Did anyone here go with fiberglass or wood-clad windows instead of vinyl? I was curious about options like Pella or Marvin, but most people (including contractors) steered me toward vinyl or aluminum for Florida. I ended up doing vinyl, but I love the look of wood interiors. Just wondering if anyone in Tampa Bay actually installed those and how they're holding up. I know maintenance in our humidity and termites might be an issue with wood, which is why I chickened out of that.
@culture426 I considered Pella Impervia fiberglass windows for a hot minute because I liked the idea of a stronger material and maybe slimmer frames. But the quote for those came in even higher than some of the impact vinyl options (and they would have still needed to be impact-rated glass, which Pella does offer, but it was pricey). Also, the availability was an issue; not many local installers deal with those regularly.
Most contractors I spoke with also nudged me to vinyl or aluminum, since those are the most field-tested here. Wood-clad (like Andersen or Marvin) would look beautiful, but yeah, Florida elements are harsh. Plus almost all wood window options require ongoing maintenance (repainting, sealing) and are often not impact unless you add storm shutters or something – just not practical here.
If you really want a different material, maybe look at aluminum-clad or fiberglass for front doors, but for windows I think sticking with what the region uses (vinyl or aluminum windows built for Florida) is the safe bet. No regrets on my vinyl choice after seeing how they perform.
New transplant here (moved to Tampa from the Midwest). I gotta say, I learned a ton from threads like this. Where I came from, windows were all about keeping cold out; down here it's a whole different ballgame with hurricanes and heat. First time I heard about "impact windows" I was like, huh? 😅
We bought a 2015-built house in Wesley Chapel and it had basic double-pane windows. No hurricane protection at all because it's inland. After our first hurricane season scare, we're now planning to upgrade to impact windows too. This thread has been a lifesaver in understanding what to expect. So thanks, y'all. Florida is a learning curve!
I haven't seen many mention it yet, but ProTech Windoors also does entry doors and such. I actually used them to replace my front door with an impact door last year (found them through a recommendation on Nextdoor). They did a solid job, and I’m considering having them quote my windows as well when I'm ready to do those.
Given the good feedback here on their window work too, I'm even more inclined to use them for the whole package.
Slightly off topic, but do impact windows significantly improve security against break-ins? I've heard they are much harder to smash through, which to me is another bonus (not just storms). Anyone have insight on that?
We went with a company called Weather Tite for our windows in 2018. No major complaints; they did a good job. Price-wise they were in the middle of the quotes we got. Just another option to throw out there for folks shopping around.
One hiccup I experienced: one of my windows arrived cracked (during shipping I guess). The installers discovered it when they unboxed it. They went ahead and installed it with the crack and then came back a few weeks later with the replacement sash. It was a small bedroom window, so not a big deal, but it did delay the final completion a bit. Stuff happens, but kudos to the company, they handled the reorder and swap-out without any drama. If you have a strict timeline (like maybe planning to list your house for sale or something), keep in mind little delays like that can happen.
Did anyone here do their window replacements in phases? For example, doing just the front of the house, then later the back, due to budget constraints? I'm trying to decide if I should bite the bullet and do all 15 windows at once or split it into two projects (maybe downstairs first, upstairs next year). My concern is losing the volume discount or having mismatched window styles for a while. Would love to hear if anyone staggered it and if that worked out or if they regretted not doing all at once.
@mark_chef I actually split my project over two years. I did the first floor windows one year, and the second floor the next year, mainly for budget reasons. It can be done, but there are a few things to consider:
You might pay a bit more per window when doing smaller batches. The initial mobilization, permit fees, etc., were basically doubled for me (had to pay those twice, once for each phase). The per-window cost was maybe 5-10% higher in the smaller phase than if I had done all at once. But it allowed me to spread out the cost, which was necessary at the time.
For a while, we had mismatched windows (old ones upstairs, new ones downstairs). Visually it wasn't too jarring because from the street you mostly see the front which we did entirely in phase 1. But up close you could tell. Also, one hurricane season we only had half the house with impact glass, so we still had to put up shutters for the other half. That was a bit of a pain (half shutters, half not).
When we did phase 2, I made sure to use the same brand and style so it would match the first batch. Keep all your documentation from phase 1 so you can order the same windows in phase 2 (assuming you liked them). We stuck with the same contractor too, and they gave us the "previous customer" courtesy pricing, which helped.
IGNORE_WHEN_COPYING_START
content_copy
download
Use code with caution.
IGNORE_WHEN_COPYING_END
If you can swing doing it all at once, I say do it. It simplifies things and you get all the benefits immediately. But if you need to phase it, it's not the end of the world – just plan it out like I did. It worked out fine for us in the end.
A heads up for the installation day(s): be prepared for some dust and minor chaos in the house. When they pull out the old windows, there's often some stucco or drywall that cracks or crumbles. The installers usually put down drop cloths and they vacuumed up pretty well after, but I still found a fine layer of dust in some places afterward. If you have nice furniture or electronics near the windows, you might want to cover them or move them temporarily.
Also, it gets noisy (saws, hammering) and of course your A/C will be running a lot if you do this in summer because they’re basically opening your house up one window at a time. We scheduled ours for spring when it was not too hot out, which helped. And if you work from home, maybe find a coffee shop those days or use earplugs, haha.
Small things, but just to set expectations that install day isn't quiet or clean until it's done.