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Do you know what questions to ask your contractor when they arrive to give you an estimate on your replacement windows? Asking the right questions is crucial to help determine which company you will hire to replace your windows.
Anybody can make themselves look good on paper, but if you want to be sure about the vinyl window replacement company you’re choosing, ask your contractor the following 4 questions when he shows up to provide your estimate:
Where are your windows made?
Some window replacement companies purchase windows from a third party while others manufacture the windows themselves. Either way, you want to make sure your windows are being made locally.
Why is it important for your windows to be made locally? For one thing, shipping windows from further away than necessary has a huge environmental cost. For another, usually, these windows aren’t really made for Canadian climates. When you purchase windows made locally, you can be sure that they’re suitable for Canadian climates. Most Canadian made windows are also designed with energy efficiency in mind, which is another good reason to choose local.
How are your windows designed to be energy efficient?
More and more energy efficiency is becoming a common concern for homeowners, both because of the dangers presented by climate change and because of rising energy costs. Nobody likes having to spend more money to heat their homes. Energy-efficient windows are one way you can reduce your impact on the environment and your monthly costs at the same time.
A properly trained, professional representative of a reputable company should be able to tell you what exactly makes his company’s windows energy efficient. You’re looking for things like double or even triple-glazed windows, argon gas and Low-E Glass. Energy Star Certification is an easy way to make sure that your replacement windows are actually energy efficient.
What will the installation process look like?
Anyone working for a reputable window installation company should, upon examining your windows, be able to walk you through what the process will look like. They should be able to tell from what they discover on their visit how the installation process will go and have a pretty good idea how long it will take.
Any respectable company should also make it clear upfront that they’ll clean everything up for you. The best will even dispose of your old windows so you don’t have to worry about a thing. Cleaning up after people you paid to fix something shouldn’t be your responsibility.
What kind of warranty do my new windows come with?
The best window replacement companies will provide you warranties for at least ten years on all their products. A number even offer lifetime warranties. If you don’t really understand how a warranty works, you might want to get someone who actually does to take a look at the contract you’re offered and make sure it’s sound.
Make sure you examine the fine print closely and only accept replacement windows that come with a warranty suitable to your needs.
Choosing the right window replacement company to work with isn’t always easy, especially when it comes to finding a reliable company to do some form of home renovations. After all, you love your home and you want nothing but the best of the best, but you have to find somebody who can work within your budget as well. Just remember to ask these four questions when you’re looking for somebody to install your replacement windows!