Getting new windows installed is a big step. It’s not the largest investment you’ll make for your home, but it’s also not cheap. It also has a lasting impact on your home’s energy efficiency, interior comfort, and of course, appearance.
As such, you need to know as much as you possibly can about the process before you commit.
Today, we’re going to take you from the earliest steps before calling anyone, what the pre-installation process looks like, what to expect during the installation process, and even a few post-installation points you need to understand.
Let’s get started with our window installation guide.
Things to Consider Before Contacting a Window Installation Service
While a great window installation service will help you make your final decision, you do need to understand a few key concepts behind windows and get an idea of what you want before you contact anyone. This will give you an opportunity to explore your options, understand the recommendations from the service, and form a clear idea of what you want.
1: Window Type
There are a lot of windows on the market, and they are not all made equal. You have traditional single-pane windows, double-pane windows, and obscured windows. You also have energy-efficient window options such as JKR Energy Pro windows.
This is probably the biggest consideration you need to make. The construction of the actual glass part of the window will have the most impact on the window’s performance. If you opt for something such as single-pane windows, you’ll have a lackluster experience. However, spending a little more on JKR Energy Pro windows will help you cut your energy bill, use your HVAC appliances less, and generally enjoy your home more.
There are pros and cons to everything. So, take some time to research, and choose wisely.
2: Design Style
Next, you’ll want to look at the overall design options available. Do you want windows that open vertically or horizontally? Are embellishments necessary? If you’re redoing the window trim, how do you want that to look? What type of security features, such as locks, do you want?
Trim and framing aren’t a part of every project, but the other details are necessary. Consider whether you use window units to cool your home. Which opening style will allow you to do that the easiest way?
You can figure out a lot of this just by looking over images on the internet, and for the more technical stuff, your hired specialist will be able to help you figure out exactly what will work best for you and look great.
3: Obscured or Transparent?
Finally, you should know whether you want obscured windows or traditional transparent windows. There are pros and cons to each.
An obscured window will help lower the intensity of sunlight entering your home. This will help keep your home’s interior cooler, and it will help lower your energy bills. Beyond that, you get the benefit of no one being able to peek through your windows.
However, you also lose your view of the outside world. That’s what transparent windows are for, but they lack the other benefits we discussed.
Most homeowners will go with a combination of obscured and transparent windows. Bathrooms are often prime spots for obscured windows while living rooms and kitchens are great for transparent options. However, the choice is really yours.
Other Considerations to Make Before Contacting a Window Installation Service
If you do the things we listed above, you’ll have a good idea of what you want your window installation to accomplish. However, there are two more things you need to consider before you start hunting for an installation service to get the job done.
Primarily, you’ll want to know your budget. Again, this isn’t the biggest expense you’ll ever need for your home, but it isn’t cheap, either. Make sure you have a fairly substantial amount in savings, research your local average costs, and give yourself enough wiggle room in case unexpected costs occur.
Then, you’ll need to consider your scheduling. You’re not going to call the company the day you want the job done, get them out there, and complete the project. A full window replacement takes time, and it has to be scheduled. So, you should have a general idea of what your schedule looks like. When do you go to work? What time will you be available for the project? Can you take a day or two off?
You don’t have to be on-site during the installation, but it is preferred. So, when are you going to be able to hang around for a while? Maybe you have every weekend off, or you have vacation time that you can take, and you only need to provide one week’s notice? Either way, know when you’re available before you start calling around. It will make scheduling the project a lot easier.
Window Installation Guide – The Pre-Installation Process
Once you’ve done everything we talked about in the previous section, it’s time to move on to the window installation process. At least, it’s time to handle all the scheduling, planning, etc.
This part of the process doesn’t take long, and it’s smooth sailing once you complete this step. So, you’re already getting close to getting the windows of your dreams installed.
Here are a few things that will happen during this step.
1: Choosing a Service Provider
First, look online for window installation services in your area. Visit each company’s site, check reviews around the web, and if you can, ask friends and family for recommendations. Once you’ve done all that, you should have cut your list down to a few options.
Give each of your options a phone call and ask about the window products they offer. Ask if they’re able to do new jobs around the time you are available, and what their ballpark price would be. You won’t get an accurate quote until they check out the project, but they can still give you a ballpark number for what the average project costs.
