Is this for real??????? Is your house MADE of glass?? Our windows cost (with grids on ALL of them) $4,000. And we have nice windows. :) Twenty-two of them.

Even if you are paying $200 per window, that's 885 Andersen Windows. Wow!

My bids for Marvin and Lincoln windows (9) and french sliders (3) ranged from $16,000 to $20,000. That was for aluminum clad wood casement windows and doors, some with simulated divided light, and all oil rubbed bronze hardware.

Talk to your contractor. You don't need to justify your concern to him. He needs to justify why he has only considered one supplier for each brand. Be alert for sweetheart deals. Some contractors think it is OK to get rebates from them later.

go to hd and get a bid. then ask them to run it through the contractor bid room. that is usually good for another 5-10%.

I know that the bids seem really high - but because we are in a hurricane prone area, the code requires hurricane rated windows ("StormWatch"). These are a substantial upcharge from regular windows. The Andersen windows are the 400 series.

If we don't get the hurricane rated windows then we have to have plywood panels that must be installed for our insurance to cover us. Not realistic.

Ian

Have your GC shop the quote around. There's no reason for your windows to be that expensive. HomeDepot and Lowes can be an excellent benchmark for the Big Brand Name windows, but consider Lincoln, Hurd and other brands distributed through builder supply stores. We went with Hurd Casements, Aluminum clad wood. Over 30 windows, $27K. Some of them large, and 5 arched windows.

I think that for that insane price you might be living all alone in your hurricane-prone area...who else is going to be able to afford to build in your area if that is the cost for just windows!?!?

Definately shop it around. I paid $50,000 for 99 window and door openings in my new home and that included a 15ft LaCantina retractable door system and many other beautiful features. The brand that I went with was Sierra-Pacific. They are a west coast based company that deals mostly west of the Mississippi...not sure where you are.

Dont omit checking out local glass shops that carry quality windows. Often times you can get a great price including installs that keep the warranties intact. We got a great deal on out weathershields.

Are these casement windows? What model Marvin did you specicfy?

For those interested, there are a huge variety of windows and french doors included in the order. Mostly double hung windows with some transoms. The hurricane glass is a huge upcharge.

6 CUDH3028 @ $1,266 each
12 CUDH 2628 @ $1,178 each
3 CUDH 2016 @ $790 each
15 CUDH 2622 @ 1,033 each
9 CUDH 3026 @ $1,209 each
1 CUDH 2028 @ $1,037 each
3 CUDH 2418 @ $900 each
5 CUDH 3226 @ $1,432 each

French Doors
4 @ $2,293 each - Fixed Panels
2 @ $3,364 each
4 Double Doors @ $6,599 each
2 Double Doors @ $5,866 each

actually, i can't bear going through it any more...suffice it to say, it is a huge order.

Was told that there isn't much difference between Center of Excellence dealers...but bid it out to two others so will let you know.

Our experience is that there can be a noticeable difference in the cost of windows between suppliers for the exact same windows. And, we especially found this to be the case with Marvin.

As far as windows at HD and Lowe's, at least here in Virginia, I do not believe they are close to comparable in quality to Marvin -- we didn't shop Anderson so I can't comment on the comparison.

Truthfully, I found the world of windows terribly overwhelming.... everyone seems to have their favorites, the companies seem to buy one another out, and everyone seems to have a horror story about the company you think is your leading choice. In the end, we opted for Marvin, but they've only been installed for a year so it's way too early to comment on their performance.

The only thing I can comfortably comment on is that a good installation is critical to the performance of your window. Any good window can be compromised with a shotty installation. Here in Virginia, we see dozens of windows installed without one ounce of flashing.

One other thing: we found doors from window companies (Marvin, Jeld Wen, etc) incredibly expensive and not very customizeable. From a quality AND price perspective, you may want to check out places that specialize in making doors exclusively. We had already chosen our door hardware (prior to purchasing the door), and none of the window companies could accomodate a door with a simple mortise lock. In the end, we chose a door that was FAR nicer, far more custom, and WAY, way less expensive.