfort 365 - $28,900
Renewal By Anderson - $52,800 (on only 24 windows)

With quotes seemingly all across the board, it's hard to get a sense of what reasonably quality windows should cost. I finally found a smaller company that has Sunrise models (Leapin10 out of Burlington) in the area that will come out for a quote in a few weeks.

But I would really appreciate any feedback on what a reasonable range looks like for the central NC area. Renewal by Anderson is so far out of line I have to throw it out. And even Champion is over $1,100 a window which also seems out of line. So am I just underestimating how much windows cost now? Also if anyone has recommendations on installers or other windows I should be looking at in the Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh areas please share!

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toddinmn
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#2 Post by toddinmn »

I’d expect somewhere around 25% more over the Zen quote for a product like the Soft-Lite Element or LS.

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Randy
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#3 Post by Randy »

None of those options are too good. Soft-lite makes some great windows, but I wouldn’t get them from that dealer. I’d recommend looking for a local contractor who offers Soft-lite’s Imperial LS or Elements line. Then, get another quote from an Okna dealer. As to the pricing, it’s hard to say without a lot more detail (colors, grids, installation details, etc....). Getting a couple more quotes from solid contractors will give you a better idea of where the pricing should be.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#4 Post by Windows on Washington »

+1 to the previous feedback. If that "nirvana" product is available, so should some of the nicer Soft-Lites be.

See if you can track an Elements or LS quote down.

NC Rob
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#5 Post by NC Rob »

Thanks everyone - seems like my initial reaction was right in that none of the larger vendors here carry products that are both price competitive and at least mid-tier quality. Unfortunately it looks like the smaller vendors with lots of reviews push Alside Mezzo or Simonton brands.

Hopefully I get a decent quote from the Sunrise vendor. The only other brand I've seen mentioned on installer websites here is Atrium , but I'm not familiar with that brand. Would Atrium be at either the same level or fairly close to Sunrise, or is it similar to the Mezzo?

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#6 Post by Windows on Washington »

Atrium is going to be closer to the Mezzo qualitative side of the spectrum.

masterext
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#7 Post by masterext »

Windows on Washington wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 12:19 pm Atrium is going to be closer to the Mezzo qualitative side of the spectrum.
For those of us with an IQ under 140, it means Atrium is the same quality as Mezzo ( not very good).

WindowsDirectCinci
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#8 Post by WindowsDirectCinci »

NC Rob wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:12 am Thanks everyone - seems like my initial reaction was right i Unfortunately it looks like the smaller vendors with lots of reviews push Alside Mezzo or simonton
The reason most smaller or independent guys push those windows is they are so readily available, may not have access to better products and you don’t need a warehouse. You can literally walk in to alside as a Contractor or any supply house/ Home Depot and place an order and they’ll call you when they ready to pick up. Most of the better brands won’t just sell to anyone. They vet the dealer and make sure they would be a good partner for there brand.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#9 Post by Windows on Washington »

masterext wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:21 pm
Windows on Washington wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 12:19 pm Atrium is going to be closer to the Mezzo qualitative side of the spectrum.
For those of us with an IQ under 140, it means Atrium is the same quality as Mezzo ( not very good).
You are a nut. But you knew that.

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Windows on Washington
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#10 Post by Windows on Washington »

WindowsDirectCinci wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:46 pm
NC Rob wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:12 am Thanks everyone - seems like my initial reaction was right i Unfortunately it looks like the smaller vendors with lots of reviews push Alside Mezzo or simonton
The reason most smaller or independent guys push those windows is they are so readily available, may not have access to better products and you don’t need a warehouse. You can literally walk in to alside as a Contractor or any supply house/ Home Depot and place an order and they’ll call you when they ready to pick up. Most of the better brands won’t just sell to anyone. They vet the dealer and make sure they would be a good partner for there brand.
Bingo!

