We bought a 19 year old house and all 13 windows plus two of the outside doors needed replaced. We had three companies bid on the job. We wanted the old windows replaced brick to brick with new vinyl windows, with traditional white grills, white on the inside and sandstone colored on the outside.
John Gainham from Clera Windows and Doors/FM Industries was the best prepared sales person to present to us. John is very personable, professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. He’s the salesperson we all wish to have visit us in our homes. No pressure, great follow up, and attention to detail, the whole package!
Clera's bid came in the highest of the 3 bids (50% higher than the #2 bid), but after we met Richard Warren, Clera's window installer for our project, we knew that we wanted him to install our windows.
John worked with us to rebid the job and when all was said and done we paid Clera 28% more than had we gone with the next lower bid. I mention this not to imply that Clera is overpriced, but to highlight just how much we value their product(s) and more importantly and especially their service. Look, you can buy the best windows in the world, but if they’re not installed properly you won’t get the benefits and performance you’re paying for. Conversely you can buy mediocre windows and if they’re installed properly they’ll look nice and function just fine. Clera makes a good product/window to be sure and allot of other manufacturers do too, but highly skilled tradesmen like Richard and his Team (Trevor and Michael) are the key to a superior product.
Richard, Trevor and Michael, arrived on time every day, worked seemingly non-stop from the moment they arrived until well after dark, left the job site spotless every night, and delivered the most amazing workmanship I’ve ever seen.
Richard Warren is a true Master Craftsman in every sense of the word(s). He’s extremely talented, passionate about his work, an absolute perfectionist, and his attention to detail is second to none. He always made time to answer questions and keep us informed on the installation details, process, and progress.
The whole Team (Richard, Michael, & Trevor) take great pride in their work and it shows. They take the time necessary to ensure their work is perfect, spot on. When the windows came from the FM Industries factory the sills were too big and they had the nail flange used on new build/construction surrounds attached. Richard and company removed each and every one of the sills, cut them down to size on site, reattached them using screws (not the plastic brackets they originally shipped with), removed the nail flanges, and then installed the windows.
If you look at the attached pictures you’ll notice the caulking looks like rubber… Small, perfectly smooth lines (no blobs or smears). Notice on the bay window how the upper cladding is made from a single sheet of aluminum (not multiple sections like you see on most windows).
At the end of the day if you get Richard Warren and his crew to install your windows you’re going to have beautiful windows that function the way they are designed to with all the goodness (energy savings, moisture prevention, aesthetics, and noise reduction) you’re paying for.
