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If your co-op's central heating is very uneven, I'd look into that more closely. If some units roast while others are cold, maybe the fault is with how heat is distributed through the system. If so, that can be a problem no matter what new windows you install. A good engineer can make recommendations, including possibly installing individual heat level adjusters in each unit.
I agree that Pella windows are expensive. They seem to be "hot" right now, but if your co-op can't afford them, it would be financially imprudent to get them, and the extra cost can be better spent on something else. We have thermal barrier, aluminum windows with 7/8" insulated glass. They look nice, work well, reduce noise, and run $350-$400 per window. I believe you can get the baked enamel finish in white, black or copper color. We have the standard white.
If your co-op's 12 units all have the same old windows, you should replace them all. You can schedule the coldest units first, but it takes only a few days per unit. You can do them all fairly quickly if you plan ahead with the window vendor and shareholders. Budget for ALL the work. You can't do 4 units now and hope to do the rest later. What if you don't have money for the rest later? The project will drag out, shareholders will complain, and the building won't look very nice. Also, Business Corp Law requires that you treat all shareholders fairly and equally. You can't do something for some of them that you don't extend to all of them in a timely and equitable manner.
Just my two cents.
I see your point, Newbie. If you only replace some windows, one consideration should be consistency in terms of style and color, otherwise it will detract from building appeal. Based on our experience and that of other boards I know, here are a few "pro" and "con" vendor names:
City Landlord Services - 718-894-2632 - doing windows for years but switched distributors not long ago. The windows they offer now are cheaper quality but prices are the same, even a bit higher, and service is not reliable.
All Glass - don't know their number, think they're in the Bronx, heard their work and prices are good.
Panorama Windows - don't know their number, do good work but prices are high for windows you can get elsewhere.
Shapiro & James - 718-292-3000 - prices a bit higher but worksmanship is A-1, service is excellent, go out of their way to satisfy customers, also do all types of mirror work.
If interested, I'd suggest contacting Shapiro & James and All Glass for more info and estimates.
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Thanks,BP. Do you have a vendor in the NYC area you would care to refer us to? Also, as regards replacing all the windows, my feeling is that the units that are warm and have no visible degradation of their windows will not want to spring for the added expense. I agree that doing them on an as needed basis/worst case scenario case is best and to budget for all who need it, but we don't get to take any energy improvement deductions on the building if that. We recently did a 13th month assessment and most shareholders are expecting a lobby improvement to happen from that, and even if we deferred that, it still would not give us enough to undertake complete replacement even if we used this money for that.
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