NC Rob
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#11 Post by NC Rob »

Windows on Washington wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2019 6:14 am
WindowsDirectCinci wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 9:46 pm
NC Rob wrote: Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:12 am Thanks everyone - seems like my initial reaction was right i Unfortunately it looks like the smaller vendors with lots of reviews push Alside Mezzo or simonton
The reason most smaller or independent guys push those windows is they are so readily available, may not have access to better products and you don’t need a warehouse. You can literally walk in to alside as a Contractor or any supply house/ Home Depot and place an order and they’ll call you when they ready to pick up. Most of the better brands won’t just sell to anyone. They vet the dealer and make sure they would be a good partner for there brand.
Bingo!
I truly appreciate the insight into how the business is run. I only wish I was smart enough to do all this research before sitting through a collective six (!) hours of sales pitches.

If the forum will indulge another question, then I'd like to figure out if I'm going about finding dealers the correct way. Since I haven't had much luck with Angie's list or independent internet searches, I've just started going to the individual brands websites and filling out their contact form. That's actually how I finally found the Sunrise dealer I mentioned earlier. However I feel like this is limiting my search since I'm sure only one dealer is being contacted in my area. Is there any better way to search certified contractors for specific brands?

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HomeSealed
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#12 Post by HomeSealed »

Excellent commentary from WOW and WDC, that is indeed why those "price point" window offerings are so prevalent. Chuck in a truck will not pay the premium for a better quality window, nor will the manufacturer want him to install it and risk their reputation due to hack installs.

On finding a contractor, your latest thought is spot on. Yes, the manufacturers will give you limited referrals (often they do actually limit the number of dealers in a given market for various reasons), but the good news there is that their referral will typically be a very solid company that has the reputation and health to be the face of their brand, limit service calls due to quality installs, sell in volume, and pay their bills on time. These are all things that bode well for you in choosing a company that will deliver good quality and service.

NC Rob
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#13 Post by NC Rob »

NC Rob wrote: Mon Sep 30, 2019 3:30 pm Soft-lite Nirvana from Zen Windows - $16,400
Alside Mezzo from Window World (as their 4000 series) - $13,200
Champion Comfort 365 - $28,900
Renewal By Anderson - $52,800 (on only 24 windows)
Just to update the thread, I've now gotten quotes from three more companies:

Okna 600 Eco Pro Heatseal Deluxe from The Aluminum Company - $18,900
Sunrise Vanguard from Leap Windows & Doors - $24,100
Wincore 5400 - $15,400
Wincore 7700 - $20,700
Wincore 9900 (a product I can't find much about) - $17,900

First a large thank you to the community here, it was a night and day difference between the Okna and Sunrise dealers and all but the Anderson reps. Both salesmen from Okna and Sunrise knew their products and could answer my installation questions. And the additional quotes were helpful in getting hard data that Champion and Renewal By Anderson were out of line with my local market.

Onto the new quotes - the Okna and Sunrise dealers are the only installers that services my area, so I'll see if either has any room on price but I'm not counting on anything significant. I believe both the Okna 600 and Sunrise Vanguard are relatively similar in quality, but the Sunrise actually competes against the Okna 900? So my final questions boil down to the following:

- Does the Vanguard premium make sense against the 600 Eco Pro? From my untrained eye I couldn't tell much of a difference between them in specifications, but as I've learned there's a lot I don't know about the window industry. Looking purely at cosmetics of the windows, the Sunrise is a better looking window but I wouldn't pay $5k more just for that.

- Looking at the full list of quotes do any of the lower priced options make sense in relation to the difference in quality? I don't currently intend to stay in this house for the rest of my life, but I'll be here long enough to appreciate the windows if there're significant differences in quality for the lifetime of the windows. Not to mention my budget supports all the options except for Anderson.

masterext
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#14 Post by masterext »

I would not consider wincore when you have 2 products that are much better ( okna and sunrise ).

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TheWindowNerd
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Re: Whole Home Window Replacement in Greensboro, NC

#15 Post by TheWindowNerd »

I would suggest the Okna 600DX.
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