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Home > Winter house work= huge savings

Winter house work= huge savings

February 5th, 2008 at 06:32 pm

When we bought our house two years ago, we knew it needed three things-- a new furnace, a new roof, and new windows.

We finished the furnace in September and didn't honestly think we'd be able to afford a house full of new Energy Star-rated windows for at least another year. (We pay cash for home improvements, no loans).

But one Saturday in Jan. we decided to just shop around and see what kind of windows were out there and how much they would cost us, so we could plan for savings. Boy, were we shocked. A reputable local company was having a 35 percent off sale if you had the windows installed by the end of Feb.

I had no idea windows could be installed in the winter. shows you what I know. And, the windows were a lot less expensive than I thought they would be.

So we went for it. We paid about $5,731 to replace all of the windows in our ranch house. (The regular price, had we waited until summer, would have been $8,817.)

And the big surprise: with some careful budgeting, I've been able to pay for the windows out of regular cash flow, not from savings.

Installation began yesterday. Half the house is finished, including all of the bedrooms. We were rained out today, but I expect the whole house will be finished by the end of tomorrow.

From now on, I'm going to try to schedule our "house" work during slow periods for contractors. Looks like they're a lot more willing to wheel and deal in winter!

2 Responses to “Winter house work= huge savings”

  1. Sallyr70 Says:
    1202236586

    Very smart! I have noticed that too with interior painting and window treatments; they have a huge drop in business after the Holidays and are willing to give great deals!

  2. thriftorama Says:
    1202236874

    I've also heard that a lot of contractors will do great deals in December, just to keep their guys busy during the slow season. Maybe I'll try that next year!

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