This is a few years late but I did want to hold out and see how well the windows and sliding door…read moreperformed during the winter / summer. Well, they're performing great. Prior to my house had an old single pane with storm window setup. The biggest problem was actually just not being able to open them all up as my house was a foreclosure and the company they hired painted over everything and I do mean everything. I scraped away what I could and got the windows to open a reasonable amount. Anyway, the breaking point was over time the expansion contraction made some cracks massive, caused breaks, etc and I had ran out of leftover panes and parts the previous homeowner had lying around in the shed. The whole ordeal was great with one side mention which I'll cover around the end and perhaps Phil can speak to it as well. But Phil was great, clear explanations and would always check in on and explain any questions we had. Installation was supposed to be two days but winter was coming in soon. Not sure if the installers were making good time and wanted to get it out of the way or if they didn't want me to deal with a cold house. Either way, they got it done in one day, one very long day. It was cold outside I told them they could have their lunch inside, they politely refused. After finishing their lunch they thanked me for the offer and then explained that if they did that, they would get acclimated and then when they go back out to work it would not be comfortable. I actually know that to be 100% true so told them I get it. Anyway at any questionable point the installers grabbed me and told me what was going on, what my options were, possible issues, etc. Most of these were actually pretty minor, but this told me the Varco installers cared enough about their work and my approval to loop me in. Good stuff. There were only two items which were a larger issue both had the same issue. The old windows were very old and over time water crept in and caused wood rot at the sill. Also I don't think the original installed used pressure treated wood, or it was that old, which is standard where wood meets concrete/brick/stone/etc. The sill still gets wrapped around with vinyl on the exterior side, the actual structure didn't have rot. The installers still wanted to let me know about this which was good to know but as they had solid structure and showed me, I was okay with them proceeding. By the way, that was a remnant of old construction, new construction doesn't even have that bit as we've come a long way with energy efficiency. They removed all the rot they could and continued on with the job. There was a concern that something broke offloading from shipping. Phil and I were concerned, Phil not so much, he had an idea it was a flange but wasn't 100% sure what it was. He called and found out they shipped the sliding door with a nailing flange for some reason or another. At my house, it's surrounded by brick and on concrete, a nailing flange isn't needed ... or going to work - unless you want an ugly sliding door installation. Now here's the side mention. Des Plaines follows the IRC (International Residential Code) and the IRC is applicable for all single / double family homes. Then there's mentions by the Illinois State Fire Marshall and the NFPA (Nat'l Fire Protection Association). It says you want an egress with a minimum opening of basically 5.7 feet squared in any living area when the primary means of exit is not accessible. I won't bore you with the minimum height and window requirements as there's more to this which I hope Phil and or someone at Varco can explain. I had several quotes of which I believe two mentioned egress rules and presented me with vertical sliding windows which would meet egress. I mentioned this to Phil and he said he could do vertical but that means something else. I didn't quite get it then, I still don't get it, but I wanted horizontal windows as my in-window fans and AC are built for horizontal windows, not vertical. So I didn't understand why but as Des Plaines cuts the permits and checks the work I figured if it was a hard and fast rule they would let me know. So far so good and only a couple houses in the neighborhood have vertical sliding replacement windows. Still, these codes are for our safety so I asked the installers how to remove the window, he showed me how to do it for cleaning and removing one panel / pane entirely. That's easy enough and gives me about 4 feet squared. I'm short of 6' a bit above 200 lbs. TLDR in a fire if you need to remove more, choose life, break it if you have to :-) Oh one honorable mention, its always good to have some coffee, soda, juice or something on hand for the installers because that's how I do and they went hard on completing it in one day, I had to do my part :-D

I hired Phil Varco from Varco Windows and Doors to replace all of the windows in my home. It was a…read morebig job because my home is almost 100 years old with the original windows, and they were in really bad shape. I also needed a new back door, storm doors, and French doors leading out to my deck. Phil Varco came out to my home to meet with me and give me an estimate for the job. I also got quotes from several other companies. I was pleasantly surprised with the quote from Varco Windows and Doors, as it was reasonable and below the other estimates I received. The products offered by Varco Windows and Doors were of top quality and included a manufacturer warranty. It was also clear to me that Phil was a man of integrity and honesty as compared to the other salesman from the other window companies I met with. I was extremely pleased with the job Varco Windows and Doors provided. This company exceeded my expectations from start to finish. There were no surprises or hidden costs, and the men got the job done within the timeframe promised. My new windows are beautiful! I am extremely satisfied with Varco Windows and Doors, and I highly recommend this company for all of your door and window needs.

We subcontracted All Access Door Solutions for a recent job and Jimmy absolutely delivered. He…read morespecializes in commercial work glass aluminum storefronts, steel doors, and full custom installs and it shows in the quality. This wasn't just a basic install either. We had some custom work that involved cutting and modifying openings, and Jimmy handled it without hesitation. Everything came out clean, precise, and built right. Our customer was beyond happy, which reflects directly on us too. He communicates well, shows up when he says he will, and takes real pride in doing things the correct way not cutting corners. If you need anything from storefront glass and aluminum systems to steel door installs or custom commercial door work, All Access Door Solutions is the company to call. Ask for Jimmy you won't regret it.

Exceptional service, great quality, won't find customer service like this company anywhere else…read more Truly an expert in the field.

Peter did a great job installing our exterior door. Helped us buy what we needed to complex the…read morejob. Very efficient.

