Interiors still need to be stained.

After months of research, planning and estimates on replacement windows, we finally had them installed in July. Any window that’s worth a damn is not cheap. (*Worth a damn=NOT vinyl replacements!!) At the end of the day we came in just shy of $30k for 14 windows. The front is custom wood as we have some odd shapes going on and the rear is fiberglass with wood veneer interior. They are historic windows even though this area is not yet landmarked.

So, here’s how it went down.

For the front of the house, we wanted brick to brick as opposed to replacement. Meaning…everything comes out so they can insulate behind the frame. That’s often where the drafts come in, not from the windows themselves. There are less air pockets in the rear of the house, so we got away with replacements there.

Never you mind the dust and smears.

The first quote we got was from Bay Ridge Windows. I was shocked by the $23k price tag. I was so young and naive. Little did I know how much windows cost! I read some meh reviews on them on the Brownstoner forums, but we decided to give them a skip since they never got back to us with a final written quote. My theory is: If I have to chase someone down for a price, chances are the installation isn’t going to be a breeze.

Next up was Historic Windows/EZ Tilt. Perfect reviews and very professional! I would’ve gone with them in a second. One problem. We couldn’t afford them. The estimate came in at $34k not including screens or painting.

Finally, Frank from S&E Building Materials came through for us with a price we could live with. He was professional. He knew what he was talking about. And he seemed likable enough, which is always important. We met John the installer of Design Tech and liked him also!

The job started just before the middle of the month. One thing Frank got wrong was the time frame. He told us it would take about a week for the entire house. Ha! The moment John arrived that morning he said it would be about 3 weeks and they would need a room to work in. With my mother about to arrive in a week and a half, this wasn’t going to be a pleasant situation.

“The cat room” was a bad idea for their set up. My work space was better.

Well, what can I say? They tried to make it as unobtrusive as possible, but ripping out rotted wood frames (every. single. one. of. them) and finding crumbling concrete is messy and takes time. We stressed over and over before they started that if they found anything bad going on behind the walls, they should deal with it no matter the cost. Do it right! But it was in such bad shape that I was getting nervous about the cost.

John didn’t charge us too much more. I guess he figured on the 3 weeks anyway as all old houses have these problems. John was the contractor, but it was Greg and Carmello who did all the work and they were nothing but polite (too polite for a sarcastic NYer like me) and professional.

Yeah, it was a pain in the ass to have them in my house for 3.5 weeks. A larger crew could have knocked it out quicker but apparently they are crazy busy at the moment and can’t find dependable and skilled enough employees to fill in.

Hubby and I were both happy with the whole exchange (now that they’re gone) and would totally recommend both S&E for materials and Design Tech as contractors. Neither is restricted to just windows.

Now I can’t wait until winter to see if these babies make a difference!