Fantastic update, @geocacher77! It’s really satisfying to hear that everything went according to plan. Your story will no doubt help others considering a phased approach.
It sounds like you took all the good advice and made the most of it:
You kept things consistent (same frames and style).
You went for the impact glass – which you won’t regret, especially living here.
You timed it well and locked in prices.
I wanted to highlight for anyone else reading: negotiating a price lock for the second phase is genius. Many people assume if you wait, you pay whatever future prices are, but companies often will work with you if you commit to the whole project. It’s a great tip.
Also, kudos on choosing a reputable local installer. The big guys like Karoly and ProTech have solid reputations around Tampa Bay (and you often get the owner’s oversight on jobs with those, which is nice). When doing something in stages, having that trust in your contractor is key.
Now you can be the one giving advice here 😉. Looks like you’re already doing that by sharing your experience. Enjoy the benefits of Phase 1 – and fingers crossed for a smooth and uneventful hurricane season this year so those impact windows don’t get too tested just yet!
Jumping in a bit late to the thread, but I’ve read through everything and this is gold. Thanks to all who contributed and to @geocacher77 for the topic. I’m in a similar boat with a 1965 house in Tampa (lots of original windows, yikes).
I have a question about lead times and ordering: For those who did phases, did you run into long wait times for the windows to be made each time? I’ve heard some folks say their custom impact windows took 8-12 weeks from order to delivery. So I’m curious, did Phase 1 and Phase 2 each have those waits? Or were you able to pre-order or something?
Basically, I’m trying to gauge how far apart to space things. If I want Phase 1 installed by, say, June, when should I be ordering? And if Phase 2 is next year, should I be thinking about placing that order months in advance as well?
Any experiences with wait times or supply delays would be great to hear. I just don’t want to tear out windows in the middle of hurricane season because of some unexpected manufacturing delay.
Great question about lead times. I’m actually the same @breezec63 who posted earlier – I’ve been following along. So in my case, the timeline was like this:
Contacted and got quotes in July.
Placed the order for Phase 1 in early August. Because we went with impact windows and a custom color, the manufacturing time was about 10 weeks. We didn’t get the actual install until mid-October.
For Phase 2, we waited until the following year. We ordered those in January and got them installed in late March (so roughly an 8-9 week lead time that time, a bit faster because by then supply chains had improved and we stuck with a standard white frame which was quicker).
So yes, each phase had its own wait from order-to-install because the windows were made to order each time. If you can order all at once like some did, you might only have one wait, but most people doing phases will essentially repeat the order process.
Some tips:
Ask your installer about current lead times. They can vary depending on manufacturer and even the time of year. Right before hurricane season, orders can spike and cause backlogs. In the slower season (winter), things might move faster.
If you’re aiming for a June install for Phase 1, I’d start getting quotes now (April) and be ready to order ASAP. It might already be a bit tight for June if lead times are 8+ weeks, but some companies have standard sizes in stock or can expedite. Just communicate your target timeline.
For Phase 2 next year, maybe touch base with your installer a couple months before you actually want them installed. If you have a price lock or contract as @geocacher77 did, you might already have it scheduled. If not, put a reminder on your calendar to start the process early that year.
Sometimes permitting adds a bit of time too (though typically not too long). In my city, it took 2 weeks to get the permit approval before we could start Phase 1. For Phase 2, it was quicker (like a week) since it was basically a continuation.
We didn’t have any surprise delays, but I’ve heard stories from others (especially during 2020-2021) where windows took 4-6 months due to supply issues. Thankfully those seem mostly resolved now.
So bottom line: plan a few months out for each phase just in case, and you’ll be fine.
Thanks everyone for the insights on timing and matching. I think I’ll aim to do my project in two halves within one year of each other after all, to minimize those differences and price jumps. It might mean I take a small loan for the second half instead of waiting to save all cash, but probably worth it.
And @breezec63, thanks for the info on ordering times. That’s an aspect I hadn’t thought much about – easy to forget the windows aren’t just sitting in a warehouse ready to go. I’ll definitely start the process early.
This thread has been a real eye-opener and super helpful. I feel much more confident planning this out now instead of just guessing. Appreciate everyone’s input!
We’re a bit late to reply, but my husband and I have been reading this thread religiously. We’re in Clearwater with a ’90s home and original windows. Initially, we were going to attempt all at once, but after reading this, a phased approach might be more realistic for our budget.
We have already scheduled quotes from a few companies (including Karoly Windows and ProTech Windows, since they got mentioned here and seem well-regarded, plus a couple others friends recommended). Thanks to the tips here, we have a whole list of questions to ask them, like:
Will you honor the same price for Phase 2 if we do it within a certain time?
Can we ensure the same product line will be available for Phase 2?
What about permitting fees for two phases?
Any bulk discount if we sign for both phases now?
How do they handle warranties and any service issues between phases?
Never would’ve thought of half these things on our own! We also feel more confident about deciding which windows to do first. For us, it’ll probably be the 5 west-facing ones first (they are so bad in terms of heat and a couple have condensation between panes), then the rest later.
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone. This kind of community knowledge sharing is invaluable. We’ll probably refer back to this thread multiple times as we go through the process.
I’m so glad to hear that, @history_gandalf! That was exactly me a few months back – nervous and not sure where to start – and this thread gave me a solid plan. Happy that it’s helping you too.
