Home Improvement: At least one "honey do" list item finally checked off. Double hung-high efficiency E-star windows installed last week.

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Just completed a Home Improvement project that's been on wife's "honey do!" list for way way too long. Too many years in fact.
Got it done right before end of her summer off. Wanted to make her happy before her next school year of teaching 1st grade starts. These teachers can get cranky, sad, depressed and mopey right before summer ends. Kinda like the moms. Some start getting depressed right before the summer starts and means the kids are home all the day long! LoL. They all joke about it.
So....... Pst!! Hey, Young newly weds out there.
Remember this if you have not heard the concept before. Put it in your TRUE files. Happy Wife = Happy LIFE." It is TRUE!

Just had the (8) windows on the house replaced. The house we have been in for 27 years is about 50 years old. When we moved in, the house already had double windows. Unfortunately they were probably some of the very first types sold and installed. Aluminum framed but very poorly designed. There was actually no way to open them and clean the insides without unscrewing part of the frame. They were a big change to us at first. We noticed right away how we could not hear lots of outside noise. Over time the rubber and soft seals around them simply shriveled up cooked away making them not really very effective.

So we had one of the most popular companies in our area take on the replacement job.
What sold me was the products they sell and install are made in USA in North Carolina. I like that for sure.
Also a lifetime 100% complete warranty. I actually know a family who had a window replaced 6 months ago. 100% free replacement under the warranty, only 25 years after they had them installed. Yeah. That too was a big seller for me.

The new windows are : Double hung, E-star certified. Insulated , vinyl framed, Low-E glass. Heavy duty impact resistant. UV filtering, argon filled double glass windows. Glad I finally made the move. It actually took (3) installers only 4 hours to remove the old, install the new and clean up. So far very happy with the results. The house actually seems cooler in the middle of the day. Already can see the central A/C is running less in the daytime. At night it is unreal that the A/C barely turns on during the cooler night. I can tell already the power bill will drop. Just like it did some years back when I re-did all the insulation in attic.

 

[Cujet]

I have Low-E glass. It helps. Although I really only have 3 windows that get ever get full sun due to the configuration of my house. I don't feel much heat when the sun is coming through those windows.

The best thing I did for energy efficiency was a bright white barrel tile roof. Attic is cool, house needs very little AC to keep it cold.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I did many things since I moved into the house. They had (3) ancient wind turbines on the roof that one could see were shot. I got up there right away and replaced with new ones. I ended up re-doing all the HVAC duct work in the attic. Installed all new blown insulation.
Installed a new Hi - E Rehem gas furnace / ac and condensing unit. They had a live oak tree in the back yard that they had never trimmed or anything. Over the years since I trimmed and formed it out many times to make it shoot straight up tall. For many years now as the oak grew it became a nice thing. It shades the entire back yard and the house from noon until dark each day. That is a real neat benefit. Helps with light bill too I am sure. Trees close to houses can be a pain to some, but to me it is very worth it. The new windows make it obvious the ones we had that were here when we moved in were big time leakers and did nothing to help with heat. They were double but back when those were made they were the old thin cheap single pane glass. These new ones are very impressive so far. Wife is loving them.

 

[UncleDave]

Congrats, who did you go with?

I put in a houseful of windows last year and the difference is nothing less than astonishing.

 

[alarmguy]

UV filtering is big. We like letting the sunshine in. New home has this.
Last new home of 16 years did not but we had 14 windows in the back of the house treated with 3M window film. No curtains except two in the master bedroom. Back of course faced west. When we moved two year ago. The med dark green furniture showed only a little fading.

 

[UncleDave]

UV filtering is big. We like letting the sunshine in. New home has this.
Last new home of 16 years did not but we had 14 windows in the back of the house treated with 3M window film. No curtains except two in the master bedroom. Back of course faced west. When we moved two year ago. The med dark green furniture showed only a little fading.

I've always wondered how well externally applied film works.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Congrats, who did you go with?

I put in a houseful of windows last year and the difference is nothing less than astonishing.

It is a company with over 200 locations nation (USA) wide. The company goes by the corporate name of Window World LLC. Headquartered out of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. I did not really know that at first.
Learned of their base when I found out the windows and other products they sell are manufactured in North Carolina. Big selling point for me. NOT always, but I will try my best to purchase things made in North America when possible. Just in the hopes that it helps to keep some real hard working Americans getting a paycheck.

