Putting in new windows in a rental property

[Pete Lesniewski]

Hey guys. I am putting in new windows in my rental property in Milwaukee in a B class area. Most things I have read online suggest going with basic single hung vinyl windows. I plan on simply buying stock windows myself at lowes, home depot, or menards and then have my contractor install them for me. 

What brand did you use in your rental property and how much did you spend? I'm trying to keep this as inexpensive as possible while still getting something that will last for a rental property. 

[Stone Jin]

I'm doing that for a property we are rehabbing for rent in Ohio.  I found a local company that manufactures their own window.  My cost was roughly $260 per opening.   He came highly recommended from a big investor in town.

[Brian Head]

Hands down, Marvin Integrity. Little price difference vs. vinyl (well, a "good" vinyl) with the all ultrex option and it is a superior material. Far better performance and eventual resale. I have installed the ultrex exterior/ wood interior in my own home.  

Marvin Integrity used to be a 10 day turnaround from order to delivery for the ultrex product line. Just recently it has been bumped to 6 weeks due to demand for the product. What does that tell you? 

Zuerns building products is our area distributor.  Great guys. 

good luck! 

[Marcus Auerbach]

Brian is right on; Marvin Integrity is an excellent choice - it's firber glass, which is superior to vinly in many ways. If you want to stick with vinyl (and most investors do), there are usually different grades from each manufacturer - often they have a 100, 200 or 300 serices. Stay away from the 100 - they have a shorter design life than the higher quality grades. If you are looking to keep the property for 30+ years it will pay to step it up to fiber glass over the long run.

[Pat L.]

Depending on our building structures I wait for special order returns (SOR) at Lowes & just store them in my barn. I often pick up Pella/JenWeld/Andersen for $35-$50 & make them fit. Most are 47x65 because as soon as we replace an upper window we are required to provide 2nd floor egress.

In fact I grabbed 2 SOR Pella 87x54 picture windows (orig. $1198 each) for our lake house for $150 each delivered. Get to know the managers there & when they're ready to drop pricing.