What I Learned Shopping for Replacement Windows
Replacement window shopping involves time, patience, and the willingness to do the research. It also requires people-management skills—as in, how to say “no” and “good-bye” to a perky and persistent salesperson.
My husband and I recently got firsthand experience in that challenge. After five chilly winters in the small older home we’d downsized to—in theory to save money—we realized that the living room’s drafty, circa-1955 single-pane picture window had to go. Two flanking, double-hung windows, also wooden originals, had become tough to open. Several others—old, failing replacement windows—needed a makeover.
So we did what you might do: We let reps from three replacement window companies come to talk to us in our home. And even with decades of experience as a Consumer Reports reporter, I still had some learning to do. Here’s what we gleaned and what you can take away from that experience.