During my early years in construction, I found myself facing what seemed like a straightforward consulting opportunity—helping a housing cooperative make decisions about their window replacements. These cooperatives typically maintain budgets for capital improvements, but bringing in an engineering firm for consultation would have eaten up a significant portion of their funds. When the board of directors approached me for help, my initial thought was pretty confident—maybe even a bit cocky. After all, I was a custom home builder, and windows were just… windows, right?
Boy, was I in for a wake-up call. What started as a seemingly simple consultation turned into a lesson about just how complex window and door systems really are. But that valuable and humbling experience forced me to develop a systematic approach to navigating purchases outside my expertise, and I still use that system today.
My Foray into Windows and Doors
The first step seemed obvious enough—I reached out to every window supplier in the area and asked for quotes. What I got back was a virtual montage of information: different quantities, sizes, pricing structures, all formatted in ways that made aggregating the data for the Board about as straightforward as herding cats. Now, I do love my dog, but there are times when a well-crafted spreadsheet makes me question what truly is “man’s best friend.”
Column 1 was easy enough—Name of Supplier.
Column 2, well… Price?
This spreadsheet exercise revealed two things to me:
- An apples-to-apples comparison wasn’t going to be possible without first developing a comprehensive specification document
- I needed more column headings
Back to step 1—create a better project description for tender.
With my construction background, it was easy enough for me to outline my expectations on scope, quantities, sizes, designs, work schedules, warranty, and price. But how was I going to create columns that ranked submissions on quality and price when I had no idea what the key metrics were?
I decided to talk to one of the leading contenders from my previous pricing round, and after describing my problem, he gave me a list of critical factors to consider. Knowing this information was naturally biased, I ran the same question by another top contender and received a strikingly similar list. After reaching out to as many contenders as would take my call, a pattern emerged—they were all highlighting many of the same factors and by the end of it, my column headings were complete.
Steps 2 and 3 involved sending out my new tender document and populating the spreadsheet with the data returned. This included plenty of clarifying phone calls that also increased my knowledge of those key metrics, and it had the unexpected benefit of filtering out competitors who’d seemed sketchy to me on the initial attempt. The end result was exactly what I needed—a comprehensive table that I was able to present to the Board, allowing them to make an unbiased selection based primarily on industry-specific, critical data.
That experience taught me something valuable that applies whether you’re managing a large co-op project or simply replacing the windows in your home: when it comes to windows and doors, approaching the purchase systematically removes the guesswork. While the scale might be different, the principles remain the same. Let me show you how to apply this approach to your own window and door shopping journey!
Information Gathering - Phase 1
If you’re lucky enough to be working with an architect or design professional, you may already have a specification document, and if so, I urge you to review it carefully. Architectural specifications are written in industry-specific language that makes clear to window and door suppliers the professional’s requirements. However, the associated jargon isn’t always translatable to laypersons.
Pro Tip: Rather than skip over language you don’t understand, I recommend you always seek clarification. I’ve met too many owners in my career that regret not having asked enough questions at the design and pricing phase.
For those of you who do not have the luxury of hiring a professional, I recommend that you take the time to go through the same process I did with the Co-op, mistakes and all. Yes, I’m suggesting that you go through an initial round of pricing without having any specific sense of what you are looking for. This process is likely going to:
- Open the door to several companies, some new and some more well-established
- Create multiple conversations around different products that will certainly include industry-specific jargon
- Give you an early chance to evaluate the professional values of the companies that the salespeople represent
- Quickly filter out any sketchy, high-pressure, or holier-than-thou bidders from your shortlist
While this jargon might intimidate you at first, as you learn it, it will become increasingly valuable.
IMPORTANT WORD OF CAUTION:
Unfortunately, the replacement window and door market is notorious for fly-by-night operators, high-pressure sales tactics, and unscrupulous business practices. If you know yourself to be potentially vulnerable to these types of schemes, I recommend calling on a friend or family member who isn’t, to conduct the interviews while you observe passively from a distance.
If you take anything at all away from this article: never agree to a window and door purchase with a salesperson in the room. Always give yourself time to do your research, filter out anyone that gives you bad vibes, consolidate the data, and make a dispassionate decision based on the results.
Creating Your Own Specification Document – Phase 2
At this point in your process, you should have a much clearer vision of what you want, expect, and can afford in your window and door package. It is likely that at least some of your initial estimates in your Phase 1 round of pricing that were based on the unknown, are now largely meaningless. Even more likely is that when you attempt to aggregate any data between these quotations, you will quickly see that Company “A” was pricing apples, and Company “B” was pricing microwaves!
I’m sure you guessed it—now is the time to put together your very own specification document. This document will not only outline the specific types and quantities of windows and doors you’re looking for but also set expectations for how they should be installed.
To ensure clarity with bidders, your specification should address all aspects of the purchase, including:
✔ Installation requirements: Methods for air and vapor barrier tie-ins, specific insulation products, and attachment methods.
✔ Material specifications: Types and brands of interior and exterior trims, flashings, and sealants.
✔ Project logistics: Daily start and stop times, estimated duration of the install, and length of the installation guarantee.
✔ Cost management: How unexpected extras and change orders will be handled.
By including these details upfront, you ensure that every bidder is working from your set of expectations.
Connecting all the Pieces – Final Phase
Now break out the spreadsheet! By now, you’ve moved past:
- The initial confusion
- The jargon
- The mismatched quotes that in the beginning, made no sense
What started as an overwhelming mess of information has taken shape into something structured and something that is under your control.
FREE RESOURCE
To help streamline this process, I’ve created a downloadable Window and Door Comparison Spreadsheet. It won’t make any decisions for you, but it will help guide you through a number of the key factors to consider when selecting your window and door package.
When those new windows and doors are installed, you’ll know they weren’t chosen at random and that you’ve made the best purchase decision you could with the most information available to you at the time.
Submit the following form to receive the Spreadsheet.
