Replacement Windows FAQ

A replacement window is a window that’s installed in an existing frame from the inside of a home. Hopefully, you have an existing window already. Sometimes, the replacement window – you’re not really replacing it. You may need to add or open an area, but it’s still going to be something like modifying it. You have to have a certain amount of sizing or ventilation. There’s a few rules that apply to being able to install windows and making sure that they meet proper codes.

No. A “standard window size” is a myth because they all come in different sizes and measurements. You might be able to get a three-by-four at The Home Depot or Lowes, but typically, if you want a window with a specific size, you’d have to call a window replacement company and see which one fits your budget.

Yes, they definitely will. Windows can also undervalue a house. Let’s say you live in a nice middle-class neighborhood in Southern California. If you install any window, and it’s not equal to the neighborhood that you live in, you risk devaluing it. If you’re getting vinyl windows, and it has energy-saving properties, it reduces the amount of power you’ll use inside the home, which means you’ll save more on energy bills, which increases the value of the home.

Absolutely. If you live in a really noisy street, or in a home that gets a lot of sun, installing vinyl windows would be ideal for you. On top of that, the benefits outweighs the pricing by a long shot. In the summer, you get less heat due to the window glass’ Low E and Argon Gas, you get less air pollution, less dust, and best of all, it’s completely eco-friendly with better energy-saving benefits than any other window in the market. It makes a huge difference and saves you a TON in energy bills in the long run.

You sure can! The more windows you have installed all at once, the more you’ll save on energy bills. It also depends on what type of windows you’re looking for in terms of sizing and pricing. Sometimes, people can’t afford them all at once and they get discouraged to buy just one, so we tell our customers: “order three or four now and then wait”. It’s as simple as that.

You could pay cash, credit card, or through special financing. We have several options but the best bang for your buck would be the REELS program through Go Green Funding. You get 100% financing for your full window order with no payments for up to 24 months and it has a 5.99 APR which is very low compared to other places. We also have other programs like PACE, via the U.S. Department of Energy and Service Finances, which offers instant approval with no credit score required. All of these programs are different in their way, it all depends on which one suits you and your budget. If you want to know more information, just call us and we’ll be happy to help.

Go Green Financing is a local credit lender that incentivizes building energy-efficient construction projects by offering low payments to home and business owners. As a lender, they’re in charge of financing eco-friendly home improvement projects by partnering with local contractors, and so we’re trying to tell our customers: “Hey, you don’t have $3,000 – $5,000 for new windows? No problem, we’ll set you up with Go Green Financing and they’ll take care of it. You won’t have to pay a dime for up to 24 months and your monthly payments would be as low as $49 a month.” We can offer that because our windows and our products are all eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and they meet the standards of new climate policies in regards to construction. The REELS program is the Residential Energy Efficiency Loan, which is the program that funds Go Green Financing. This program is sponsored by Southern California Edison and it’s a win-win-win. It’s a win for the homeowner because they get new windows without paying a dime up front, it’s a win for us because we get the client, and it’s a win for Go Green, Edison, and the state’s green energy initiative. If you want new windows for your home, I highly, highly recommend using the REELS program and we’ll help you every step of the way.

It depends on sizing, framing, glass, and your budget. Size will actually be your most important factor. For the average vinyl window, the low-end cost will be about around $650, give or take. You might have some small little bathroom ones, which will be cheaper, but let’s say $650 for a single-story house. That’ll get you an XO-sliding window. It might cost more if you have a two-story home, depending on where you want the replacement window located. But $650 – $1,500 is the average pricing. When it comes to doors, that starts at $1,500 and it goes up depending how the factors I mentioned: size, framing, glass, or other accessories like sound or sun-shield packages.

Let’s start with the windows you most likely have now. They’re probably the metal sheet ones or the ones that crank out. You most likely have a one-sided glass and a thin frame with little to no energy protection. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, it’s most likely that you have an old window dating back 20-40 years ago. Those windows are starting to disappear now. If you look at replacement windows that are in the market today – specifically, vinyl replacement windows – it’s all about quality. Aside from the energy benefits, replacement windows will have double-sided glass, durable, high-quality framing, either out of wood, plastic, or metal – up to you – and a ton of features on how you want to close or open your window. The biggest difference between what we offer and the window you have now is, to sum it up: better framing that elevates the beauty of your home, double-sided glass with Low E and Argon Gas that reduces heat, noise, and dust, and it saves you from having to spend on energy bills. All of those features are a game-changer compared to your current windows.

s far as style, there’s different choices depending on how you want to access your window. That means if you want it to slide up and down, left to right, if you want to crank it out, if you want it double-hung to keep it open and closed at the same time, or if you want a picture window, which doesn’t allow you to open it at all. So to answer that, we would have to go through each type of window to see what’s the best fit for you.

