“Doing It Right” When It Comes to Replacing Windows, Siding

Tropical Wholesale (Tropical), a locally owned family business, has been replacing siding and windows in Hawaii for 30-plus years. Tropical is the expert at “doing it right.”

Owner Matthew Houar realized many years ago that the most important thing local customers want is an honest job done right and a fair price with a company that will be here in 10 years to back up the warranty. This is why Costco and Sam’s Club both have Tropical as their Hawaii siding, window and door contractor.

Finding an honest contractor who does the job well is not easy when you don’t know who to ask. Recently, there have been more break-ins than ever, and our our homes are getting older and parts are harder to find to repair jealousies. Homeowners are repairing their windows, doors and homes more than ever before.

So who should homeowners call? This has been a difficult question to answer, since Oahu has seen a number of Mainland companies relocate to Hawaii to start window, door and siding businesses because of the bad economy on the Mainland. How do homeowners know what’s good, what’s bad and who will be here in 10 years? What’s more confusing is the new Mainland companies that have introduced a lot of clever advertising tricks and sales techniques.

Luckily, most akamai Hawaii consumers realize if the deal is too good to be true … but some actually don’t.

Here are some tips on how to avoid the gimmicks of purchasing siding, windows and doors:

• Nothing is for free! The reason for this is that every company needs to make a profit. If it does not, the company will not be in business for a long time.

• If a salesperson tells you he or she is not making a commission, or that the company is not making money on your job, it simply is not true. They are salespeople because they make a commission. No one works for free. A common phrase is, “I have 24 years of experience.” Is that experience in sales or construction? And is it in Hawaii or the Mainland? They are all completely different.

• Not all products are the same: this includes warranties, quality of manufacturing, materials used and, of course, installation techniques. Make sure to call manufacturers and confirm stated warranties. Almost every manufacturer voids Hawaii, Guam, Alaska, five miles from the ocean and hardware due to salt air conditions. If the factory won’t warrant the product in Hawaii, the only warranty you’ll get is the installing company’s warranty. In 38 years in Hawaii, Tropical has found that the average company lasts five years or less in the industry.

• Beware of the validity of claims such as “self-cleaning glass,” rebates for your old windows and windows being manufactured especially for Hawaii. These could be gimmicks to get people who are interested in a product to respond and call the company. Remember, just like most people will tell you, there is “no free lunch.”

So if you want the job done right at a fair price, go local and trust Tropical, a company with 38 years of experience in installing windows and doors in Hawaii with thousands of local customers. Also, if you are a Costco or Sam’s Club member, call the company for club member prices.