4 Mistakes to Avoid with Replacement Windows for Your San Diego Home

There’s a lot of great advice on the internet about what to look for when you’re shopping for replacement windows for your San Diego home. In fact, most of our blog is dedicated to advice like this. You can read about how to find windows that will make your home more energy efficient, or which windows will work the best to insulate your house from outside noise. There is also a lot of information online about how to enhance the style of your home with replacement windows using different frame styles, frame colors, and decorative grids.

This article will be a bit different than those, however. We want to give you some advice about things to avoid when shopping for replacement windows. Here are the top 4 things to avoid, and what to look for instead, to ensure you get the best replacement windows for your San Diego home.

Mistake #1: Only Considering Well-Known Brands of Replacement Windows

At our San Diego replacement window company, we get calls almost every week from someone asking if we sell Milgard windows (or some other well-known brand of windows). We don’t sell Milgard windows, but it’s not because we don’t think we could sell a lot them to our customers. We absolutely could. We choose not to sell this brand because we aren’t confident in their quality. In our opinion, there are so many brands that are better than Milgard when it comes to quality, durability, energy efficiency, and price.

Brands like Milgard have done a great job with marketing over the years. They’ve turned their brand into a household name. But that doesn’t mean their products are the best. Quite the opposite, in fact.

When people call and ask us if we sell Milgard windows, we try to figure out what they’re really asking for. Typically, what they want is new windows that are high quality, durable, and energy efficient. They assume that Milgard windows are all of these things because their products are popular. We do our best to explain that if they are looking for the best windows for the money, they need to consider brands that they may not have heard of before.

At BM Windows, we sell replacement windows made by manufacturers like Anlin and Monte Verde. Although these brands are starting to become more well known, there are still a lot of people who have never heard of them. The assumption might be that these brands aren’t as popular because they aren’t as good as other brands, but that is far from the case. One of the reasons many people haven’t heard of them is because they aren’t sold in retail stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s. Only authorized dealers can sell them. This is a manufacturer’s way of protecting their brand. They only allow experienced, reputable companies to sell and install their products.

When you open yourself up to brands you may not be familiar with, you will find that you can often get higher quality windows for less money—a true win-win!

Mistake #2: Falling for High-Pressure Sales Tactics

There are some window salespeople out there who are very good at selling. They have perfected all the necessary tactics to get you to sign a contract with them before you have a chance to really process everything they’ve told you, or before you can compare their offer to others. They’ll tell you things like, “This price is only good today. If you wait to sign a contract with us, the price goes up.” This is purely a sales tactic. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be allowed to take your time to think about a major purchasing decision like buying new windows. Typically, these sales people know that their prices are higher than others or that their products are inferior to others on the market. They don’t want to give you the time to compare because they know what you’ll find.

At BM Windows, we give you all the time you need to consider the quote we give you on replacement windows for your San Diego home. We encourage you to compare our products and our prices to others on the market. We think you’ll find that we offer an exceptional value. If you have follow-up questions on your quote, we are happy to answer them. We can even help you compare our quote to those you receive from other replacement window companies. We want you to be completely confident in your purchase!

Mistake #3: Letting Just Anyone Install Your Replacement Windows

As important as it is to buy windows that are made from quality materials and that include good energy-saving and sound-suppression technologies, you also want to make sure that your new windows are installed by highly trained professionals. How well your windows are installed will impact their performance, so its important that the people installing your windows know what they’re doing and don’t cut corners.

Many of the companies selling replacement windows in San Diego, including stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s, outsource the installation of the windows they sell to outside contractors. These contractors may not be trained or experienced in installing replacement windows, which could cause issues down the road. For the best outcome, look for a San Diego replacement window company that only uses their own team of highly trained and skilled installers, like BM Windows. In addition, look for a company that guarantees the work of their installers.

Mistake #4: Not Considering Window Warranties

If you’re like most people, you don’t read product warranties. They are full of fine print and legal language, making it hard to understand what the warranty really covers (and what it doesn’t). When it comes to replacement window warranties, there are some basics that you really should understand before making a purchase.

The most important thing to look for is the term of the warranty—in other words, how long your windows are covered by the manufacturer. Some manufacturers’ warranties cover their products for as little as a few years, while others guarantee their products for a lifetime. With lifetime coverage, the manufacturer will fix or replace defective windows for as long as you own your home. Some manufacturers, such as Anlin, give you a double lifetime warranty, which allows you to transfer the warranty to the next owner of your home.

At BM Windows, we only sell windows from manufacturers that come with at least a lifetime warranty. We also make sure that those manufacturers actually stand behind their warranties and don’t make all kinds of excuses why your specific issue isn’t covered. Some manufacturers will give you the runaround or make you wait months to get a defective window repaired or replaced. The companies we work with at BM Windows are highly responsive to any issues and make repairs in a timely manner.

In addition to the manufacturer’s warranty, you also want to look for a replacement window company that offers an installation warranty. This covers you for any issues that occur as the result of an installation error. BM Windows offers every customer a lifetime installation warranty on every replacement window and patio door we sell. The combination of the manufacturer’s warranty and our installation warranty gives you full coverage, no matter what issue you have with your replacement window—even if the issue occurs 20 years from now!

Contact BM Windows for San Diego Replacement Windows

Buying replacement windows is not something people do every day, so it makes sense that people would make mistakes during the purchasing process, but we want to help you avoid mistakes! If you have any questions about replacement windows—including how to compare the various products on the market, contact us at BM Windows. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and help you choose the best replacement windows for your San Diego home. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.