A single-hung window is a window that slides to the bottom and can slide back up again. Those usually look the best when you have a window where the width is smaller than the length. It’s a nice, standard window.

It’s a type of window where you can easily flip them outward and inward. These are most commonly seen in bathrooms and kitchens in order to let more of the smell and air out. A lot of customers love this particular window because it’s fun to flip them up and down.

It’s a slider window that slides from left to right. Those look better when the width is longer, as well. It’s called an XOX window because the middle part is what’s stationary, and the two sides can slide left to right.

It’s similar to the old-style casement windows that you crank out. However, just because it works the same, it doesn’t mean it looks the same. These are not your grandma’s casement windows. These are vinyl, state-of-the-art, high-quality, extremely durable and resistant casement windows from Anlin, that look sleek, elegant, and best of all – they crank out super smooth without any squeaking.

If you’ve never seen a double-casement window, I highly suggest you visit Anlin’s website or call us, because there’s not many of them and it’s a shame. A single casement window is where you crank out the window entirely. A double-casement window is when there’s two frames that need to be cranked out. You can also leave one open, if you wish, but this product gives you the option to have both frames fully open.

These are what’s called “hopper windows”. These pop up from the top and are moon-shaped. They’re mostly picture windows and you can see them on top of doors or near a ceiling. These are very classical windows and very unique amongst the window family because of its split shape.

A picture window doesn’t open, slide, swing, or crank. It can come in different sizes, different glass, and different frames, but it does not feature anything to make it open. These are gorgeous because it’s all glass and there’s nothing in the way, giving you a dynamic, crystal clear view of the outside.

It’s a box-shaped window that usually goes where? – you guessed it, in the garden. These windows are extremely special because they’re one of the most recognizable. You see them in gardens, back yards, green houses, or solariums. Many people put ornaments, decorations or plants behind it, which makes it look more engaging than other windows.

A bay window has one frame in the front and two on the side. The difference between that and a bow window is that a bow window has four frame in its build. These are a little older and you mostly see them in nooks. Most of the time, these are picture windows, they don’t usually open but they’re stuck together in pairs of 3-4. If you’ve ever seen a nook in a home, you’re most likely looking at a bow and bay window.

It depends on what side of the house you’re living on or what side of the house you want protected. For instance, in Whittier, there was a house where the replacement windows on one side of the sun was just being beaming on there. So in that case, you’d want a glass with sun-shield protection. I’d recommend you consulting with your contractor about things like tint levels depending on how much heat you want to let through in your home. You can have glass with little grids on it, or have nothing at all like a picture window. What’s great about Anlin windows is that they all come with Low E and Argon Gas, which reflects the sun’s ultraviolet rays by about 95%. With Anlin, you also have a variety of color options, ranging from green, blue chip rain, regular, regular unscrew or standard. So lots of choices, it all depends on your style on what side of the house you want protected from sunlight or noise.

Retro windows are the most common one that we do for installation. We remove the glass of the window, we remove the frame but we don’t disturb the wood. We don’t disturb the drywall. We don’t disturb the stucco. And then after installation, we add a hundred percent silicone P- 600 – a commercial grade silicone. You can’t even buy that, you have to be licensed to order one. You have to have a glazing license to buy it. Our next common one would be a block frame. Usually block frame is for wood windows. You’d want to keep the aesthetics of the wood trim on it. You would seal that on the wood side so the window can only be removed from the inside. There’s a ton of other choices, just give us a call and we’ll let you know which window best fits your home.

Insulated glass refers to the different types of glass that’s included in the window. This dual pane glass, double glass, double-glazed, triple-glazed, triple blades, and so forth. When choosing which glass best suits your window, we recommend doing as much research as possible on what type of features you’d want your window to have. They’re not all the same, they’re all different in their unique ways, with different customizable properties.

It stands for low-emissivity. It’s the condition that allows different types of glass emit low levels of radiant thermal energy. The short answer is that it reflects and bounces back heat signatures. In the case of windows, it would be the sun. If you’re looking to save on energy bills and you won’t want your home really hot in the summer, get windows with Low-E so that the sun’s ultraviolet rays bounces back – away from your home to keep it nice and cool during the summer.

It’s a harmless, colorless gas. It sits between the dual panes and the insulated glass. It also contains no moisture. What it does is slow the transfer of heat through the window. Gases like argon are better than regular air because air has moisture that can condense on the inside of your glass, and that makes your window cloudy. Air also insulates less than argon gas. It’s a really smart buy with no downsides. It also reflects a unique variety of colors depending on what’s in front of that window.

