Get Competing Estimates

A few days ago my husband was painting the upstairs hallway when he bumped the ladder and sent it crashing through the lower pane of our double hung window. $%&*$#.

Husband called Home Depot for an estimate to fix or replace it. Two people responded: one from a sub-contractor, and one from Home Depot itself.

Estimate #1 - Sub-Contractor
This guy was the first to show, and he gave us three options:
1) Replace the glass = $60. (Just the glass - not the insulating argon between the panes)
2) Replace the lower sash = $150 (Decent, but a looooong wait for this one)
3) Replace the whole window with an even better quality one = $300

Replacing the window would give us better insulation in what becomes a very cold hallway in the winter. This is VERY tempting.

Estimate #2 - Home Depot Guy (orange apron and everything)
This guy showed up 15 minutes after the first guy left. Here's what he said:
1) They could only replace the whole window - not repair.
2) They could replace it with a window comparable to what we have for $650
3) They could replace it with a better window for $700

SERIOUSLY?! MORE THAN DOUBLE THE COST?!

Not only have we already cut a check to the first guy, but if they do well, we will contact their company directly for repairs in the future. Screw Home Depot.