Advanced Window Systems

After posting my review, I have been contacted by the owner Don (on the original email thread that I started with him about 6 weeks ago). I appreciate that AWS is a small business but frankly after receiving his typo/​spelling mistake/​grammatically incorrect filled email, it does not leave me with any better feelings about his business. He indicated that he asked for my address to determine what kind of home I have as his business can’t service certain types of residences (like townhomes, condos) and if at the get-​go he had said that instead of just asking for my address with no explanation, I might have been more interested in pursuing doing business with him. He offered no explanation of why he just dropped communication and instead, put the onus on me to have sent him a reminder email or called him to follow up. I’m the customer and if you want my business, it’s up to you to reach out to me.
It seems that plenty of people have had good experiences with AWS and it’s because of those reviews that I even contacted them. AWS just didn’t work out for me. I hope that I was a fluke.

After contacting 4 different companies and reading Unilocal reviews, we were pretty sure we’d use Advanced Window Systems. First, Julie was meticulous when measuring and assessing for our estimate which was very reasonable. Since we were replacing 35 windows, we wanted to be sure. It turns out Don and Julie have a personal passion for doing excellent work!!! They definitely deserve 5 stars!!!

I have a 3 story house in Belmont with 17 windows and 2 sliders. I was looking to have vinyl retrofit windows put in.
I got 2 quotes…
The 1^st one I got seemed reasonable. The guy mentioned that he has 6 crews working in the Bay Area.
The 2^nd one was from AWS. Don explained how he himself was going to do everything with the help of his wife. His quote was ~10% higher.
I went with AWS because I wanted to know the installer. I felt uneasy going with the 6 crews as I have no idea who I would get. Plus, I wanted to see how this guy (who is old enough to be my older brother) was going to do a 3 story house with just his wife.
Long story short… they knocked it out in 3 days. Everything was done with great attention to detail. To top it off, they are just good hearted, hard-​working folks.
Thanks Don and Julie!

If you want to support a local business for your windows, I recommend Don and Julie. Their work is professional and they’re efficient. Not to mention how nicely they clean up after the installation is complete — I’ve worked with lots of contractors who leave a mess. I checked their references and looked at other work they completed — everything checked out. I’m pleased with my installation and would use them again.

We replaced about 7 or 8 windows & a sliding door 2 weeks ago. They actually wanted to install earlier but we had some conflicts and we were able agree on a time frame. We communicated via email and that was very very efficient. Their work is fast, professional with reasonable pricing, and you can tell that you are dealing with good people. I recommend AWS to everyone.

I can’t say how happy I am with my new windows and the prompt customer service and responses I received from Julie when shopping around to have 2 single-​hung Milgard windows replaced with 2 double-​hung windows (long story, which I’ll spare you for another time). For any of you who have shopped around for a window company, you know that most places want a large job (consisting of having 5 or more windows replaced), and I was turned away by several because of my need for just 2 replacement windows. I also chose not to go with the companies I previously used due to the difficult, and almost impossible customer service experiences I had with them (SGK & American Home Renewal) so when I found Advanced Window Systems online and called I couldn’t have been happier.
Julie was so patient, and so understanding of my situation and was willing to listen to my story and offer a rough estimate via email based on the measurements I gave her since I knew exactly which kind of window I wanted. It was such a breath of fresh air to speak to someone who knew windows and wasn’t someone who had to take my message, and have a ‘specialist’ call me back… 2 – 3 days later. I got the information I needed and could go on to make a decision. Of course, since no other company would take my job, or even call me back– Julie and Don were the only ones willing to help me and for that I’m so happy they did.
The job itself was reasonably priced, given the TWO windows I ordered, and the installation was amazing. Compared to the other two companies I’ve used for all the other windows we’ve had replaced in our home, this is by far the best! After installation, the windows were easy to use/​open, beautifully set and you can really tell they took the time and attention to make this «small job» of windows fit and installed just perfectly. The clean-​up was great and the entire process was completely painless, something I wished it would’ve been for all the other windows I had installed in years past.
I can’t wait for our next home project (potentially an in-​law unit in our yard?) or for someone to ask me about a window supplier/​contractor because Julie & Don would be the first ones and only ones I’d recommend!

