The Ranking
Our top 6 window companies in New York
New York City has some of the oldest and most varied housing in the country, from prewar brownstones and rowhouses in Brooklyn to co-op towers in Manhattan, two-family homes in Queens and the Bronx, and detached houses on Staten Island. Old wood sashes leak air, noise comes through single glass, and many buildings have openings that are not standard sizes. That is why most good window companies here measure every opening and order windows made to fit.
Winters are cold and summers are hot and humid, so heating and cooling bills are the main reason owners replace windows. Look for ENERGY STAR certified products and NFRC labels, which show the U-factor and solar heat gain of a specific window, and compare those numbers across quotes rather than trusting a brand name. If your home was built before 1978, the paint on old frames may contain lead. Federal EPA rules require contractors who disturb lead paint in older homes to be RRP certified, so ask for the certification.
Permits and approvals depend on the building. Depending on the scope, window replacement can involve a Department of Buildings filing, approval from a co-op or condo board, and, in a historic district, approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Ask each company who handles that paperwork.
Home improvement contractors working on one to four family homes in New York City need a licence from the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Check the licence number on the city's lookup before you sign, and ask for a certificate of insurance. Several companies on this list do not print a licence number on their websites, so the profiles say so plainly.
We looked at window and door companies across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Companies were kept when they work mainly on residential windows or doors, have a staffed street address inside the city, and show a working website and a real logo. The list follows Google's order from our searches, and each profile ends with what to ask before booking.