5 Tips on how to save energy in your house

[Shane Collins]

Doing that many at once is a heavy load to carry when the check writing happens. I've been doing them a few at a time for years now. We started with the worst offenders which were very old, single pane, double hung windows with no weather stripping at all. On a windy night yo could watch a candle flame flicker in then breeze on the upwind side of the house. I put in replacement windows from The Home Depot myself at about $200/ea but this winter, after about ten years, I see some fogging in one of those. I'll probably go with new Integrity windows there before too much longer but will haver to see where they fit into the budget. There are many more upgrades I can make that will result in a bigger impact on comfort and heat retention than replacing those replacement windows.

I've been thinking about this too. Now I've got the quote broken down a little more from Marvin it doesn't seem as bad. The door installs still seem ridiculous, not sure why it cost two grand to install a patio door. Maybe if it took close to a week. For the windows themselves it looks to be roughly 1000 per window. That's full tear out, cutting back the siding and putting new exterior trim. About 320 dollars in labor per window. Still quite pricey but not as bad as I originally thought. I may see about getting all of the upstairs done by them and doing downstairs by myself a few at a time. I'll either install the patio doors myself or pay a carpenter to do the install.

 

[Shane Collins]

I'd suggest taking a look at the Integrity window, which is a Marvin. We installed eight of them in 2014 and are quite happy with the results this winter. They are well made, but not bearing the Marvin branding, lower cost and were recommended by several people I know in the building trades. I'm not sure who makes windows for Lowe's.

I just realised you're living in VT too. Did you get your integrity from windows and doors by brownell? Would you mind telling me what size you got and what you paid per unit?

 

[Holzstapel]

With the F55 heating the house now, we realized just how bad the 8' slider in our home is at keeping the cold out. I've always known it was bad, but now we really feel it. I'm not sure of the age or the manufacturer and I've looked all over the frame for information. On Monday I ordered a new Andersen 400 Series 8' Glider. Without installation the price came to $2200. Instead of pine, I opted for the oak interior, sliding screen, SmartSun glass and nice oil rubbed bronze hardware. Ordered it from the local lumber yard instead of Home Depot. It arrives the 3rd week of March, but before then I need to find someone to install it.

I also have windows on both sides of the slider that I need to replace and the 4 giant windows above the slider to eventually replace. None of these windows are efficient in keeping the cold out. I hope to have the two lower ones replaced sometime before next winter.

 

[valuman]

I just realised you're living in VT too. Did you get your integrity from windows and doors by brownell? Would you mind telling me what size you got and what you paid per unit?

I'd have to dig up receipts because the spreadsheet I was tracking my home improvement costs in was lost. I purchased my windows through Biben's Hardware/Building Supply and had a carpenter install them with me helping. All windows were selected from their standard sizes and framing was adjusted to fit the windows as needed.

I believe there's a Biben's store in the B-Town area now, so you might check with them. I was able to negotiate a 10% discount off the quoted pricing because of the amount I was purchasing from them for the projects we did last year. Now I'm in their system with the "contractor discount" included for all my purchases there.

 

[Shane Collins]

I'd have to dig up receipts because the spreadsheet I was tracking my home improvement costs in was lost. I purchased my windows through Biben's Hardware/Building Supply and had a carpenter install them with me helping. All windows were selected from their standard sizes and framing was adjusted to fit the windows as needed.

I believe there's a Biben's store in the B-Town area now, so you might check with them. I was able to negotiate a 10% discount off the quoted pricing because of the amount I was purchasing from them for the projects we did last year. Now I'm in their system with the "contractor discount" included for all my purchases there.

Thanks. I just had a look as I didn't know bibens supplied Integrity windows. Looks like it's their Springfield store only. That's a four hour round trip. Not sure I'd save anything there! thanks for the help though.

 

[valuman]

Thanks. I just had a look as I didn't know bibens supplied Integrity windows. Looks like it's their Springfield store only. That's a four hour round trip. Not sure I'd save anything there! thanks for the help though.

It might not hurt to get a quote from them, without telling where you live. If it's significantly lower it'll give you options to figure out delivery, or use to negotiate with Brownells.