The Windows, Part 2

Aaaarrrggghhhh!  Okay.  Now that I’ve got that out, I can ’splain where we are and move on.

I’ve been trying to get a written quote — ANY written quote — on replacing seven (now six) rotted out windows on our house.  Two months straight this has been going on!  There are so many contractors in Omaha, but apparently they only want to go to the homes where they can get big insurance bucks for replacements from damage from this summer’s storms.  And we are not alone in this, either.  Friends and neighbors have also had issues getting contractors to come out to even look at the damage and recommend a course of action on siding, windows, fences, doors, even roofs.

I must say that one of the independent contractors on Builders Supply’s list returned my call, answered my “ballpark” questions over the phone (fair price), and told me he would come out whenever was convenient for ME to look and provide a written quote on installation only.  Rick Gatros with Gator’s Glass is a very nice man, and we would have liked to work with him (see below).

Another contractor came out, measured, discussed the labor involved, and then called with his quote.  It was not written, and it was not really what I asked for.  Okay, not at all.  He included the actual windows themselves, and didn’t break it out.    Seemingly, he wanted to do this project his way, on his terms, with the materials he wanted to use.  Uh-uh!

Lowe’s contractor’s installer rep came out on a Monday, measured, discussed, and said the contractor himself would have to answer many of the questions I had, and HE had questions he would call me.  Otherwise, maybe by the end of the week he could work up numbers for Lowe’s and then they would work up a quote a few days after that….  No!  My calls to Lowe’s telling them it was Saturday or several weeks if ever for a sale, seemed not to be able to speed things up.  But in the end, Lowe’s followed up, and Jerry at Lowe’s came in Saturday morning (his day OFF!) to wrap up the order for us.  We greatly appreciate this, and it turned around our feelings about the order.

The Peachtree windows were on 15% off sale by chance, and Eric the Manager gave us an additional 10% discount on the install.  Talk about cheap thrills!  We saved about $800!  We’re also saving because I will be staining the windows and some new trim, and painting the half-round drywall repair, myself (probably about $600 more).  We put the order on a new Lowe’s account to get 12 months interest free.  Another cheap thrill!  Yes, we still have to pay for it, but will be able to keep more cash working for us while we do that.

We decided to simply eliminate the half-round over the one bedroom window.  The independent contractor that came out pointed out that the reason the window below was so rotted was because the half-round was leaking down into it, and that the exterior trim had been replaced at one time (which we did not know).  That’s quite expensive, and we were hoping to salvage it.  But I saw that it would have to be replaced to stop the root of the problem.  Remove the offending window for good!  We’re having the hole covered and insulated — expensive problem resolved.

So now we wait.  The windows are on order, but there’s a pricing issue, so the order got sent back to sales and we’re waiting to hear how this gets resolved.  Hopefully, by late September we’ll have three secure, comfortable and energy-efficient rooms.  Meanwhile, tonight we’re expecting storms, and maybe, maybe the new caulking will hold off most of the leaking. 

I’m feeling much better about this project.  Unfortunately, I don’t have much control over it (which I choose to see as an opportunity for growth for me),  and it’s not something I can do myself (except for the staining and painting).  Deep breaths.  Patient waiting…