window replacement questions

[waterbottle]

Hoping I'm posting in the right section. Please let me know otherwise.

Looking for some guidance or insight on what to look for in window replacement. My place is getting a bit old (~20 years) and I think all the windows are leaking. large amounts of condensation on the insides (but no moisture between the window panes) and it's cold as heck in each room. I've heard Lux windows is a good manufacture to use but they seem a bit expensive. Does ~$55k sound like a right number for a 2300 SQ FT home? Do i need the glazed glass, triple pane and whatever else not? Anything i should be asking?

Thanks in advance.

[ExtraSlow]

Get three quotes. Square feet is not meaningful.
You may have other drafty areas that need to be addressed as well.

[Tik-Tok]

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Anything i should be asking?

You should ask if window replacement will stop the condensation. If they say yes, you know they are liars and to find another company.

[benyl]

I have triple pane Lux windows and have condensation. It's because my humidity is 40% in the house cause I don't like nose bleeds and am ok wiping my windows a few times a day. House is 2 years old with Aerobarrier done for air leaks. When it is cold outside and humid inside, you get condensation.

[Andy643]

Used Eco-Line on this house and Lux on the last house.
No issues with Eco-Line but I do find the Lux windows to be better. On our current place Eco-Line was maybe $100 cheaper per window. The etched glass thing Lux does to keep the outside cleaner is very worth it. Our Eco-Line windows are dirty on the outside even with only being in the house a few months. The Lux ones didn't need to be cleaned in our last place in the 3 years we had them.

I cant see why anyone wouldn't go with triple pain. I think most places upgrade from dual for free.
26% humidity currently and no frost on the new windows.

[Tik-Tok]

Your dirt might be a reflection of house location and facing, and not window quality.

[88CRX]

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I cant see why anyone wouldn't go with triple pain. I think most places upgrade from dual for free.
26% humidity currently and no frost on the new windows.

Triple isn't always better performing then double.... so thats why.

You can get cheap triple glazed windows and baller double glazed windows.

[gmc72]

We used GreenFox to replace our windows this summer. They were the easiest to deal with, and had the best price. Although all of the quotes were pretty close.

No issues with the windows and condensation at the moment, but our humidity is at 23%.

[suntan]

First order of business is to check your attic insulation. If it's not R70, it should be topped up. This is the first thing you should do.

[Andy643]

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Your dirt might be a reflection of house location and facing, and not window quality.

Agree.
Not a fair comparison.

[waterbottle]

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You should ask if window replacement will stop the condensation. If they say yes, you know they are liars and to find another company.

I thought condensation is caused by leaky windows? also from what i read triple pane doesn't add additional r value but instead helps with sound isolation vs double pane?

[ExtraSlow]

Windows create water.

[eblend]

I don't know much about windows myself, I got triple pane myself in the new house, but not at the stage of testing them yet. My windows are by allweatherwindows (that's who the builder used...can't comment on quality, doesn't seem that great..), but they do have a neat little chart that shows R values ect of different window options, dual/tripple, different glazing ect, might be useful in making your decision. I won't know how mine perform until a while from now.

I personally upgraded to HS3 windows from allweather. I would assume most windows would be similar on actual glass performance, so this chart is good to see what coatings ect give you in terms of R value ect.

https://www.allweatherwindows.com/th...ormance-chart/

I can also tell you that fancy things like black frames add a ton to the cost of the window. My house initially came with 20k allowance for windows/doors, we paid an extra $36k on top of that to get them to HS3, black frames inside and out, but that also includes like 8k garage doors, 96" high entry and rear 4 panel sliding door, 6 foot high windows over standard 5, glass grills...lots of upgrades to what the builder was originally going to throw in. So materials alone was like 56k....so your guess with the labour is probably about close? I only ever had one friend replace windows on a small bungalow and it was like $25k...so I really don't know what it runs. My house also has some pretty big windows (over 10 feet wide) so I think the size of the window plays into this as well heavily.

I did inquire once...and was told the expensive part of the window is the vinyl and not the glass itself. I believe in our package the most expensive part of any window was getting it in black...got to pay to play I guess if you like the black look.

[ThePenIsMightier]

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I thought condensation is caused by leaky windows? also from what i read triple pane doesn't add additional r value but instead helps with sound isolation vs double pane?

No. And no.

[eblend]

Was supposed to be an edit not a reply to self..ignore..

[arcticcat522]

What's the ballpark for costs? Used to be about 1k/ now I'd assume estimate $1500/window

[gmc72]

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What's the ballpark for costs? Used to be about 1k/ now I'd assume estimate $1500/window

We had 19 windows replaced and it was about $25k. We do have a huge front room window, so that was a big chunk of the cost.

[ExtraSlow]

Was $1k per window back 17 years ago when I had it done. Would expect double these days.

[Tik-Tok]

My basement windows were installed 2-1/2 years ago and simple small awning styles were $1200 each, and medium sized tilt-and-turns were $1500 each. This was right in the middle of glass prices skyrocketing due to supply issues, not sure if that's all back to normal or if prices have lowered yet.

[arcticcat522]

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We had 19 windows replaced and it was about $25k. We do have a huge front room window, so that was a big chunk of the cost.

So this checks out at about 1300/window....I feel my 1500/ is a great rough estimate...