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Looking at a couple of local companies, Rosati and Apco and also some from Home Depot, I think they were Simonton.
We have 11 to replace and would probably go Double Hung style, vinyl and either wood or wood look on the inside.
Any experiences/recommendations?
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
Replacement Windows
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Porky
C-Bus' East Side
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Posted 2 years ago # -
agtw31
columbus
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give Rosati a call,he's done a lot of units in my complex.
people say good things about his windows here.
be careful of some window companies in this town,a lot of them are very flaky.
they will send some knucklehead hustler to your home,and try to slam you with a crazy estimate they want you to sign NOW,and waste 2 hours of your time.Posted 2 years ago # -
JackieC
Grandview
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We purchased from APCO over a year ago and couldn't be happier with every part of the process. Plus the price with APCO was about $8,000 less than Rosatti or Larmco. (Beware the Larmco guy came to our house and wouldn' leave, stayed for 3 hours, he finally left when we started eating dinner around him. After we had told him we couldn't afford his windows.)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Lakee911
Clintonville (South)
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I've delt with APCO before--they are a great company and they are also expensive. My gutter install from them was 3x the price of my lowest bidder who I gave the job to (and the job was fanastic) and I don't think that APCO could have done it any better. I do buy materials from them though (for DIY) and their customer support is excellent as well.
I have Pella windows in my house. The PO had installed some vinyl replacement windows before I bought it so I carried that through the house. They unfortunately are white so I painted my trim white and they look fine. If I was doing it all over again I would have done a colord vinyl clad wood window ... or something ... so that it matches on the outside and stained to match on the inside.
Installing replacement windows typically isn't very hard at all if you're putting them into wood window casings that are in good shape. It's a good DIY project, IMHO.
Jason
Posted 2 years ago # -
rus
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agtw31 wrote >>
give Rosati a call,he's done a lot of units in my complex.
people say good things about his windows here.
be careful of some window companies in this town,a lot of them are very flaky.
they will send some knucklehead hustler to your home,and try to slam you with a crazy estimate they want you to sign NOW,and waste 2 hours of your time.+1 to Rosati. A few coworkers have used them; good results.
Posted 2 years ago # -
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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We replace the windows in a different room every other year with Rossati and love them. (whoo-hooo...only two to go!) They're great about dealing with all the permits and any needed architectural review stuff, too. Always on time and finished when promised. I totally recommend them.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Likes Old Houses
Harrison West
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APCO just did 6 windows for me and I couldn't be happier. We went with the aluminum clad exterior and wood interior. They were competitively priced, and the installers were great. They even worked with us on a Saturday install.
Edit: Not the windows in my avatar. Those are a whole other story.
Posted 2 years ago # -
JerrodWagner
Clintonville
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Check out affordable windows, they did work for a couple of large windows. You really can't find a better price....169-200 installed
Sam Shafqat
Area Manager
Affordable Windows
614-477-6446
affordablewindows@rocketmail.comPosted 2 years ago # -
futureman
Grandview Heights
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Pella Windows quoted me ~$900 to do a single double hung window. It was the higher end Architectural series with dividers (not true divided) 100% wood w/cladding on the outside. The large costs comes in if they are custom made. I have a old house, so of course nothing is standard.
If you have a old house and your windows are is descent condition you can get new triple track storms installed for around $150. I just did that myself, and honestly they look really nice. They can do different colors too. I used Kerbler @ Co, local.
Good read here - http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,476717,00.html
Posted 2 years ago # -
Twixlen
Westgate, Columbus
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I have old school metal awning windows - which I LOVE the function of, and love how they look (never need painting!) - but they'll eventually have to be replaced. Most of my windows are huge, and I need to start saving my pennies, it seems.
Posted 2 years ago # -
HeySquare
German Village
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Just a few comments... things to keep in mind.
There are a few different ways that companies can replace windows, and it depends on what kind of windows you have currently installed. If you have an older home with wood sash windows, usually a replacement entails taking out the existing sash, leaving the trim, sill, and jamb(sides) in place. Then, they put in a new window unit (a complete hung window in a frame). This will reduce the actual size of your windows (i.e. reduce the size of the sash). For some houses, you don't really notice, but on others, it can really screw up the exterior proportion of your windows. Andersen does a nice line of clad windows specifically made for this application, and the frame profile of the replacement windows is very slim. For a composite window with wood interior, I thought they were good looking and they were designed for older houses. The old window frames may not be square, so make sure you have good installers who can adequately insulate any gaps in the framing (replacement windows will not help if the installers don't get a good fit.)
If the framing around your windows is deteriorated, you may consider replacing the entire window frame-- i.e. you will be removing the moving sash, as well as the sill, the jambs (sides) etc. In the case of older wood sash windows, there is usually a weight pocket on either side of the window, which is where the counterweights slide on pulleys-- it can be an area where air infiltrates after the new windows have been installed. In this case, the final size of your replacement windows will essentially match in size your existing windows.
You can also get things called sash packs. These are just loose sash, that replace the existing sash in your windows. This takes a skilled installer to make sure that the sash fit and operate properly.
Also, make sure to consider color. A bright white vinyl window can look really out of place installed in a dark frame... consider your trim colors of the house, and evaluate whether to get a window that could later be painted if the trim color changes. Vinyl or composite cladding really won't hold paint; wood or metal will hold a paint.
Regarding dividers... if your window has "lites" or dividers and you want to keep that look, make sure to check how the dividers are applied. If they are just applied on the interior of a double glazed window, it will look flat from the outside. If the dividers are applied on the outside of a double glazed window, it will look flat on the inside. Beware of windows that have applied dividers on both the inside and the outside UNLESS there is also a spacer bar in between the two panes of glass. Having dividers applied on both the inside and the outside will give you this weird "double vision" effect, unless there is also a spacer bar that unify the dividers and make it look like a single divider.
Make sure that, whichever type of replacement window you choose, that you invest in a good quality window. I've seen windows deteriorate in less than 10 years, and it really isn't a project that you want to do over again.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Anaerobia
Olde Towne East
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I bought all of mine from Exterior Building Supply on Silver Drive between North Broadway and Weber. Brian is great to work with there. I paid ~ $185 each for double strength double hung Low-E energy star windows. All one piece frames. welded corners. No metal. I really like them. Installed them myself. Saved mega bucks that way. Oh, and there are all made in Cincinnati so you are supporting local/state economy.
Posted 2 years ago #
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