I was recently talking to a very friendly and capable reporter for a window industry trade magazine (yes that’s a thing) about partial projects. That’s the term for projects that include some, but not all of the windows in the house. You can read his article with some pithy quotes from yours truly, but the conversation got me thinking that this is a topic our readers are probably interested in.
It happens pretty frequently that people will want to only replace a handful of windows that have a specific issue and leave the rest for later. Is this the best strategy? As with most philosophical questions, the answer is “it depends”.
Before we get into the meat of this topic I’ll suggest that if you’re considering a partial project because of the cost you may want to make sure you’re talking to the type of company that offers fair and reasonable pricing.
We frequently hear from folks who think they can only afford 5 windows due to an astronomical quote they received from an old fashioned high-pressure company. Companies like ours will offer much more reasonable prices so the customer who thought they could only afford a handful of windows might be able to afford the whole house.
When should you only replace some of your windows?
Folks typically want to do this when they have an acute problem with some of their windows. Maybe they have seal failures causing foggy or cloudy glass or windows that don’t operate properly. Sometimes folks do this because one room or area of the house gets very cold in the winter or hot in the summer.
This can be a great strategy, but you’ll want to consider the risks.
What could go wrong when replacing only some of your windows?
First, you’ll want to understand the costs of your project and how the cost will vary based on the size of the project.
For example, in most of our stores you get the best labor pricing when you order at least 5 windows. The windows cost what they cost, but the labor costs more on a small project. The per window price is then the same for projects between 5 and 200 windows. That means if you replace all of the windows except one and then you decide to do the one remaining window later it’ll cost a little more.
In fact, just today I got a text from one of our field reps who was working with a customer for whom we had just completed a $15,000 project. That customer wanted to replace two more windows and he was upset that they would cost more.
The answer is that’s just how it works. Replacing one or two windows just costs more on a per window basis than replacing 20 windows. I’m never happy to have a customer who is not feeling great, but we need to pay the installers for their work or they won’t stick around. If we want great quality results we pay for great quality team members and that costs a couple bucks.
If this customer had split up the projects into groups of 5 or more he would have been a happier camper. I asked our rep why he didn’t suggest that and it turns out the customer was planning on closing up those windows and has since changed his mind. It sounds like a situation where there wasn’t much we could have done and ultimately the last 2 windows are going to cost a little more. Sometimes that’s just life, but if you’re thinking about a partial project this is something to consider.
Will you be happy if the windows look different?
Another factor to consider when replacing some of your windows is that they’ll look, operate, and feel different than your old windows. You’ll have some that are new and pretty and efficient and some that are not.
That might bug me as I like things to match and feel the same. You might not care about that, but you want to be aware of it.
It’s also possible that the window manufacturer makes a change to the model so your plan of buying some windows now and some later will result in them being similar, but not quite the same. This is not a big deal to a lot of people, but you’ll want to consider how you’ll feel about it before making that choice.
What about the hassle factor?
It’s also important to remember that any home improvement project can contain a little bit of hassle. I know in our company we try to make the process as simple as possible, but we’re going to need to make at least two trips to your house (one to measure and one to install). There may even be a service call needed. That’s 2-3 visits to your house.
If you replace all the windows at the same time you’ll then be done. If you split up the project into two phases you’ll be looking at 4-6 visits. That’s not the end of the world, but those are days that you could spend doing something a little more fun (edit: don’t get me wrong, windows are pretty fun!)
So what should I do if I’m considering a partial window project?
First, check with the company to see what the pricing will look like if you do part of the project now and part later vs doing it all now. A company probably can’t guarantee what the pricing will look like in a year or two, but they can give you an idea.
Next, consider how you’ll feel if there was a style change and the windows can’t match exactly. You can also ask the company if they’re aware of any upcoming change or if there have been any recent changes.
Then, look at financing options. Many companies offer 0% financing that might make the project a little more affordable than you imagined.
So what’s the bottom line?
Ultimately only you can decide if replacing some of your windows is better than replacing all of your windows. I know many of our customers decide on partial projects for a variety of reasons and ultimately it makes no difference to us. If you’d prefer to do some windows now and some later we’d love to have that business. I just want to make sure that you know the pros and cons so you can make the best decision for you.
If you’re looking for more info on replacement windows you can check out our list of common window sales tactics here and you can find our detailed replacement window reviews here.
If you have any questions or comments about this article post a comment below and I’ll do my best to get back with you. Have fun out there!
I want to make sure that I get my windows replaced. It makes sense doing them all at once might be good for me! That way I don’t have to worry about having it take too long to have them all be replaced.
Thanks for explaining some benefits to having all of the windows in your house replaced. I’m glad you mentioned that this is a good way to make sure that all of the windows are efficient and look the same. I’m kind of interested to learn if you should still do this if you just need the glass replaced and it somehow affected the frame.
My wife and I were thinking about replacing the windows in our living room soon, so thanks for sharing this. I like your point about how, by replacing all the windows at once, you can ensure they all look the same. We’ll have to see if we can afford to replace all the main floor windows with the same designs.
I couldn’t agree more with what you said about how having a different type of window than the rest can bug some people. We had the southern window of our living room got smashed by a frisbee. I would think that a partial window replacement will do because no one will ever notice it anyway and will not in anyway affect our overall look.
What might be a huge problem for one person could be no big deal to another person. Just depends what’s important to you.
