1 Licensed and insured
One of the most basic yet vital elements in hiring a contractor is making sure that his/her firm is licensed and insured. If you live in a local village all you want to do is contact the building department and find out if “XYZ Remodeling” is a licensed contractor. If they are not licensed, they probably aren’t insured. If you live in Chicago proper, you probably know all too well the bureaucratic red tape in city research. Here’s a quick internet research tool. Log onto cityofchicago.org. Click on City Depts.-Go to Dept of Revenue-Click on business licenses-then Dept of Business Affairs and Licensing-Consumer License Check-and simply type in the company name. If the company is not licensed, they are not registered with the city as a contractor. This means they are not paying taxes and can be shut down at any time. Do not buy from a corporation that is not licensed with the City of Chicago!
2 NFRC
For unbiased technical window data, visit www.nfrc.org this stands for the National Fenestration Rating Council and is an independent research group that tests window performance. The two most important factors to look for are R and U ratings. The higher the R rating, the better a window is insulated. The lower the U rating, the better a window is at withstanding outside elements like air, water, and sunlight. Many companies will make bold claims about these ratings, but visit www.nfrc.org and get the facts! According the NFRC engineers, the Schuco window line is the highest rated window in the world today. This is precisely why I decided to partner with Schuco USA.
3 Referrals list
Ask the contractor for a referral list of homes that he/she has completed in your area. And ask for job dates ranging from last week to 5 years ago. If a contractor is hesitant about this, they are probably not very confident in their work or their product’s performance. Murphy’s will provide you with a complete referral list of 10-20 jobs and phone numbers will be furnished upon request with homeowner permission. What better way than to talk to a homeowner one-on -one and hear their experience with a contractor. You will definitely get an idea of how your job will go!
4 Showroom
Ask to visit a contractor’s showroom. This, to me, gives the homeowner a sense of security. If the contractor has been established and has a showroom, they probably won’t leave town with your deposit! I would be very hesitant to deal with any contractor that works out of his/her home. If they do, be sure they are licensed with your city or you will be making a very big mistake. You can visit our showroom at 10359 S. Pulaski. The best thing to do is call ahead and set up a time to have a one-one-one window demonstration and meeting with a Murphy representative.
5 Buyer Beware
Don’t fall for low priced window ads. We all see the newspaper headlines that promote the $189/window or “Buy 12 windows for $1299.00.” Plain and simple, these windows do not exist and if they did, you wouldn’t want them in your home. You will always see fine print that says “up to 70 u.i.” This means united inches or the width and height of the window added together. Most windows fall into the 90- 102 u.i. comparison, so already you don’t “qualify for the sale”. If you decide to explore the $189 window, you will get a treat when the salesperson arrives. It’s the good ‘ol bait and switch when they say “You really don’t want that window. It’s our cheap model. Let me show you what I recommend” and by the time they leave you’re seeing prices from $450-$600 per window. Many of these companies are under investigation with the Attorney General’s office so again, buyer beware! Let’s do the math and see why the $189 window can’t exist. The average cost of labor for a qualified installer is $95/ per opening for a double hung window. That leaves us with $94. But we still have to pay for the window!!!!! Let me tell you, we cannot buy a window or a piece of glass for that matter, for $94.00!!! And, according to Remodeling Magazine, the average lead cost (dollars spent on advertising to attract a (potential client) ranges from $125-$360 per lead! As you can see, the math doesn’t make sense and these bait and switch techniques only upset homeowners and make a bad name for honest contractors like us.
6 Liability release letter
Ask your contractor if he/she provides you with a liability release letter. This is a letter from their manufacturer that releases you, the homeowner, from any fiscal responsibility from the manufacturer. If you have your home improvement work done and the product has not been paid for by your contractor, the manufacturer can sue you! Unfortunately, events like this happen every day when a window dealer runs credit with their manufacturer and files bankruptcy. Murphy’s Window and Sunrooms never purchases windows on credit with any manufacturer. We pre-pay for all products and provide you with this liability release waiver upon payment receipt from the manufacturer. If you ask a contractor for a liability release waiver and they have a confused look on their face, you may want to reconsider their bid. You definitely don’t want a lien placed on your home from a major window manufacturer.
7 AAMA certified
Ask your contractor if they are AAMA certified. This stands for American Architectural Manufacturing Association. AAMA is the premier schooling for window installers. Installers must pass written and field tests each year as installation trends change and each installer is reviewed by an AAMA master carpenter before certification. Unfortunately, only ½ of 1% of all window installers in the United States are AAMA certified. All Murphy carpenters are AAMA certified.
Informed and confident purchase.
If you read over these guidelines and incorporate them into your research and decision-making process, I hope you can make an informed and confident purchase. Thank your for considering Murphy’s Window and Sunrooms for your home improvement project and I look forward to seeing you.
Sincerely yours,
James A. Murphy Jr. - President Murphy’s Window and Sunrooms
