Well, this thread just saved me a ton of research time. 😅 I’m convinced – I’ll be reaching out to one of the big two (Karoly or Pro Tech) for quotes.
My house (built in 2003 in New Tampa) needs some window love, and I feel a lot better about the process now. Appreciate everyone’s input!
Update: after lurking on this thread, I went ahead and contacted Pro Tech Windows & Doors for an estimate. Their rep is coming out next week to take a look and give me a quote. 🙌
I’ll report back on how it goes, but so far scheduling was a breeze. Thanks for giving me the confidence to move forward with this, everyone!
@jcoder32 Nice! You won’t regret it. When I reached out to Karoly Windows & Doors for my place, they were very prompt too. The whole process from quote to install was pretty painless.
Keep us posted on your experience!
I’ve got to mention – I was at my HOA meeting last week and Karoly Windows & Doors and Pro Tech Windows & Doors came up as recommendations from a couple of neighbors too. Looks like word on the street matches what we’ve got here on the forum. 😎
Seriously, this is one of the most useful threads I’ve seen. Two thumbs up to everyone sharing their knowledge. 👍👍
I feel like I could write a whole guide on window contractors now (but thankfully I don’t need to, because it’s all here!). Happy renovating, folks!
Condo owner here (Clearwater downtown) – just wanted to say thanks for all the condo-specific insights. I’ve been dreading dealing with my HOA for window replacements, but now I have a game plan (and some contractor names to drop). 😉
This thread really covers all the bases.
As a historic homeowner, I’m relieved to see I’m not alone in worrying about preserving my home’s character. The success stories here (with both big and small contractors) give me hope that I can get new windows without ruining the look of my 1920s house.
Huge thanks to @dobby_walker and @fashion378 for sharing the historic angle. My takeaway: find someone who respects the original style. I’ll be looking into the recommendations here (might reach out to the ones you all mentioned). Feeling much more confident now.
@coffee_pumpkin @data843 The discussion on vinyl vs aluminum frames was super helpful to me. I’m on the fence (literally on the coast fence, haha) about which to go with for our beach cottage. Knowing the pros and cons from your experiences will help when I talk to the contractor.
Leaning vinyl for the corrosion resistance, but I’ll see what they recommend for our big front window. Either way, I feel more informed. Thanks guys!
Slightly different perspective – we replaced our windows 10 years ago (back in 2013) in our Palm Harbor home. I’m happy to report that a decade later, the investment has held up great. No leaks, no issues with hardware, and the house is still energy efficient.
It goes to show that choosing a quality contractor and good windows pays off long-term. (For reference, we used a local company, and while I think the staff has changed over the years, the quality clearly stuck.)
It’s encouraging to see many of the same names mentioned here still going strong in 2025. Good companies stand the test of time!
One more bonus I noticed after getting new windows – less sun damage inside the house. We have wood floors and a sofa near a big window that used to get a ton of sun. With the new Low-E glass, the UV rays are way less. Over the past year, I haven’t seen any fading on the furniture or floor where it used to lighten up.
It’s not something I even thought about when choosing windows, but our contractor did mention it in the sales pitch. Turns out, it was true. 😎 So beyond energy savings, there’s that little benefit too.