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daven_gw

Am I being taken for a ride?

18 years ago

I have a quote for Marvin replacement clad casement windows with low e/argon/coastal hardware including installation. The installation is a little tough based on location and the windows above.

The order is for 13 windows

24x60 two opening casements

30x60 two fixed

32x46 fixed

32x25 two fixed

a trapezoid of 81x60 that will be replaced by 3 separate windows. I'm in a hurricane prone area on the beach.

The quote is for $13,500. Is this a reasonable amount or quite high? This company carries quite a few high end windows and before I go to the trouble of checking references I would appreciate some guidance.

Thanks for the help,

Dave

Comments (3)

  • 18 years ago

    Hi this is 2003 data from SF Bay Area, CA but it may work for you.

    An operable Marvin AL clad exterior, wood inside, Low-E II, Argon dbl pane casement at 36W and 48H was quoted at $440, not including tax and not including installation. **NO** special coastal hardware, all standard. You may be able to extrapolate this a bit using inflation rate since 2003.

    We factory-mulled many of these units to form large operable window openings so I have no single window labor cost. Will use general cost.

    Local construction cost at the time was $200 per square foot standard construction by standard construction company. Our work required complete removal of old windows, installing on second-story, making new openings, large headers, earthquake resistant improvements to window openings and following Marvin's installation specification. They also refinished trims and stucco around openings. Our labor cost ended up to be 75% of window purchase price including tax.

    I worked your numbers out to be about $10,835 using our 2003 numbers at $440 per window, 8.25% tax, 75% labor cost. Again, we have no coastal hardware.

    Hopefully, this info is usable when you use your local labor cost, current window price and tax.

    Good luck!

  • 18 years ago

    Thanks for the info calbay03. Given the time period this price quote isn't too bad. I've recently been warned off any wood clad window in an oceanfront dwelling due to rot considerations. Is this a problem with Marvin's clad windows?

  • 18 years ago

    Hopefully someone else who has Marvin's by the beach can respond.

    We do have a casement window in one bathroom and it gets a lot of condensation everyday from showers and baths. I worry about that a bit. Right now, the last person out wipes it with a towel. After 4 years, the stain remains sound and the window seems just fine, knock on wood. Of course, this is not sea air, just high moisture.

    We are far enough to not get direct salty sea air but close enough to receive full force of winter storm winds and rain and hail and some snow. Gusts often whip pea gravels onto our French doors (Marvin). So far, no leaks and no hardware faillure. We stained all of ours so if there is any wood problems, it should show through.

    The casements and our dbl hung's also seal real nice. We can see the trees bending and snapping back and forth in the winds but we hear nothing. At night, the first hint of a storm's arrival is when water drops physically hit the windows hard.

    I am no expert but I believe if the Marvin's are installed properly and are stained or painted properly, they should be just fine. That first few coats of stain or paint will make a world of difference.
    Good luck!

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