If you’ve been doing some literal window shopping, odds are you’ve searched up how much windows cost at your local big box hardware store and even done some shopping around with different window installation companies to see what they would charge to install custom windows.
You might even have done measurements to ensure that you’re getting windows roughly the right size for your home. But, before you buy some premade windows from your local hardware store, there are a few things you should know!
Many Window Openings Require Custom-Sized Windows
Did you know that, while some builders do try to keep their window openings to a set range of ‘standard’ sizes, there’s no such thing as a standard window size? No “one size fits all” solution that you can universally find everywhere? Even if a window opening was originally designed to be that ‘standard’ size, it may, over time, deform slightly so that a new window of the same size as the original won’t fit correctly.
Whether the window opening wasn’t designed to be a standard size in the first place or it’s experienced warping from the building frame settling over time, there’s a strong chance you’ll need to order a custom window simply to get one that fits properly in your window opening.
To get a window that’s perfectly sized for your home, you’ll need an expert to take careful measurements, assess the window opening itself to see what additional work needs to be done, and then order a custom-sized window that takes into account both the window opening’s overall size and how prep work might affect it.
For example, will drywall need to be cut back? Will the installer need to put in extra window bucking to create a more secure attachment point for your new window? The answers to these questions can affect whether a window of a certain size will fit or not. An experienced expert can account for these issues and use them to order the perfect size of window for your home.
When you order bog-standard windows off the shelf from a retailer, you don’t always get this expertise, potentially leaving you with incorrectly sized windows.
The Features You Want May Not Come Standard, So You’d Have to Order Custom Windows
One of the more common reasons why homeowners get new windows, aside from needing to replace damaged windows after a storm or other event, is to get some specific feature or benefit out of their new windows.
In many cases, the feature most desired in Florida (aside from impact resistance), is improved energy efficiency. Windows are a major source of energy loss in the home. In the summer, heat from the outside gets in, warming up the home to uncomfortable temperatures so that you need to run your air conditioner harder, sucking up power that adds to your electric bill during peak usage hours.
However, many of the best energy-saving features for windows may not come standard in off-the-shelf windows at the big box store. Things like argon gas fills and extra panes of low-e glass can increase the cost of a window, so box stores that rely on selling lots of cheap windows often don’t stock them.
Or, perhaps you need windows of a specific color to comply with your HOA’s requirements to ensure they fit in with the homes near yours. For example, bronze or blue frames. Bronze, thanks to PGT, is a fairly common window frame color, but blue is much less common. Sure, you could have your windows painted after installation to get the right color, but paint is likely to get scratched or chipped with time and exposure to some of the extreme weather conditions Florida can throw. It’s better to get windows with vinyl frames that are extruded in the right color in the first place.
To get the windows with the features you most want, you’ll often have to order them custom made for your home.
Off the Shelf Windows Are Often Lower-Quality Compared to Custom Windows
For any big box store the top priorities in windows aren’t quality (of either the window itself or of the installation of that window), but cost and speed. They’re trying to sell as many cheap windows as possible as quickly as possible with the largest margin possible.
They’ll offer cheap brands on the idea that they’re “good enough” for your needs, but they really aren’t. And the installers they hire aren’t necessarily employees of the company with proper training and licenses. Instead, they’re often third party contractors who operate under the box store’s license without actually getting state-approved certifications.
This means inconsistent quality of work, where you never know if you’re getting windows installed with basic competency or if the installer will be someone who doesn’t know the first thing about installing impact windows in compliance with the Florida Building Code and the Florida Statutes.
With custom windows ordered from a reliable installation company that doesn’t subcontract out work to third parties, you can avoid playing Russian Roulette with your new windows.
Custom Windows Are Made to Fit Your Style Preferences
One of the things about getting premade windows from a box store is that it can be frustratingly difficult to find a window that’s a perfect fit for your personal preferences. Perhaps there’s a particular window grid pattern that you like (or don’t like), but all the windows on the store shelf just don’t match it.
This is where ordering custom windows can help. Many modern window manufacturers offer the ability to customize your window grid patterns and styles, letting you choose from different grid types and styles like:
- Simulated Divided Lite Grids. Grids that go over the top of the glass to create a textured look that more thoroughly simulates the appearance of more traditional windows where each panel in the window grid was truly a separate piece of glass.
- Grids between Glass. A grid style where the grids are between the glass panes of the window, leaving the surface smooth for easy cleaning and maintenance.
- Colonial Style Grids. A grid pattern where the window is broken up into several equal sections.
- Prairie Style Grids. A grid pattern with unequal ‘panes’ where one square in the center is larger than the others.
- Diamond-Style Grids. A grid pattern where the dividing lines are diagonal to create a series of diamond-like shapes.
- Custom Grids. Some manufacturers offer wholly custom grid styles where you can create truly unique shapes in your windows for added visual flair and distinctiveness.
Some external grids are even removable, allowing you to change up the look of your windows well after they’re installed.
With a custom window made to order per your preferences, you can be sure that every aspect of your window’s appearance is in line with what you want. Within your HOA’s guidelines, naturally.
Get Custom Windows with Expert Installation
It’s not enough to just get custom windows—you need your windows to be expertly installed by reliable experts who know what they’re doing. That’s why you should get your windows custom ordered through Karoly Windows & Doors!
We’ll help you pick out the best windows to suit your needs, provide you with an accurate quote for service that won’t change unless you request a change, and perform the installation using highly-trained and qualified installers.
We don’t outsource window installations to third parties. Every window we install is custom-ordered to exacting specifications. And we back up our installations with a lifetime labor warranty. If there’s an issue with your window installation, we’ll work to make it right for up to 25 years after the installation!
Get a quote today to lock in your custom window prices as soon as possible!
