Okay, so picture this: a huge storm rolls through town and leaves half your windows cracked or totally shattered. Glass everywhere, drafts blowing in, and you're standing there like "um, great, now what?" YouTube makes DIY look pretty doable, but then again, my DIY projects usually end up costing twice as much and looking half as good as I planned. Plus, windows seem like one of those things you don't wanna mess up—leaks, drafts, security issues, you know.
But then you call around and get quotes from window replacement companies and...ouch. Not cheap. Like, seriously considering selling a kidney not cheap. But maybe it's worth it to get it done right the first time? Or am I just being paranoid about messing it up myself?
I'm curious how others would handle this kind of situation. Would you bite the bullet and pay for the pros, or roll up your sleeves and try to tackle it yourself?
You're right to be cautious—window installs can get tricky. Ever thought about just boarding things up temporarily and tackling maybe one smaller window yourself first? Might give you a sense if DIY's realistic before committing to the whole house.
Boarding up temporarily makes sense, but have you considered the energy efficiency angle? Even small mistakes in window installation can lead to drafts or moisture issues down the line, and those can really add up on your heating and cooling bills. I tried DIY-ing a basement window once—thought it was straightforward enough—but ended up with condensation problems that took months to figure out. Are you comfortable troubleshooting insulation and sealing issues if things don't go perfectly? Sometimes, even tackling a smaller window yourself doesn't fully prepare you for the complexities of larger or differently shaped windows. Maybe it's worth weighing the potential long-term energy costs against the upfront savings of DIY...