I had a difficult job consisting of two entry doors and 4 transom windows that were original to my 1929 home. One contractor came out, gave me an estimate and then disappeared. Another door company was hesitant to do the job and was going to charge me a bundle for a new custom setup.
I stumbled upon Don and Julie and am very glad that I did — they recommended a much more reasonably-​priced Andersen system. I was out of town during the install and Don kept me appraised by sending pictures of the progress.
This was NOT an easy job — a non-​square frame, not truly rounded molding (which was unknown until Don took it off and measured). Although it took much more effort than they originally believed it would take, they held true to their original estimate and did a wonderful job. I do not believe someone without their years of experience could have matched the original look and feel of my entryway.
UPDATE: When an Andersen part failed 5 months after install, Andersen, per their policy, sent a replacement and told me to arrange and pay for installation myself (kind of a crappy policy, but it is what it is). Don came out and happily swapped it out.

The other 5 star reviews are dead on. These guys rock. Don and Julie were very helpful and patient with me in picking our new windows (2 large picture windows, 4 regular size, sliding glass door and one odd shaped entry window.) The price was competitive if not better than most but the quality of the service and work is what stood out. I really liked that they did the work themselves, and paid attention to all the details. Since I have done a lot of carpentry work myself I can tell they do a quality job. We were very happy with their honesty, work style and friendly personalities. I will be highly recommending them to our family and friends.

In response to Don’s comments I would like to point out that I am NOT a liar — you NEVER offered to come out and you NEVER said you could not come because you were out of town! The truth is that you refused to come UNLESS I first ordered the window from you which you of course add a significant % to for added profit. As I said, the people that put it in last week charged half of what you quoted without even looking at it and they did an excellent job installing an Anderson Storm door also which you would not do.

We’ve used Don and Julie to replace windows twice now: once when we bought our new house in December 2010 (five windows replaced in total), and more recently in June 2012 where we had five of our downstairs windows replaced.
Don and Julie are on time, professional, and very competitively priced. They did a terrific job with all the window replacements, and are sticklers for detail.
I highly recommend Don and Julie at Advanced Window Systems for any window replacement needs, and as we continue to replace old windows in our house, we’ll certainly be using them again.

I stopped by Advanced Windows when I was trying to get quotes for putting in 4 new windows at my home. I didn’t exactly know what I wanted then, but Don was extremely patient in explaining what’s involved in installing some of the more complicated windows (such as round ones). In the end, I chose another company for a lower quote but I soon learned to regret the decision, because each and every one of the 4 windows turned out irregular — noticeable by eye alone.
I called Don for help, and he offered free advices on some photos I sent him. I learned a lot from this process, and would definitely give them a try for future jobs. Especially for your own home, I think it’s important to find a contractor with good workmanship who will do a satisfactory job despite some extra cost, because you will be with the end result for a long while.

I had 4 contractors come out to estimate for a few windows in the house. Don and Julie are a family owned business and I found them to be honest/​straightforward with their pricing, pleasant to work with, and extremely knowledgeable about window installation which comes with 20+ years of experience. In fact, they had installed some other windows in our house 20 years ago (for a previous owner) and Don still recognized his work since it was a complicated installation!
In comparison, the other «big» vendors had salesmen who tried to do the hard sell (if you commit now we’ll give you x off, I can only give you this price now, etc. etc) which I found very distasteful. Also, the sales guy obviously is not the guy who will be installing your windows so there is very little accountability, and their price quotes were all 2x-​3x for almost the exact same windows.
Highly recommend Advanced Window Systems for excellent workmanship and fair pricing!

I had these great folks replace a patio door and bedroom window for me, and they are truly a fantastic company to work with. Good old fashioned customer service and thorough knowledge of what they needed to get done. They provided the quote and did not send any random person to finish the install — they are family run and do everything themselves, which was great. My new rule of thumb — if I go with a company based on Unilocal reviews, it is my duty to leave one as well. So if you do the same, please leave them a review! They deserve it!

I had AWS do our whole house windows a couple of years ago (long before I was using Unilocal) and only found them via interviewing multiple installers. I’m still so happy with their work (quality of windows, high quality of installation and fair price) after a couple years of use that thought it was worthwhile to let folks know.