To answer your unasked question from earlier about exterior doors (I recall someone mentioning front doors), we haven’t done our front door yet, but we plan to after windows are done. We asked Karoly (who also do doors) and they said doing it separately is fine, but if we wanted to include it in a phase they could. We opted to hold off for now due to budget.
Anyway, I’ll definitely keep checking in. And who knows, once Phase 2 is done, maybe I’ll be giving advice to the next newcomer as well!
Good luck with your quotes – sounds like you’re well-prepared. This forum truly is an amazing resource.
One aspect to consider when planning (especially here in Florida) is safety codes like tempered glass requirements. If any of your windows are in spots like near a door, in a bathroom (within a certain distance of a shower or tub), or very close to the floor, building code will require those to be tempered or laminated (for impact windows, they’re laminated which covers it).
The reason I mention this is if you’re phasing, make sure in whichever phase you replace a window that needs to be tempered, you specify that so the manufacturer makes it correctly. The contractor usually handles this, but it can be overlooked if someone’s not careful. For example, a friend replaced a bathroom window themselves and didn’t realize it had to be tempered glass – it failed inspection and they had to reorder the right kind of glass.
In a professional job, they’ll know this, but it doesn’t hurt to double-check the contract says “tempered” for the bathroom or near-door windows. In Phase 1, we did one tall window that was close to the floor, and the paperwork noted it as tempered. Our Phase 2 had our bathroom small window and same deal.
It’s a minor thing, but failing an inspection for something like that could cause a headache between phases, so best to get it right the first time.
Talking about glass, let me add: don’t skimp on the glass options. Most good windows these days come standard with Low-E coatings (low emissivity) which help reflect heat. In Florida, Low-E is pretty much essential. It keeps your home cooler by blocking a lot of infrared. If by odd chance a quote offers “clear glass” as a cheaper alternative – skip that. Go Low-E for sure. It might slightly tint the window (often it’s nearly invisible), but it makes a huge difference in energy efficiency.
Also, some people opt for an extra tint or gray glass for even more heat rejection and privacy. We did a mild gray tint on ours (since we don’t have much shade and lots of sun glare). It made our windows look a tad darker from outside compared to the neighbor’s clear glass ones. If you think you might want tint, decide before Phase 1 and do it consistently. A house will look odd if half the windows are noticeably tinted and half aren’t. So that’s one more uniformity thing to consider. We love the tint we chose; it’s subtle but cuts more glare.
Finally, think about screens – if your windows come with screens, and you’re phasing, store the extra screens carefully. We had all our screens delivered in Phase 1 (even for the windows we hadn’t installed yet) because they placed one big order. I ended up storing the screens for the Phase 2 windows in my garage attic for a year. They can bend if not stored flat, so take care of them. If your contractor is keeping them until Phase 2, even better.
I’m an energy nerd, so I wanted to quantify something others have alluded to: the energy savings. After completing all my window replacements (did it in 2 phases over 2 years), I pulled out my electric bills to compare.
We saw roughly a 15-20% reduction in our electricity usage in the months after all windows were done, compared to the same months prior. Now, some of that could be other factors (we also got a new AC around that time), but I’d attribute a good chunk to the windows, especially given how much cooler the house felt.
Even after Phase 1 (about half the windows), there was a noticeable drop in AC cycling. Our utility usage tracking showed maybe a 5-10% improvement. Not huge, but we’ll take any savings. After Phase 2 (all efficient windows in place), it was more dramatic. Our house isn’t huge (~1,800 sq ft), so results may vary, but it’s a nice bonus to look forward to.
So, if someone asks “are new windows worth it financially?” – part of the answer is yes, you’ll save on cooling costs, though it might take many years to recoup the full cost just in energy savings. For us it was more about comfort and storm safety, but the lower power bill is sweet.
I also want to echo what others said: doing the windows that get the most sun first (like west or south sides) maximizes those early energy savings. You’ll start seeing a benefit right away in Phase 1 that way.
I’ll share a quick story about phasing and storms. We did Phase 1 of our windows in 2017 (all front and side windows, impact glass), and Phase 2 was scheduled for late 2018 (back side of house). During that interim, Hurricane Irma (2017) came through. Talk about timing – half our windows were brand new impact, the rest were old with shutters.
We evacuated for Irma, but I was anxious about how things would hold up. When we returned, the house was fine overall, but interestingly: one of the old shuttered windows had some water blown in (it was a particularly leaky old window – probably came through the frame or around it). All the new impact windows, of course, were flawless with no water intrusion.
Cleaning up a bit of water from that one old window wasn’t a big deal, but it reinforced what many have said: try to tackle the most vulnerable openings first. I had actually done the front ones first mostly for curb appeal and because they were easiest to access. In hindsight, I wish I had done that leaky back window in Phase 1 instead.
Anyway, no major harm done, and Phase 2 got that last troublemaker replaced. But if you’re thinking about storms, consider which windows you’d least want to fail in a hurricane. Those might be ones to prioritize (e.g., big spans of glass or older ones you suspect aren’t sealed well).
As @culture426 said, having some impact windows gave us partial peace of mind. But until all were done, we still worried about the old ones whenever a storm brewed. Now that everything is impact, we just make some popcorn and watch the weather channel rather than rushing to put up shutters!