San Antonio Bay Window Installation

I had used Stan Torvik to perform some minor work at my house twice in the last couple of years and was very happy with the results. In Aug 2012, I called Stan to replace a large bay window that was broken during a break-in. Stan assigned my work to his project manager, Cody. This was the first time he had passed off any work, so I just assumed he was busy. Cody responded quickly with a visit to start the estimate and even covered the window with plywood. The estimate for the window was reasonable and required custom ordering. I also had them install some safety bars in the bathroom (which I purchased). I had a very difficult time in communicating with Cody and had to contact Stan directly several times to even get a response. Cody would not reply to emails, texts, or phone calls for several days, if at all. It took about 2 weeks longer than estimated time to schedule them to return to my house, but only took 1.5 days to finish. I was very happy with the quality of the workmanship. Once I finally got all the work finished, I asked Cody to work up an estimate to do additional work (front door replacement). That was the last I ever heard from them. I was really disappointed in the customer service because I had been so happy with Stan in the past.

I can't say that the process was seamless, but I doubt that anything ever is. We originally had Southwest Exteriors come to our house to give us an estimate for their vinyl Provia windows. We soon realized that most replacement windows have a larger frame than original windows. We were very concerned about losing the view onto the greenbelt behind our house. We especially were concerned about the five 15" windows in our kitchen, which formed a bay window. We wanted to lose the least amount of visibility possible. The salesman suggested the Marvin fiberglass windows because they have one of the smallest frames on the market for replacement windows. Even after we signed our contract, several issues came up. The manufacturer couldn't make 70/30 double hung windows that we wanted. We ended up agreeing to get 50/50 double hung windows. We had 3 windows in our living room that were approximately 3' x 7'. The manufacturer couldn't make double hung windows there unless we had a transom with a smaller window. We ended up making those picture windows to avoid having the transom. The manufacturer wouldn't make some transom windows that we did have with grills the same way that ours were. We ended up asking for no grills on any of the windows. The manufacturer wouldn't make the transom window the size that we needed over our front door. We ended up getting an upgraded model transom window for the front door that the manufacturer did make with a wood frame on the inside. This may sound like a lot of issues, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. When the original contract could not be fulfilled and we started to make adjustments, we ended up with a better looking project. We bought dual color windows (pebble gray on the outside that matches our brick and trim almost perfectly, white on the inside). The picture windows are FANTASTIC. I really don't notice the difference between the 70/30 and the 50/50 windows. The wooden frame on the window over the front door blends in so much BETTER with our door. Removing all the grids made our windows so much nicer. Throughout the process, the Southwest Exterior staff were in communication with us and accommodated the changes with minimal increase in cost from the original contract. Pros: Great communication Very Professional and helpful - every single person whom we came in contact with from the scheduler, the salesman, the installers, to the project manager Responsive to emails and calls On time Installed the windows with a minimum of mess and always cleaned up before leaving and as they went Will help with moving heavy furniture for no additional charge - some companies do charge I truly believe that Southwest Exteriors will stand behind their product and their installation and fix anything that isn't right or that goes wrong later. Cons: They are expensive (but so was every other company we called :( This is a company that I would hire again in a heartbeat. In fact, we plan to call them about garage floor coatings soon.