You should end up finding the company you want to work with by the time you’re done with this step.
2: Schedule a Consultation
When you have your home’s windows replaced, you don’t just call up the service, tell them how many windows you have, and get the job done on the same day. First, you have to schedule a consultation.
This is usually free, and you typically aren’t locked into any sort of commitment. Someone just comes out to your house, takes a look at the home, asks you questions about your expectations for the project, and calculates how much that would cost and how much time it would take.
From there, you’ll usually get your price quote upfront, and you can decide whether or not to take it any further.
3: Scheduling the Project Day
Finally, once you have worked your way through the consultation, made some decisions regarding the project, and got everything settled, it’ll be time to plan the project’s schedule.
At JKR Windows, most projects are handled in a day. There are some that might require a little more time, or extreme weather conditions might force us to slightly delay the project’s completion, but that’s not common. Most likely, you will only need to schedule one day to be off work or set everything up for the team to do its job.
We’ll talk more about this soon.
What to Expect During Window Installation
Alrighty, it is now the scheduled day of the installation, and you’re about to get brand-new windows throughout your home. What should you expect? What’s next from our window installation guide?
Well, it’s not going to be a very hands-on process for you, but there are some things that might catch you off guard if you don’t know about them beforehand. So, we’ll go over them, here.
1: Ready the Home
You don’t have to worry about taping up frames, laying down sheeting or doing anything like that, but you do need to prepare your home with some basic steps.
First and foremost, you should have any pets transferred to a safe and out-of-the-way part of the home. Obviously, a full-home window installation will require workers to move around. So, you might need to relocate your pets to a different area as the project progresses, or you might want to opt to have someone dogsit at their home while the installation takes place. This is for your pet’s safety, to prevent allergic reactions in workers, and of course, to protect our workers from larger pets that might not be as friendly to outsiders as they should be.
Then, you should make sure the workers have safe access to every part of the home that they will be working in. A window installation requires both interior and exterior access to your home. You’re probably already a great housekeeper, but make sure you move any hazardous items away from windows. Also, put up any personal items you might be concerned about. Professionals won’t steal or cause any other problems, but some things can be embarrassing, and you should think about that before the workers arrive.
Finally, do what you can to protect things that you can’t move, but don’t want to be damaged. For instance, you might have a windowsill planter on one of your windows. Move it elsewhere, and put it back when the installation is complete.
You won’t be able to do this for everything, but we’ll talk more about that in the next section.
2: Do You Stay Home or Leave?
This is one thing that many customers worry about. Do you have to be home during the installation process? This is a major concern because sometimes you just can’t get off work or find a way to be there for the installation. Luckily, that’s perfectly fine. You don’t have to be there during the installation process. However, it is recommended to be on-site for a few reasons.
First, you’ll probably feel more comfortable. The average homeowner, even when dealing with the most trustworthy company, still wants to be around when people are going through their home.
Then, you’ll also be able to see the work being done. If something goes wrong, you’re there to see it. You can also control any pets that you have and not worry about issues stemming from that.
Finally, and this one is probably the most important reason that’s hardest to get around otherwise, you can instruct workers to take note of specific problems.
For example, you might have a flowerbed under one of your windows that you really work hard on, and you don’t want the workers to trample it. If you’re there, you can point out the exact flowerbed you want them to be careful around, and they’ll be more cautious in that area. You can also point out things that they might need to know about such as where electrical outlets are if power tools are used, any oddities about your windows, and more.
If you absolutely cannot be present, you can still relay that information to the team ahead of time when scheduling the project, but it’s always easier to take care of that in person when you can actually point things out. If you’re not around, and the team is simply going off instructions on a piece of paper, there is room for minor errors.
3: Project Prep
A good team doesn’t come unprepared. The vast majority of prep steps will have been taken before the team even showed up. However, there is a little prep work that might need to be done. This includes taping off work areas when necessary, putting down protective sheeting if necessary, and other things the team could not do until arriving on the project site.
During this, you’re not responsible for anything other than making sure the team can access the areas they need to access. Make sure doors are open, and if needed, guide workers to the areas they’re trying to work in.
