Home improvements
As some of you know, we bought our house in Tampa when T moved down here after I took a new job/career. One of the things we wanted to do is remodel our kitchen (though the 2.5 baths need updating too). We've priced it out, the low end being around $8K for the materials (and we can do a lot of the labor ourselves) and the high end being $60K which included tearing out a wall and expanding our space. Of course, we also have to maintain a pool that has some hardware going out (and the pool surface is worn way too thin). We also found (during the Tampa cold spells) that the windows need to be replaced. We need some new furniture; our sofa/love seat is 15 years old and is showing it (still comfy though, lots of tush factor).
Anyway, the kitchen is on hold. It is functional, though that can be argued against. It just does not have a "flow" that a kitchen should have. But, the pump on the pool is going and the noise from the bearings is getting louder. So, that is taking priority. And, since the marcite (coating) on the pool is worn thin (showing the concrete underneath), that is first on our list. We got an estimate to replace the hardware and add a heat pump and switch over to a salt generator which means no more chemicals. It came in close to what we expected, though we still have a few estimates to get (so we can compare apples to apples). We thought we might have had enough money left over to replace the windows. Were we in for a surprise!
We went to our favorite home services sight, Angies List, and made a few appointments with the higher rated window installers. The first one (and the top rated one) came out last night. He talked a good talk and showed us the his windows were strong enough to jump on (I opted just to step and bounce a little). He showed us that the glass could drive a nail into a board without breaking and gave us all the ins and outs of window quality, strength and construction for the Florida area. The hurricane windows, he said, are being used in commercial settings to replace "barred windows" as they look better and are just as strong. Home owners love the low E and the amount of sound the new windows blocked. He explained the lifetime warranty and even compared his to others. after all that, he measured and calculated the cost. For just 14 windows, he wanted $22K. (not including the $5K for the sliding door). WHAT?!
Well, he was the first sales person and after he felt, I went bowling. 22K?! He's out of his mind! Oh, and right before I left, we called a friend who's father was in the window business and asked if he had heard of this manufacturer. Surprise, he had not. So, today, I did a little research. I found out that indeed this company (not the installer, but the manufacturer) had been in business for quite some time and was well known in Europe. However, in just the five year that they had a US manufacturing site (in Conn), the US division had never made a profit, had poor (non existent) customer support, their warranty calls were never answered and parts where hard to come by. These complaints were by both installers and customers. So bad were they that they parent company decided last December to sell off the US plant and disassociate themselves from it. The sale is not final yet, and yet this salesman wanted me to invest $22K into windows because they have a lifetime warranty that will soon be useless?! Give me a break! His next victim will not be us.
Anyway, the kitchen is on hold. It is functional, though that can be argued against. It just does not have a "flow" that a kitchen should have. But, the pump on the pool is going and the noise from the bearings is getting louder. So, that is taking priority. And, since the marcite (coating) on the pool is worn thin (showing the concrete underneath), that is first on our list. We got an estimate to replace the hardware and add a heat pump and switch over to a salt generator which means no more chemicals. It came in close to what we expected, though we still have a few estimates to get (so we can compare apples to apples). We thought we might have had enough money left over to replace the windows. Were we in for a surprise!
We went to our favorite home services sight, Angies List, and made a few appointments with the higher rated window installers. The first one (and the top rated one) came out last night. He talked a good talk and showed us the his windows were strong enough to jump on (I opted just to step and bounce a little). He showed us that the glass could drive a nail into a board without breaking and gave us all the ins and outs of window quality, strength and construction for the Florida area. The hurricane windows, he said, are being used in commercial settings to replace "barred windows" as they look better and are just as strong. Home owners love the low E and the amount of sound the new windows blocked. He explained the lifetime warranty and even compared his to others. after all that, he measured and calculated the cost. For just 14 windows, he wanted $22K. (not including the $5K for the sliding door). WHAT?!
Well, he was the first sales person and after he felt, I went bowling. 22K?! He's out of his mind! Oh, and right before I left, we called a friend who's father was in the window business and asked if he had heard of this manufacturer. Surprise, he had not. So, today, I did a little research. I found out that indeed this company (not the installer, but the manufacturer) had been in business for quite some time and was well known in Europe. However, in just the five year that they had a US manufacturing site (in Conn), the US division had never made a profit, had poor (non existent) customer support, their warranty calls were never answered and parts where hard to come by. These complaints were by both installers and customers. So bad were they that they parent company decided last December to sell off the US plant and disassociate themselves from it. The sale is not final yet, and yet this salesman wanted me to invest $22K into windows because they have a lifetime warranty that will soon be useless?! Give me a break! His next victim will not be us.