Vinyl Window Installation

Yes! Replacing the windows in your home is a good investment, and offers a strong return for what you spend. In fact, replacing your windows and doors is one of the most valuable home improvements you can make. You will benefit from energy cost savings and ease of day-to-day use when living in the house and also get a better offer when selling the house.

When a full brick-to-brick window installation is performed, it involves removing all the window’s parts like its frame, the sill, exterior trim and interior trim. The new window is then levelled, shimmed and fastened into the studs; insulated with spray foam around the perimeter; and installed complete with all new parts, finishing with caulking outside.

On average, vinyl windows last between 20-40 years. Their life expectancy depends on the climate and conditions you live in. For instance, if your windows are exposed to harsh sunlight for extended periods of time, the vinyl will break down faster and their lifespan will be closer to 20 years.

If a window was correctly installed, it should open and close fully and smoothly without any sticking. If your window sticks so much you have to force it to move or it doesn't reach the frame when you try to close it, you have a problem. Either the sash wasn't properly aligned, or it's the wrong size for the window.

The window’s price primarily depends on its size (the bigger the window, the higher the price) and type of installation (retrofit or brick to brick). Any upgrades like color, vinyl or wood interior, grills, and glass type will also reflect on the price. The chart below will give you a price idea for an average-size white window (about 10 sq/foot) with retrofit and brick-to-brick installation.

Homeowners can expect to pay an average of $100 to $300 per regular window installation plus the window cost of $200-$1200. More complicated installations like oversized and specialty windows, bay/bow windows, windows with large capping needed, windows with glass blocks etc, will add to the labour costs. These costs could rise to $400 to $800 per window installation.

The installation time varies depending on the size of a window and the type of installation (retrofit, brick to brick or stud to stud). On average it takes about 1 hour for a professional to install 1 window.

A professional crew of 2-3 men can replace between 10-15 windows per day.

Winter is the off-season for most window replacement specialists, so there is a higher chance to find better deals. Even if there is no room for a price discount, you can get the windows produced faster.

Here is what you should do.

1. Clear a Path. Installers will frequently enter and exit your home while moving from room to room. They will be handling large and heavy windows. You want to make sure they have a clear path for safety reasons. You don’t need to clear everything out, just make sure they have easy access by clearing the way. Move any furniture and other things that might be in their way to get to the windows and work around them. Don’t forget to move any items outside your house as well, such as patio furniture, hoses, and yard ornaments. You will especially want to move any fragile plants so they do not accidentally get trampled.
2. Remove Window Treatments. Next, make sure to remove all window coverings, including sheers, blinds, and curtains. They are not part of the window installation and will only be in the way to do the job properly. Consider taking down any wall decor and photographs close to the windows. Nothing should be unintentionally knocked over while installing new windows.
3. Put Down Dust Covers. The installers will have the drop sheets, but they will not have any covers for the furniture, so if you wish to save yourself some time with dusting, you might consider covering your belongings around the windows.
4. Conserve Energy. You might want to crank the thermostat down to avoid wasting energy on cooling or heating the house.

Before the team leaves, the window installers clean their workspace, take away the garbage and vacuum/broom the space around their activity. The new windows are usually clean and do not require any cleaning, maybe just some dusting.

The average cost of replacing windows in an entire home is running from $10-15,000.

The new windows add at least double their value to a house when you are replacing the windows which are 20+ years old and at least triple the value for replacing the outdated rotten or single pane windows that are 30+ years old.