Charlottesville Vinyl Replacement Windows

When it comes to remodeling and home improvements, more Charlottesville homeowners choose vinyl replacement windows as their first major project than any other home improvement. Vinyl Replacement windows reduce noise and save energy while increasing your property value and enhancing the appearance of your home.

Upgrading your windows is a major project that requires careful consideration and guidance from a trusted professional in order to assure the best value. The best price is usually NOT the best value when it comes to windows. The old addage, "You get what you pay for." certainly applies when it comes to the vinyl replacement windows you choose, and maybe not so much when it comes to the contractor you choose!

There are 4 major components to a window.

The glass package
The sash in which the glass package is assembled
The frame in which the sash(es) are assembled
And the structure in which the window itself is installed

Each of the four major components offer an opportunity to affect energy efficiency, the amount of maintenance, and the life span of the window. Since you are probably considering a remodeling project, and your home is already built, the structure is for the most part already there and probably not something we can cost-effectively alter.

Glass Packages

Single pane windows and storm windows are a thing of the past, replaced by what is referred to as insulated glass. The challenge here is deciphering all of the options and variables that are available when trying to decide on making a window purchase. The big box stores make it simple for the most part...they all stock a "standard" window: double pane glass, argon gas between the panes, and that's it. Problem is if you run the calculations, they're peobably not that much more efficient than what you have now! Today you can choose from double pane, triple or quad pane, argon gas, krypton gas, metal spacers, foam spacers, low-e coatings, double low-e coatings and on and on. Before you buy a window, contact Frugal DIY and have us help you. We'll run the cost comparisons as well as energy effeciency rating comparisons, then crunch them into your energy bill and come up with the real numbers that best illustrate the actual cost and length of pay back for your investment. A $350 window may cost more today than a $200 window. In 5 years, the $200 window may be costing you $400 on your electric bill! Buy wisely and consult with a professional that isn't looking to sell you only one manufacturer's window.

Low-e coating Low-e is either a coating applied to the glass on the inside of the outer pane (between the panes) or a thin and nearly invisible film suspended in the space between the panes. The coating restricts energy, according to its wavelength, from passing through the glass. Unlike a reflective surface or tint, transparent low-e coatings block out radiation without dramatic distortions to incoming visible light. The exact low-e coating and the pane face(s) chosen for application depend upon the needs of the circumstance.

There are several universal scales through which windows, designed by different manufacturers, may be compared. The most important of which are the U and R-values. R stands for Resistance and denotes the window’s ability to block heat flow. U, which has no obvious namesake, is the reciprocal of R and therefore represents the amount of heat that does transfer through the window. The National Fenestration Council has recently introduced this U value as intuitively it makes more sense to think in terms of minimizing heat flow rather than maximizing resistance. In addition the U value is on a scale from 0 to 1 while R ratings are becoming more cumbersome as they extend into the double digits.

Vinyl, finally? Some of the early vinyl windows did not perform very well. As a result, vinyl windows have a negative connotation in many people's minds. However, all of that has changed now. In fact, vinyl frames are actually more efficient than thermally broken aluminum, and in some cases, even more efficient than wood. Here are some other pros for vinyl windows:
Vinyl never needs painting and is guaranteed not to peel, chip or warp.

Because vinyl is the same color throughout, scratches are virtually unnoticeable.

Good quality vinyl windows are welded together, not held together with screws.

Because screws tend to pull out of vinyl, good quality vinyl windows will have metal reinforcements in the parts of the windows where hardware (such as the sash locks) is screwed in.

They look nice!

Not all warranties are the same When making a decision, it is very important to review the full warranty before you make your purchase. To give you an illustration of how important this can be, go to Lowe's and read the warranty for the Pella vinyl replacement windows. There is a segment in there that lets you know they only guarantee that the argon gas they put in the galss package was in there when it was manufactured! Now, argon gas does migrate over time and eventually will leave the window, but it ought to be there for a while, don't you agree? This also gives an argument some weight when considering the higher price to get krypton gas instead. Because it is a lot more dense than argon, it doesn't migrate out of the glass package as easily or quickly. We'll help you weigh this option when the time comes. So far, it has made the most economical sense to stick with the argon and to stay away from manufactures that won't give at least some length of warranty on the gas! Some of the highest quality and most reliable manufacturers offer lifetime glass replacement. If the glass ever breaks, for any reason, they'll replace it free of charge! Even if your son or daughter hits a foul ball right through the window! If you have sports-minded children, this can be a valuable feature!

Case Study
16 Windows at half the price!

Homeowner: Mr. & Mrs. Mills, Charlottesville VA

The Mills responded to a coupon they received in the mail for new windows and had the contractor provide a quote. 16 windows for $18,300. Since that didn't seem like the great deal they responded to, they called in two more companies to get prices, one of which was one of the big box stores. Prices 2 and 3 were $14,550 and $11,016 respectively.

Mr. Mills then did some Googling to learn more about vinyl windows to try to explain why there was such a difference in pricing from the contractors, and in doing so found Frugal DIY. He sent in a request using our contact form, and we were there the next day.

After about an hour, Mr. Mills hired us to coach him througth the process of installing the windows himself. We ran cost comparisons on 4 different window manufacturers, from 3 different suppliers and discovered that he could get the top of the line window, the same ones the $18,300 contactor was going to install, for a little oover $6,200. We ordered the windows for Mr. Mills and 3 weeks later worked for about 6 hours to show him how to remove the old windows and install the new ones. We worked on 4 windows along side Mr. Mills, then left him to do a few on his own. Two weeks later, he was done!

Total savings over $9,000 after the trim was done etc.! Now that's Frugal!

Contact Frugal DIY

Read Our Testimonials