[MRM]

I happen to represent window manufactuers, so I know something of the subject. There are wide variations on the price of windows depending on who you buy them from and when. You can buy windows direct from a manufactuer, a wholesaler, a retailer like Home Depot, or a contractor. Some get quantity discounts and pass them on, some charge you their cost plus 25% in addition to labor. The only way you can tell whether you're getting the best price is to go to lumber yards, Home Depots, and contractors and let them bid the job for you. I just heard from another attorney who was representig a guy whose house needed repairs from bad construction defects, and he told me he got a high Pella bid from a contractor, and on a whim he sent his client ot a local lumber yard to get an Andersen quote (Andersen is usually more expensive) and the lumber yard offered the Andersen product for almost a third less than the contractor wanted for the Pella product. You just have to shop around.

Make sure you compare apples to apples. The bid you got sounds like it's for a full frame removal and replacement including labor and interior trim. A lot of places will replace just the sash (the glass part that opens and shuts), leaving the frame in place. The cheap window replacement quotes you hear are for an all viny window replacement. That's lower quality that you probably want. You can save money if you do a replacement that saves your interior trim.

As a disclaimer, I do represent Andersen Corporation, but I would recommend you look into their remodeling product "Renewal by Andersen". It is not the cheapest around, but the quality is excellent. It will probably be cheaper than the Pella quote you got. The Pella quote seems quite high just eyeballing it.

Pella is a decent brand, and I am biased, but I think that the top tier (excluding custom specialty brands) are Andersen, Marvin and Jeld-Wen.