New windows: tips for beginners

At first I thought it would be easier to change windows. But it turned out that the trick is enough in this matter. Unfortunately, we are not Rockefellers, and the first question was the price..

For those who are just going to do this business, it will be useful to know that window offers fall into three price categories:

a) the cheapest – domestic wood;
b) in second place – plastic (what is commonly called “double-glazed windows”);
c) imported wood (also with double-glazed windows inside). Cost at least one and a half times more expensive than plastic.

Option three immediately disappeared due to lack of funds, but we studied the first two.

Wooden windows are made, like plastic ones, to order – from pine (cheaper) and from larch (more expensive).

Ready-made frames are less common, but this is not interesting, because they offer, for example, with the right window, but you need it with the left. Wooden windows are of two types – the so-called OS (double windows) and OP (separate windows). In the first case, the sash consists of two bolted frames. This design has a smaller width (plus), but the thermal insulation is worse, and such windows are difficult to clean from the inside, since you have to unscrew the bolts. In split windows, each glass is in a separate sash with its own hinges – such windows are usually found in Stalinist houses. OPs are slightly more expensive than OS as they consume more wood.

In a wooden frame, you can insert not only individual glasses, but also double-glazed windows. As a rule, they have to be ordered separately – any construction catalog is full of ads. Before the new year, double-glazed windows cost from 600 rubles. per m2. That is, if we consider that the area of ​​a typical window is about two square meters, it turns out quite inexpensively. And so that there is no blowing out of the window at all, the glass is planted on a sealant, and an elastic band-sealant is allowed around the window perimeter under the hinges.

At first I thought to do just that – to put wooden windows with double-glazed windows.

Choosing a product, I visited two “sawmills”. But the frames that were shown there, I did not like: the sash did not fit well and the vents were jammed.

“Don’t worry, everything will be adjusted to you!” – No, I think, if they have such a thing in the showroom, then what will happen “off the assembly line”? Although the price, of course, was affordable – one company asked $ 55 for a window of 150×130 cm, plus additional locks (35 rubles per piece), hinges (25 rubles) and bolts tightening the sash (20 rubles). Add window sills (210 rubles for a 140×40 cm board, delivery (750 rubles), installation ($ 200 for everything), paint (we buy ourselves) and painting (200 rubles per m2). Thus, we get 550-600 dollars. it was more expensive for the company: windows were already 2300 rubles per m2, but still the total amount did not exceed $ 800.

After wooden windows, we began to study the “plastic” market. Plastic windows are also different: either with one “sandwich” -glass unit, or with a double-glazed unit and additional plain glass.

Window keepers recommend the second option to the apartment: this way the windows should not fog up, and the house will be warmer and quieter. Plastic frames are available in 2-chamber and 3-chamber. The chamber is such a cavity that runs along the perimeter inside the frame, it acts as an air cushion for greater thermal insulation.

My husband and I decided to order windows with double-glazed windows and additional glass, with sashes that open in two directions – towards ourselves and upward (the so-called fanlight, or tilt, opening). In some firms, for one such additional opening they took $ 25, in the same one where we finally ordered (“Excellent Windows”), this increased the cost of the sash by only $ 10. In addition, sashes with fanlight opening can not be closed completely, but leave a gap of 2 mm (so-called “winter ventilation”). This saves the apartment from stuffiness if the house has strong heating.

“Great, – we thought, – we take!” They called and calculated the preliminary amount. $ 2050 (3 windows + 4th – balcony block, all with delivery and installation). We had a discount card of this company, which indicated that for orders over $ 2,000, a discount of $ 100 was applied, and the dispatcher deducted this amount in his calculations. It turned out $ 1950. But when the measurer came and made a contract, the amount was different. “What about the discount?” we asked. – “And we have a discount only on the windows themselves, the cost of installation does not add up. And without installation, you will not get two thousand …” – “But they told us …” – “I don’t know anything, call the management.”

The management, of course, said that the manager was right, not the dispatcher. Here is a “marketing ploy”.

Then the offer of additional services began. It is necessary to cut off the sill under the balcony door – please, $ 60 (refused, smashed it with a puncher in ten minutes), take out the old frames – $ 40, external sealing (coating the frame and wall joints with silicone – $ 10 per window, multiply by three, and $ 15 for the balcony block (we agreed with the installers to bypass the tariff for a thousand rubles for everything.) For the slopes they asked for $ 100 per window (Ukrainian builders charge $ 10-12, however, excluding materials, but these materials are inexpensive).

And then, finally, they brought our new windows and asked them to examine them for defects before installation..

Everything is fine, everything is smooth. OK. I signed a piece of paper. But this was OK when the sash was stacked on the floor. When they were installed, we noticed that on one window the sash handles are at different heights. “Put the pens on the same level,” we asked. – “This is a factory design, nothing can be changed here.”

Moral: do not sign a piece of paper before the windows are installed.

Since we did not order the alignment of the slopes in this company, after installing the windows, the installers filled the frames around the perimeter with construction foam and this finished their work. And when we cut off the foam the next day, a surprise awaited us. The windows were fastened to the wall with metal brackets, some of them were more or less level, and some protruded forward by five centimeters. Those. to get an even slope, it must be hidden under a very thick layer of putty, which is still unknown whether it will hold, not to mention reducing the space.

“Yes, the guys did it, – our builders appreciated the work. – The money has been paid – let them redo it.” We called the service department. Those arrived: “We can do nothing, it is provided by the technology.” – “But why don’t the others have this ?!” – “You see, the fact is that there are two ways of fastening frames: on anchor bolts and on plates. They put you on the plates. If it was on the bolts, nothing would stick out. But now nothing can be changed.” Was it really difficult to say in advance: here, they say, there are two ways?

And what to do with these plates now, we asked. “Try to get out of the situation with the help of drywall, – advised the man from the service department. – I personally did it at home.”

Text: Elena Gaer