13 window glass replacement for $990, deal or stay away? (apartments, house)

[ommatidia]

We are in the process of purchasing a house. After the inspection, the seller has replaced the glass panels on their fogged windows, all 13 of them. I got the replacement receipt, it costed $990 for the entire set of 13 glasses, including labor. It sounded quite cheap to me but I have no experience in this kind of work. The glass company even gave a warranty. I have checked the BBB, there is only one review and that is positive.

Do you think I should feel comfortable with this replacement? Or is it something I should be careful. Is this a reasonable price for all the windows + labor?

[loves2read]

the best thing to have had happen was that the glass was replaced with a better quality glass with a UVA type coating--which I bet was not the case
13 window panes divided into 990 is 76 a window--if that is both the top and bottom pane...

having the coating which acts to reflect sunlight out and minimize heat gain would have helped lower cooling costs--
if the glass panes were simply glass w/no coating you have a double-pane window and probably little resistance to heating/cooling transference...back to sq one with "old" window technology...

check the windows for tightness and make sure there is little flex with the glass in the frame--there should be some type of plastic/rubber fitting around the frame/metal and the pane as well

what type of warrenty comes with the work?
there should be something even if it is 90 days but a year would be much better

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I would be quite suspicious at that price. As noted above, look carefully at the windows.

[loves2read]

check the optics as well--cheaper glass can have distortions

[FalconheadWest]

Most glass panes, depending on the size, run from about $60-80 a window. I think the home owners didn't go with their cheapest estimate which is good.

[ommatidia]

The purpose of the glass replacement was fogging. I have read a little on that. It sounds like replacing the glass alone does not necessarilly solve the problem, the moisture absorbing material in the aluminum spacer could be the problem. If that reaches the maximum absorbtion capacity, no matter what is done, the fogging can come back later on.

When I checked the windows, the labor quality did not seem very good either. They had glued the glass panels to the frame and I could see the excess glue at the edges inside the wood frame.

The receipt includes a 10 year warranty but I'll check what exactly it covers. I have lived in apartments so far, and I know that bad windows can be painful in many ways. Since this is a house purchase, I need to make sure I am not getting into some trouble.

Does anybody know any contractor, or glass company? I would like get some estimates.

[loves2read]

these are WOOD windows??? double paned???
how old is your house???
I thought your windows would be the aluminum ones that most tract homes have installed starting in the 80s

technically you have already paid almost a K for those replacements

if you ask a company to come out for an inspection they are likely to try to talk you into replacing ALL the windows...
as a homeowner I think you might qualify for govt tax rebate on window replacements but
general rule of thumb is that the energy improvment that comes from replacing windows in an older home is the LEAST rewarding -- adding insulation, using CFL bulbs, changing shower heads and maybe replacing toilets, getting a more efficient HVAC system---
all of those normally--from the statistical studies I have seen--give you more/faster return with energy savings vs the money spent (depending on your costs for electricity, gas, water) than replacing windows...

[FalconheadWest]

Double pane windows with argon gas inside, which is what fogs when the seal is broken, has nothing to do with the frame. The gas escapes when the two panes of glass lose their seal. I don't see how the frame would cause it, except for settling of the house which causes the frame to shift which causes the window panes to shift.

[ommatidia]

my mistake, not wood. I meant the metal or plastic part that keeps the glass in place. The windows did not seem very energy efficient to me.

[txtoal]

I just paid $95.00 for a 24x36 window pane in my home. Not the entire window, just the bottom part. I have the aluminum frames that make the panels on the window...does that make sense? Anyway, they did a good job. I don't know if that is expensive or not....I was the seller and that was the only thing the buyer wanted replaced. Seemed fair to me.