Editorial Standards

Three things live on this page: where the numbers in the calculator and guides actually come from, how the contractor-quote links pay for the site, and what happens when a reader flags something as wrong.

Where the pricing comes from

The multipliers behind the calculator (material, window type, install method, and the ZIP-level adjustment) are built from contractor pricing surveys and published cost data for the window and glazing industry, not from a single supplier's price sheet or anything a partner asked us to feature. Nobody pays to have their product or material category treated more favorably in these ranges, and no manufacturer is named as a recommended brand anywhere on the site.

Why there are quote links here

A handful of pages, and the calculator result panel itself, connect readers with local window contractors through a referral network. If one of those connections turns into a signed job, the network pays this site a fee out of its own marketing budget. That fee has no effect on which contractor gets matched to your ZIP code, and it is not added to your bid. Advice on this site to get a second quote, including from a company outside that network, is a standing recommendation, not a hedge.

Keeping the numbers current

Each guide carries a date showing when it was last checked. That date moves when a figure actually changes, not on a fixed schedule for appearance's sake. The calculator's multipliers and the reference tables on this site get reviewed periodically, and sooner than that if a reader points out something that looks off.

Who researches and writes this, and who does not

Jessica Martinez researches and writes the calculator copy, the pricing guides, and the FAQ content published here. She is not a licensed window installer or a building inspector, and nothing on this site substitutes for a contractor actually measuring your openings. I'm Chris Terry. I own this site, I set the rules on this page, and I decide how a reported error gets corrected, but I stay out of the byline because I am not the one doing the research or writing. See the authors page for more.

Corrections

Spot a stale number, a wrong year, or a claim that doesn't match its source? The contact page is the fastest way to reach us. We verify a flagged figure against where it originally came from before changing anything, and when a correction meaningfully shifts a price range, the page's updated date moves and the change is noted rather than edited away quietly.

Lines we don't cross