I received a call from lake cook in the last week or so asking me to update my comments on yelp after they finally came out. Here is my update at their request: I wanted to wait a few weeks after the 'repair' to be sure and give this its due diligence. I took these pics today. Lake cook has continuously blamed the recent heavy rains and architects design of the house as being the issue. As you can see, it was not raining hard when I took these today and the water is still flowing over the side, under the diverter they installed. It's not even making it to the gutter now! You be the judge... read more

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Don at Lake Cook was a pleasure to work with. He took excellent care and answered all of our questions. His recommendations were spot on and the house turned out beautiful. The company has excellent customer service and we highly recommend them to our friends and family. read more

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Lake Cook Exteriors did a fabulous job installing our brand new windows. They were able to come to our home and provide an estimate very promptly and also educated us on the process, our options, and helped us make the best decision for our home. The install was extremely quick and was done as professionally as it gets. We can't stop staring at our new windows from inside and out! They have definitely upgraded our home! read more

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Bill, Karen, and Nolan are pros, possibly the best in the business. My entire exterior is from Lake Cook, and we could not be happier. We had all windows replaced, including a bay window put in. This year, they did our soffits and facia and our siding. I highly recommend them and would not venture elsewhere. We had many quotes previously, and their prices and service beat anyone. Thank you, Lake Cook for everything. My wife and I sincerely appreciate all you do! read more

I'm super impressed with how quickly they were able to get the sliding door and two bedroom windows done! These windows are absolutely amazing! They really brighten up the place, keep the heat and humidity out, and I can barely hear all the outside noises like heavy rain (it always sounded like a monsoon), air conditioners outside my bedroom window, and when my friend came over yelling with a megaphone, I could barely hear her...no joke! I highly recommend these guys, they're easy to work with, and they even dealt with my association for the approval and permit. I'm all around happy! read more

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I had windows installed three years ago by an installer that Lake Cook Exteriors hired. (Lake Cook is just a middle man). The work was about $7000 for 14 windows. Mostly I was happy with the work John the installer did. Shortly after the windows were installed I noticed white blotches of plastic on the glass on several of the windows. I called Lake Cook Exteriors and expressed my concern. I was supposed to get a call back from the owner Bill and didn't so the next day I left another message. Later that day I called Bill on his cell phone and he answered and was very put off that I had called him during dinner. At that point I contacted Simonton Windows direct and got in contact with a local area manager who then came out to my house with Bill, Bill left shortly after it was determined the white plastic was from the molding at the factory and the manager cleaned it off the windows. About a year later I had my house tuck pointed and was told by the mason that the windows should have a drip edge. I explained they used to but the installer cut the edge off when he installed the new windows. I tried talking with Bill at Lake Cook Exteriors and got nowhere so I gave up on that. Now three years later after smelling mildew in our bedroom I had to take off the drywall to find black mold under the window there. I removed the drywall and insulation myself and remediated mold on the brick with mold killing agent and then covered the inner brick with mold killing primer. Once I had the drywall off I had two different mold remediation people come out and give me quotes to fix it. Both said with certainty that the source was a leak from the window. I did everything I could to get rid of the mold and mildew smell. Unfortunately the old wood frame the new windows sit in still smells like mildew so I need to have that frame replaced and the windows reinstalled. I saw a couple small areas where I could see light to the outside so I caulked over them but it needs to be removed and redone. I contacted the installer to see if he could do the work but he said he is booked up through October. So I called and talked to Bill again at Lake Cook Exteriors who immediately snapped at me for calling "his" installer directly. We went back and fourth and I did loose my patience with him. He did agree to come out and look at it but refused to fix it or even offer a quote to fix it. I wasn't even pointing the finger at him I just need someone to replace the frame and reinstall the window. I thought before that I would Never deal with or recommend Lake Cook Exteriors now I am certain about that. Call an installer directly you save money. This place doesn't stand behind their work anyway. read more

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Lake Cook Exteriors is a broker that employs installers of very poor skill level. We purchased three doors, main entry and two french exterior doors. The doors were damaged by LCE even before installation. LCE requests their products (doors etc) to ship to them from the manufacturer "broken down" so they can increase profits by prepping, painting and finishing themselves...which is extremely poor quality. The manufacturers that we contacted told us this is very unusual and certainly not the way the product is advertised. All of our doors had paint applied with a roller! Absolutely awful quality of work. The installation quality was even worse. Our door installation required two installers as per the factory and LCE sent one installer. The doors were damaged and installed incorrectly to the point of not even functioning properly. We now have doors that do not function properly and esthetically look terrible. We gave LCE the opportunity to fix everything and "make it right" but they refused. The owner of LCE, Bill Sheetz, told us that our doors were not damaged and installed correctly, in person, and then told us to have our handyman fix his mess. LCE denied the damage and poor install and in the same conversation told us to have "our guy" fix it which was quite startling. I really wish we would have known all of this prior to selecting LCE to purchase and install high end doors for our home. BEWARE!!!! read more

