Five common mistakes when ordering windows
Over the years, the same five situations have come up often enough to deserve a post of their own. None of them is about the quality of the window; all of them are about something that was not fully discussed.
- Free measuring
- Free delivery
- Free installation
- Free disposal of the old window
In business since 1997. The quote is free.
1. Comparing quotes on the total alone
Two quotes for the same flat can differ by a third simply because one includes removal, interior finishing and disposal and the other does not. A cheap quote nearly always means you will see some of the work later, on a separate bill.
Compare lists, not totals. If there is no list, ask for one.
2. Ordering to the size of the old frame
The old frame almost never matches the opening. Ordering to it gets you a smaller window than necessary, and sometimes trouble at installation. Measure the opening, at three points, because openings in buildings more than thirty years old are practically never square.
3. Not thinking about what opens
A fixed pane is cheaper and warmer, with no hardware and fewer joints. The temptation to save is understandable, but then it turns out there is no way to clean it from outside on the fourth floor, and no way to air the room.
A sensible minimum is one opening sash in every living room, with a tilt position. Decide which way it opens before you order: it cannot be changed after installation.
4. Skimping on the finishing
The window is in, the foam is trimmed, everything looks done, and the work stops there. But the installation joint does not like UV light or moisture: exposed foam breaks down within a year or two, and heat starts escaping around the frame, however good the window itself is.
Interior finishing and exterior flashing are not cosmetic. They are part of the construction.
5. Not mentioning details about the building
A narrow stairwell, a broken lift, a fifth floor with no lift, window grilles, an air-conditioning unit below the window, a heritage zone, an unusually shaped opening: all of these affect the timing, the price and sometimes whether the job can be done at all. Mentioning them on the first call costs less than discovering them on installation day.
What to ask to cover all five
- What exactly is included in the price? Have every job listed.
- Who takes the final measurements, and is that free?
- Which sashes open, and which way?
- Who does the interior finishing and the exterior flashing?
- Who removes and takes away the old window?
With us, measuring is free, and installation, the sill, flashing, interior finishing and disposal of the old window are all in the published price. Trading since 1997, across the whole of Estonia: +372 5555 1682.