Every business needs to get their message out and they need to establish themselves in the market. Word of mouth is essential in today’s world as much as it was in the past. Thanks to social media, anything related to a company or its products do not remain quiet for long. By keeping this adage in mind, businesses tend to run contests.
Replacing the windows and doors in your home has several advantages, including giving your home a fresh new look and feel, increasing energy efficiency (driving down the costs of heating and cooling your home), and increase the overall value of your home. HGTV personality and trusted home improvement expert Mike Holmes named replacing old windows in his recent article “8 Home Renovations that Add the Most Value to Your Home”. Selecting high quality, well-manufactured windows is only part of the process. Having an experienced company with the right knowhow installing your new windows and doors, ensures your new windows and doors function as intended, and expected.
To assist with your search, we compiled a list of what to look for when trying to hire the best windows and doors company for your next renovation.
Consider Experience
Looking into how long a company has been in business is just the beginning of getting to know your potential installers. Yes, a company that has been around for 10+ years may be more experienced than one that has been around for only 2-3 years, but digging deeper in terms of how many people or crews they employ, and how many jobs they take on at a time will provide insight into the size of their operation. Knowing if the company focuses strictly on windows, doors and related jobs or if they are a general contractor, taking on many types of home improvement projects may weigh on your decision as well. A company that focuses on windows and doors is probably better equipped to complete the job appropriately.
See What Others Say
Reading reviews online will give you some good insights into the quality of work and the post-project service. Start by looking at Google reviews, past customer reviews will let you know if they were satisfied with the installation process, the quality of work, and even the follow-up service with any issues. Don’t just look at the star rating, take the time to read the reviews to fully understand why the compliment or complaint was given. BestVoted.ca is another great place to gauge reputation, as this will offer insights into the top voted windows and doors installers in your city. Don’t be afraid to ask the for references, any company with extensive history and satisfied clients in any industry will have a list of projects that you can go take a look at for yourself.
Understand Their Process
What you are expecting from your project and what is delivered do not always align, it is important to understand the full scope of your project prior to signing an agreement. Knowing things such as if the company manufactures the windows and doors themselves or if they purchase them from a supplier, do they install themselves or do they contract the work out are important because it lets you know if the company is responsible and accountable for all materials and work done or if you may need to be following up with a third party. Windows purchased from a supplier are not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just good to know all the details prior to starting. They should also be able to review the time frame of the project with you, this includes how long it should take for the windows and doors to be manufactured, and how long the installation will take. All additional materials required and the cleanup procedures should be covered as well, you don’t want to be surprised with any additional material costs or left with disposing of the old windows.
Review Warranties
With window and door installations you will have two different warranties to grasp, the manufacturer’s warranty on the windows and doors themselves, as well a workmanship warranty on the installation. Manufacturer’s warranties can vary between 10-25 years and these strictly cover the glass, and other components of the window (some components of the windows and doors may have a different length warranty.) Workmanship warrants are normally 1-2 years and cover against any issues arising from the installation. In most cases, any issues will show themselves quickly and can be addressed in the warranty periods. However, these warranties are only as good as the company issuing them. If the company is not around in a year, there won’t be anyone to assist anyways. This is why it is important to look into a company’s experience and reputation.
Assess the Quote
I am not referring to just the price, but if the price is too good to be true, that should be a red flag. Your quote should be more than just the final price, most companies will outline the cost of materials and installation separately. The more details outlined in the quote, the better understanding of your project scope you will have which in turn will increase your trust in the company. Look at any fine print to see what happens if additional materials are required once the old windows and doors are removed, will potential issues like rotted wood frames lead to additional costs or will it be covered by the company.
You need to be comfortable with any contractor that enters your home for any reason, looking into the above will help you make an informed decision when hiring professional to complete your windows and doors upgrades and provide you with the peace of mind that you made the best choice.