As I know understand that replacing some of one’s windows all depends on how much it would cost and how many windows are to be replaced, I believe that another factor to point out in the cost is hiring the contractor. Getting a good contractor to replace windows not only helps to replace windows faster and safer but also be able to keep the original design of the house intact. I do have one last question: is it possible to negotiate window renovation prices with one’s contractor? Thank you in advance for the answer and to writing this article as well.
Hi Tim, some contractors will negotiate their prices and others will offer a set price upfront. For example, my company uses set prices and we don’t negotiate. In my mind it’s a pretty small time thing to negotiate prices and it’s a business model that is going away. For example you don’t negotiate with Amazon on the price of something. They tell you the price and you buy it or you don’t. That’s the way many companies operate and I think we’ll see pricing like that continue to grow in popularity in all but the smallest of businesses.
I really like what you said about how replacing all the windows at once can help you save a lot of time doing something more important. My wife and I are currently planning to sell our home to move back into the city. Unfortunately, one overly enthusiastic baseball kid pitched a little too hard and smashed our living room windows. We have a prospective buyer coming over next week, so I think replacing the windows all at once would be the quickest way to get it done.
Thank you for pointing out that if you want all of your windows to look the same you need to get all of them replaced. My daughter broke a window last night and I want to get all of the windows replaced so they match. I’ll have to look into finding the best company to come and replace them for me.
I like your tip about checking with a company in order to see what their pricing is like when it comes to window replacement. Window replacement should be performed by qualified individuals that have sufficient experience. If I were to replace the windows in my own home, I would contact a company that could get the job done in a timely manner.
It’s good to know more about replacing windows on our home. I like how you said that only replacing one or two windows can actually cost more per window. That’s why we’re thinking that we want to just replace all our old windows so that we get the whole thing done with.
I thought it was cool how the article mentioned how people will only replace a few of their windows when they have an acute problem such as fogginess or they don’t operate properly. My wife has been wanting to replace all of the windows in the home we just bought because they are all scratched and battered from years of use. We will probably hire someone to come and replace all of our windows at once.
Thanks for the tips for replacing home windows. I like how you said that it’s good to replace them all at the same time because labor costs more on small projects. We’re hoping to replace our gross windows, so we’ll just do them all at the same time.
Thank you for your comment about people generally wanting to replace a few windows at a time if they have been noticing problems with only a specific amount of their windows. My sister has been wanting to replace the windows in her home for a while now. In my opinion, she should do them in phases so that she saves a bit of money.
Thanks for explaining that we should understand the size of the project affect on the cost when deciding whether to replace all the windows. My husband and I are thinking about having new windows installed soon. Your article helped me feel prepared to discuss the project with a window installation service.
There are a few windows in my home that work well and the rest don’t so well. As you said, it would be a good idea to get them all replaced at the same time. I’d have to get someone to come and do it for me as I haven’t done something like that before.
Thanks for explaining that replacing all of them at once is usually better because it generally costs less on a per-window basis if we have more installed. My husband and I have talked about replacing some of our home’s windows soon because we think it would help improve both the sound insulation and energy efficiency of our home. I’m glad I read your article because now I know what questions to ask a window replacement contractor to help us decide if we should have them all replaced or only a few.
Glad we could help!
Thank you for your tips on when to replace your windows. My husband and I are thinking it might be time to replace ours. Knowing that if we replace one we should probably replace all will help in the decision making process.
I did not know the fact that replacing one or two windows just costs more on a per-window basis than replacing 20 windows. My best friend told me that his wife would like to renovate part of their house including window replacement. This article will help my friend be aware of the benefits of replacing all the windows at once.
I like the helpful info you supply for your articles. Keep up the great work!.
I find it interesting that replacing one or two windows costs more per window than just getting 20 or more. All of my windows are looking worn down, but I only have a real problem with 3 of them. Maybe I should just replace all of my windows if it’s more cost-effective, though.
I do agree with you that you should replace all of the windows at the same time. I’m thinking about doing this soon to my house since it is older and the windows aren’t as efficient as they used to be. Now I could remove all the windows myself, but I would need to get a professional to come and install them for me since I don’t know how to do that.
It’s good that you brought up how you should consider how you will feel if your windows look different. My wife and I would like to replace our house’s windows soon. I feel that some brand new windows will make the house look more attractive.
How grateful that you recommended replacing all the windows because small projects cost more. A friend of mine wants to renovate his house and is thinking of replacing his dining room’s windows. Thanks for sharing how beneficial replacing all the windows is.
My son just threw a baseball through my window. It would be nice to get a new window installed so that I don’t have to worry about drafts or robbers. I’ll look for a glass company in my area.
That’s a good idea Kate.
It made sense when you said that window models might change, so if we don’t replace them all at once we might be unable to get the exact same model later on. My husband and I like the idea of having our front windows replaced to help with both temperature and sound insulation. I’m glad I read your article and learned why it’d be best to have all of our windows replaced at the same time.
Glad we could help!
I like what you said about your new windows operating differently than your old ones when you get them replaced. My brother has been telling me about how one of his windows got a baseball thrown through it the other day. I’ll share this information with him so that he can look into his options for getting all of his windows replaced so that they look the same.
Thanks for writing this great article for us. I have gained good stuff from this website. Looking forward to your next article. I am happy to share this post to my friends. Keep it up.
Thanks for explaining how it costs more per window to replace one or two than it does to replace all of them. My wife and I want to save as much money as possible when we buy new things. I think we’ll replace our windows in bulk so we are saving money on each window.