Salesman Don was awesome had a small issue with trying to get a rendering of my house with different color sidings they said they don't do that because the colors don't come out on the screen the same...I get that and looked past it. The installers did a great a job however I ran into another issue with one piece of my soffit not looking the same as the others the owner came out and told me it's not a big deal and what's the problem? I was shocked I see this every time I walk out my door and he told me it's no big deal. He yelled at me and told me he'll take the whole f***ing thing down and re do it! Crew came back out but it still looks the same. Bottom line I'm semi pleased with the work and the price was right but the treatment I got was unacceptable and I will never use or recommend them again. read more

We had our windows installed by Lake Cook Exteriors in January 2017. We experienced leaking from a kitchen window in the middle of this summer after the installation (it had not leaked prior to the windows being installed). We gave LCE a call because they provide a warranty, so they sent out the sales rep. They assumed the leaking was due to improper closure/user error. This was not the cause, so they sent out the window installer to check the outside. There was a piece of trim that popped off the exterior of the window so that was repaired, however, the window still leaked. The window installer came out again and, without removing any siding or further inspecting the window, put a piece of tape over the top of the window where it met the siding. They claimed if the window still leaked, it wasn't their installation and that we likely had an issue with the roof. The window leaked again, but at this point, they refused to come out and do any further inspection, and instead referred me to a roofing company. The referral company did not do "that type of work" and I had to find an alternative roofing company myself. Fortunately, I found a very reputable and honest company, and they came out right away to inspect the roof and siding. They could not find any issues with my roof or siding from the outside, and they said without taking the siding off, there was no way to find the source of the leaking. A deal was worked out with LCE that we would split the bill for the roofing company to repair the window, as it was not a "direct" result of the window installation, but was related to the window. While the window was being repaired, the roofer showed me that LCE failed to place the paper barrier over the j-channel, which allowed water to seep through the siding, onto the top of the window and then into the window itself. The repair took about 20 minutes and required no new materials, and the window no longer leaks. Instead of LCE acknowledging that they took a shortcut when installing the windows, they still charged me for half the repairs ($150 out of my pocket). I am very dissatisfied with not only their poor business practices, but with the fact that they did not actually guarantee their work. If they do not want customers to use the warranty when they need it, do not offer one. And while they had the most competitive pricing for the installation, it is clear now why. Saving 20 minutes per window on a home with over 10 windows does save a lot of time, but with the risk of there being costly damage due to poor installation. My window sill is now soft, discolored and damaged as a result of this shortcut, and they did not offer to fix that, either. I cannot recommend this company to anyone after my experiences with them. I am still making payments on the windows and installation itself, and now this is an additional expense that could have been avoided with thorough and careful installation. I do like the windows themselves, which is why I have given LCE a two-star rating. read more

We hired them based on a recommendation from a coworker. They came out and got us a quote within a few days. The price was great and much more reasonable compared to some of the others we had come out. They also didn't do the "hard sell" like I got from others. They estimated 5-6 weeks until install and that was right on. The installer was great and our new windows and patio doors are great! read more

So we had a front door with one side lite installed and the process from start to finish was pretty seamless. I choose Lake Cook Exteriors because there quote was really good and it's a small family run and operated company. You truly feel the difference dealing with a company that is run by a husband and wife team along with there son. The installer they use has been installing front doors for this company for over 14 years! I had a bad experience with Lowes trying to get the same door installed and the process took almost a year and never got done. The attention to detail by the installer was impeccable. The follow up or post install process was icing on the cake with the painter coming out and touching up small imperfections. I wish we would of used this company for our slider but hey can't win them all. If you don't at the very least give Lake Cook a chance to bid on your job your only shooting yourself in the foot. read more

This is a family owned business that has been around for many years. The son, Nolan, is in his 30's and will be taking over the business in the future. From the moment I called Nolan on the phone and talked to him about windows, he was super knowledgeable and not pushy or sales-y at ALL. Very honest. I did a ton of research on windows and got several quotes. They sell Simonton replacement windows which are very good windows. They use an installer that has worked for them for 13 years. Everything about this family owned business is positive. The prices are very fair and competitive. The work is excellent. The quality of windows has everything to do with who the installer is and how good they install. The windows have a warranty on them, and they also warranty the installation of the windows. If we ever have an issue of any type years down the road, it is covered - and i know this company will still be in business. Nolan spent an hour and a half talking to my inquisitive father about windows before we signed the contract. My dad did very thorough research and asked him a TON of questions. Nolan was so patient and honest. Lake Cook Exteriors is excellent, and will be in business for another 30 years (the life of your windows). We replaced our entire house of windows on a 2 story 3200 square foot house so it was a big job. We switched from casement crank windows (house built in the 90's) to double hung windows with grids. It changes the entire look of the house and looks stunning! It also saved us a ton of money by being able to change from two casement windows in each opening to one double hung window. Our previous quote from Gilkey Windows was double the cost, as they wanted to rip out our entire frames too. Our frames are in perfect condition and this type of work was not needed (they were trying to upsell us). The simonton replacement windows are durable, beautiful, and stunning looking! read more