The prep phase shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes. There isn’t much to do.
4: Removing the Old Windows
Obviously, the old windows have to come out before the new windows go in. Depending on the team, they might go through and remove every window first, or they might remove them as they install each new window. This is simply a personal preference for the team.
Removing the old windows will involve removing some of the framings and working around various obstacles, but it doesn’t take very long per window.
The old windows will be removed from the property by the workers throughout the process. You don’t have to worry about being left with a bunch of old windows laying around until you find a way to get rid of them.
5: Replacing the Windows
Again, this might happen after all the old windows are removed, or it might be done one window at a time. It doesn’t matter much.
Installing the window is a fairly quick process, but it does take about 20 minutes to properly install a window. This includes setting it in place, sealing it properly, applying any necessary hardware, and of course, replacing the building materials that had to be removed to remove the old window.
This is the phase when it’s extremely important to have children and pets out of the way and in a safe area. If a window is dropped, it can shatter, and you simply don’t want to have little ones or pets around if that happens. They can also cause those issues to happen. So, it’s best to make sure they’re staying out of the way.
You won’t have much of a role during this part of the installation, and you shouldn’t be attempting to install windows on your own since it is both dangerous in some ways and easy to mess up. So, there’s no need to know every fine detail of how the windows are installed.
It primarily consists of removing obstacles such as trim, cutting away sealants and glues, removing hardware when applicable, and sliding the glass out of place before reversing the process for the new window to go in. It’s very detail-oriented work.
Post-Installation Process
The workers do not get glass in all the windows, pack up their tools, and leave. That’s wildly unprofessional. There is a full post-installation process that you should expect. While we can’t promise that every window installation service will do this, but it is a common courtesy.
1: Double-Checking the Work
Full-home window replacements are big jobs. It’s very easy to miss a window, forget to replace something, or otherwise make a small mistake. Before the post-installation process really gets started, our team will go over the work a few times to make sure that everything was done properly. When it’s presented to you, we want it to look its best.
However, everything is done before the clean-up phase in case something does need to be done. If something was missed, it’s as easy as grabbing the right tools and taking care of it.
2: Customer Satisfaction Check
Before we leave the site, you can bet that we’ll have you walk around with a team member and inspect the work. We’re proud of the results we provide, and we’re excited to hear what you think. During this phase, you should pay good attention to any explanations the team member is giving you, try to find things that you’re unhappy with, and generally do your due diligence. While it’s possible to make a complaint later, it is a lot easier for you to get immediate results if you take this as an opportunity to point out anything you have a reasonable problem with.
Again, we can’t guarantee that other companies will do this. It is a red flag, though. You don’t want to do business with a company that doesn’t want you to see anything until you’ve paid and they’re long gone.
3: Clean Up
When working with a reputable company, you are not expected to clean up anything. A reputable company comes equipped to remove the old windows from the property properly, clean up every speck of dust from the project, and remove all project materials from the property. Your property should look better than it did when the team arrived. If not, you’re not dealing with professionals.
With that being said, if there are certain things you don’t want the team to touch, you are free to make that clear. For example, maybe a power tool needed to be used, and some debris got on your favorite rug you don’t want the team to touch. You are free to clean it yourself if you want. Of course, you can also remove those things before the team arrives to ensure their safety.
Depending on the amount of debris, you might expect shop vacs and other equipment to be used. Due to the ways loud noises can affect dogs and some individuals, that is something you should consider and prepare for ahead of time. However, nothing will be too intense.
4: How Payment is Handled
Payment is handled differently depending on who you work with. You might make a payment upfront, pay it all at the end, or even establish financing. It all depends on the payment model the service uses.
If it’s an after-the-fact payment, you might be expected to pay during this phase. If you financed, you’ll make your payments over the coming months, and if you paid upfront, you’re done with the transaction.
Get the Best Window Installation Services with JKR Windows
As you can see from our window installation guide, this is not an easy process. It’s not something you should attempt on your own, and it’s certainly not something you want a low-quality company to handle.
For your window installation needs, contact us immediately and schedule your consultation. We ensure every client is given the window installation of their dreams!