Home | Oct. 2026
OWNING THE INSTALL
By Monica Kass Rogers
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS
Expert window installer Peter Kowalczyk has worked for Chicago Window Guys since the company began.
With Chicago Window Guys, the answer is simple: A trained crew that works for the company—not a subcontractor.
When it comes to windows, the product matters. But according to Russ Armstrong, owner of Chicago Window Guys, what matters just as much is who installs it.
“You can have the most expensive window in the world,” says Armstrong, “but if it’s not installed right, you’re back to square one.”
That’s why Chicago Window Guys takes a different approach from many window companies: It never uses subcontracted labor. The company employs its own trained installation crews, many of whom have worked with Armstrong for years.
“Ask most window company salesmen if they know the name of the person who is putting the windows in,” Armstrong advises homeowners. “Most of the time, they won’t know, because they’re subcontracting their labor. We never subcontract, so we know our guys.”
For homeowners, that distinction means accountability from start to finish. Because Chicago Window Guys manufactures its windows locally and handles installation with its own crews, the company maintains direct oversight of the entire process. So, if something goes wrong, there’s no passing the blame between a manufacturer, salesperson, and subcontractor.
“With me, everything’s under one roof,” Armstrong says. “We know what’s happening, and we know what’s going on, so there’s nobody pointing fingers, and the job gets done correctly.”
The approach also helps keep costs competitive. Homeowners aren’t paying for sales commissions or the added expense of subcontracted labor. Instead, they’re working with a local company that manufactures its own windows and employs the people who install them.
That local connection can make a difference long after installation. If a pane is accidentally broken, for example, Chicago Window Guys can respond quickly. “We can have that window changed in a week, because our factory is so close and because we have the crew to do it right.”
The company’s windows feature energy-efficient technologies including Argon/Krypton gas fills, three coats of Low-E silver, foam-filled frames, and a non-metal spacer system designed to help prevent seal failure. Chicago Window Guys also offers a price-match guarantee and a lifetime warranty on all parts and labor, including glass breakage.
After 25 years in the window business, Armstrong says the company’s philosophy remains simple: Make a quality product, install it correctly, and stand behind the people doing the work.
For more information, call Russ directly at 847-302-9171 or visit chicagowindowguys.com.