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Very nice local business. Professional, friendly, and easy to work with. Did a great job and was quick without sacrificing quality of work. Would definitely recommend to anyone! read more

Windows were installed 2 years ago, we at that time said we were concerned about a mildew smell from the window. Wood around frame looked ok so new window placed. NOW we had black mold (took pix) all around the window and 2 mold remediation companies said it was from the window. Outside caulk had pinholes. We recaulked, tore out all drywall, treated mold and frame STILL smells. Bill came out in a huff, twisted my words and told me AFTER he smelled the mold smell on the frame that it was "fine and solid" and refused to even charge me to replace. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. Leaves you stranded if there is a problem. Prideful man with no accountability read more

We hired Lake Cook Exteriors to replace 2 doors and 8 windows. They did a great job on 1 of the doors and all windows. We did find out that doors are not their specialty as they provide very little overall knowledge when you ask for something "different". The door that was a success was white on both sides and standard decorative glass, no problem for them. The one that turned out bad was painted teal on the outside and we had interior blinds in the glass. The door was delivered and the paint job was a mess which they blamed on the weather in April. The blinds in the glass were ordered as white and they came ivory or tan. We mentioned the paint when it was delivered and they said it could be fixed, which it couldn't. Later we were informed by the painter that it had 5 coats of paint on it and he admitted it was a terrible job. While that was happening the blind issue was just starting and we were told by Nolan that the color was white when it clearly was not. He blamed the teal color for making the blinds look tan. This was not an acceptable explanation, so after a lengthy conversation they offered to order a new glass with new blinds and no guarantees, but they wanted us to pay to have it installed. Also, not acceptable! So, Bill the owner came over to look at it, he too tried to sell me that it was white and they would fix the paint and that would be it. He brought his sample from the store and it was white while our blinds were tan. He insisted they matched, unsatisfied we argued in my driveway explaining that we used them because they were a local family owned business that would stand behind their products. Bill finally agreed to order the glass and blinds with installation on them. After multiple back and forths with Nolan over a month, he finally found out that the glass that was used was low-e, energy efficient glass that had a green tint to it which was completely unnecessary since we had blinds in the glass. They finally got the right glass with blinds after about another month then scheduled the installer and painter to make the repairs. We got our door, almost the way we expected it, all be it 4 months after the initial install. The painter did his best to repair the teal paint, but it is nowhere near what it should have been. It was a real test of patience and neither Nolan or Bill apologized for putting us through the ringer for the door we ordered and paid for. To this day, we still feel that they think we were the problem, not their lack of knowledge. My advice is to use someone else if you want something colorful or unique. read more

Lake Cook was wonderful to work with! They were open and honest throughout the process and we couldn't be happier with the quality and the installation of our new doors. The home is already warmer! read more

Professional from start to finish! If you need a company that makes the repairs / additions flow effortless, this is the company for you. Their crew did a great job and saw them go above and beyond each day. As they say, " price, quality, and service" this is is Lake Cook Exteriors. Steve Mosias read more

Perfection! This is a great company that provides quality service, fair pricing, and a very courteous crew. They get an A+ Barb F. read more

The biggest mistake I've ever made as a home owner was hiring this company. Bought an entrance door that they painted and installed. Should have bought the door from them and either hired someone else to paint it and install it or done it myself. It's hard to imagine anyone including myself doing a worse job. The paint is peeling and transparent like it wasn't primed and they only put one coat on. A couple of areas on the exterior they screwed up, tried to fix and looks like crap. Didn't replace the brick molding first time around. Had to come out again and did a hack job. Looks like he used his feet to put the caulk on. Threshold capping is angled towards the door instead of away. A high school shop class could have done a better job. read more

We had Lake Cook Exteriors replace our siding at the end of 2008. They offered the siding in the color we wanted along with exterior custom trim pieces desired. The job was done efficiently and beautifully. For over six years it has been great. Over the weekend we noticed one piece of siding coming loose (our backyard is like a wind tunnel). We called and were told, no problem. It is under warranty and they will be out to fix it. Sure enough, a day after my phone conversation, they were out to fix it! Wow, that is great customer service, a company that stands by their work and warranty, and the gentleman that fixed it couldn't have been nicer. No one ever wants to put their warranty to the test, but rest assured with Lake Cook Exteriors, they stand by their work and products used. Thank you! read more

Just had 14 windows replaced by Lake Cook. Windows are great, service was amazing!! The installer was impeccable and our house looks fabulous. So glad we used them!! read more

The folks at Lake Cook are the best. Their crews are hard working, efficient, clean up promptly and do a great job! This is the second time we have used Lake Cook in the past 20 years and are totally satisfied with their work and business ethic. Don T in sales is great to work with. Thanks Lake Cook for a great job! read more