Hillsborough/Tampa Bay Window Replacement - Seeking Costs, Tips & Recommendations

Welcome to the forums and congrats on the new home, @sports_mary! I went through a full window replacement on my home in the Tampa area last year, so I can share some of my experience.
Impact vs. Non-Impact: In Florida, especially here in Tampa Bay, impact-rated windows are a big consideration. They cost more (maybe 30-50% more per window in my case), but they give you hurricane protection and potentially some insurance discounts. If you go non-impact, you’ll need hurricane shutters or panels to cover those windows when a storm comes. Some folks choose non-impact + shutters to save money. I personally went with impact glass for peace of mind (tired of putting up shutters every storm season).

Vinyl vs. Aluminum Frames: Both are common here. My original windows were aluminum (common in Florida homes), and I replaced them with vinyl. Vinyl technology has improved a lot, and good quality vinyl windows can handle our heat and humidity no problem. Vinyl is more energy efficient (better insulators) while aluminum is very strong but can conduct heat. Aluminum frames might be a bit thinner profile (more glass area) but they can corrode near salt air. Unless you’re right on the coast, vinyl should hold up well and often is a bit cheaper. I chose vinyl and have no regrets – no warping issues at all.

Manufacturers (PGT, CWS, Simonton, etc.): All those brands you mentioned are well-known. PGT is very popular in Florida (they make the WinGuard impact windows among others) and have a great reputation for quality. CWS (Custom Window Systems) is another Florida-based maker; they also make solid impact windows (I think their line is called WindPact). Simonton is a national brand – their StormBreaker Plus line is impact-rated. Honestly, all three are good. PGT might have a slight edge in hurricane-heavy regions, but Simonton and CWS are comparable if installed correctly. One thing to compare is the warranty: Simonton often offers a longer or lifetime warranty on frames and maybe glass, whereas PGT’s warranty is also good but read the fine print (some have limited lifetime for original owner). I’d say focus more on the installer’s quality and less on splitting hairs between those brands, unless someone here had a negative experience with one. I went with PGT and they look great.

Cost & Quotes: Definitely get multiple quotes (I’d say at least 3). Pricing can vary wildly. For example, my project was 10 windows and 2 sliders; I got quotes ranging from $15k up to $24k for the same number of openings! 😮 The higher ones were from big well-advertised companies (with high overhead or commission sales reps). The more reasonable quote I went with ended up around $16k for everything (that was for high-quality vinyl, impact glass windows). On average here, I've seen people mention roughly $1000 per window for impact vinyl windows, give or take, depending on size and options. Non-impact might be a few hundred less per window. Sliders (sliding glass doors) are expensive – mine were about $4k each (impact, 8-foot wide doors).

Permitting: Make sure whichever installer you choose pulls the permit with Hillsborough County (or the city if you’re in city limits). It’s required. The permit and inspection process adds some cost (maybe a few hundred dollars usually baked into the quote). The installer should handle the paperwork and scheduling the inspections. Don’t skip this – you want everything up to code, especially for something as important as windows in hurricane country.

Lead Times: Right now, lead times can be anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks after you order before the windows are ready, especially for impact windows (manufacturers still have backlogs sometimes). Mine took about 10 weeks from signing contract to installation. So just plan that it won't be overnight.

Installation/Labor: This is super important – a good window is only as good as its install. Look for a company with their own experienced crew or very reliable subcontractors. Read reviews about installation quality. You want proper waterproofing, sealing, etc. I’ve heard horror stories of poor installs causing leaks. In my case, the crew was great – they even adjusted a couple of sticky windows on the spot and cleaned up everything.

As for recommendations: I was happy with the local company I used (I’ll let others chime in with their favorites too). There are a lot of window companies around Tampa, from smaller local businesses to big brands like Window World or Renewal by Andersen (Andersen is great but $$$!). Be cautious of any sales rep that does a long high-pressure presentation or “sign today for a huge discount” gimmick. Those are common with some of the bigger outfits.

Hope this helps as a start! Feel free to ask anything specific. Good luck with the quotes!

Hey @sports_mary, fellow Hillsborough homeowner here. I went through this two years ago. In my case, I actually chose to go with non-impact windows and keep using my existing hurricane shutters. For us, the cost difference was significant – the impact upgrade would have added about 40% more to the price. Since we already had accordion shutters installed on all our openings (previous owner put them in), we figured we'd save some money. It does mean we still have to put up or close the shutters when a storm comes, which is a hassle, but it saved us a few thousand dollars overall. So that’s one way to go if budget is tight: non-impact windows + shutters can still get you hurricane protection (and insurance discounts) without the premium price of impact glass.
I will say, impact glass has other benefits though – my neighbor got impact windows and he says his house is much quieter now (street noise dropped a lot) and obviously no more shutter fuss. So if you can swing the cost, impact is nice.

