How to Choose and Buy New Windows for Your Home

The following article is published on the Fun Utah Things website featuring Accent Windows.

Knowing how to choose and buy new windows for your home can be confusing and intimidating. How can you tell a good window from a bad window? If I ask a window salesman will they tell me the truth or will they just try to convince me that their windows are the best?

Fun Things Utah understands these things which is why we brought in expert Jim Hall, Owner of Accent Windows Utah serving Utah households for more than 26 years to help us answer the questions we have always wanted to ask but never do because we don’t want a sales pitch!

Have no fear we are here to save you….. and instead, get an education on what to look for in a window based on your needs and how to choose and buy new windows for your home.

A broken window is obvious, but replacing a window that seems perfectly fine from the naked eye might seem puzzling or a sales scam, so first let me explain….

When you buy a home, you are buying whatever the builder/contractor placed in your home. Typically to keep the sales cost down on a home, low grade poorly insulated windows are installed. A window is a window though right?
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Well no. A window serves multiple purposes. The first purpose is to allow you to see outside. The second is to help keep the home insulated from the cold and the heat. Depending on the type of window you have, you could be paying more in utilities that you want.

Windows are an investment and without quality windows you are risking costly air leaks. You see windows take a beating year round as they protect you from strong winds, heavy rains, snow and ice and over the years it takes it toll.
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A Bit of Advice:

“The first thing you want to be asking yourself when choosing to buy new windows for your home is your budget, design and window functions. Different things are important to different people.” -Jim Hall
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1. Get Vinyl. They are more energy efficient, no maintenance, no paint, no upkeep and they are cost effective
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2. Get Cost Effective Windows to Save Money in the Long Run. How much money do you want to save on your energy bill each year? Double pane saves you 2-3% and triple pane saves you 10-15%.
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The more panes in the glass the more money it costs upfront. If you live in a colder climate, you may want to consider triple pane because it gives you an extra layer of insulation.
There are actually 3 grades of windows:
1. Bottom Grade: Contractor Windows
2. Mid Grade: Double Pane
3. Top Grade: Triple Pane
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3. If You are Putting Windows in a Home You are Selling, Install Low Grade. Low grade is more cost effective for a house you are selling or flipping to keep the overall sale of the home lower. Unless you want upgraded windows the home buyers don’t have to replace as a selling point. Again it all depends on what is important.

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4. Understand a Company’s Warranties. Whenever we hear the word warranty we all think that the warranties are universal in nature and sadly these days couldn’t father from the truth.
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Even the term “LIFETIME WARRANTY” means different things to different companies. Some will say they guarantee the window, but you still need to pay the labor. Other’s will say they will guarantee the window and the labor but you have to work through a 3rd party entity or directly with the manufacturer who is better at placing your call on hold than actually helping you.

“At Accent Windows Utah they guarantee the window and the labor and work with the manufacturer’s directly to make sure your needs are put at the front of the line. How do they do this? Well they already have strong working relationships with their manufacturers who know them and want to make sure we get the windows repaired or replaced if needed in a timely manner. If you were to call the manufacturer directly, they don’t know you personally so you would be placed on a list and have to “wait in line”. Not with them because if Accent Windows calls the Manufacturer , they listen or they lose their business! See the difference? You are VIP with them!”
-Fun Things Utah

What the locals are saying about Jim Hall, Owner of Accent Windows Utah:

My experience was great with Accent Windows. They are easy to work with, even though I was in Texas and my house was in Utah. It worked out great. They were very professional. They were upfront with me. He made sure everything was listed before hand, so there were no surprises.
Charlene Callaway Bountiful, UT

I met Jim Hall at a home show in Davis County and asked him to give me a bid on the front window that needed to be replaced. He gave me a good price and he said the window would be replaced in three weeks. Three weeks and two days later the window was installed. The installer arrived at the exact time he said he would, and the window was installed beautifully. I am very pleased with the window and with the installer’s professionalism. I also appreciated the fact that they completely cleaned up after finishing the project. I am happy with the product and the work and will call them again should I need windows replaced.
Gloria Kariya Layton, UT