@hiker61 Good question! We actually opted for a gray-tinted glass on our new windows, specifically for the sun-facing side of our house. The tint is pretty subtle – from the inside, you don't really notice a "color," it just slightly reduces the glare. From the outside, the glass has a mild reflective quality, but it looks more like a soft greenish-gray (which is basically how Low-E glass looks anyway). Our HOA didn't have any issue, since it wasn't mirror-like or super dark.
In terms of light, I'd say we maybe lost a small amount of brightness, but nothing drastic. Rooms still feel plenty sunny, just not blindingly so when the sun is low in the sky. And the payoff is that our living room rugs and couch aren't getting bleached by UV as badly as before. We also notice a bit less heat coming through.
A neighbor of mine went with bronze-tinted windows on a beige house and it also looks good – a warmer tint to the glass. It does slightly change the aesthetic (kind of a light bronze reflection), but again, not in a bad way.
If you’re worried about the cave effect, you might avoid the really heavy tints. But the standard tints offered by window manufacturers are usually pretty moderate. They know folks want to reduce glare/heat but not turn their house into a dungeon.
So from my experience, a light gray tint was a win. I wish I had known earlier that it was an option; I might have even done a slightly darker tint on the west side windows where the sun is brutal. But overall, we're happy with it. Just make sure to check that any tint option still meets your energy code requirements (most do, as they're often tied to the Low-E coatings).
One thing I was initially confused about was window frame material – vinyl vs aluminum (those are the main two here). I wish I had known more about the pros/cons earlier, it would have saved me some second-guessing.
In the end, we chose vinyl framed windows. Vinyl has better insulation (doesn't conduct heat as much as aluminum) and it's immune to corrosion (important in our humid, sometimes salty-air environment). I was a bit worried about durability, like would vinyl warp or degrade in the Florida heat? The window rep assured me that modern vinyl windows are UV-resistant and designed for our climate. So far, so good: after two years, they still look new, no warping or discoloration.
Our neighbor, on the other hand, went with aluminum frames for their windows. Aluminum is generally stronger, so for very large window openings or certain styles (like big sliding glass doors or floor-to-ceiling windows), aluminum can flex less and give a slimmer profile. The trade-off is aluminum conducts heat, so it can let more heat in and out. However, many aluminum windows made for Florida have a thermal break (a feature that reduces heat transfer).
From the street, you honestly can't tell much difference; both our houses' windows look similar (white frames). But I will say when I touch my neighbor’s aluminum window frame on a hot day, it's quite warm, whereas my vinyl frame is just mildly warm.
So, either can work, but I’m happy with vinyl for the energy efficiency. If I had an older home with historic metal windows or something, maybe aluminum would have matched better visually. But for a typical house, vinyl was a great choice.
I’d advise folks to ask their installer about why they carry the type they do. Some companies specialize in one or the other. Knowing why helped me feel confident. I now know vinyl is very common in Tampa Bay for a reason.
For those curious about window brands (the actual manufacturer of the window, not just the installer), I found it helpful to research that as well. In Tampa Bay, some popular brands are PGT, Simonton, CWS, and others that are built for Florida conditions.
Our installer (Karoly Windows & Doors) offered us a choice between PGT and Simonton windows. We ended up going with PGT because we liked the window style options and the hardware a bit better. Both brands have good reputations for quality in Florida though. The PGT windows we got are impact-rated and came with a decent warranty (20-year on glass, lifetime on frame, etc.). Karoly even gave a lifetime labor warranty, which was a nice bonus – meaning if anything installation-related goes wrong down the line, they'll fix it.
One thing I wish I'd known: you can actually ask your installer why they prefer a certain brand or model. I asked our rep, and he explained the differences (like one brand's frame is slightly thicker, or one has better hardware, etc., and how they hold up in our climate). That made me feel better about our choice.
So, don't be shy about discussing window brands and their warranties when you get quotes. A good installer will match you with a solid product. And if you have a preference (say you heard of PGT's "WinGuard" line or something), mention it. We ended up really happy with our choice, and a lot of that is thanks to understanding what was being installed, not just who was installing it.
One more tip I haven't seen mentioned explicitly: ensure the permit gets closed out and you get proof of the final inspection approval. This is a small detail but important for your records.
After our windows were installed, the county inspector came, checked everything, and gave the thumbs up. But I realized a couple weeks later I never got any documentation of that (I’m a bit of a paperwork nerd). I ended up contacting the window company and they promptly sent me a copy of the signed inspection card and also the permit documentation showing it was closed.
Why does this matter? If you go to sell your house, it’s good to have proof that the work was permitted and approved. Also, it gives peace of mind that everything is officially up to code. I have a friend in St. Pete who found out a year after her window install that the contractor never called for final inspection – the permit was just left open. She had to get the city out to close it, and fortunately everything was fine, but that could have been a problem if unnoticed.
So, when your project is done, ask for those final papers or check the city/county's online permit system to make sure your permit says “closed” or “completed.” It’s a little thing I wish I knew to do right away. Keep that with your house documents.
It's part of wrapping up the project neatly and ensures no loose ends.
If anyone has those old-school jalousie windows (the kind with the crank and glass slats), replacing those is a game changer. We had a 1960s Florida room with jalousie windows on three sides. They were charming in a retro way, but absolutely useless for insulation or security – basically like having open slats even when shut.
