Compare repair options, verify product-specific measurements and ratings, budget complete installation and inspect the finished windows.
List drafts, water entry, sticking hardware, damaged frames and comfort concerns by opening. Have water damage and installation defects assessed before assuming new glazing will solve them. Compare repair, weather sealing and replacement. For candidates, record exact NFRC product ratings and assess solar heat gain, daylight and climate needs together.
Measure and label existing openings for an initial schedule. Have the supplier or installer confirm the order dimensions, frame condition, installation type and required clearances using the selected manufacturer instructions. Note any structural or egress requirements and access constraints before ordering.
Request itemized prices for the exact products, removal, installation, flashing, trim, repair allowances, disposal, permits and taxes. Use Installed project quote to identify the cash needed at payment and any funding gap. Compare written exclusions, warranty terms and the payment schedule alongside the number.
Where an energy assessment provides usable annual energy scenarios, keep the same home, weather, occupancy and tariff basis. Use those annual costs with initial price, maintenance and a shared service horizon in Compare lifetime project costs. Save an alternative case when a key energy or repair assumption changes.
Choose an installer who can show how the selected window integrates with the wall drainage plane and flashing. Confirm permits and inspection requirements. For work disturbing paint in pre-1978 US housing, check the applicable lead-safe renovation requirements before work starts. Agree how hidden damage, change orders and cleanup will be handled.
At handover, inspect operation, locks, seals, trim and documented water-management details with the installer. Keep model labels, warranty and inspection records. Later compare measured utility use over compatible periods, noting weather and occupancy changes, and record whether the original comfort or leakage issue improved.
Keep an opening-by-opening condition list, repair options and exact product rating references for the window discussion. · Retain the verified opening schedule, selected product identifiers and the person responsible for final order measurements. · Prepare the installation handoff, lead-safe work questions, inspection milestones and acceptance checklist for the actual contract. · Record acceptance findings, unresolved defects and the follow-up review of comfort and actual bills.
Convert an already measured area between square metres and square feet when comparing a schedule; it does not measure an opening or determine order dimensions.
Use Installed project quote to total documented equipment, labor and site costs while separating immediate discounts, later reimbursements and contingency. · Use Compare lifetime project costs to compare present and undiscounted costs over a common horizon, including one documented future cost event and residual value per option.
Use Compare observed bill averages with reconciled charges over complete calendar months on the same account and charge basis; the difference does not isolate window savings.
Loading your checklist…
Use exact product U-factor, solar heat gain and daylight ratings together with climate and orientation; a label does not predict whole-home savings.
Window replacement in older US housing can trigger lead-safe renovation requirements. Check the project and contractor requirements before work begins.
Use consistent cost timing, discount assumptions and residual values when comparing replacement options. This worksheet implements a limited present-cost model, not the full federal procedure.
Give each opening an identifier so quotes, dimensions, product labels and installation photos refer to the same location.
Record why an option is useful even when a numerical savings estimate remains uncertain.