Astonishing, yeah I could say so. What the wife can't get over is this. The windows have some type of tint that allows one to see perfectly clear looking out, YET one can get right up against them on the outside and you have to strain to see anything inside. So far they seem to be very well made.
I am planning to use the same people to replace my patio glass sliding door with one of their products too.

I decided I wanted to see the kind of crew they sent to us to handle the window job before I committed to the door job. The windows worked out so well I am going to trust them for the back door job very soon. So, the wife is real happy about it, so it makes my life easier for a while. That is until she realizes or remembers some of the other items I have not gotten around to yet on the "honey-do" list. The list that for most men is never ending.

 

[GON]

It is a company with over 200 locations nation (USA) wide. The company goes by the corporate name of Window World LLC. Headquartered out of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. I did not really know that at first.
Learned of their base when I found out the windows and other products they sell are manufactured in North Carolina. Big selling point for me. NOT always, but I will try my best to purchase things made in North America when possible. Just in the hopes that it helps to keep some real hard working Americans getting a paycheck.

Astonishing, yeah I could say so. What the wife can't get over is this. The windows have some type of tint that allows one to see perfectly clear looking out, YET one can get right up against them on the outside and you have to strain to see anything inside. So far they seem to be very well made.
I am planning to use the same people to replace my patio glass sliding door with one of their products too.

I decided I wanted to see the kind of crew they sent to us to handle the window job before I committed to the door job. The windows worked out so well I am going to trust them for the back door job very soon. So, the wife is real happy about it, so it makes my life easier for a while. That is until she realizes or remembers some of the other items I have not gotten around to yet on the "honey-do" list. The list that for most men is never ending.

Thanks for posting about Window World. Never heard of them..I did a Google search and they have a location in Las Cruces , NM .the reviews were outstanding.. our Pastor needs replacement windows for his parcinage very badly. I am going to get a quote from Window World, thanks again for posting about this.

 

[alarmguy]

I've always wondered how well externally applied film works.

Yeah, I was concerned at the time remembering all those cars with window film has turned purple.

I was assured by the company called Mr. tint that the 3M window tint that they apply would never turn colors.
Long story short, it was incredibly reliable and at the time we moved out 16 years later, unless someone knew we had it installed they would not know that it was a film or naturally tinted.

Do I think at the 20 year mark that I might consider having them redone? Possibly, I do think after 16 years I noticed a slight change from smoke to maybe lack of better words purple smoke.
But nothing like you would’ve noticed in one of those cars.

I read up all about the tints on 3M’s website. Being a large part of the back of our house was all glass. It was also a safety factor for hurricanes. The film would tend to hold the glass together, even if it shattered.

There was also a clear more thick one that is placed on windows sometimes in new construction on the windows on the each side of a outside door.
Required by Code if it’s not safety glass.
Again, you really can’t tell except there will be a small sticker in the bottom corner to let an inspector know in case it’s not safety glass the film is required.

With all the above, said, I would never trust anything less than a 3M product. I might be naïve in saying that, but I don’t think all window films are the same. At least during my lifetime 3M products I trust. Method it matters, but I think there’s a heck of a good warranty as well but I can’t remember and I might be wrong about that.

The film filters, deep infrared, and UV
I’m not sure if the same product is made today but it was called 3M Night Vision 35

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Yeah, I was concerned at the time remembering all those cars with window film has turned purple.

I was assured by the company called Mr. tint that the 3M window tint that they apply would never turn colors.
Long story short, it was incredibly reliable and at the time we moved out 16 years later, unless someone knew we had it installed they would not know that it was a film or naturally tinted.

Do I think at the 20 year mark that I might consider having them redone? Possibly, I do think after 16 years I noticed a slight change from smoke to maybe lack of better words purple smoke.
But nothing like you would’ve noticed in one of those cars.

I read up all about the tints on 3M’s website. Being a large part of the back of our house was all glass. It was also a safety factor for hurricanes. The film would tend to hold the glass together, even if it shattered.

There was also a clear more thick one that is placed on windows sometimes in new construction on the windows on the each side of a outside door.
Required by Code if it’s not safety glass.
Again, you really can’t tell except there will be a small sticker in the bottom corner to let an inspector know in case it’s not safety glass the film is required.