I wish I had replaced them sooner. We finally did in early 2023 as part of our window project. The difference is night and day. That room used to be an oven in summer and would let in dust and even rain during storms (those jalousie seals degrade over time). We put in modern sliding windows in that space, and now it’s actually part of the house we can use year-round. No more water seeping in during sideways rain, and the AC can actually cool that room.
One tip: removing jalousies can be a bit of work if you do it yourself, because they often have a concrete frame or odd sizing. But our installers handled it fine – they actually had to cut a bit and then frame in the new sliding windows since the openings were not standard. It was worth it though; the final look is so much cleaner and of course, way more weather-tight.
So if you have any old jalousie windows, I'd say factor them into your plans. For the longest time I thought of that Florida room as a lost cause, but new windows completely revived it. Wish I'd done it years earlier.
Can I just say how nice it is to have windows that actually open and close easily? It sounds silly, but I took it for granted. Our old windows were painted shut in some rooms and had crummy aluminum tracks in others that would stick. We rarely opened them because it was such a pain (and they had no screens, so bugs invited themselves in).
After getting new windows, on those rare cool days in Tampa I can actually slide them open with one hand and air out the house. Every new window came with a screen too, so we can get fresh air without the mosquitoes. It's a small quality-of-life thing, but it makes me happy.
I even find cleaning them satisfying now because of the tilt-in feature (like @dev444 mentioned earlier). So yeah, not only do we get all the big benefits (energy, noise, etc.), but also the everyday usability is hugely improved. It's something I wish I'd thought about – how much old windows were preventing us from enjoying a nice breeze once in a while. Now we can, and it cost us $0 in electricity to cool the house on a cool November morning by just opening up. Little joys! 🙂
Not everyone can afford to do all windows at once, so I'll share my experience doing it in phases. We did about half our windows in 2022 and the rest in 2024, due to budget constraints. A couple things I learned from that:
First, if you do split it up, try to group windows by side of the house or by rooms. We did all the front-facing windows first (for curb appeal and because they took the brunt of weather), and then the back ones later. This helped because the house looked uniform from the street and we got the most vulnerable ones done before the next hurricane season.
One downside: when only some windows were upgraded, we could feel the difference walking from one room to another. For instance, the bedrooms with new windows stayed cooler and quieter, while the ones with old windows still had drafts and noise. It kind of made us impatient to finish the rest, honestly!
Also, we had to pull permits twice (one for each phase), which added a bit of cost and paperwork redundancy. The second time around was easier since we knew the drill and even used the same company (they still had our info and window specs on file, which helped).
I guess my tip is: it's okay to do it in stages if you need to, but prioritize the windows that matter most (maybe the leakiest ones or where you spend the most time). And be prepared to really want the rest done once you see how good the first set is! I wish I'd known how much I'd love the new windows; I might have budgeted differently to do them all at once. But hey, at least now they're all done and it's fantastic.
I want to point out the importance of communication from your contractor, which I didn't fully appreciate until I went through this. A friend of mine went with a different installer and was constantly frustrated by lack of updates (weeks of radio silence on when windows would arrive, etc.). In contrast, the company I used (Pro Tech Windows & Doors) was excellent at keeping me in the loop.
They gave me a realistic timeline upfront (8-10 weeks for manufacturing). At week 5, they called to let me know everything was on track. At week 8, they scheduled an exact install date. Even when one window was delayed by a few days due to a shipping issue, they informed me immediately and rescheduled that one without leaving me guessing.
I realize now how much stress that saved me. My friend with the other company? He ended up waiting 4 months with barely any proactive updates, and he had to call them repeatedly to get any info.
So I wish I'd known to ask about typical lead times and how they handle communication during the waiting period. A good company will be transparent and keep you updated. It might seem minor when you're signing the contract, but when you're sitting around wondering when your windows will ever show up, it becomes major.
Bottom line: choose a contractor who values communication. It makes the whole experience smoother and way less anxiety-inducing.
All these points are so good. I want to add a quick note about window styles affecting the view. We replaced a cluster of three windows in our living room with one big picture window (non-opening) flanked by two casements. Originally it was three double-hungs with thick frames in between. By going with a picture window in the center, we opened up our view of the backyard pond dramatically.
I hadn't realized how much the old frames and grids obstructed the view until they were gone. If I could go back, I'd tell myself to consider whether I really needed every window to open. In our case, that middle window didn't need to open (the side casements provide ventilation when needed). So the picture window was a better choice for a clear view.
This might not apply to everyone, but if you have a scenic view, think about window configurations that maximize it. Our installer was the one who suggested it, and I'm grateful. Wish I'd known to ask for that kind of input – a good pro can offer design ideas, not just a one-for-one replacement.
Just finished my window project last month and wanted to drop a note of thanks. I found this thread halfway through my process, and it helped me make some decisions (like going with impact glass and being picky about the installer). Ended up hiring Karoly Windows & Doors based on the great info here and couldn't be happier.
Everything folks mentioned – from thorough permitting to quality work – was spot on. Karoly's team was fantastic. They even caught a flaw in one window (a minor scratch on the glass) and ordered a replacement before I even noticed it. Talk about attention to detail.
If I had to add something I wish I knew: it's that investing in a top-notch installer really pays off in peace of mind. Seeing them handle that issue proactively was proof. Also, reading about all these experiences beforehand prepared me for the process, so nothing was a surprise. Big thanks to everyone above for sharing. If you're reading this and on the fence, do your homework (you're in the right place on this forum) and you'll be fine.