It measures the process of the amount of heat transfer from the outside to the inside of the house. For example, in California Title 24, it states a window can be more than .27 for efficiency. So, your windows have to be .27 or below that measure rating. The U-Value is that .27 or higher. Otherwise, you can’t get a permit if it’s lower. In short, it has to do with the energy efficiency.

If you’re talking about reducing the heat in your house, and if you live in a sunny area, that’s the solar heat gain burning up your home. When you have a better window, the lower the solar heat you get. With our insulated vinyl windows, we make sure you’re not getting that solar heat gain.

That’s the opposite of U-Value. If U-Value determines how much heat is going through your house, the R-Value determines how much heat is being absorbed in your window. The better glass you have, the more R-Value you have. In other words, if your window glass is hot, that’s not a good R-Value, which means that the window has no Low-E or Argon Gas. You want your window glass to stay cool even when it’s hot.

It’s a special program run by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy. In a nutshell, it’s a program that certifies that certain products are energy efficient. In our case, all of our Anlin windows are Energy Star-approved and certified eco-friendly by both state and federal titles. Energy Star also provides information on a product’s energy consumption and how you’re helping the environment.

Low-Emissivity. It’s a bit of a tongue twister, but Low-E emits low levels of thermal energy and reflects the sun’s ultraviolet rays away from your home.

Tempered glass is a heavier type of glass that’s harder to break completely. It’s the kind that cracks, not shatters all the way. In terms of your home, you would find tempered glass in your bathroom, shower, or patio door. A better example is that most smartphones have tempered glass, which prevents it from shattering completely if you drop it. Laminated glass is similar. It’s also a toughed glass that doesn’t shatter but this one is different because it’s covered in a sheet of thin plastic. It also adds an extra layer of security on it.

The thermal pain is just considered two pieces of glass put together. It’s insulated but it doesn’t have the Argon Gas in it. It’s just high performance glass. The glass is thicker. You’ll see them at banks. They have that super thick – more of a commercial look. It’s a commercial bulletproofing type of glass.

That’s what you want to stop people poking around in your neighborhood. They can’t see through it. These windows are much darker, stronger shadows, and come in different textures. From our experience, they’re most commonly used for bathrooms.

It’s all basic math. You get the width and the height of the window and whatever answer you get, then that’s how we determine the square footage and pricing. Of course, the bigger the window, the more expensive it’ll be. But in short, we carefully measure the width and height of a window or door in order to get the square footage.

Seal failure is pretty common with cheap windows. What happens is that the Argon Gas gets out or if they have oxygen inside that gets out, you get moisture in it. It’s bad for windows. Typically, you have expansion and contraction and a lot of times they have a metal piece in there and that drags the metal. It’s kind of like a flat tire on your window and you can’t fix it. What’s worse is that you get condensation inside the window. You can also get bugs, spiders, or anything that crawls inside. If that ever happens to you, it’s time to get new windows.

Call us right away. That means you either have a leaky roof, leaky wall, or your windows are leaking from above, not from below. It all comes from a weak hole so it’s up to us to find where the leak is and replace the windows that have already been damaged.

Absolutely. It’s part of our permit process. We call it egress. For example, the law states that windows have to have a minimum of space to be able to get out in case of a fire. So it has to be minimum of two by six, the opening for you to get out is 42 inches. It can’t be higher than that. Yeah. 42 inches from the ground, from the floor, not from outside. That’s an example of ADA compliance that we have to meet for our windows and doors.

There’s tons of different ways. For one, you can check the U-Value. With Anlin, the U-Value of their windows is about 98%. What that means is that 98% of heat will be reflected. That’s a pretty big percentage. I would recommend consulting with your contractor to make sure that your windows have the right amount of U-Value, as well as Low-E and Argon Gas.

Absolutely. With features such as Low-E triple layer, it makes the glass super high-performance. It’s the best of the best. We don’t care who we sell to, we’re all about customer service. I refuse to sell you a window with oxygen and can lead to condensation. And if for whatever reason, that happens to your Anlin windows and you get moisture in there, call us right away, we’ll get it fixed.

Glazing refers to paint in the glass. Double glazing is when there are two coats of paint on the glass, and triple glazing is when there are three coats. Triple glazing can mostly be found in airports or a lot of east coast properties. It’s meant to protect from the cold just as much as from the heat. My recommendation is that triple-glazed windows in desert coastal areas don’t look good. It looks weird. It looks like when you put a mirror and a mirror together, you can see the layers. It’s not something you want in your house. But with something like a double-pane, argon gas window, it looks awesome.

Aluminum bends, expands and contracts. It’s crap and it looks ugly, too. Now, wood windows are great insulators, but they get termites. You have to paint them, as well. They each have their pros and cons, which is why we prefer installing vinyl windows, because it’s less problematic and they look just as great. High-performance, as well.

