Cost of adding new windows to a wall

[Anonymous]

Hi,

We are new homeowners and are about to start contacting a few contractors regarding adding a couple of windows on one the wall in our living room. Since we are clueless about this we figure we could a few pointers from you guys so we are at least educated when we meet these contractors. There is no plumbing, electrical or other structures in/on that wall. However the central A/C unit and an electrical circuit are outside that wall but we don’t think there are any wires going through that wall. It *looks* like all that needs to be done is to drill the holes (not trivializing the process but just saying that we don’t think a plumber/electrician will need to be involved). Also the house has new vinyl sidings.

In this case do we need new construction windows or replacement windows? 1 window will be a casement Window and the other will be a larger window made up of 4 individual casement windows. We are not bound by a particular brand but our $5000 will obviously limit our choices. As long as the windows are well installed and the windows are of mid-range quality we will be happy. Thank you so much.

Have you had to add windows to a wall? We would love to hear your feedback. And if so how much did the labor cost?

[Anonymous]

That’s a rather routine installation as long as your existing walls don’t have structural issues which is not the case for you. This job could be done by a couple of guys in about 1/2 day.

Here is a tip if you want to save more money. At least it worked in our case. While you will be quoted per window install the more windows you need to replace the better deal you could potentially get. Or even if you have couple of doors to replace throw that in.

I often recommend people to do all their windows and doors at the same time provided of course that they have the budget.

With $5000 you can definitely get a standard size casement window and a larger window as well using a mid-range brand like Simonton, Window world etc... And also new construction windows are simply easier to install because there is no existing frame there. So you won’t to deal with sizing and all kind of custom things to worry about

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'm doing this now. My quotes varied from $6000 for 4 windows to $2400 for 4 windows (this was cutting the hole, installing the window, and cost of window as part of a project to install new siding). We got 3 quotes total (two siding/window companies and 1 handy man).

[Anonymous]

You're going to need structural work done. You can't just open up a load-bearing exterior wall to put 4 windows back-to-back-to-back. First you need a header. It's routine and simple but it will add significant cost. Depending on width of the single window, you may need one there, too.

Since siding is already on, you'll likely be needing replacement windows.