Start with conditions, not a product
A high efficiency rating means little if flashing, sill prep, and installation technique aren't handled correctly.
Build a complete scope
- What is installed now and how much service life remains
- Whether pre-war sash is repairable rather than replaced outright
- Openings measured one by one instead of ordered from a schedule
- Frame material and thermal break sized for a mid-Michigan winter
- Perimeter sealing, trim put right, removal of old units, and warranty cover
Lansing context
Lansing's housing stock runs in clear waves: modest early-1900s frame houses near the original river-crossing neighborhoods, a long run of bungalows and postwar ranches built as Oldsmobile and REO Motor Car Company employment pulled workers into the city through the mid-20th century, and newer construction in outlying pockets after the Oldsmobile assembly plant finally closed in 2005. A window opening cut for a 1920s frame house, a 1950s ranch, or a 2000s infill build calls for very different sizing, trim, and flashing decisions, so matching the replacement to the era of the opening matters as much as the glass package itself.