Oh the windows. I hear that most people have window issues. They take a long time to arrive and there are often errors. I new we had to get the windows ordered ASAP so I tried to set up a meeting with the contractor to go over the window order right after demo. I wanted to keep it simple, match the existing white vinyl windows with a mid-grade (Milgrade) brand. Mostly sliders (instead of fancier casement) to keep costs down.

So we went through the plans and made a list of windows to order. I was very proud of myself for beating the norm and getting the windows ordered super early.

But… of course there was a problem. The new upstairs bedroom required a french casement window for egress. There wasn’t enough room on the wall for an egress slider and Milgrade doesn’t make a french casement that size. So there were several weeks of calling around different companies and trying to understand our options. Finally we pulled the trigger on an Anderson window that met the specs. This SINGLE window cost $3500. (most of our other windows were $300-500).

The windows were delivered at least a week late and there were a few mistakes. Somehow we ended up with 3 or 4 extra windows. To this day I am still not exactly sure if this is the contractor or Home Depot’s fault. I am also not sure what to do with these extra windows!

They finished the window install (which completed our basic exterior water-proofing) literally as the rain was just starting to fall for the first big fall rainstorm. It was a relief, until we got to the leaking roof issue…