Our recent window replacement with Don’s family-​run company was an all-​around great experience. They are busy but was willing to squeeze in our small project. Communication is smoother via phone than email due to their busy schedule.
Their price seemed very competitive and the workmanship is excellent. From the initial quoting visit to the actual install the husband, wife, and daughter team showed excellent professionalism, honesty, and pride in their work. Would consider them again for future window work!

After working with numerous contractors trying to get our first home ready to move into, Advanced Window Systems was seriously a breath of fresh air. They came on time for the initial bid, emailed us the estimate after taking a few days to crunch the numbers, and came back with a great price on quality Milgard Tuscany windows (lower than 3 other bids for the same exact windows). We waited about a month to actually order the windows because we had a headache of an Escrow period, but when we finally were ready to order, Julie went over all the details to make sure we had the grid designs, etc that we wanted. I was on the fence on some of the designs, and Julie was very patient with me as I changed my mind (three times!) before settling on the final order.
Three weeks later, our custom windows were installed over the course of two days by Don and Julie themselves. No random crew who I’ve never met coming to my home. Instead, since this is a family business it was Don and Julie themselves who came out. I say Advanced Window Systems was a breath of fresh air because they came on time, on budget, and did the job very professionally. There were a few unexpected hiccups/​hurdles that Don had to deal with because of shoddy work done by the seller’s horrible contractors during our Escrow period. Because of the pride they take in their work, Don and Julie took the extra hours to fix the previous contractor’s mistakes to make sure our windows wouldn’t leak. Windows are an area where you really want the installers to take their time and do the job right, and Don and Julie did just that. Despite the several extra hours of work, they didn’t charge me more than they said the windows would cost. Bottom line: great service, great pricing, and really nice, professional people. I HIGHLY recommend Advanced Window Systems!

We had Don and Julie install four windows and a sliding patio door to replace the old, lead-​painted decaying ones on the back of our house. This husband-​and-​wife team are courteous and prompt and the windows, which were prefinished inside and out, looked great as soon as installation was over. They trimmed out the interiors beautifully and caulked with color-​matched caulk inside and out. (All that is left to do is paint touch-​up on the exterior.) They masked off the work area and when they were done I swear it was cleaner than when they started (their grown kids came to help with cleanup!). The only problem with the whole process was that Andersen Windows messed up one of the door panels not once, but twice, causing delays in that part of the installation. But I’m not knocking off any stars because of the way Julie and Don took care of it and kept me informed. I’m sure they lost time and money dealing with Andersen, but they stuck to their original estimate. And BTW, this price was half what another contractor quoted me to do the job.
If you need further recommendation, I just got done with the building inspector from the city of San Carlos, who told me that once he saw the name of the contractor on the permit, he knew the job would be done exactly right.

Last year we chose Advanced Window Systems for our small window replacement project (just two windows and patio door). After meeting with several other contractors, we chose them and remain very satisfied. Also, they were willing to take on our small project.
Julie came out at the initial meeting to take measurements, provide window brochures (Milgard Tuscany), and discuss our requirements. Received an estimate in a timely manner and Don came out again to the property to re-​measure for final figures and to order the windows. For the installation, they came as a crew of three people. They finished the retrofit installation in one day, and cleaned up everything as they promised, including taking away the old windows.
Wanted to wait to see how the windows would hold up for our tenants through the past rainy winter. The windows are a vast improvement from the old ones and have had no issues. We’re very pleased with choosing Advanced Window Systems for their price, professionalism, and quality of work and the windows.

Our windows broke days before my due date. Still I shopped around just because I am that kind of person. I finally picked Advanced windows, because their price is very reasonable without lowering quality, probably because Don and his wife handle everything themselves from estimate to installation, cutting a lot of cost. He explained different installation options (turns out there are quite some choice) clearly and provided an estimate the same day. They have a lot of local customers and gave me a few references so that I can check on in person. The whole installation process went on very smoothly. The work is very nice and they left the place cleaner than it was before :-).
Don said that happy customers are not as motivated to post reviews as angry customers, I guess he is right, it took me 4 month to finally write this review. :-)

This company is family owned really great people and they are very knowledgeable and informative. They recently began an installation of huge picture windows for a company I work for where the windows had failed and were fogging up between the double glass. The difference already between the windows they changed and the windows that will be changed is HUGE! The glare is significantly reduced the heat as well and the clarity is phenomenal! I would definitely recommend this company to anyone.