SolarGlass

What you are about to read is a true story from a real customer. No words have been changed. The only thing that has been altered is that I have divided the customer’s experience into chapters – milestones in the process of replacing their windows. From the decision to replace windows, to the research, to the purchase of the replacement windows, and the installation, all chronicled to provide a learning and buying process for us all

The customer whose provided this story resides in our service area which includes Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins, and the rest of Colorado’s urban corridor.

I encourage your comments, and honor any questions you may have that pertain to your specific situation. Feel free to email me directly at ghagan@solarglass.com as the story unfolds each week for the next five weeks.

Now on to Chapter I:

To Replace or Not to Replace?

Let me preface this by saying that before ~August 2009 we had not even thought about window replacement, nor did we know much about the subject. However, we were forced to learn very quickly!

Background
Our house had Oldach wood interior, aluminum clad exterior, windows installed as original windows when the house was built 16 years ago. Like many of the Oldach installations, we had experienced poor sealing and the window frames had started to rot. We tried to repair the rotted frames with wood filler and hardener but soon realized it was an uphill battle that would not end well. Reluctantly, in September, we started our investigation for replacement windows.

Our search began by pouring in hours of Internet search time, reading blogs, on-line whine lines, etc… to try and determine reputable manufacturers, installers, things to look for, engineering and design data on windows. We also researched Consumer Reports and we checked with our personal network, some folks who are in the construction business, to see if there were any immediate standouts or avoidances.

Selection
The three brands that we narrowed down our final search to for replacement windows were: Pella, Renewal by Anderson and Marvin. The next phase was to go look for ourselves at the showrooms, talk to the sales personnel and get a feel for how the entire process works. After visiting the showrooms we invited sales people to the house for full pricing quotes.

In terms of criteria for the quotes, we wanted to ensure that we kept our wood interior look and feel that we had with the Oldach windows and we wanted white exteriors that require no maintenance. Thus, we were limited to a composite design, either a clad window or one that would give us a wood veneer interior. Additionally, we also wanted to replace the existing windows with better quality and more energy efficient design and construction.

Combining all these constraints, the brands and window lines we compared were:
• Marvin Integrity (wood interior, pultruded fiberglass exterior)
• Marvin Ultimate (wood interior, aluminum extruded exterior)
• Renewal by Anderson (PVC and recycled wood composite with wood veneer interior)
• Pella Proline (wood interior, aluminum sheet metal clad exterior)
• Pella Designer (wood interior, aluminum sheet metal clad exterior, but with more options)

We developed a quote comparison table to help with our selection. The comparison criteria were:
• costs (materials, installation and finishing costs)
• ‘ratings’ (energy efficiency, design pressure rating, warranty, perceived quality & reliability)
• size deviation from existing windows
• features (screen types, will the shades fit? do they come with shades?)
• installation (are the installers dedicated to this company and its windows, or are they handymen?)
• gut-feel
All windows quoted had low-E-Coat glass and in this case, the ‘ratings’ we used were as rated by Consumer Reports, probably the most neutral and least opinionated ratings we could find.

We received the following email yesterday:

“I just wanted to let you know how truly pleased Gary and I are with the new Milgard windows and the front door. We can actually already tell a positive difference and they have been in the house less than a week! Ed, this was an exceptional home improvement experience from beginning to end . . . the gentlemen who did the window/door installation were marvelous (and I usually don’t lavish praise on contractors as I typically have not always had such excellent end results). We can give everything the highest marks . . . your knowledgeable work as the window consultant, the replacement window installation crew and the product itself. We do feel that we have the very best replacement windows for the money; for performance, functionality and appearance. I can’t imagine that we would have received any more of a benefit by doubling the purchase price on more costly replacements.”

My job as owner is to honor the team that makes these comments possible!

Marvin Windows is blogging live from the International Business Show. I will be there tomorrow and will update from there.

We will be in booth 283

We will have our team available to talk about window replacement, window technology and energy savings, and the difference between a SolarGlass American Architectural Manufacturers Association Certified Installation and what is sadly common practice in the replacement business.

I just spent two hours searching the web for an impartial information source that would help a homeowner sort through the varying frame materials, glass choices, styles, and energy performance. I started on our vendor sites and struck out there. Looks like something for us to create.

Before jumping in, please let me know any good IMPARTIAL sites you have found.

In 2009, we have lost two significant jobs to a competitor who distributes Loewen, a Canadian manufacturer of high quality windows and doors. Our competitor is one of the best in the area; I have met the owner and admire the company he has built.

We lost the first job because Marvin Windows, our primary window line and a worthy equal to Loewen, would not build a configuration that was deemed to be ill-advised from a structural engineering point of view. We share this information with the builder but did not imply, or use as a sales tool, that Loewen’s statement that it would build the configuration was an explicit structural compromise. We were told this “difference” was a key architectural feature of the home and the reason we lost. Once the deal was signed and the window and door order was placed with Loewen, it turned out that Loewen would not build the configuration either but instead substituted the alternative configuration Marvin has proposed.

Our second loss just happened. Normally Marvin and Loewen are priced in a relatively narrow band with Marvin higher at times and Loewen at others. In this case, the Marvin quote was 65% higher. Some of this was driven by a few very tall doors where Marvin builds a more substantial system with higher wind and water infiltration protection. Another difference was the provision by Loewen of push out casement operation at the same price as crank out casements, contrary to the current pricing models by every other manufacturer. Frankly these differences don’t explain the huge price gap. In our case, our gross margin is substantively less than the top line price difference!

In both cases, we thanked the builders for giving us an opportunity to bid the work and asked for the opportunity to visit the jobsite and take a first hand look at the wining product. More importantly, I informed our sales person and our entire sales staff of how proud I was/am of them and our sales process. We work with Marvin to ensure that anything we quote we can deliver. We never use price to “buy” business. Our customers know that our first price is our last, and that we price to fund our service model and to take care of our employees.

While I hate to lose, our successful batting average has me comfortably and confidently staying the course.

We were honored to have be selected by Saunders Construction, Inc. to supply Marvin windows for the Casey Middle School project. The image shows the second of two truckloads.

I am very proud of the SolarGlass team. They proved they could scale up and handle the demands of a very large commercial contract with the same service excellence afforded our residential customers.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a fair amount of skepticism about the Department of Energy’s involvement in an initiative to spur the availability of R5 windows. Details in the initiative can be found here. SolarGlass commented the initiative in a letter posted here.
R5 Volume Purchase Program in High Altitude Markets

Populus Sustainable Design Consulting will be conducting Leeds for Home training in our Santa Fe showroom facility Read more and sign up!

Here are energy efficiency claims found on some replacement window competitor websites:

• 45% more energy efficient in winter

• $465 in Energy Savings

In each case, a reading of the fine print and disclaimers makes these claims perfectly legitimate. However, to determine whether you will experience these levels of improvement requires an understanding of glass technology and terminology, as well as glazing to floor area ratio, not the starting point level of homeowner knowledge in our experience.

Moreover, I dislike the sales approach. Statements touting benefits in the abstract and at the high end of the scale are not designed to “set the table” for a information exchange that results in a more confident and educated buyer. Rather, it is a tease and tantalize approach – not my idea of best serving homeowners.

Aside from the sales approach, claims of window energy efficiency or energy savings fail to acknowledge the system’s base nature of how a home and its occupants use energy. More on this in a subsequent post.