As for frames, I have vinyl as well. Most replacement windows here for residential are vinyl these days unless you have a specific reason to go aluminum. Our original windows were the cheap aluminum single-pane ones from when the house was built in 2006, and they were so drafty. The new vinyl double-pane windows (even though mine are not impact, they are still double-pane tempered glass) made a huge difference in energy efficiency – my electric bill went down a bit last summer because the AC wasn’t leaking out the windows.

Brands: I ended up with Simonton windows, actually. The installer I used was a Simonton dealer and pitched the lifetime warranty pretty hard. So far so good – no issues, and they also offered lifetime glass breakage on the ones I got, which is some peace of mind (though it might not cover hurricane breakage unless you have impact glass, obviously). I was initially interested in PGT too, but the quotes for PGT came in higher for similar specs. Probably can’t go wrong with either. I don’t have firsthand experience with CWS but I know they’re used by some local companies too.

On cost, to give you another data point: my house is a bit smaller (10 windows, 1 slider). We paid about $11k for non-impact vinyl windows (that includes one big 3-panel slider door which alone was like $3k). If we had gone impact, it would have been around $15k for the same from that company. We also got quotes higher than that though – one quote was $18k for non-impact from a big name company (needless to say we didn’t go with them). So yeah, shop around for sure.

One tip: check if your insurance gives a discount for just having opening protection via shutters vs having actual impact windows. In our case, since we have shutters on all windows, we got the wind mitigation credit already. If you don’t have shutters currently, going impact might help you get that discount without installing shutters separately.

Anyway, good luck! Lots of good options out there. Just make sure whoever you hire is properly licensed and has good reviews (and as @charliebaker said, avoid those high-pressure sales guys who camp in your living room for 3 hours 😅).

I’ll add a bit from my experience comparing quotes. One thing I noticed when I was getting window quotes here in Tampa: not all quotes are apples-to-apples. Pay attention to what each company is including.
For example, some quotes I got included the cost of any necessary stucco repair and repainting around the windows (since when they remove old windows, there can be a little damage to the exterior finish that needs patching). Other quotes did not include that, meaning if stucco got cracked, it would be an extra charge or I’d have to fix it myself. Same with interior trim or sill work – my house has drywall returns (no wood trim around windows), and one company mentioned if drywall got damaged they would repair and paint a small border, while another said cosmetic repairs were not included. So ask about that to avoid surprises.

Also check if the quote includes permit fees and inspection. Most do, but it should be stated. I think I paid around $200 in permit fees (rolled into my total price). And as others said, absolutely get that permit - my inspector actually came the day after install and checked every window’s attachment and the paperwork for the window ratings. You don’t want to skip that, especially for insurance and resale reasons.

Another thing: ask about who does the installation. If it’s a smaller company, often the owner has their own crew (which can be good). Bigger companies sometimes sub-contract the labor. Subcontract crews can be hit or miss. I made sure to go with a company that used an in-house install team with lots of experience. The install day is noisy and a bit chaotic (they basically took out all my old windows in one day and popped in the new ones, then the next day did finishing and inspections). We had a minor issue where one window wasn’t closing smoothly, but the crew fixed it on the spot and all passed inspection.

Someone mentioned the HOA – yes, if you’re in a neighborhood with an HOA, check if you need approval. My HOA required an application with the window style and even the grid pattern to make sure it looked okay from the street. That added a couple of weeks of waiting for HOA sign-off before I could even order. Just a heads up if that applies to you.

So, in summary: when you get your quotes, ask about: permit included? stucco/trim repairs included? who does the labor and any labor warranty? (Many give you like a 1-year or 2-year install warranty in addition to manufacturer warranty). It’s not always just about the bottom line price; it’s what you’re getting for that price.

Good luck! It’s great you’re doing the research upfront. It’ll pay off when you have smooth new windows. 🙂

Jumping in here – we just went through a full window replacement on our home in Clearwater (Pinellas, close enough to Tampa) a couple of months ago. We got a few quotes as everyone suggests. The ones we got were from Window World, Karoly Windows, and a smaller local contractor.
Out of those, we ended up going with Karoly Windows. Their quote wasn’t the absolute lowest (Window World was a bit cheaper by maybe 5-10%), but we felt more comfortable with what we were getting. Karoly’s team was very professional from start to finish. The owner actually came out to do some of the measurements, and they didn’t do any heavy sales pitch – just gave us the options and prices straight.

