We own a house in Old San Leandro that was built in the 1970s with aluminum windows. When we bought the house we remodeled the Kitchen and Bathroom. Because of this remodeling I know the house value went up 50K. It’s been 4 years since then and we were thinking about changing all the windows to Vinyl for 9K total. However, we do not plan on staying here forever. Maybe just another 5 years at most. Does anyone know if window replacement is worth it when selling to increase the home value? Would the cost be worth it, to at least not loose any money and break even what we sell or is this bad idea? Thanks!
Why 9k? You should be able to find cheaper double pane windows.
AAA Windows 4 Less installed Monte Verde windows for me for about ~4k (7 windows)
The windows will increase the value of your house.
I have 12 and 1 patio door. Would my selling price be raised by 9K you think?
9k for windows and 1 patio door make sense now. I think it will add value >9k.
Really?? Wow, how can you be sure? Are you in real estate??
The net gain can be even higher than 9K. Good windows and doors make an impression on the buyer that the construction is newer and that the quality is good.
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wow that seems extraordinarily cheap. Quotes I’ve gotten have varied from 40k - 70k for all my windows. To be fair, my home has at least 4 huge picture windows (~ 8ft x 4ft), 8 custom triangular-topped windows (also around 4x8 ft), and is located on a slope. Curious about quotes other folks have received. (I also immediately contacted AAA windows for a quote so I’ll see what they say. 
).
What brand did you chose for 40K. Was it Andersons?
I’m also looking to replace my windows. Just curious what companies have you gotten estimates from?
when getting a quote, ask them whether that is for “retrofit” or “new construction” windows.
Retrofit windows cost slightly more because they are not taken off a shelf but ordered exactly to your dimension. Your old aluminum window actually stays in place – only the glass is removed. Then the new vinyl window is installed into the aluminum frame. The new window will only be as water-proof as the old window was. Some vinyl strips will cover up the fact that the old aluminum window is still in there.
“New construction” mostly uses standard windows e.g. 4’ x 3’ (a retrofit installation might be 46.75" x 34.25" for the same window)
Example: I replaced windows in an apartment (all of them). A given window measures (visible portion of the glass) 45.5" x 34". I go to Home Depot and order this window exactly in this size. No nail-fin, for retro-fit installation. It’s $230. I personally install it in about 30 minutes.
The alternative is to buy a 4’ x 3’ “new construction” window, with nail fins. That would cost only $160. But instead of 30 minutes it will take … hours. Stucco needs to be cut (in my case). Sheet rock and/ or wood trim needs to be removed inside. Rotten framing will be exposed. Framing may need to be repaired. New building paper needs to be installed, screw the new window in, “forti-flashing” strips in the correct order around all 4 sides… mix new stucco and put it on. 2nd coat. Paint the stucco. Inside repair sheetrock and/or wood trim, paint. Could easily be 5 hours.
Most of those companies that “replace all windows” for one fixed price will do a retrofit installation.
There is no way to estimate how many problems you find when you go the “new construction” route.
Retrofit may not be the best choice if you have no or small overhangs and get a lot of wind blowing rain against your house. I believe casement windows (the ones with the little crank on them to open it) cannot be done in retrofit, and neither can awning windows.
Likely the guy with the $40k+ quote has such specialty windows, thus requiring more labor.
If you just replace some slider or single hung window, the material is on average $200 (Jeldwen) to $400 (Andersen) plus an hour of labor. Anything above that is markup to cover warranty/ overhead/ profit.
I replaced last December six windows for ~$1300 … did it with a helper in an afternoon. Jeldwen, for an apartment. We had heavy rain since then… no complaints, knock on wood.
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What is your window replacement company called?
Also, retrofit is cheaper for us than new installment. I would love to do new installation but that is so expensive. I unfortunately do not have any knowledge on how to do it myself like you…I don’t want to be messing around with that stuff.
We live in Bay Area so I think it’s okay with rain?? We have no overhangs unfortunately.
Don’t know what brand he uses. I paid $30k for replacing the windows and sliding doors in the rear side of the house. That was in 2008. Andersons and Milgard are mainstream brands.
Brand: Marvin.
Wooden frame. Stained to match the hardwood floor.
Windows and sliding doors: Each 7’ x 3’.
Ultrex fiberglass construction: Fiberglass facing outside, wood facing inside of the house
This drove me to go back and check my estimate and my recollection was pretty far off. The quote was 25- 30k for the whole house (depending on retrofit vs. new construction, with the latter being more expensive), all Simonton windows. This quote was from SaveEnergy (north bay) and I got it early last year just before the pandemic hit. It did not include scaffolding which was gonna run around 3 - 6k. I think I must’ve been rolling stucco resurfacing into the cost (which is extremely expensive!). I also tried Charles Window & Door and they came by and did a lot of measuring but actually never delivered a quote (which I found odd, why waste your time like that?). I think their quote probably would’ve been much higher. Will see what I get from AAA, they’re coming by soon.
(And yes, I did choose casement for a handful of these windows, as basically all of them are casement currently, although I did choose to switch several over to slider).
I didn’t have AAA quote the entire thing, but I believe their price was comparable or cheaper to the other cheapest quote I got. They don’t carry some of the windows I am interested in so I’m trying a handful of other folks as well.
EDIT:
Figured I’d keep updating, maybe useful to someone.
I had Window Factory quote (great salesperson!) and they wanted more like 20k to do the same set as AAA, however they were of the opinion that retrofit windows couldn’t be done for my larger specialty windows, and so most of the difference is labor in doing new construction for 4 (large) windows. They stock Anlin, which is comparable (maybe slightly nicer?) than Simonton.
What I’m finding is vinyl costs are mostly comparable, what varies is labor costs and folks roll all that into total cost so it’s just so tricky to compare. If you push and ask for break outs it’s easier to do apples to apples.
fwiw, I have also looked into color options since my wife is unhappy with the white vinyl look – it is not cheap, generally 60% (AAA) /50% (window factory) surcharge. I am told in the future that will get you color throughout for most vinyl makers, but right now it is only exterior color.
I am strongly considering new construction since I may have the stucco redone on my house at the same time, at which point you’re halfway to new construction anyways. I was told to ballpark about $500 extra a window.
My guess is costs for all windows (I think I’m somewhere in the low twenties) will wind up being around 40k or more. I will also need to pay for scaffolding so I bet when all is said and done it’ll be around 50k.
To helpful we need to know the cost per window. Obviously two story windows cost more than one story. But windows for new construction are cheap. $200 for sliders. Maybe $300 for single hung 3’x4’. Sliding doors about $500. Figure labor and materials about $600/ window and $1000 for sliding doors . $9k for a small bungalow. $20k for a 1800sf two story. $50k seems high
Besides AAA Window 4 less, have you come across any other companies that provide competitive pricing? Anyone have experience using AAA Window 4 less?