You've made the call.  Or you've submitted an online request.  The appointment's set.  The salesman arrives.  Maybe he takes a few quick measurements.  He fills out a form.  Checks a box here, there.  And he hands you something that may read like this: X (quantity) windows, # (model), color, price.  And if you're lucky, he'll leave.  And later, you wonder -- what's what?

To avoid confusion, misunderstanding; to know what's been quoted, estimated, proposed; to make sure you're getting what you think you've been told, many of the following (though not necessarily all) 'list' of 'specifics' should be included:

1) Quantity.  The total number of windows.

2) Brand.  The window manufacturer, manufacturing company.

3) Make.  The model (or series).

4) Material.  Color-through extruded vinyl, or laminated, or painted.

5) Sizing.  Custom-made per opening, or 'standard' production.

6) Color.  White, tan, brown, 'chartreuse' or other.  Same color inside and outside, or different.

7) Style.  Single-hung, double-hung, slider, casement, hopper, awning, picture, garden, bay, bow, geometric, or combined units. 

8) Features.  Such as: Welded sashes and frame, or mechanically fastened (screwed together); single or double locks; constant force, block and tackle, or spiral balance system; night latches; foam-filled sashes &/or main frame.          

9) Glass.  Clear insulated (dual pane), or Low-E insulated, or Low-E + Argon insulated, and/or obscured or tempered, or other.

10) Screen.  None, half or full.  Roll-formed or extruded.

11) Options.  Such as grids (colonial or prairie or other style; in one or all lites; flat or contoured profile).

12) Manufacturer's Warranty.  Lifetime Transferable or Limited Lifetime prorated; additional coverage (such as accidental glass breakage).

13) Location.  For example: Family Room, rear; first floor half bath; master bedroom, front.

14) Total Price with details on what's included.  For example: Price includes measuring, ordering, delivery to job site, removal & disposal of existing windows, replacement with new windows, custom-made exterior aluminum trim, caulk (silicone exterior/latex interior) and polyurethane foam (low pressure, low expansion) insulation.

At its worst, a replacement window estimate with omissions -- without specifics -- may be a purposeful (i.e., deliberate) way for a certain product to be presented, with a different, lesser quality product installed.  And even when there's no intent to deceive, lack of clarity may lead to contractual disputes later -- a "he said, she said" -- that could have been avoided if details had been provided up front, in the original proposal. 

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 ...  Wondering ... Have those who are aware of and are troubled by our throw-away culture lost, somewhere along the way, some sense of, some part of, what 'sustainability' means (i.e., 'to hold up', 'to endure')?  In today's world, for things not to last, not to hold up, not to endure, seems almost accepted -- as if there were an understood, built-in, limited 'lifespan'.             

An all too common call today comes from the homeowner/property owner who needs not just window repair, but replacement windows -- for a 15-year-old, or a 10-year-old, or an even 'younger' building!

Many of these structures are the progeny of the last building boom, where quality and craftsmanship were often sacrificed for size and space.  But, surprisingly, the windows we're replacing aren't just low-end vinyl or aluminum new construction windows; we're replacing big-name-brand wood windows too.  And it's not just one thing that's gone wrong.  It could be any one of, or a combination of, things like insulated glass with seal failure, cracked or rotted sashes and frames, screens with broken rails, malfunctioning hardware, and more.

How do the windows in so many 100-year-old+ buildings last so long?  Is it the quality of, the craftsmanship in, their construction?  Or is it something in the materials used -- the species of wood, the paint, the stain, the nails, the glue?  And though these windows may not function as well as they did when they were new, they're usually not beyond repair.

In recent years, advances in glass technology have helped produce extremely energy-efficient windows.  But will these new-generation windows withstand the test of time?  When considering sustainability in windows, shouldn't we be looking beyond energy savings, at products that are designed to last; that are made of materials capable of withstanding -- of enduring -- the extremes of weather, as well as the cycles of repeated use?

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It's nothing new.  Multiple direct mail advertising companies consistently and continually circulate discount coupons for windows and doors. 

But in recent issues of  publications circulated throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, there've been price-slashing 'extreme' coupons, generated by competing home improvement companies for -30% OFF, -33% OFF, -40% OFF, and -45% OFF!  Seems these deals are far too good to pass up, and the consumer would be smart to snatch up the discounts before they expire ... before time runs out!

But before rushing to buy, consider the following:      

Federal regulations -- developed and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission to protect the consumer -- set guides against deceptive pricing.  

CFR 16 section 233.1 in the Code of Federal Regulations addresses unlawful pricing schemes associated with 'former price comparisons'. 

"The basic rule of  'former price comparisons' is that if you sell a product at what you claim is a reduction of the price at which you previously sold the product, you need to have actually sold that product at the price you claim it was previously sold 'on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time.'" *

If the company offering the discounted windows and doors has indeed complied with the Code of Federal Regulations, then maybe you should buy NOW.  But if they haven't complied, or if discounts are taken from inflated 'list' prices, you most definitely should NOT buy -- not now, not ever.

ReVisions, a Cincinnati Window and Door Company, offers the best price, up front.  NO gimmicks.  NO discount coupons needed.   

* excerpt from Window&Door magazine, Steering Clear of Deceptive Pricing Claims by Paul R. Gary, August 2010 

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In recent years, with rising energy costs and Stimulus Tax Credit incentives, energy efficient windows have been the market movers.  But beyond energy efficiency, consumers are considering aesthetics and are demanding more than just the 'vanilla' window. 

There's growing popularity -- a 'trend' -- toward vinyl replacement windows with natural and prefinished wood interiors as well as vinyl laminate wood grain interiors. 

Since their introduction in the 1990's, laminate wood grains have come a long way.  Their appearance is more 'real', more 'true-to-life'.  Patterns don't repeat like wallpaper, and burls and other 'imperfections' -- commonly seen in real wood product -- are now featured in these new, next-generation laminate wood grain vinyl replacement windows. 

And in a further move away from the 'vanilla' vinyl window, consumers are choosing painted and laminated exteriors with warm earth tone colors and bold dark colors -- clay, green, red, bronze, black.

Vinyl replacement windows, at their best, offer a threefold advantage: low maintenance, energy efficiency ... and beauty. 

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