They offered us a choice of PGT or Simonton windows. We chose Simonton because of the warranty and also the slightly lower cost. So far, we’re really happy with them. All our windows (13 windows and 2 sliders) are now impact-rated Simonton StormBreaker Plus, and the total came to about $19k. That included everything (permits, tax, install, even some plaster touch-ups inside where they had to remove some old window buck).

One thing I liked about Karoly Windows – and why I recommend them – is they have their own install crews who’ve worked for them for a long time. The install was smooth and done in two days for our whole house. They passed inspection first try and we’ve had no issues. They also have a lifetime warranty on installation workmanship (I think that’s what the contract said) in addition to the window manufacturer warranty, which gave us peace of mind.

So, definitely consider giving Karoly Windows a call for a quote. I know a couple of neighbors who used them too and had good experiences. At the very least, it’s good to have their quote to compare with others.

Window World (the other quote we got) was okay, but they use their own brand of windows (I think relabeled from another manufacturer). Their price was a bit lower but we heard mixed reviews about their service and the quality of the windows, so we decided not to go with them. And the last quote we got was from a one-man contractor who was actually higher than Karoly (surprisingly), likely because he was pricing PGT only and possibly had higher labor cost per window.

Anyway, hope that perspective helps. It pays to evaluate on more than just price. Sometimes the mid-range quote with a solid company is the best value. Good luck!

Following this thread with great interest! I'm also in the Tampa Bay area (Pasco County) looking to do my windows next year. Really appreciate all the detailed info everyone’s sharing.
Just to toss in my 2 cents on cost: I had Renewal by Andersen come out for a quote just out of curiosity (they have those ads on the radio all the time). The presentation was super slick but the price was astronomical 😧. For 15 windows, they quoted me something like $45,000! Granted, those were fancy fiberglass composite frames and all, but still, that was way out of my budget. I think they cater to a higher-end market or folks who absolutely want the Andersen brand. So, not really relevant to most of us just looking for good vinyl or aluminum replacements, but I figured I’d mention it as a reference point of how high some quotes can go.

Anyway, I’ll mostly be lurking and learning. Thanks for all who contributed their experiences. @sports_mary you asked just the right questions! This thread is gold for Tampa homeowners. 🙂

Wow, thank you so much for all the detailed responses, everyone! This is incredibly helpful. I’m taking notes from each of your posts. 😀
Quick update from my side: I’ve started getting some quotes. So far, I have two in hand and a couple more scheduled.

Quote 1: From a local company I found (let’s call them Sunshine Windows Co. for now). They quoted about $20,500 for 12 windows + 1 slider, all impact, using PGT WinGuard vinyl windows. This includes permit, installation, everything. They were very professional, but this was my first quote so I don’t have much to compare it to yet.

Quote 2: From ProTech Windoors. They came out yesterday. Their quote for the same scope (all 12 windows + slider, impact-rated) came in at $18,400. The rep was friendly and not pushy at all. They offer CWS (Custom Window Systems) vinyl windows. He said CWS is comparable to PGT in quality (just a different manufacturer). The quote also includes everything (permit, installation, etc). ProTech’s lead time was quoted at around 8-10 weeks for installation after signing.

I have Karoly Windows coming for an estimate next week (thanks to those who recommended them!). And I’m also trying to get one from another company a coworker suggested.

Does ~$18-20k sound like a reasonable range for 13 openings (12 windows + 1 door) all impact? I expected it to be somewhere in that ballpark based on what I’ve read here and elsewhere, but of course I love the idea of saving a couple thousand if I can do it without compromising quality.

Also, has anyone here used ProTech Windoors or heard anything about them? This is the first I’ve heard of them (I just found them via Google). Their quote and approach seem promising, but I'd feel better with some firsthand feedback. And any thoughts on CWS windows vs PGT/Simonton? The ProTech guy made them sound on par with PGT.

Thanks again! This thread has been amazing so far. I’ll keep you all posted as I gather the remaining quotes.

Hi @sports_mary, I actually used ProTech Windoors for my window project last year! My experience with them was very positive.
They installed 10 impact windows and 2 impact sliding doors for me. In my case, I opted for PGT windows (I specifically wanted PGT WinGuard, and ProTech was able to get them even though I think they often use CWS too). Their quote was one of the better ones I got— not the absolute lowest, but much lower than some big companies. I think my total was around $17k for those 12 openings (mostly windows and those two big sliders).

