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From Paint-Covered to Perfect: How We Saved $10,000 on Our Budget-Friendly Windows

We Swapped Out Our Old French Doors for a Window (and Spent Under $500!)




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You know that feeling when you score something so good you yell, "START THE CAR" like your the

people from the commercial, but it's not a commercial, it's real life? Yeah. That was us with these windows.

Kody and I stumbled across a company in Edmonton selling brand new black 82” x 60” windows. And for those of you not up on your ruler smarts, let me just tell you: these things are DAMN HUGE. The kind of window you only see in new builds that look way fancier than your house.


So here’s the wild part: they were listed at $370 per window. Not $3700. Not a typo. Not missing a zero or two. Three hundred and seventy bucks. UMM WHAT?!

This is all amazing and everything, but it wouldn't be our family if there wasn't some sort of really crazy, random series of unfortunate events that tagged along with the luck. If you follow along long enough, you'll know what I mean.



The Edmonton Adventure


This was a “drop everything and go” kind of deal. We rented a U-Haul, loaded up the kids, and hauled A$$ to Edmonton following our oldest son's baseball provincials in Southern Alberta.

Except… plot twist: Kody promised he had booked U-Haul...... And then, surprise! There was not a single U-Haul in the entire city that could actually fit these windows. And no booking with his name on it.... Nothing like being stranded in Edmonton with 4 kids, no hotel room, no U-Haul, and me hobbling around on crutches... For those that don't know me, I had a major foot surgery back in February and crutched my life away for an annoying amount of time... again, I tell you... never a dull moment


So what did we do? Kody had to eat his own unorganized consequences and drive two more hours to Wetaskiwin to pick up the only available U-Haul. Meanwhile, I took the kids to West Edmonton Mall because—why not? Four kids + crutches + WEM is not exactly a dream scenario, but hey, the seal at the aquamarine show really gave it his all.


In the end, we loaded up six of these massive, budget-friendly windows for a grand total of $2,220. Still cheaper than buying one at full retail. Honestly, one of the best Marketplace-style scores of my life. (Though, second only to the time I found a John Deere kids ride-on ATV at the dump worth about five hundy. Don’t ask questions… the dump scale lady already looked at me weird enough when my vehicle weighed more going out than it did going in. Nothing to see here.....)



Demo Time: Bye-Bye French Doors


Now onto the actual reno part. Out with the old French doors, in with the dreamy new budget-friendly windows. Well, one of them. Here’s how we did it:

  1. Remove the siding – twice. (This house had been re-sided once already, so double the work, double the fun!)

  2. Remove the door frame and doors – buh-bye drafty, rotten garden doors.

  3. Build a false wall – since this was a load-bearing wall, we had to temporarily support the house. We used scrap 2x6s to make a false wall so the weight of the house wasn’t resting on us while we worked. That would be something that would happen to me.

  4. Center the new opening – once the doors were out, we decided exactly where the window should sit.

  5. Build the header – framed it in for a 2x6 wall jamb, making sure it could support the new load.

  6. Insulate the header – because nobody wants a cold draft seeping through.

  7. Install the window – this was a team effort. These windows are heavy, so thank goodness for kids who are always roped into our projects. We nailed it in, secured it, and double-checked everything was level.


Materials we used:

  • 2x10x8 = 2

  • 2x6x8 = 8

  • Tyvek paper

  • Nails

  • Tools: skill saw, hammer, measuring tape, level


Budget Breakdown: French Door to Window Swap:

Here’s exactly what we spent on this project:

  • Window (82" x 60") – $370

  • Lumber (2x10x8 = 2, 2x6x8 = 8) – $100

  • Tyvek Paper + Nails – $25 (We had a full roll of Tyvek, so price reflects the portion we used for this one window)


Total: $470



The End Result


For under $500 in materials (including the lumber + the actual window), we completely transformed that space. Not only does it look more modern, but the black trim gives it that custom-home vibe I’ve been drooling over on Pinterest.


This project reminded me exactly why I live for these kinds of finds. Big impact without big spending — every single time.


✨ Want to see the full before-and-after (and trust me, you do)? Make sure that you’re following us on social media so you don't miss this budget-friendly DIY home renovation and the lifetime of projects to come!


Come hang out with us on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook — that’s where we share all the behind-the-scenes, projects, and transformations in real time!








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