Have you ever seen professionals retrofit windows and doors? Doesn’t it look reasonably straightforward since you don’t replace the existing frame? It should be an “open and shut” DIY project, right? Unfortunately, professionals make it look easy because they’ve done it a hundred and more times. For a homeowner interested in saving money with a DIY retrofit window or door project, there are some caveats to take into consideration.
- You will need to know what type of store-bought replacement windows to get. They are not just based on size and aesthetic design. You will have to understand the design structure and differentiate new construction windows from replacement windows.
- Window replacements sold in hardware stores that perfectly fit your existing frames are not that easy to find and can be almost impossible at times.
- If you’re buying several replacement windows in the hardware store, expect to be charged a delivery fee, which you should anticipate and add to the total cost to find out if the project will be cost-effective.
- Exterior cladding is part of the job. You will need the special tools to handle the cladding stage.
- If there is any aluminum in your replacement window, best to learn first how to work with aluminum seeing that it isn’t that easy to do it with finesse as an amateur.
- Often the damage to windows and doors are hidden from plain sight and will only be evident after you have removed the window. Therefore, you might bite off more than you can chew or not have enough experience to fix the structural damages safely.
The simplest and easiest way to retrofit windows and doors would be to contact a professional window replacement company with a good reputation. Granted, the automatic assumption is that it will cost but the question to ask: will it cost more than a DIY taking into consideration unknown factors and the level of skill that you can bring to the project?
On the more serious side of a retrofit window or door project is the time element. A DIY project could take as long as several weeks, especially if there are structural damages to the frame or other components. A professional team can do the job in a day depending on the number of windows and doors to retrofit. This means the inconvenience will be cut by more than half the time of a DIY and you can proceed with other items on your agenda for the month. Getting it done and getting it done quickly carries with it a great many advantages worth considering. Get a quote from East Coast Windows today and find out for sure just how cost-effective, simple, and easy it is to repair your windows and doors.
