Window replacement costs in Phoenix

Phoenix has the hottest climate of any major U.S. city, according to NOAA. Windows take that heat all day, and the city's own Historic Preservation Office is blunt about what it does. In its window guide, the office says vinyl frames are a plastic that breaks down in direct sun. Over time they can lose color, turn yellow and warp at high temperatures. It adds that the seal on dual-pane glass eventually leaks, moisture gets between the panes, and the glass fogs.

So when you compare quotes, ask what the frame is made of and how long the glass seal is covered. In a climate this hot, those two answers tell you a lot about how long the new windows will look new.

Permits are a smaller hurdle. The same guide says that since July 1, 2011, replacing windows hasn't needed a city building permit or a formal historic review, as long as certain conditions are met. If your house is in a historic district, the office still asks you to keep the "Tier 1" windows: the ones across the front, and on each side as far back as the first room. On a corner lot, that includes every window facing the side street.

One group has an extra step. If you own and live in a historic home that gets the state's historic property tax reclassification, the State Historic Preservation Office has to review your plans before work starts. An unauthorized window swap may get the house dropped from the program.