We purchased the windows from Lowe's through a salesperson Vince. He came to the house, explained the products, the process, etc. We were very happy with what we heard and the price as well - we have shopped at Lowe's for years, and Vince was very personable and straightforward. The installation was performed by a subcontractor, and Vince told us all of their contractors have worked extensively with Lowe's and were very good. The installation was to take two days or three, depending on how long it took to install the large double sliding door. The first and second days went very well, and most of the regular windows got installed. The afternoon of the second day and the third day, they installed the two sliders. There were two bay windows left (which are made up of three and four separate windows separated by a vinyl strip in between). Well, turned out they couldn't install the bay windows because the separator strips that were ordered were wrong size. It would take two weeks to get them in. So three weeks goes by and the installer called to say the strips were in - he proposed doing it in two weeks because he was busy with other jobs. We said that was too long, so he worked it in the next week. As he got one bay window done and moved on to the other, he realized that the reordered strips were also the wrong size. So a new order had to be placed, it took three weeks for them to come in, and again he was busy and wanted to wait several weeks to finish the install. He managed to get back within two weeks, got the windows and strips installed, but we had to leave in the middle of this. When we got home and he was gone, we realized that he had not re-trimmed out the bay windows with new cedar trim but used the old wood that was partially rotted. He also left nail heads exposed, etc. We called Lowe's, and Vince came out to the house (mind you we are now several months into a project that was supposed to take two or three days). He agreed that the job was poorly done and called the installer. The installer came back, redid the trim work and was beginning to caulk the trim and the windows when it started to rain. He said he would call us that night to reschedule a time to finish since he couldn't caulk in the rain. He never called back, and several calls to him went unanswered. Because I had to get the trim work painted, I finished the caulking and filled in the nail holes myself. Through all of this, one of the other issues was that the lockset for the double slider sticks when you lock it, and one handle on the outside was peeling paint. When Vince came out to check out the problems with the trim, he agreed the lockset needed replacing. He said he would order it and the store would call when it came in. I waited about three weeks, then started calling the install dept at the store. I talked to several different people each time who said they would check on it and get back to me. Except for one exception, they did not call me back, so I had to keep calling. It seemed no one would take responsibility to get this taken care of. Finally, a man told me that they had ordered the wrong lockset, it had to be reordered, and they would call when it got to the store. After three weeks, I started calling again, and again went through the whole process of trying to track this down. Finally they said it had been reordered again and would be delivered to our house. It finally came (mind you this is now the end of August, four months later), and it included just the outside handle plus two additional outside handles with locks in them that did not go to our door. They did not send any replacement for the inside lock set mechanism as promised. I sent a complaint email to the Lowe's website complaint dept, who just sent it on to the store, who did contact me but basically had no resolution to this. The manager was very apologetic, and he assured me, as several other stall had, that our's was an unusual case and these installs generally go very smoothly. So I am not sure what was so unusual about our install, except for the big double slider, although the two bay windows were actually the biggest issue. Regardless, what is interesting to me is that no one from Lowe's came out to check on the install job (until much later when things were going very wrong and at our insistence), no one did a "punch list" to finalize the job and make sure everything was ok, no one gave us any warranty information, instructions, etc. for the windows. So I just hope that these windows hold up for awhile and we don't have problems with them. I also hope the sticking lock set on the big slider doesn't give out, because I can't see these people fixing it in any timely way. The other thing that is interesting to me is that our neighborhood is made up of houses built in the early 70's, and people are moving in and redoing these houses because it is a good area. Most of the houses still have those old single aluminum windows that need to be replaced. During the install, no less than fifteen different neighbors asked us who was doing the install and how it was going. We reserved judgment as the job wasn't finished, but as the time went by, we have been very clear with anyone who asks, don't go down this road with Lowe's - it's not worth it. My sense from dealing with the store and then the corporate complaint dept is that the company is just too big, the communication is terrible, no one is accountable, and they don't have a good handle on their subcontractors. And once the initial install is done, they are moving on, and you are chasing your tail. And that's too bad because I have always been a fan, and we still have two bathrooms and a kitchen to redo, so I guess that work will certainly go someplace else as well. I do have to say that we are basically happy with the windows, and the price was very competitive. From what I can tell, the Reliabuilt double pane window is a quality product and more than adequate for our temperate climate.

Everything went so good since the beginning, JOHN COLEY incredible representative very professional, he took the time to explain everything about we need to know, the staff show up Exactly on time, all the time they wearing their mask, I really highly recommend this company the best on Everything I'm a very happy customer Thank you.

Had virtual appt with Robert. He was great! Listening to what I wanted and answered all the questions thoroughly so made the process very easy. I had no problem getting what i needed for a great price. I honestly think once the project is completed I’ll be extremely satisfied with my choice of champion windows!

Excellent overall. Love the windows. Great installation crew. Cleaned up as they went both inside and out. Definately hire them again.

We have had Anderson replace windows in our entire house over four sections. They were very professional. The sale and installation went very well. Scott and Nick installed our last section and we were very pleased with their job performance. The windows are very high quality. I would recommend them to anyone who needs new windows.

Extremely happy with Renewal by Anderson and my replacement windows. Our salesperson, Curtis Pierson was very helpful and patient as we asked tons of questions. Susan Goss, in scheduling, was also very helpful and gave us great customer service. We were so pleased with our installers, Nate Wiggins and Colton. They arrived on time each day and had great communication skills. They were meticulous in their work with great attention to detail and cleaned up their work area each day. I’m very picky about trim work and caulking, etc. and I would absolutely have both these guys back to work on my house again. Top to bottom, we have been extremely pleased with Renewal by Andersen and plan on having them back to do our doors and slider as well (we’re asking for Nate & Colton again!). Replacement windows are not cheap, but when you work with a company like this you get a quality product with quality workmanship and quality customer service. Highly recommend!

We were thrilled with every aspect of the process. From the time the sales rep came to give us an estimate to the last window being cleaned after installation was pretty much flawless. All the employees and contractors associated with this project were very professional, courteous and a delight to be around. And, we are THRILLED with our new windows!

Excellent. Jake did a fantastic job. Did not waste any time. Was very knowledgeable. Cleaned up after They were done. Went over the details of the whole job and how to maintain the Windows.