I believe that a new window can last a lifetime. But realistically, with changing weather and other factors, the likelihood is that it’ll last 30 to 50 years. You can always change the style beforehand, say if you want a new color or a new frame but for the most part, if you don’t touch your windows, change or replace them, or damage them, they will most likely last 30 to 50 years, or it’s possible that they can last longer. Let’s just say: a really long time.

Yes and no. You could do it and watch a couple of videos, right? Get your buddies, wear gloves, safety glasses, and maybe a little hat because you’re moving glass. You have to have an impact drill gun and some silicone, as well. That has to be a commercial-grade 600 silicone piece. You have to get some installation foam with a low low-expansion fund. You can’t even buy that at Home Depot. So some things will probably take you a while. Can you do it? Possibly. Will you get a leak? Maybe. Is it going to take you all day to do one window? Oh yeah. Probably take you a month to do your whole house. And if you mismeasure, you have to start the process over again and most likely begin new construction. It’s going to cost you more to do it yourself than if you hire a professional installer.

Having furniture out of the way would be a good starting point. You’d want to make sure that nothing’s in the way of the window frame. No plants, no muddy areas. In terms of the person installing them, you’d want to make sure that they’re with a certified contractor. That’s your best bet to make sure there’s no installation errors. Anlin requires all installers to take a class with them to better understand how to handle and install their special products in order to prevent any installation errors.

I would say they would need at least five years of experience. They would of course need a contractor’s license and make sure they’re classified in glazing. You always want to check their quality of work, as well, and another tip would be to see how they handle communication. If they don’t answer their phone the first time you call, that’s a red flag. We’re currently working on a house in Pasadena, a complete remodel, and the homeowner wanted 5 references from us from our past work. We communicated well, we were very transparent, and she ultimately signed us to begin remodeling her home.

That’s the very first thing you’re going to do is call D-Mac or Renzo. That’s number one. And then what would you do after that? You’d request an appointment. We would come to you and show you a demonstration of the product. We’d tell you about our company, our licenses, our reviews, and our videos to show them the installation process and how it works because a lot of people need to see it. There are other companies that do this and I ask them, have you seen the window? And they say “no”. A lot of companies don’t even show you the actual window that they’re going to be installing. They have no idea what they’re even getting, which is weird to me. If you’re paying thousands of dollars, it should be totally transparent. Then we write a contract and go over that with you in great detail. Once that’s been approved, we order the windows and once we get them, we’ll be in touch with you on when would be a good time to install them.

Usually about to 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the window. With sliding doors, it can be anywhere from a few hours to an entire working day. It all depends on how difficult it is to remove the existing frame. If you have an order of about 8 or more windows, or 3 or more days, and you have a solid 3-4 crew working on it, it can be done from anywhere between 1 – 3 days. Again, all depending if there’s no trouble when dealing with the framing. If you take out an existing window and you rip out some of the stucco, that complicates things and it’ll push back the completion date

We recognize that some people can’t afford the time to take off of work. That’s why we have a member of our office staff always at the job site. That means you, the homeowner, can go to work knowing that your home is in safe hands. This is only if you’re not able to stay. We have a liability of $15,000 so we’ll be onsite. We’ll sit there all day, if we have to. We also document everything through our videos. We make sure the guys are always doing their job and we’re documenting that. That includes weekends, as well. We try to accommodate as best as we can but again, that’s all part of the communication process, of which we’re experts at.

It depends on what type of installation we’re doing. For example, if we’re installing retro-fit windows, there will be zero damage to the surrounding wall. But if we add a Block frame, there might be a possibility that we’ll have to paint the interior wall because we’ll have to add a new trim in there. However, don’t think that by adding a replacement window, your walls will crack or break or come down. That’s not true. Even in a worst-case scenario, the damage is very minimal and we’ll take care of it in no time.

The installation of replacement windows could be done both inside and outside. For example, if we need to work on second floor windows, sometimes we do them from the inside. It’ll be a two man job. One will install from the inside while the other hangs onto it from a ladder outside. It really depends on if there’s way too much furniture inside or if there’s some unsafe conditions outside.

I’d let people know that they should move the furniture, except that you don’t want damage and stuff broken. If you break, you buy. So generally, you’d want it two feet away from the window. As far as covering furniture, we generally take care of that. We put plastic on everything. We cut costs on the floor and nothing too much more than that. I’ll tell the guys beforehand so it’s not a surprise. One time I had a fish tank that the guys had to move, but I told them beforehand, there’s a fish tank and they were ready to move in. Typically there’s no charge, but we have worked on places where there’s just so much in the way that we had to charge extra because the guys literally spent half a day moving furniture out of the way. But in most cases, we move it as a courtesy to our clients.