Replacing old metal basement windows

[Ian Gills]

One quick thought.

Should I go with hoppers for the basement or sliders? Windows measure 32" wide by 18" high.

I have just had a salesman round to get a quote (just to see about the cost of getting this done pro). Big mistake not just because the price was too high (4000-5000 dollars). He wouldn't leave after 2 hours and asked to use my home phone. When I said he couldn't, we needed to think about the quote and insisted he left because it was getting late (9pm!!!), he started swearing and going crazy saying he wouldn't get paid and I'd wasted an hour of his time without even letting him make a phone call (he had a cell phone in his hand). Really scared the wife. He then sat outside in his car for 15 minutes. I then had to call the police.

His arse is mine when I phone his company tomorrow. There are some real nutters out there, particularly in these hard times.

In my home country he would have left with a broken nose.

Another reason to DIY. Even local firms that are bonded and insured are on my not list now. But perhaps this firm is not local and just appears to be....

[iminaquagmire]

Sounds like the siding salesmen here. They were here for three hours with full knowledge that all we wanted was a bid. I ended up throwing them out too. The one guy kept going on about how his uncle wasn't going to be happy with him for not making the sale and how his uncle was going to fire him. I told him his uncle would be smart to fire him and his uncle was an idiot for sending him out. That's the nice version. Scary about the guy sitting out in the car though.

[Ian Gills]

They did siding as well!

I told him his uncle would be smart to fire him and his uncle was an idiot for sending him out. That's the nice version.

Thanks for making me laugh and feel better.

[Scuba_Dave]

He was probably going to try the routine:

"Hey my boss said if you sign right now we can do the job for $3500"

[hj]

Welcome to the world of the high pressure "I'll come to your house and give you a free, no obligation, estimate", salesmen. He probably sells water softeners and tankless water heaters also. They are immensly overpriced, but come up with inducement after inducement to try to make the deal palatable and get you to sign. Even after "free installation", low interest rate, and all the rest you are still lucky if you only pay about 3 times what the job should cost.

[GabeS]

Damn. What a nut. That's sounds very abnormal to me. Something was definitely up. Good thing you didn't let him in to use the phone. Who know what he had on his mind.

I would go with sliders. I hate hoppers. They don't feel open enough. The shape that you have would work better for sliders too.

Windows around here cost about $300 including installation and removal of the old window.

[Ian Gills]

Thanks GabeS. Sliders it is then! Hoppers would have caused other problems (rain when open; difficult to put blinds behind because they open in).

They just cost a little more, but I'll live with that.

[Ian Gills]

Well, the first window is in!

[Romney's offshore banker]

Well, the first window is in!

Well done- I was hoping you could post all the details of how you extracted the frame (& how you anchored the new window), because I'm facing the same job.

[Jeciii1977]

I also was wounder how long it took to do one. I have 2 I would like to do in the near future. Thanks to all for the details on the matter.

[pigrew]

I replaced similar windows in my house. I first measured the width and the height of the existing opening in the wall. When I ordered the windows from *******, I gave them this as the rough opening size. They subtracted a quarter inch from each side. The top of the opening was the house's sill plate, and the other three sides were cement block. I removed the old window with a pry-bar. Next, I used wood shims to level the window. I then put expanding foam (Great Stuff(R)) around it to hold it in place. I trimmed that once it was dry, and finished with some silcone caulk in the exterior and some paintable caulk in the interior. The installation probably took two hours for my window.