Guides · The decision

Three quotes, one decision — compare the specs, not the totals.

Cost pages exist to anchor you to a number invented before anyone saw your house. This page is the step after: you have quotes in hand, and the totals disagree. The totals are the least informative line on the page. What decides whether you are comparing anything at all is whether the specifications match — and whether the contract behind the number respects Florida law.

First: make the quotes describe the same project

Lay the quotes side by side and check these line by line. Any row where they differ is not a price difference — it is a different project wearing the same name.

Line	What must match — or be explained
Product, per opening	Manufacturer and series, per opening — “impact single hung” is a category, not a product. Same brand, different series is a different window.
Approval numbers	The FL number or Miami-Dade NOA for each product, verifiable in the public portals. No number, no spec.
Glass makeup	Laminated vs. insulated-laminated, glass thicknesses, interlayer type, Low-E, tint. Two quotes with different glass builds are quoting different physics — see how the layers work.
Design pressures	The DP each product carries at your exact sizes — from the approval document’s table, not the brochure headline.
Frame & finish	Material and color, per opening. Finish upgrades hide here.
Structural scope	Bucks, mullions, and any opening modifications — either included and named, or excluded and named. Silence here becomes a change order later.
Finish scope	Stucco and drywall repair, paint, interior trim — to what standard.
Permits & disposal	Permit fees and who pulls the permit; haul-away of the old units. A quote that “saves” the permit is a liability, not a saving.
Insurance documentation	Whether a post-completion wind mitigation inspection or its documentation package is included.
Warranty terms	Manufacturer coverage (glass, frame, parts — and the carve-outs) and the installer’s labor coverage, in writing, with transferability stated.
Schedule	Lead time in writing, start window, and how delays are communicated.

The contract terms Florida law already gave you

The deposit rule (s. 489.126, F.S.). Take more than 10 percent up front on residential work, and the contractor must apply for permits within 30 days of the payment and start work within 90 days after permits issue — unless the contractor has just cause, or you agreed in writing to a longer period. The remedy has a required form: a written demand sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, which may demand that the contractor apply for the permits, start the work, or refund the payment. Use it: tie your deposit to the permit timeline the law already imposes.
Three business days to cancel — but only for a qualifying sale. Signing at your kitchen table is not the test. Florida’s right attaches to a home solicitation sale as defined in s. 501.021, F.S. — personal solicitation away from the seller’s fixed business location, above the statutory dollar minimum — and the definition expressly excludes a transaction that results from your own request for specific goods or services. Where it does apply, s. 501.025, F.S., runs the clock to midnight of the third business day and requires notice of the right on any note or other evidence of indebtedness. The duplicate cancellation form is a requirement of the federal cooling-off rule, which carries its own scope and exclusions. Confirm which one covers your contract before you count on it.
The lien-law paper trail. Suppliers and subs who serve a Notice to Owner can lien your property even if you paid the contractor — Florida’s statutory warning says plainly that failure to get releases can mean paying twice. The protections are mechanical: the recorded Notice of Commencement, releases of lien with each payment, and the contractor’s final payment affidavit before the last check.

Red flags that end the conversation

No approval numbers for the products quoted — you are buying adjectives;
“Tonight-only” pricing engineered to beat your cancellation window;
A deposit demand far beyond the legal trigger, with a vague permit story;
“We can skip the permit to save you money”;
No verifiable state license — check it on the DBPR portal before signing;
Final payment requested before the final inspection has passed;
A total with no line items — a number is not a scope.

Why verified configuration matters: a real number depends on your exact sizes, products and options. Instant Price returns a subtotal only when that exact combination is covered by a verified rule. Otherwise SmartWay asks for review instead of using a misleading anchor. See how SmartWay works.

Before the last payment

Final inspection passed and the permit closed — verify on the county portal;
Releases of lien from the contractor and everyone who noticed you;
The final payment affidavit in hand;
Warranty documents — manufacturer and labor — in your file;
Your paperwork bundle saved: contract, approvals, permit records, inspection results. It feeds the insurance credit and your resale file.

Questions we actually get

Why do my three quotes differ so much for the “same” windows?

Because they almost certainly are not the same windows. Two quotes that both say “impact single hung” can differ on series, glass makeup, interlayer, design pressure at your sizes, approval documents, buck and stucco scope, permits and disposal. Until the specs match line by line, the totals are not comparable — that is the entire point of this checklist.

Is a big deposit normal in Florida?

Florida law attaches a duty to it: on residential work, a contractor who takes more than 10 percent up front must apply for the necessary permits within 30 days of the payment and start work within 90 days after the permits issue. The statute carves out two conditions — the contractor having just cause, or you having agreed in writing to a longer period. Your remedy has a required form: a written demand sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, which may demand that the contractor apply for the permits, start the work, or refund the payment. A seller who wants a large deposit and is vague about the permit timeline is asking you to finance exactly the part they control.

Can I cancel after signing at my kitchen table?

Sometimes — and the condition matters more than the deadline. The Florida right attaches to a "home solicitation sale" as s. 501.021, F.S., defines it: personal solicitation away from the seller's fixed business location, above the statutory dollar minimum. The definition expressly excludes a transaction that results from your own request for specific goods or services — so a salesperson who knocked may have handed you a three-day right, while a company you called for a quote may not have. Where it does apply, s. 501.025 runs the clock to midnight of the third business day; the federal cooling-off rule, with its own scope and exclusions, is the one that requires the seller to hand you a cancellation form. Check which, if either, covers your contract before relying on it.

What should I have in hand before final payment?

A passed final inspection and closed permit, releases of lien covering everyone who supplied labor or material, the contractor’s final payment affidavit, and your warranty documents. Florida’s own lien-law warning is blunt: pay without releases and you can end up paying twice.

How do I check the products on a quote are genuinely impact-rated?

Every real product carries an approval number — a Florida Product Approval (FL number) or Miami-Dade NOA — searchable for free on the public portals. Our ratings guide shows the three-minute lookup. A quote that cannot name its numbers is not specifying a product.

Who do I call about an unlicensed seller or high-pressure scam?

The Florida DBPR runs an unlicensed-activity hotline (1-866-532-1440) and takes anonymous reports; the Florida Attorney General’s consumer line is 1-866-966-7226. Checking a license takes a minute on the DBPR portal — do it before signing, not after.

Sources

Last checked: August 20, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Statutory references are linked to the official texts above; the statutes themselves govern, and for a dispute you want a Florida attorney.

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