How to choose a window company: ten questions to ask before you sign
Windows are one of the bigger cheques a homeowner writes, and the work is hidden behind trim for twenty years. Here are the questions that separate a good installer from a good salesperson. Ask them of us too.
1. Who actually installs the windows?
The company's own crew, or a subcontractor paid by the window? Ask for names. The person who measured should be the one who installs, or should at least be on site. A quote from a salesperson and an install by whoever is free that week is where most problems start.
2. How long is the installation warranty, in years?
Two warranties matter. The manufacturer covers the window. The installer covers the work: the flashing, the sealing, the insulation around the frame, the trim. Ask for the installation warranty as a number of years and what it covers. "Lifetime" with no definition and "we stand behind our work" are not answers. Ours is five years, and it's on the quote.
3. Did they measure in person?
A price given over the phone or from photos is a guess. A real quote comes after someone has stood at each window with a tape, looked at the sill and decided whether the frame stays or goes. If a company will quote without a visit, ask what happens when the opening turns out to be rotten.
4. Is the quote line by line?
Every window on its own line, with its size, style, glass, the method (retrofit or full-frame), the energy rating, and its price. A single total hides the sill repair, the trim, and which windows are driving the cost. A line-by-line quote lets you do the worst three now and the rest next year without a new sales visit.
5. Where are the windows made, and by whom?
Not for sentiment. For lead time, for service, and for whether the window was designed for sideways rain and salt air or for a prairie winter. A window built on the Island is weeks away and the factory is a phone call. A window from another province or country is months away and a warranty claim goes through three companies. Ask the brand, and look it up.
6. Who checks the rebate, and when?
BC's Home Renovation Rebate pays on program-qualified products, and some programs want their steps in a certain order. The eligibility check has to happen before the windows are ordered, not after they're in. Ask who confirms which products qualify, and be wary of anyone who says the paperwork is "all handled": the homeowner submits the claim, and you'll want the invoice and product details to do it.
7. Are they insured and registered?
Liability insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage for the crew, a business licence for the municipality, and GST registration. A company that hesitates on any of these is leaving the risk with you. Ask for the WorkSafeBC clearance letter; any legitimate contractor can produce one.
8. When does money change hands?
Windows are built to order, so a deposit before the order is normal; half is common. Nothing is normal before you've seen a written quote, and paying in full up front isn't either. The balance should be due when the work is finished and you've walked every window with the installer.
9. What do the reviews say about the install, not the sale?
Read past the star count. Look for reviews that mention what happened on install day and after: did they clean up, did they finish when they said, did they come back when a sash stuck in March. A page of five-star reviews that all mention the salesperson by name tells you about the sales process.
10. Will they tell you no?
The best sign of a good window company is one that tells you a window doesn't need replacing, that double pane will do on the south wall, or that a retrofit is fine where you were sold full-frame. Ask what they'd leave alone. If the answer is "nothing", you've learned something.
What to compare, side by side
- Same windows, same glass, same method per opening
- Installation warranty in years, and what it covers
- Who installs, and where they're based
- Rebate eligibility confirmed before ordering
- Payment terms: nothing before the written quote, balance on completion
- Lead time, and what happens if the install date moves
That's the list. We built this company to pass it, and we'd rather you asked every question than took our word for it. The free measure is where you get to.
FAQ
Common questions
How many window quotes should I get?
Two or three is plenty if each one is a real measure with a line-by-line quote. Five phone estimates tell you less than two proper visits. Compare the same thing: the same windows, the same method (retrofit or full-frame), and a warranty in years, not adjectives.
Should I choose the cheapest window quote?
Choose the quote you can read. If one is a single number and another prices each window with its energy rating and method, the second one is the one you can hold the company to. A low number that leaves out the sill repair or the rebate step isn't low for long.
Is a local window company better than a big one?
Not automatically, but a company whose crew can be at your door in half an hour has more reason to get it right and more ability to come back. Ask where the installers live and how far the company's service area runs. The farther it runs, the longer the drive back for a warranty call.
What's a reasonable deposit for new windows?
Windows are built to order, so a deposit before the order goes in is normal; half is common. Paying in full up front is not normal, and neither is any payment before you've seen a written quote. The balance should be due when the work is finished and you've walked it.
Does the installer matter as much as the window?
More. A good window badly installed leaks, sticks and voids its own warranty. Ask who is doing the install, whether they are the company's own crew or a subcontractor, and how long the installation warranty runs, separately from the product warranty.