Put every quote on one sheet, with one row for each opening, and make the lines match before you look at the totals. Two quotes only compare if they cover the same openings, the same product and the same work. The gap between a low number and a high one usually lives in those lines.
Minty B. got quotes from the smallest business to the largest and wrote that "you have to compare apples to apples" on labor, material and time. That is the whole job, and the checklist below is how you do it.
Set up your sheet
A spreadsheet works, and so does a legal pad. List every opening down the side, by room. Give each company a column. If a quote came as one lump sum, ask for it broken out by opening. Any company that measured your house can do that. Before you start, check each total against typical Miami prices by opening, so you know you are looking at a normal range.
The line-by-line checklist
Go through these in order. A blank in any column is a question to send that company, not a reason to rule it out.
Openings
- Every quote lists the same number of openings.
- Each opening shows a size and a type, not just a quantity.
- Someone measured in person. A number built on a rough count can move later.
- Bedroom openings are still big enough to serve as an emergency exit.
Product
- Window type for each opening: fixed, casement, single-hung or horizontal roller.
- Frame: aluminum or vinyl.
- Glass: laminated or insulated, and whether Low-E is included.
- Doors: fiberglass, sliding glass, French or entry, with the width and number of panels.
- A named product on each line. Words like standard or premium tell you nothing.
Approvals and license
- An approval for every product. A Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) names the product, what it was tested to and when the approval expires, and anyone can search them. Here is how to check a Miami-Dade NOA.
- The approval matches the product on the quote and has not expired.
- The contractor license number is on the quote, and it checks out on the state contractor license lookup.
Permits and associations
- Who pulls the permit, and whether the fee is in the price.
- Who schedules the final inspection, and who handles anything the inspector flags.
- If you have an HOA, who prepares the paperwork. Captiva O. wrote that we "provided specs for me to submit to my HOA board" and you can ask the same of anyone you are considering.
- Our guide to permits and HOA approval for impact windows covers what to expect from both.
Labor and cleanup
- Who will actually be at your house: the company's own installers or subcontractors. Ours are our own, and any company should answer that plainly.
- Who takes out the old windows and hauls them away.
- Who patches stucco and drywall afterward, and whether painting is included. John M. wrote that our team "finished patching the inside and outside of the windows" and any quote should spell out that line.
- How floors, furniture and the air in your home will be protected from dust.
Time and money
- A written timeline. Typically, signed contract to final inspection takes about 2 to 4 months, longer in late summer. If a quote promises much less, ask what that depends on.
- How much is due up front, when each payment falls, and what is left at final inspection.
- What happens after the job: who you call, and what the company covers in writing. Alexander P. wrote that when a door needed attention the day after install, "Jonathan came out right away to fix it." That is the kind of thing to ask about.
- A contract you can understand. Leo B. praised a "clear and specific contract" and that is the standard to hold everyone to, us included.
Things that earn a second question
None of these prove a quote is bad. They just mean you should ask again.
- A price that only holds if you sign today. A fair number is still fair next week.
- A total with no list of openings behind it.
- A much lower number with blanks in the columns above.
- A much higher number with no explanation of what it buys.
You should be able to take your time with this. Ivanna G. wrote that our prices "were comparable to similar companies minus the common over the top sales pitches and attempts to upsell" and you can read more reviews about sales pressure if that is what worries you.
When the lower quote is the right one
Sometimes it is, and you should take it. Cory O. already had a lower quote from another vendor and wrote that Jonathan "was honest and fair by telling me that the quote that I was given by the other vendor was a great price." We did not get that job, and that is how it should work. If the lines match and the company checks out, the lower number can win.
If one of your columns is still empty, ask us for a free in-home estimate. We measure every opening, there is no pressure, and you can put our number on the sheet with the others.
Once the lines match and the numbers are close, choose on what is left: who answered your questions, who put things in writing without being asked, and who you would be comfortable having in your home.
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