PUBLIC COMMUNITY CASE · Verification status: source opened and read by UpgradeWorth · Discussion posted about four years ago · How we handle sourced cases
This is a publicly reported homeowner quote. UpgradeWorth has not independently verified the contractor proposals. Everything below is what the homeowner stated in the linked discussion, paraphrased. Replies from other forum users are not treated as verified technical evidence.
One house, fourteen openings, and two national brands roughly $21,000 apart. This is the clearest published example we have found of why a window quote cannot be judged by the number of windows.
Project summary
- Openings14, existing cheap vinyl, 35+ years old
- WantedAll double-hung, no grids, no extras
- LocationNot stated by the homeowner
- Source dateAbout four years ago: prices as of then
- Homeowner’s expectation$15,000 to $16,000 installed
- VerificationTier 1 · Source opened and read
Quotes compared
Full case details
| Case ID | UW-RQ-001 |
|---|---|
| Source date | Discussion posted about four years ago; treat the prices as of that date, not today |
| Location | Not stated by the homeowner |
| Openings | 14 |
| Existing windows | Cheap vinyl, 35+ years old, a mix of casements and gliders |
| What was wanted | All double-hung, no grids, no extras |
| Sizes stated | Most around 30 in wide by 45 in high; a few at 34 x 34; two gliders at 27 x 84 on the main floor |
| Quote A | Renewal by Andersen, about $46,000 for 14 windows |
| Quote B | Pella 250 Series, about $25,000 for 14 windows |
| Single-opening quotes | For the 27 x 84 gliders only: $2,800 for a Slocomb glider, or $4,800 for a casement and picture configuration |
| Fourth quote | Ecoview, a Simonton-based branded product, $4,850 to replace those two gliders with four awning windows |
| Homeowner’s expectation | Around $15,000 to $16,000 for 14 windows installed |
| Price per opening | About $3,290 (Renewal) against about $1,790 (Pella 250), using the homeowner’s own figures |
What we know
The homeowner stated the opening count, the existing window types, the sizes, the target product type, four separate quotes and the budget expectation. That is more detail than most public posts contain, and it is enough to calculate cost per opening for the two whole-house quotes.
We also know the two big quotes are not the same purchase. Renewal by Andersen is a direct-to-homeowner sales and installation model selling its own Fibrex composite product. Pella’s 250 Series is a vinyl line sold through dealers and the Pella at Lowe’s programme. Different material, different sales model, different labour arrangement.
What we do not know
- The installation method in either quote: insert or full-frame. This alone moves a project substantially.
- The glass package in either quote, or any NFRC values.
- What each quote included for interior trim, exterior capping, flashing, disposal or permits.
- Warranty terms offered on labour by either company.
- The location, so we cannot compare against a local labour market.
- Whether the 14 windows in each quote were specified identically, including the two oversized openings.
- What the homeowner eventually did.
Why this case matters
Three lessons sit inside one thread.
Same count, different project. Fourteen openings priced at $46,000 and at $25,000 are not the same job being quoted twice. Without the installation method and the glass package, the gap cannot be attributed to margin, brand or anything else.
The unit type can change the job. Look at the two 27 x 84 gliders. One company quoted $2,800 for a like-for-like glider, another $4,800 for a casement and picture configuration, and a third $4,850 to convert each opening into two awning windows. Those are three different products in the same hole in the wall, and the homeowner would be comparing prices for three different outcomes.
Expectations set by averages mislead. The homeowner expected $15,000 to $16,000 for fourteen installed windows, which is about $1,100 per opening. That is inside our published vinyl range, so the expectation was not unreasonable, but no quote landed there. National averages describe a market, not a quote.
Why the quotes differ
- Material: composite against vinyl, which sit in different price territories.
- Sales and installation model: direct-to-homeowner against a dealer network.
- The two oversized 27 x 84 openings, which are made to order and were quoted separately by three companies.
- Changing window operation type from casement and glider to double-hung, which changes the unit rather than just replacing it.
- Unknown scope items: trim, capping, flashing, disposal and permits.
Questions this homeowner should have asked
- Is each quote insert or full-frame, and stated per opening?
- Which series and glass package, with the NFRC U-factor and SHGC?
- What happens to the price if rot is found once the old units come out?
- Are interior trim, exterior capping, disposal and permits included?
- How long is the labour warranty, separately from the product warranty?
- For the tall openings: are we comparing the same configuration in all three quotes?
Work through your own quote
Window Quote Analyzer
Cost per opening against published ranges, and what your quote is missing.
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Side by side, with a verdict on whether they are comparable at all.
Original source
Want to replace my windows, crazy estimates, need advice, Houzz discussion. We paraphrase the homeowner’s own post and do not reproduce it. Prices date from the time of that discussion.