Before you decide
We are not the cheapest and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we will do is help you read what is in front of you, including ours. These are the six things that actually separate one number from another. Ask every company the same six, and the quotes stop being interchangeable.
What is included in this number, and what comes back later as a change order?
Two quotes for "eight windows" can cover different work. Disposal of the old units, interior trim, exterior wrapping and any rot found once the old window is out are the four that most often move between the quote and the invoice.
Ours: Ours lists what is included. If we find rot behind a unit we call you before we touch it, with the number, rather than adding it to the final bill.
Which line, which glass package, which colour, in writing?
The window line and the glass package are the two biggest drivers of both price and performance, and they are the two most often left as a category name rather than a specific product.
Ours: Named on the quote, and the published specs for what we install are on the window type pages so you can read them before you decide.
See the window types and specsWas every opening measured, or was one measured and the rest assumed?
Openings in an older Northern Michigan house are rarely identical, even on the same wall. Assumed sizes are the most common reason an install day turns into a re-order.
Ours: Every opening. The estimator who measures is the one who briefs the crew.
Does the price include trim, wrapping, insulation and finish work, or just setting the unit?
A unit set into an opening is not a finished window. Insulating the gap, wrapping the exterior and finishing the interior trim is most of the labour and most of the weather performance.
Ours: Included and specified. It is the part of the job that decides whether the window actually performs the way its specs say.
Is there a date on the calendar, or a range of weeks?
A range of weeks is not a schedule. It usually means the crew is not booked yet, or the product has not been ordered.
Ours: A date, given before the order goes to the factory. If it has to move you hear it from us first.
How a project actually goesWho registers the warranty, and who picks up the phone next year?
A warranty that was never registered is a piece of paper. This is the axis that costs nothing on quote day and everything two winters later.
Ours: We register it and keep the copy. You call the same office that sold you the job.
Usually because the two quotes do not cover the same work. The four things most often missing from a lower number are disposal of the old units, interior and exterior trim work, insulation of the opening, and a named glass package. Ask both companies to put those four in writing and the numbers usually move toward each other.
No, and we do not claim to be. What we will do is show you what our number covers so you can compare it line for line against anything else you are holding.
Six things: the scope of work including what triggers a change order, the specific product line and glass package, confirmation that every opening was measured, the trim and insulation work included, an install date rather than a range of weeks, and who registers the warranty.
Yes. A company that is confident in what it includes has no reason to discourage it. Bring ours to the comparison and hold it to the same six questions as everyone else.
Free in-home estimate, every opening measured, and the six answers above in writing.
Got it
If you gave us an email, a confirmation with what you sent is on its way.
Added. Keep an eye out for a call from a Traverse City number.