Skylight Installers in Owings Mills

“Description Of Work: We contracted Windows on Washington to perform three upgrades to our home: 1) Replace entry door -- upgrading the original double (french) entry door with a single ProVia door with sidelights 2) Replace all windows -- 16 (original) windows were replaced with Okna 800 series windows including a complete tear-out of an existing bay window 3) Insulation and Air Sealing -- Attic insulation, air sealing, and insulation in the cantilevers in our split level home Comments: The work being reviewed is the first major renovation project we began since buying our (1967-built) home in mid 2011. Upon reflection of our experience with WoW, there are five main areas that are important to consider when working with a contractor and WoW excelled on all of these dimensions. Before getting into the details, I will say that overall, our home is more efficient, our home is quieter, and our windows and door are beautiful! And we are more knowledgeable about what we can do to continue to improve our home's energy efficiency. We will be using WoW for upcoming projects for a new roof and siding -- without question. 1) Research & Quote Process: WoW excelled in this area. To put it lightly, our research process is extensive. We started the research process, both for materials and contractors in late 2011 and finally committed to a project in late February 2012. WoW really excelled in this area -- we first met with Kevin (sales) and had a great first impression. He was very knowledgable and helpful, but not at all 'pushy' -- he let the quality of materials, reviews, etc speak for themselves and stopped at nothing to answer questions for us. He didn't show up with fancy heat lamps, or with a lovely color palette. He showed up wanting to understand what we wanted and to educate us on our options. We visited WoW's showroom and met the same helpfulness in their office. As our research process progressed, Kevin brought in Eric (the owner of the company) and another home visit was made by them - not to sell, but to answer our questions, evaluate the project, and give us advice. Not only did Eric, Kevin, and the team give us sound advice about the project at hand, but they gave us advice about projects they weren't selling us directly -- just honest, good advice for new homeowners. 2) Pricing: WoW's prices were competitive. They aren't the most expensive, but they also aren't the cheapest. That is for two reasons: a) They only install high quality materials -- they won't be your $200/window company because they want your windows to be efficient and to hold up to the test of time. b) They pay attention to the installation process and the materials they use down to the caulk used on the windows. What good is a nice window if water or air leaks in around the edges after a couple of years? With all that said, the prices are still competitive and I think it would be hard to find a better combination of price and quality. 3) Knowledge about the industry, installation, etc: Exceptional! As part of my research process, I read as much as I could in trade magazines, websites, etc about windows, doors, and insulation. I knew I wanted to stick with a few specific brands of doors and windows that were high quality and efficient and that helped narrow my search for contractors. As I searched forums on home construction, window reviews, etc I found that WoW is very active on these forums. At first this gave me a pause because I worried they may be on these forums to self-promote. But I can assure you that is not at all the case. WoW is on these forums because they are passionate about this industry of home efficiency, insulation, windows, doors, roofing, etc. I have probably read dozens of posts by WoW on these forums and never found one that was self promoting -- all of them are about sharing knowledge about materials, installation advice, simple DIY advice, etc. This is a huge positive for the integrity and credibility of the company -- and also the passion for the work. I am pretty passionate about DIY jobs -- partly because "if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right -- the first time". I found WoW to share this same perspective and it gave me a great deal of confidence in their approach to the work. 4) Materials Available/Used: Only the best! WoW only carries some of the best materials you can use in the industry. If you search the internet for high quality windows -- you should find Okna to be at or near the top. If you search for high quality doors -- you should find ProVia to be at or near the top. They do have other options and will quote pretty much anything they feel is worth installing. They don't push one specific thing, but plainly lay out the pros and cons for the homeowner to consider. 5) Installation/workmanship: Top Notch! I cannot say enough about the professionalism and fortitude WoW had. The easy stuff first -- Our windows were installed quickly -- in a day. Our insulation was installed quickly, in less than a day. After a few months, there are no issues -- zero. Now for the tricky part... we wanted our double entry door replaced with a single door with sidelights. When WoW was out for final measurements, they felt it may be tight to fit the door and sidelights we wanted -- this was complicated by the fact that we have brick surrounding the entry door -- not an easy job to squeeze an extra half-inch into the opening without masonry work. After some research on their end, they felt it wouldn't work, but said they felt a company they work with from time to time could 'custom make' the door we wanted from ProVia and trim the sidelights down every so slightly so it would fit. Before committing to this other company, they asked this company for a sample of the product. After receiving it, they felt it wasn't satisfactory -- it didn't look as good as the ProVia and thus they wouldn't sell it to us. WoW didn't give up -- they came back to our house and took more measurements and found a way to make it work -- or at least they thought. On the day of the door install, after removing our existing door, they found that some of the brick that wasn't exposed stuck out further than they thought... making the door opening slightly too small for the door they had sitting on their truck. Well, WoW didn't give up... they broke out the chisels and drills and began some basic masonry work to chisel back the brick (non-exposed) so the door would fit. Eric was on the job site at this time -- he wanted to make sure this was done right. WoW finished the door install -- and it looked great! Aside from a little red brick dust as evidence of the tough work, the whole project was done on time and no additional charge to us -- even though it was clearly an unexpected obstacle. Finally -- I feel like it's hard to find a company who cares as much about your house as you do. But I have to say that I think WoW just might be that company.”

“Our house has been TRANSFORMED. Gutters, downspouts, roof, siding... all aspects of our home improvements have been SUPERIOR from start to finish. Now that we have new siding and insulation behind it, we can no longer hear noise from the beltway and can barely hear the planes from BWI that we live VERY close to. HIGHLY recommended!”

“We have used HomeFix several times in the last 3 years. Most recently, we had a patio door ordered and installed. Everyone we have worked with is a professional with a high emphasis on providing excellent customer service. They take the time to explain the options you have and how the entire process works. Their door installers were quite knowledgeable, clean, and on-time. They corrected errors made with our old door installation by the original home builder. Will contact again for our next project.”

“We asked Orion to replace all of the windows in our townhouse with more energy efficient ones. Ryan gave us a very fair estimate on the windows and work, making it an easy decision to go with Orion. The work was done quickly and in a professional manner, with Ryan following up on our satisfaction. Excellent company...highly recommend Orion!”

“Alexandria glass reairs replaced multiple window glass units in my house. I had an awesome experience. Respectful, generous and priced carefully. Thanks.”

“Great experience! Order process was easy, and special financing sealed the deal on immediate decision. Benjie and his installation crew were professional, efficient and flexible. Windows look great and really enhance the rooms, as I'd hoped they would. Highly recommend.”