Seven Years, Four Projects, One Super-Satisfied ImproveIt Customer
Sep 03, 2020A careful selection process led Alan Lancaster to work with ImproveIt for windows and baths
Read how he achieved his energy efficiency goals, budgeted smart for each project, and why he kept coming back to ImproveIt.
Who: Alan Lancaster
Where: Pickerington, OH
What: Whole-house window replacement and master bath remodel over time
Products: ImproveIt high-efficiency windows with SolarGold spacers, SolarTech Glass, and T-Core insulated frames. In the bath, Japurana granite shower surround, matching in-shower shelving, Gibson shower fixtures in matte black, teak shower seat, custom glass enclosure.
Detailed Spreadsheets and Lots of Due Diligence
You can take the purchasing manager out of the office, but if you’re Alan Lancaster, you can’t take away the instinct to research, record, and compare when it’s decision-making time. Detailed spreadsheets and a lots of due diligence led the Pickerington, Ohio resident to choose ImproveIt Home Remodeling when it was time to upgrade his home with energy-efficient windows.
“I’ll admit, the way I break everything down can be a little over-the-top,” Lancaster says. “I built a spreadsheet with the names of the companies I was interested in, noted if they were a national company or local, and everything from the cost of the project, to how long they’ve been in business, to their ratings with the Better Business Bureau. When it comes to home improvement contractors, ImproveIt is a great company.”
Putting Energy Into Energy Savings
Window replacement was just one step in Alan’s diligent process toward upgrading both the aesthetics of his home and its energy efficiency. “The basement is unfinished, and when I moved here seven years ago, the HVAC was original to the house,” he says. “I was churning out some pretty high energy bills.”
Alan says some of his electric bills were upwards of $200 a month before making improvements. By investing in ImproveIt windows with industry-exclusive features like high-efficiency SolarTech glass, the best-in-class SolarGold spacer, and T-Core insulated frames, Alan knew he could cut those bills dramatically.
“I haven’t had an electric bill over $100 even this summer when we had twenty 90-degree days in July,” he says. “And my gas bill in the winter is averaging less than $70 per month. In the end, it all adds up.”
ImproveIt’s on-site installation crew reaffirmed Alan’s choice during their visit. “What impressed me the most was when one of the installers pulled me aside and said, ‘do you realize there was no insulation around your windows all this time?'” he remembers. “They were construction-grade windows and whoever put them in didn’t bother to insulate around the openings. My ImproveIt installer smiled and said, ‘don’t worry, they’re insulated now.’ That, and the level of quality of the whole crew, told me that I was really working with a reputable company.”
Breaking Down the Budget
The same window installation crew that earned Alan’s trust visited the home three times over the course of three years, until all the windows were replaced. The home has about 20 windows altogether, many of them close to 6 feet tall and requiring tempered glass because of their size. Alan says he knew from the start that whole-house window replacement would be an expensive prospect. While ImproveIt offers a variety of financing options, “I prefer to save up and pay for large purchases all at once,” he says.
With that in mind, rather than delay until all the windows could be replaced and paid for at once, ImproveIt and Alan developed a plan to replace all the windows over the course of three years. At that pace and frequency, he was able to get high-efficiency windows throughout his home, and pay cash for each installation.
A Bold Bath for Good Measure
Alan says he’s made some type of update to his home every year he’s lived there, including finishing the garage, replacing the HVAC, and now updating the windows. As a valued customer, and knowing the high priority and value Alan places on home updates, ImproveIt made sure to keep him top-of-mind for other projects that could increase his satisfaction and home value.
Before
During
AFter
“I had a ballpark figure in mind to remodel the master bathroom, but when ImproveIt contacted me about it, I wasn’t really ready to pull the trigger and start that project,” he remembers. “But after speaking to the designer I really started to see it as one of those spaces in your home that you use once or twice every day. I’ve done all kinds of projects on my house. I know you can spend money on a lot of things that won’t have that big of an impact on you. But if it’s something you use every single day, that money’s going to go a long way.”
Once again, Alan and ImproveIt agreed upon a scope of work that made a big impact on Alan’s home while still allowing him to pay in cash. The bath remodel replaced a too-big whirlpool tub and a too-small shower stall with an expansive, glass-enclosed shower featuring a bold Juparana granite surround, matching accessory ledges, a convenient teak shower seat, and a matte black finish on the showerhead, valve, and sink faucet. Connections for a new, appropriately sized bathtub were plumbed out and capped off for installation down the road.
Leaning On the Designer
“I’ve had a lot of home improvement experience and I like to get my hands dirty, but there’s one thing I’m certainly not, and that’s a designer,” Alan says. “I really leaned on the designer for my project to guide things on that side. He was very good at what he does, and even helped me choose flooring and paint colors to match. That really goes a long way.”
Alan says he’s glad his due diligence drew him to establish a relationship with ImproveIt. “Both the window and bath crews I had were great,” he says. “I really believe that you get what you pay for, but you also get how you treat people. In my experience, ImproveIt goes the extra mile.”
