I'm always amused by people who shop for the lowest price and then get nervous that the contractor that gave them the lowest price doesn't have much overhead.

If you want fancy showrooms that allow you to slurp unlimited latte's provide a manicure, groom your dog and salesmen with $1200 Armani suits, then don't expect the lowest price. heh, heh.....

ok so let me explain myself again. I dont care that he doesnt have much overhead, I am glad that he gave me an exceptional price. But anyone is going to question to some degree. when all the other quotes are about double. I dont need and I'm looking for any "fancy showrooms or Armani suits".
My question is does he have to be a reliable contractor if he was referred from Okna directly? Is it possible then he can charge me 1/2 the price from what I've seen on here? Or is it a red flag that he might not be a good installer/contractor? I cant find any bad or good reviews about him online. I put a call into Okna just to ask about how they refer contractors but havent heard back from them yet. I dont know anything about windows and not pretending I do its not MY line of work. I do as much research as I could to make a decision on something I know nothing about. Thats why I am here!! So instead of sarcasm I was looking for answer from someone who knows about this more then me. But hey at least I amused you today, that makes my day heh, heh!!

Low overhead is one thing, not budgeting enough to service the windows or customer in the future is another.

There is a fine line and some straddle the low end and others outright ignore it.

Having low overhead will lessen your price, however, depending on his volume, the difference between a showroom and not having a showroom might be as low as $20 a window.

Yeah, but unlimited Latte's add another $20 per window and the Armani Suit adds another $85 per window. That's nearly $125 per window difference.

Nyrgirl, you know I'm just teasing you, right? :)
What options such as grids, style and rough sizes and what price did the dealer give you on the Oknas?

also depends on your location as well. you are in new york? i get nervous when one guy comes in half of what the others are charging.
also, many dealers no longer have show rooms because its easier on the homeowner to have the window sample brought directly to the house opposed to driving to a show room.

I also think a lot of dealers got tired of homeowners coming to their showrooms, which they invested considerable money into, taking up their time, getting their advice, seeing all the different models on display and then buying from the dealer without the showroom because they were able to get a better price.

The first thing you should do is ask for, then actually see, his references. If he has none available, dump him.
Next thing you could do is look at some videos on Youtube about how to install windows. Also, Tauton press has some good books on window install. Once you learn the way to install, flash, and weather strip windows, make a list of how you want it done, one for him and a copy for you, and have him sign off.

If you feel the necessity to teach your window installer how to do their job, I would suggest you getting another installer.

Educating yourself on the process and making sure that they are doing it in accordance with best practices is fine, however, teaching them is not and option.

+1

If someone felt that little confidence in our company's veracity after talking to our customers, visiting some jobs, checking us out on Angies List, the BBB etc., I'd suggest they find someone else to do the job.