Storm Windows

A question I get asked a lot as the owner of Brad’s Powerwashing & Window Washing is if my company washes storm windows. While these aren’t super common on houses anymore, they can still be found in some older homes in addition to certain large, luxurious houses. While most companies don’t wash these, we do. There is, however, a catch: the service is very expensive. This service costs several times more than a regular window wash on a home for the reasons explained below (as a side note, these are the same reasons why most companies don’t wash these types of windows at all).

 

Why They’re So Expensive

 

1. They’re extremely time-consuming

This is by far the biggest reason why these windows are so expensive. With regular windows, the process is relatively simple: take out the screens if needed, then wash the outside windows, wash the insides, and put the screens back in if needed. With storm windows, there are several more steps: take out the screens (all windows that have storms also have screens), take out the storm windows, find a place to put all of them, wash the outside windows, wash the storm windows on both sides, wash the inside windows, put the storm windows back and, finally, put the screens back in. This whole process causes the storm windows to take several times longer than a typical window wash because there is so much work involved.

​

   2. They can break

The second biggest reason for storm windows being so expensive is that they break easily, and the price of the job has to factor this possibility into account. Since these windows need to be picked up and moved around, and since the frames of the windows are not usually super sturdy, this can easily cause the glass the bend in a way that causes the window to break; it is hard to avoid. 

​

   3. They are labor-intensive

Another reason why storm windows are so expensive is that the work involved is very labor-intensive. These windows are heavy, so typically, only a few can be moved at once, adding significantly to the time it takes to complete a job. In addition, many of these can be hard to take in and out of the windows because they fit too snug and need to be yanked out. It is typically a very taxing and exhausting job, adding to the cost of the job.

​

   4. Most of the windows also have muntins on the outside

While it isn’t necessarily the case, most windows that have storm windows will also have the muntins (those white lines that divide up the window) on the outside of the window pane. If this is the case, the windows will take much longer because each panel on the window has to be done individually.

​

   5. The time it takes is hard to estimate

One final reason that these are so expensive is that the time it takes is very hard to estimate. On other jobs, most of the factors that will increase the amount of time are easily visible. The size of the house, the types of windows, and the amount of ladder work required is all seen easily. With storms, it is impossible to tell how heavy they are or how long it will take to unlatch them from the windows just by looking at them. Since this is so hard to estimate, a business owner typically needs to just assume that they will take a longer time to take in and out, causing the price to go up.