When it comes to replacement windows for your Auburn home, you want to make the right investment. It is not only important for the integrity of your home, as well as the safety of your family, but for the investment that it is.
Replacement windows and doors are a significant investment for any homeowner. In fact, it is one of the top five investments that you can make to improve the condition, value, and quality of your home. It can also have a direct impact on your enjoyment and comfort while living at home.
Buying replacement windows is not something that every homeowner does on a regular basis. You are more likely to purchase a new car three to four times more often than you will ever shop for replacement windows. As a result, it is far too easy to make some serious mistakes with regard to this major investment.
Below are some of the most common mistakes that people make when shopping for replacement windows or doors for their Auburn home.
- They Focus on Price First.
The biggest and most common mistake made when shopping for replacement windows is that the homeowner focuses on the price first. Shopping for replacement windows or doors for your Auburn home is not like shopping for a new vacuum cleaner. While you don’t want to spend more than you have to on any item or product for your home, focusing on price first when it comes to replacement windows will generally guide you to the type of stores that cater to homeowners focused on saving as much money as possible.
What you will find at these stores will be low-quality windows that will be advertised and marketed as though they are top shelf windows. The same holds true when you are looking at replacement entry doors, including front doors and patio doors.
It is essential that you put the price factor out of your mind at the beginning of your search. Don’t expect to go out and purchase windows the same day you decide it’s time to replace them. You should work through a very specific process first.
When you don’t consider price as the top motivating factor with regard to replacement windows or doors, you will actually end up seeing a wider selection, including different styles of windows and manufacturers, and that will help you find the perfect windows for your home, not just the cheapest. When you end up with cheap windows, you will regret your decision within a matter of weeks or months, if not sooner. You will also miss out on an incredible opportunity to save money through energy cost savings.
- They Don’t Focus on Long-Term Benefits.
Another common mistake that homeowners make when shopping for replacement windows or doors is that they don’t focus on the long-term benefits. What this means is that they don’t consider durability or longevity of the windows.
If a high quality window lasts for 20 years before it needs to be replaced, but a cheap, low-quality window only last 10 years, then by the time you calculate the cost of the windows and the installation, you’ll end up most likely spending the same amount of money on cheap windows twice than you would’ve for high quality windows just once.
On top of that, cheap windows will not be nearly as energy efficient as more high-quality windows. As a result of higher energy efficient windows, you will be able to save money on your heating and cooling expenses throughout the year. Multiply that by the number of years you end up having your windows and you can see the amount of money you save over time becomes much more significant when you get higher quaity windows.
- Any ‘New’ Window Looks better than Their Current Windows.
Finally, the third most common mistake that homeowners make when shopping for replacement windows or doors is that walking through the store, any replacement window or door looks better than what they have at home right now. Just remember that because something is new and has not been exposed to the elements outside or inside, that doesn’t make it necessarily the ideal window for you or your home.
You should consider all of the potential factors that go into making a window ideal or not. For example, you may have a living space, such as an entertainment room or living room that has a couple of basic casement or double hung windows spaced apart. A broad picture window or beautiful bay window may offer a tremendous benefit to not only make the room feel more open and inviting, but it could also take advantage of any views you have of the outside world.
Of course any replacement window is going to look better than old, drab, dingy, and dirty windows that you have in your home right now. It is the same concept as when you shop for a brand-new car. When you pull into the car dealer with a ten-year-old vehicle that has rust spots and other stains on the finish, an interior that looks as though it had been through spring break at a college party town, any other vehicles on the lot are going to look exceptionally better.
Yet you are not going to buy a new car just because the first one you see looks better than your ten-year-old current ride. You want the vehicle that is going to be comfortable and ideal for you.
You should approach replacement windows in a similar manner. Expose yourself to all of the options available before making any decision on the type of window or door manufacturer that you want for your Auburn home.