Window Replacement

Cost vs. Value
Window Replacement

2001 Cost vs. Value home

Project (average cost recouped, national)

Minor kitchen remodel (88%)

Bathroom remodel (85%)

Major kitchen remodel (81%)

Family room addition (80%)

Deck addition (77%)

Master suite (75%)

Attic bedroom (74%)

Siding replacement (73%)

Window replacement (69%)

Home office (55%)
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2002 Cost vs. Value Report

2000 Cost vs. Value Report

Buyers notice poorly functioning windows, says Philadelphia real estate pro Tom Lombardi, because they anticipate having to pay for new ones. “If it’s eight to 12 windows at $400 a pop, that’s usually the house they don’t buy,” he says.

Steve Walker, who’s been selling real estate in Sacramento for 15 years, says he’s routinely asked if the house he’s showing has double-paned windows. “People say, ‘Has that been done yet?’ as though it’s an expected upgrade.”

Rising prices for natural gas and electricity call attention to the value of double-paned, energy-efficient windows like those in our project description. Maryland contractor Matt LeFaivre recently sold a 25-window job to a client whose winter oil bills had doubled. Besides saving on energy costs, he points out, those new tilt-in vinyl windows are easy to operate and easy to clean from the inside. “It means they don’t have to get the ladder out,” LeFaivre says.

Nationwide, homeowners stand to recoup 69 percent, or $6,198, of their $9,026 investment.

Design Tips for Consumers

Order windows to within one-quarter inch on all four sides to minimize the size of the frame and sash.—Moesline
Use wood-grained vinyl on the outside and trim the inside to match, so that you have the look of wood with the benefits of vinyl.—Moesline
Use a paintable caulk sealant on the inside and a good silicone on the outside that’s weather-tight.—Moesline

Project Description
Replace 10 existing 3-by-5-foot windows with vinyl-clad windows, including new trim. Replace sash, frames, and casings.

Region or City	Job Cost	Resale Value	Cost Recouped
East Average	$9,254	$6,722	73%
Albany, N.Y.	9,083	4,750	52
Baltimore	8,631	4,465	52
Boston	10,287	9,167	89
Burlington, Vt.	7,953	6,456	81
Garden City, N.Y.	10,215	15,224	149
Hartford, Conn.	9,258	6,125	66
Lancaster, Pa.	8,759	4,000	46
Nashua, N.H.	8,230	4,100	50
New Haven, Conn.	9,289	10,333	111
Passaic, N.J.	9,623	6,167	64
Philadelphia	9,953	6,343	64
Pittsburgh	9,356	6,500	69
Providence, R.I.	9,155	4,389	48
Westchester, N.Y.	10,163	6,115	60
Wilmington, Del.	8,858	6,695	76
South Average	$8,368	$5,719	68%
Atlanta	8,844	6,000	68
Birmingham, Ala.	8,534	5,125	60
Columbia, S.C.	7,960	4,859	61
Dallas-Ft. Worth	8,631	4,126	48
Houston	8,950	6,500	73
Jacksonville, Fla.	8,387	4,500	54
Knoxville, Tenn.	7,464	4,445	60
Louisville, Ky.	8,932	7,661	86
Miami	8,890	7,625	86
New Orleans	8,026	4,480	56
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.	7,035	2,185	31
Richmond, Va.	8,253	4,760	58
Tampa, Fla.	8,303	5,200	63
Tulsa, Okla.	8,285	8,700	105
Washington, D.C.	9,020	9,625	107
Midwest Average	$9,270	$5,663	61%
Chicago	10,694	8,600	80
Cleveland	9,945	2,850	29
Columbus, Ohio	8,769	7,575	86
Des Moines, Iowa	9,010	4,720	52
Detroit	9,772	7,750	79
Fargo, N.D.	7,208	3,524	49
Grand Rapids, Mich.	8,697	7,250	83
Indianapolis	9,271	5,125	55
Kansas City, Mo.	9,550	3,000	31
Madison, Wis.	9,668	6,767	70
Milwaukee	9,866	6,917	70
Minneapolis	10,427	5,213	50
St. Louis	9,777	6,000	61
Sioux Falls, S.D.	7,983	4,460	56
Wichita, Kan.	8,410	5,202	62
West Average	$9,211	$6,685	73%
Albuquerque, N.M.	7,594	4,375	58
Boise, Idaho	8,630	5,786	67
Colorado Springs, Colo.	8,697	3,360	39
Denver	8,741	6,352	73
Honolulu	10,165	11,125	109
Las Vegas	9,483	4,125	43
Los Angeles	10,299	8,125	79
Phoenix	8,239	4,520	55
Portland, Ore.	9,459	3,917	41
Sacramento, Calif.	9,309	5,000	54
Salt Lake City	8,345	4,625	55
San Diego	9,681	10,875	112
San Francisco	10,700	12,300	115
Seattle	9,932	10,250	103
Spokane, Wash.	8,891	5,544	62
National Average	$9,026	$6,198	69%

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