The installation with ProTech Windoors went smoothly. They scheduled me about 9 weeks out from contract signing (seems like 8-10 weeks is normal, as they told you). The crew that came was very professional and seemed to know what they were doing. They actually finished all the windows in a single day, then the next morning they did the two sliders because those took more time and an extra pair of hands. Everything passed inspection without a hitch. The county inspector even commented that the install looked solid.

I also liked that ProTech’s folks were easy to reach whenever I had a question. The office staff was responsive on the phone and email. They handled the permit and HOA letter for me too.

As for CWS vs PGT: I haven’t personally had CWS windows, but from what I gathered, CWS (Custom Window Systems) makes good impact windows as well. They’re a Florida company like PGT. PGT has a bigger name recognition, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the quality is comparable. Sometimes smaller companies (like CWS) might have a slightly longer lead time or different warranty terms, so you could compare that. Maybe ask ProTech for some references or to see a sample if you’re unsure.

In any case, I felt comfortable with ProTech Windoors and would use them again. If their quote is coming in a couple thousand less than another for basically the same specs, that’s a strong consideration.

Good luck with the rest of your quotes! Sounds like you’re doing all the right things.

Those quotes you got ($18-20k for 13 impact openings) sound pretty much in line with what I’d expect, @sports_mary. The going rate around Tampa Bay for impact vinyl windows does seem to hover around $1000-$1500 per window, depending on size and options, and sliders can be $3-5k depending on size. So yeah, $18.4k from ProTech versus $20.5k from Sunshine Co. is a difference but not an insane gap. It could be due to the window brand (CWS might be a bit less costly than PGT) or just their pricing structure.
One thing to make sure when comparing: are the window styles the same in both quotes? Like, are they both quoting, say, single-hung windows (where only the bottom sash moves) or double-hung (both sashes move)? And same number of sliding doors, etc. Sometimes one quote might include a different style of window that can affect price. For example, double-hung windows usually cost a bit more than single-hung. In my case, I had the option between the two and I chose single-hung replacements for all my windows to save some money (and honestly, I never opened the top sash on my old double-hungs anyway). If one company quoted double-hung and another single, that could explain a price difference. So just double-check that.

CWS vs PGT vs Simonton – there are minor differences (frame thickness, hardware, etc.), but as @rcarpenter21 said, all are reputable. If you’re really curious, you can ask each company if they have a sample window or a showroom. Seeing and feeling a sample window might help you judge build quality and how the locks and mechanisms work. I did that at a local showroom: I could tell the difference between some cheap no-name window vs a PGT or Simonton; but between PGT and Simonton, for example, it was not huge – both felt solid.

From what you described, both quotes seem to cover all bases (permits, installation, etc.) which is great. Now it’s just about deciding on the best value and which company you trust more, as well as any differences in product.

Keep us posted on what Karoly quotes you too. It’ll be interesting to see how they compare since a few of us had good experiences with them.

Thanks for the update, @sports_mary! Those quotes actually sound pretty reasonable for what you’re getting. Honestly, $18k for all that work (impact windows + slider) from ProTech is on the lower side of average, which is good for you. Sunshine’s quote with PGT is a bit higher but PGT products sometimes carry a premium.
As others said, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples in terms of window types and features. It sounds like you are. I suspect the difference might just be brand and maybe a little of company pricing strategy. CWS vs PGT – both should serve you well in a storm, both are Florida Product Approved, etc. So if you feel comfortable with the folks at ProTech and their track record (and you’ve got @rcarpenter21’s firsthand positive review which is a great sign), then they remain a strong option.

It’ll be great to hear what Karoly Windows quotes you next week. I wouldn’t be surprised if Karoly’s quote comes in somewhere around there too. As @tech905 mentioned, Karoly often sells Simonton (though they can get PGT too, I believe). Simonton’s pricing might be around what CWS is. If you end up with quotes with three different window brands – PGT, CWS, Simonton – it might actually be a perfect comparison of all the top options. 😄

One thing you can consider when you have all the quotes: don’t be afraid to (politely) let your preferred choice know if someone else gave you a lower price for a comparable scope. Some companies might price-match or at least come down a little. For example, if you really like Company A but Company B is a few thousand cheaper for a similar product, it’s worth showing that to Company A to see if they can do something. Worst they can say is no, but sometimes they’ll shave off a bit or throw in an upgrade (like better hardware or an extra warranty) to win your business.

Anyway, it sounds like you’re doing great gathering info. Can’t wait to hear the Karoly results. And definitely ask if any other questions pop up. We’ve got a good crew here. 😊