The Zen Story

The Beginning of Zen Windows

Zen Windows was founded by Daniel Wolt in 1998. After spending more than a decade in the window industry, Mr. Wolt found that it had become a broken model and set out to reverse that by opening a company that would treat its clients like family.

His first step was to align himself with only the best window manufacturers with impeccable reputations and solid, time-tested products. From there, he hired only the best people in the trade, from customer care concierges to expert window technicians. He then created a company culture in which every employee was trained to adopt a “customer first” ethos.

Realizing that most customers had encountered previous dealings with contractors who did not meet their expectations, Mr. Wolt implemented a NO MONEY DOWN policy, ensuring his clients total satisfaction upon completion of their project before any money was to be paid to Zen Windows.

Lastly, the Zen Windows model completely did away with the in-home sales presentation. Zen clients are delighted to be able to shop online, on their time, with no high-pressure sales.
The new model has been a smashing success. In its first few years, Zen Windows was praised by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and countless other publications and websites.

From 2016 to today, based on its unprecedented high ratings with Angie’s List, almost every Zen Windows location won the esteemed Super Service Award. Zen was the only retail vendor to be showcased at the National Annual Angie’s List Festival of Service in Indianapolis in 2015.

In 2012, Zen Windows was named a “2012 Remodeling Magazine BIG 50 Award Winner” for its remarkable industry impact. Zen Windows was the only window company, selected out of 685,000 contractors nationally, to be so recognized. Then, in 2015, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio elected Mr. Wolt, to the very prestigious Board of Review of General/Home Improvement Contractors. This organization determines which contractors should receive licenses to perform services in Columbus, as well as approves permits and arbitrates disputes between property owners and contractors. 

In January of 2020, Kyle Derstler joined the company as co-owner and CEO of Zen Windows. With the combination of his master’s degree in Business and Accounting, as well as his years of running tremendously successful Zen Windows locations, Mr. Derstler was the perfect fit to continue to grow Zen Windows as a National Brand. As CEO, he is responsible for building on the company’s values and past successes as Zen Windows continues its rapid growth nationwide.

Zen Windows continues to grow nationally to service almost every major market in the United States. Even with the rapid advancement of technology since Zen’s inception, one thing has never changed: all clients have direct access to the owner throughout the entire process.

About Zen Windows

Buying windows and doors doesn’t have to be a hassle, but more often than not, it’s a stressful, lengthy experience full of half-informed decisions and decidedly nontransparent interactions. When you work with Zen Windows, however, you’ll benefit from our unique stress-free buying process, our experienced and expert sales, installation, and support staff, and much more. We want to make sure window buying is as painless for you as it can be, so you can focus on getting the details right to make your home more beautiful, more comfortable, more efficient, more valuable.

About Zen Windows

Buying windows and doors doesn’t have to be a hassle, but more often than not, it’s a stressful, lengthy experience full of half-informed decisions and decidedly nontransparent interactions. When you work with Zen Windows, however, you’ll benefit from our unique stress-free buying process, our experienced and expert sales, installation, and support staff, and much more. We want to make sure window buying is as painless for you as it can be, so you can focus on getting the details right to make your home more beautiful, more comfortable, more efficient, more valuable.

Change how you see the world from your home when you work with Zen Windows. We revolutionized the way homeowners purchase windows, and have the reputation to prove how successful we’ve been in improving the process.

Zen Windows Greensboro place picture
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zd profile picturezd
00:11 16 Jan 26
From the sales consultation with Ty a month or so ago to shaking hands with the contractor after the install today, this was an excellent experience. Transparency, attention to detail, and quality execution are hard to find these days. These guys nailed it.
Amy M. profile pictureAmy M.
13:43 03 Jan 26
Best quality windows and for the same cost as the “others” without the hype and high pressure sales approach.
Joe K. profile pictureJoe K.
02:38 20 Nov 25
Great install crew , great price , great communications , great price ,great product highly recommend Zen windows !
Elizabeth C profile pictureElizabeth C
16:37 15 Nov 25
From the initial quote to the install, the process was professional, seamless and outstanding! I rarely do posts but their service and quality deserve recognition! I highly recommend Zen Windows!
Bill B. profile pictureBill B.
13:55 21 Sep 25
A very easy process. Estimator took 30 minutes, windows were ready in 15 days. Timely installation and follow up service.
M G profile pictureM G
22:49 12 Sep 25
Excellent product and excellent service. They communicated and coordinated with me exceptionally well.
Carol V. profile pictureCarol V.
22:56 16 Jun 25
We recently had our front windows replaced by Zen Windows. Everything went extremely well from Ty coming by the house and showing us the windows, to Scott measuring them to the 2 nice professional young men who installed them. The price was great as was the service. I highly recommend Zen Windows!
Lydia C. profile pictureLydia C.
18:16 19 Apr 25
Zen Windows was wonderful to work with! I wanted to update all of the windows in my house and got other quotes, one of which talk to me in person for 3.5 hours on a Friday night. It was helpful to learn all the details and see the window samples but the length was not necessary and it was drawn out on purpose to an extent. If you are a first time window buyer, it’s best to do some research to know what to ask and look for. There are plenty of helpful videos on YouTube. Zen Windows’ business model caters more to clients who are willing to do the research and read spec sheets they provide rather than coming to tell you every detail over 3 hours. They have so many options for everything! Zen Windows staff were never pushy, always patient with answering any and all questions, and truly no hassle. Their cost was 30% less than the other company, with almost the exact same window quality, which allowed me to also change a few doors within my budget. When my storm door was overlooked, Zen Windows took full responsibility and replaced it without extra cost to the original quote.

After ordering, the doors and windows arrived on time (around 6 weeks) as expected, and staff was communicative throughout the entire process. Installation was quick and efficient. The crews came at eight or 9 AM on the appointed mornings and worked until mid afternoon. They cleaned up after themselves and were courteous throughout. The installation manager was happy to answer my questions, show me what was being done and walked through at the end to fix anything that was missed.
Truly great experience and love my new windows and doors!!
Brian M. profile pictureBrian M.
15:45 17 Jan 25
We couldn't be happier with our new windows. Ty was really great to talk to on the front end to give us the information we needed to make decisions. No pushy sales. He was very patient and informative, especially as we changed our minds on things a couple of different times. Then, Scott and his crew made the installation as painless as possible. They were thorough and professional. The windows look great and we are so pleased. We'd recommend Zen Windows to anybody!