Short version: decide what problem you want the new windows to fix, get prices only from people who have stood in your house with a tape measure, and read every line of the estimate before you sign. The rest of this guide fills in the details, because replacement windows are a purchase most people make once or twice in their lives and the sales process can be confusing the first time through.
Name the problem before you shop
Walk the house on a hot afternoon and write down what bothers you. Maybe the back bedroom never cools down. Maybe two of the sashes in the dining room are painted shut, or the glass in the guest bath has gone cloudy between the panes. Maybe you can hear every truck on the frontage road.
That list matters more than any brochure. A window that solves heat gain on a west wall is set up differently from one meant to quiet a street-facing bedroom, and a salesperson who never asks what you are trying to fix is only there to sell you something. Bring the list to every appointment and see who actually reads it.
Only trust a price from someone who measured
Every opening in a house is a little different. Frames settle, walls go out of square, and a previous owner may have trimmed an opening to fit a stock size. An accurate quote depends on someone checking each window: the size, the condition of the frame and sill, whether there is rot or water damage hiding under the trim, and how the window will come out without tearing up the brick or siding.
Why phone prices fall apart
A low per-window number on a flyer or over the phone usually covers the window and little else. Removal, disposal, new trim, sealing and a warranty worth having tend to show up later as add-ons. By the time the paperwork is final, the bargain often costs as much as an honest quote would have, and the product may be a lower grade. A free in-home estimate takes about the same effort from you and gives you a number you can compare side by side.
Find out which installation method is being quoted
Two companies can quote the same window and still be selling very different jobs. The difference is usually how the window goes in.
An insert installation leaves the existing frame in place and sets the new window inside it. It is quicker and disturbs less of the interior and exterior trim, and it works well when the old frame is square, dry and solid. A full-frame installation takes the old unit out down to the rough opening, which lets the installer inspect for damage, fix it, and insulate and flash the opening properly. It also lets you change the size or style of the opening.
Neither is always right. What you want is a company that tells you which method it plans for each opening and why. If a quote does not say, ask. If the answer is vague, that tells you something too.
Read the estimate line by line
A good estimate should let you picture the finished job. Look for these items in writing:
- The window style and size for each opening, listed room by room
- Frame material and color, inside and out
- The glass package, including any low-E coating and gas fill
- Grid pattern, if any, and where the grids sit
- Screens, and whether they are full or half
- Removal and disposal of the old windows
- Interior and exterior trim, caulking and any repairs to the opening
- Who handles permits or HOA paperwork, if needed
- Warranty terms, or a copy of the warranty itself
When you lay two estimates next to each other with that list in hand, the cheaper one often turns out to be missing half the job.
Match the glass to Austin heat
Central Texas spends far more of the year running air conditioning than heating, so for most homes the number to watch is the solar heat gain coefficient on the window label. Lower means less of the sun’s heat gets through the glass. West-facing walls take a beating in the late afternoon and usually benefit most from a lower number. Our winters are mild with the occasional hard freeze, so insulation still matters, but it rarely drives the decision the way summer heat does. Ask each company to explain the glass it recommends for your sunniest walls. If every window in the quote has the same glass regardless of which way it faces, ask why.
Check the rules before you pick colors and grids
Many subdivisions in Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville and the other suburbs have HOA rules about exterior colors and grid patterns. Some require approval before any exterior change. Get the guidelines from your HOA before you choose a frame color, not after the order is placed.
Homes in one of the City of Austin’s local historic districts have an extra step: window replacement counts as an exterior change that has to be reviewed. Contact the Historic Preservation Office as soon as you start looking, and find out what they will accept before any company writes up an order.
Get the warranty in writing
Warranty language varies a lot from one company and product to the next. Some cover the window itself but not the labor to replace a failed part. Some cover glass seal failure and some do not. Ask for a copy of the actual warranty, not a summary on a sales sheet, and read what it says about installation, glass, hardware and screens. We offer double lifetime warranty options on our windows, and we will walk you through exactly what the written terms cover for the product you choose.
Plan how you will pay
Decide on a budget before the appointment so you can steer the conversation toward options that fit it. Replacing the windows on the hottest side of the house first is a reasonable plan if doing the whole house at once is not. If you would rather spread the cost out, financing is available to approved customers; you can read more on our window financing page and ask us for the details during your estimate.
Allow time between signing and install day
Replacement windows are built to the measurements of your openings, so there is a gap between placing the order and the crew showing up. Ask each company for its current timeline and plan around it. If you want the work done before summer, or before family arrives for the holidays, start shopping well ahead.
Spring and fall are comfortable seasons for installation because the house is open to the outdoors for part of each day while the old windows come out. Summer installs are routine too. Ask how the crew sequences the job so you are not left with every window out on a 100-degree afternoon. If someone in your home has allergies, mention it; working through cedar season is fine, but you may want to keep interior doors closed and run the air filter while the openings are exposed.
Walk away from pressure
A common sales routine goes like this. The rep stays for hours, quotes a very high price, then starts making phone calls to a manager and knocking the number down with a string of one-time discounts that expire when they leave. The final price was the real price all along. The routine is designed to wear you out so you sign that night.
You should get a clear price, time to think, and answers to your questions without a deadline attached. If the only way to get a good number is to sign before the rep leaves, the number was never that good.
Questions worth asking every company
- Who will actually install the windows, your own crew or a subcontractor?
- How will you protect floors, furniture and landscaping during the job?
- What happens if you find rot or damage once the old window is out?
- How do I reach you if something goes wrong after the job is done?
The answers tell you a lot about how the company will treat you after the check clears.
Start with a free in-home estimate
We will measure every opening, look at your list of problems, and give you a written price with no pressure to decide on the spot. Call The Window Source of Austin at (512) 524-9455 or request your free in-home estimate online.