Pat is the owner and he will be the one installing the windows. We needed 9 windows to be replaced…read more After talking with him we decided to do full replacement to avoid losing inches of windows that would make them too narrow. Pat was also more competitive to the 2 other companies we talked to. Job was done in 3 days. We had a bad experience couple of years ago with replacing windows. I wish I had known about Pat Builders before! I totally recommend!!!

I just had Thermalcraft finish a sliding patio door installation. I worked with Barry several weeks…read moreago to go over option that would fit our space and budget. After the doors were ordered and delivered, the team promptly scheduled an installation and arrived on time. the team was very professional and quick, and took the time to explain the different steps of the process as they were installing. Great team! Highly recommend!

We were in the market for a new patio door because our dogs had done a number on our old wood door…read more We worked through 3 different quotes and ultimately decided on Thermalcraft. Barry understood our needs, the price was less than some of the other competitors but not so much that I worried about quality. From ordering the custom door to the date of install was only a couple of weeks. On the date of install, Nick arrived early and got right to work. The door was installed, looks great and Nick did a great job of cleaning up. I had a question about the door the next day and Barry came out and cleared up that question in minutes. We will definitely use thermalcraft in the future!

Peter Pane's does excellent window work - they're an independent business bringing lots of…read moreexperience to the table and will really take care of you! I needed two compliant escape/rescue windows put into Chicago basement bedrooms to replace some older double-hung windows that in no way left a big enough opening for folks to get out. Despite some less-than-enthusiastic responses from other companies, Peter Pane's responded promptly to my job request on Yelp and Ron (who has 40yrs of windows experience!) scheduled to come onsite only a few days out for a review of my needs and to give a firmer quote. One of the window frames was too small for a legal-sized rescue window to just be swapped in, but when I explained my goal to meet code, Ron was able to think through some more difficult-to-install and less common options to put in a larger window (I ended up going with a casement window there and taking out existing framing). I also had concerns about the more common type of window suggested for the other room (he was trying to be price-conscious for me because it's a large one) - and he was concerned about longevity if I got something like a reverse hopper window because of how close to the weight limit that one would be. He was able to suggest a Tilt & Turn window instead, which is uncommon in the States but was exactly what that room needed! Both windows required a custom order and Peter Panes pushed the manufacturer to get the windows made as quickly as possible for me since I was planning for occupants soon. Both windows were done at the earliest point in their estimates (about 4wks) and they scheduled install ASAP. Jensen, Connor, and Ron showed up at my place last week with both windows in tow. We had originally thought some drywall work might be required to fit the expanded window into the first room, but these guys were all pros and were able to adjust the framing and finagle a change in the latch direction on the casement window to make it fit perfectly without having to cut any drywall! They made sure to keep some of the original framing as a template to make a new exterior that matched the arched brick lintel so the outside looks great, too. The second, larger window went in easily and they were meticulous with sealing the outside with foam and the inside with high-quality caulk along the edges. They left the space completely clean, were easy to work with, and were both respectful and non-patronizing (particularly if you are a woman hiring contractors in Chicago, you may unfortunately know how rare that can be!). Both windows look great and work just like I need them to be escape/rescue window code-compliant. The process was smooth from beginning to end, the team was efficient and cleaned up after themselves, and they brought a lot of knowledge to the table. I can definitely sleep at night knowing they helped me get just the right windows with a high quality install and at a fair price. If I ever have any more windows replaced, I will absolutely be calling the team at Peter Panes.

We had 7 basement windows removed and replaced. They did an excellent job installing very nice new…read morewindows and finished the trim outside to blend in with a stucco house. Some of the windows were slightly below grade. Good quality work. They are very experienced with many years in the window business. Very nice group of people! Highly recommended.

Highly recommended. My door slides like new! It was much easier to schedule an appointment than…read morewith Pella and the price was lower. They also came back to fix a problem they did not cause, for free.

We got a new sliding glass door on our patio from The Door Store a few years ago and had a great…read moreexperience so we decided to go with this company again. We ordered a new front door from The Door Store a few months ago and are very happy with it! From the initial visit from owner Dave for measuring, to the extensive choices in the showroom, to the installation, everything was smooth and professional. Dave estimated about 12 weeks for the door but it was actually ready early, which was nice. Shout out to installers Chris and Brian who carefully removed our old door, beautifully installed our new door and hooked up our existing wired doorbell so it works in the new set up.I highly recommend The Door Store!

Custom built front door with electrical switches between door and glass side panel installed in one…read moreday. Perfect fit. Master carpenter.

Filip and Lidia were very knowledgeable and professional. Large selection and very accommodating…read more Good, timely and efficient.

Jakub, who appears to be one of the co-owners and is head of sales, has some of the worst customer…read moreservice skills I've ever seen. I reached out to see if they were interested in working with my company to provide Oknoplast windows to homeowners (since I am a big fan of the brand), and at first they were interested, until they found out we do remodels. Apparently, they don't work with remodelers. Understandable, you can work with whoever you want. But I simply said I wish someone had told me that upfront since I had spent valuable time following up repeatedly with their team, and could have saved me the wasted time. Instead of saying "sorry about that" or something civil, he texted his team on the same message thread I was on, with the attached photo. Apparently the owners of Craftwood don't care about basic respect for prospective customers, or considering future possibilities together (newsflash, folks that own construction companies sometimes do other projects, like new builds!). He was only about being "bothered" by someone for reaching out to explore doing business together. Oknoplast, this is who is representing your brand in the Chicagoland area. Not a good look!