I saw the ad below on Craigslist. I am starting to plan my cabin Wondering if this is a potential deal and worth the 2 hour drive to take a look. He does not have an inventory list but is going to check the name brand for me tomorrow.
" Very large lot of new windows and doors. Complete canceled wood window order of a large lakehouse. Several 3/0x6/2 singles, doubles and triples. Various other windows including some vinyl, aluminum and wood windows. Large lot of glass entry doors with frames, some 8ft and 9ft. Stack of interior doors. Stored in 48ft van trailer. I need it emptied, first $1500 takes it all, you move."
Sounds a little fishy to me . . . Why would a canceled order have vinyl, wood and aluminum windows. It would seem that they would be all alike. . .
With that said. I would take a look if they are of good quality and new. What will your other expenses be if you made the purchase? How will you get them home? Do you have an area where you can store the windows and doors? Will you need to pay storage fees?
Watch if the windows are double pane. Are the seals ok? Is the glass "cloudy"? Remember to transport glass vertically. Laying them down flat will "bounce" the glass - Breaking it.
It may seem to good to be true . . . But, I have gotten some good deals from the internet. It would be worth the drive to check it out.
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I have found some of the best deals on craigslist for doors and windows. It seems like there is the greatest disparity between retail and used. When I went to shop for windows all the retailers were asking me the size and they were custom ordering them to fit. Once they are built, finding a buyer that needs the same exact size is extremely difficult. I went to a king of scrounge seminar at a green energy festival once and the proponent spoke that that the easiest two items to get for free or cheap when building from scratch were paint and windows. He went to retailers and drove a hard bargain with them. If retailers have a hard time, imagine how hard it is for a contractor. I have purchased double hung vinyl replacement windows for my shed and other projects for prices of $15-$30, unopend with manufacturer stickers still on them. That leads me to my note of caution. If they are new, make sure they still have the stickers. I don't know your jurisdiction, but some building inspectors look to make sure they meet the energy code.
30 minute drive, sure
2 hour drive, no thanks.
Quote from: Squirl on January 10, 2011, 09:19:48 AM
I don't know your jurisdiction, but some building inspectors look to make sure they meet the energy code.
If there are inspections and if they have adopted an energy code I would think the stickers would be required. Here they also point out in the information to builder, the stickers have to remain on the windows until the inspector checks that part off on the permit.
Also speaking of that does the area to be built in require the use of ResCheck like some do? Here they do. All the numbers from the stickers get enetred to rate the overall efficiency of the building envelope. Myself, I'd want to have a real good idea of what ratings my windows would need to have to pass the test. As it was the windows I was first thinking of getting, an off the shelf item, were not good enough to pass in the large sizes we wanted.
Maybe there are no such regs in effect where the build will be?
Others have already given you good advice.
I use craigslist all the time and have gotten some screaming deals on windows in particular.
But I wouldn't spend $1500 on that deal if it were next door, let alone a 2 hour drive.
It might have potential if the seller would sell just what you need for cheap, like $25 or 30$ for a double pane double hung vinyl window with screen and stickers (like others have said). But there would have to be a fair number of matching windows to make the drive worthwhile.