With all the above, said, I would never trust anything less than a 3M product. I might be naïve in saying that, but I don’t think all window films are the same. At least during my lifetime 3M products I trust. Method it matters, but I think there’s a heck of a good warranty as well but I can’t remember and I might be wrong about that.

The film filters, deep infrared, and UV
I’m not sure if the same product is made today but it was called 3M Night Vision 35

IIRC the 3M corporation are the ones who invented and perfected those types of films back in the late 60s.

 

[Dborch41]

I recently had all 11 windows replaced in my house. I first wanted to go with an independent contractor but I never got the warm fuzzies after meeting with any of them. Then I went with the one recommended by Angie, they sent a guy who did the whole sales pitch including that they were underwritten by Home Depot. The first estimate he offered was nearly $40K for windows that would still require boarding up in a storm (I live in hurricane country). Then he did the "but let me make some calls and see if I can work out a deal" nonsense. The next offer was about 25K but that was "for today only!". I felt like I was buying a used car with the bait and switch, so I told him thanks but no thanks now go kick rocks.

I good friend of mine recently had Window World do his house and he highly recommended them. I decided to give them a shot and it was the right move. The guy they sent was no nonsense and offered impact-resistant high efficiency windows (no boarding up) with a military discount for about 22K, take it or leave it. Sold, and about a month and a half later their crew showed up with all eleven custom-made windows that fit perfectly. They covered the furniture and managed to have the whole job done in one day, clearly these guys weren't new at this. They look fantastic, and a few weeks later the state engineer showed up to inspect the installation for WPI-8 insurance compliance. He did a basic walk-around and signed it off, telling me he knew that crew and has never had in issue with their work.

As nice as they are I'm a little disappointed that my electric bill hasn't changed as much as I had hoped. I did have aluminum shutters over the old single-pane windows (they're gone now) which made a significant difference by keeping the tropical sun at bay, but I thought the high-end double pane argon filled windows would be a much larger improvement at giving my air conditioner a break. It's better, but not as much as was expected. At least I'm covered should the tropics start to develop an attitude.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I recently had all 11 windows replaced in my house. I first wanted to go with an independent contractor but I never got the warm fuzzies after meeting with any of them. Then I went with the one recommended by Angie, they sent a guy who did the whole sales pitch including that they were underwritten by Home Depot. The first estimate he offered was nearly $40K for windows that would still require boarding up in a storm (I live in hurricane country). Then he did the "but let me make some calls and see if I can work out a deal" nonsense. The next offer was about 25K but that was "for today only!". I felt like I was buying a used car with the bait and switch, so I told him thanks but no thanks now go kick rocks.

I good friend of mine recently had Window World do his house and he highly recommended them. I decided to give them a shot and it was the right move. The guy they sent was no nonsense and offered impact-resistant high efficiency windows (no boarding up) with a military discount for about 22K, take it or leave it. Sold, and about a month and a half later their crew showed up with all eleven custom-made windows that fit perfectly. They covered the furniture and managed to have the whole job done in one day, clearly these guys weren't new at this. They look fantastic, and a few weeks later the state engineer showed up to inspect the installation for WPI-8 insurance compliance. He did a basic walk-around and signed it off, telling me he knew that crew and has never had in issue with their work.

As nice as they are I'm a little disappointed that my electric bill hasn't changed as much as I had hoped. I did have aluminum shutters over the old single-pane windows (they're gone now) which made a significant difference by keeping the tropical sun at bay, but I thought the high-end double pane argon filled windows would be a much larger improvement at giving my air conditioner a break. It's better, but not as much as was expected. At least I'm covered should the tropics start to develop an attitude.

The no boarding is a biggie for lots of folks. PLUS. The story about those salesmen! Yeah. I was told similar by a few folks. Especially about one of the most advertised national companies that is always on talking up their non vinyl products. I was told the salesman wont leave. You have to run them off and they give you a wildly expensive estimate with that "today only" stuff. Horrible way to do business. I took a long time and talked to many people before I chose the company we used.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Nice upgrade. My wife would like black windows instead of the white we have. I just counted them and there are way more windows than I realized. I’m going to keep my mouth shut about how much you like yours since I don’t want to spend that kind of money! Window World advertises here a lot although I don’t know anyone that’s personally used them.

 

[Sumboodie]

I'm way too poor to be paying others on something that's easy enough to DIY.

I need to replace 1, the guy that built the place used a vertical hung window sideways