Hi,
We live in BC. I know the answer to this question may vary with time, and also within different provinces.
We live in a 1940s house and it still has the original windows. Some of the frames are rotten and will need replacing. We cannot afford to replace al of them right now. The priority are the ones in our bedroom (where it is damp now below them) and the living room (it gets full sun and we cannot open the windows that are there).
So I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of the costs to replace 2 windows (they are those double/corner windows so quite large) and any companies you could recommend for quality and price.
Thanks so much.

Depends what you buy, size, quality etc. etc. Best bet is to get a window company to give you a quote. On a web forum you can get ranges probably from hundreds into thousands. We had a quote to do our back door from Pella just shy of $3000.

OMG! $3000!! Is Pella a good company? Thats the other problem, I have asked friends for recommends, but noone I know has had to replace windows, or cost isn't as much of a concern to them as it is to us!
Thanks for the reply.

Just looked Pella, and they do look very nice!
We live in Oak Bay and so we could keep up with the neighbours!!
May have to increase my hours at work to pay for it.............

The biggest issue is installation - it'll likely be hard to find anyone (even top "professional" window companies) who will actually bother to tie the new install into the existing building envelope (at least here in Alberta), which is crucial for long term protection from further leaks and the resulting water damage.

Do your homework and quiz them about installation methods - that will separate the men from the boys and is far more important than the cost of the windows/job in the long run.

Good luck!

Insist that they put an EPDM (ideally a rubberized one to the external perimeter of the window and this will seasl the building.

We already have Pella, so decided to stay with it, they are a pretty good company and have been around for a long time. You could take look at Starline & JeldWen, both Canadian made.

It's a good time of the year to buy windows as many building supplies stores run winter sales during January and February (at least this is the case in NS).

You have two options when replacing old sash type windows:

1) You can replace them with "inserts". These are cheap and cheap to install, in fact many people do the installation themselves (i.e. they don't use a carpenter). You just remove the strips of wood that hold the sash window in, pull the old sash windows out then push the new 'insert' window in place and screw it into the frame. A bit of trim should be added as well as caulking in all the right places.

2) A full window. This requires lots of work and a carpenter should do it. They're more expensive but they replace all the woodwork around the sash window.

If the window frame is good and not leaking an insert window is probably good enough.

Around here, a basic insert window, e.g. 3'x5', will cost $200-$400, depending on promotions, features etc. A decent carpenter should be able to install at least two per hour. A full window will but much more expensive and, on an older house, the builder might chose to spend all day just installing one of them..

Thanks very much, good info from all of you. I am going to call and arrange for some of them to come and give me quotes.
Sunny and warm here in Victoria, so starting to think about renos.....