When you sign up for replacement windows, you are buying two things at once: the windows themselves and the work of fitting them into a house that was built around something else. The second part is where quotes differ most, and where homeowners are most often surprised. One company’s price covers new exterior trim and hauling away the old units. Another leaves the trim gaps for you to deal with and the old glass stacked by the driveway.
This article walks through the full scope of a typical replacement window job, start to finish, so you can read any estimate and know what you are actually getting. It also covers the few things that usually sit outside the job, so nothing lands on you as a surprise later.
Before anyone picks up a pry bar
The in-home assessment
A proper job starts with someone walking your house, inside and out. They look at each opening, the condition of the wood around it, the exterior wall (brick, stone, siding or stucco), and how the current windows open. They will ask what bothers you about the old ones. Heat coming through the west bedroom in August, a slider that takes two hands to move, a sash that will not lock: those details decide which styles and glass packages make sense for each room.
At The Window Source of Austin this visit is free, and it is also when you should bring up anything that limits your choices. If your subdivision has an HOA with rules on frame color or grid patterns, or your house sits in a City of Austin local historic district, say so early. Historic district homes generally need review before exterior changes like new windows, and the City’s Historic Preservation Office can tell you what applies to your address.
Exact measurements
Replacement windows are made to fit each opening, so after you decide to go ahead, the openings get measured precisely. Older Austin houses are rarely square. Expansive clay under parts of the metro lets foundations shift over the years, and a frame that started out true can end up a little out of plumb. Good measuring catches that, and the order to the factory reflects the real opening, not the size printed on a plan.
Ordering and scheduling
Your windows are then built to those measurements. Once they arrive, you get a call to set an install date. Use that call to ask what the crew will need from you on the day, because a little preparation on your side shortens the work for everyone.
What the crew does on install day
Protecting the house
Expect drop cloths on floors near each window and some care around flower beds and shrubs outside. Crews move in and out all day, so doors stay open more than usual. On a hot afternoon that is worth knowing in advance; you may want to set the thermostat with that in mind.
Removing the old units
Each old window comes out along with any loose or failed caulk. On many homes, especially the builder-grade aluminum windows common in neighborhoods built in the 1980s and 1990s, the crew can take out the old window and fit the new one into the existing opening without tearing into the wall. Some exterior trim may need to come off to get the old frame out, and that trim gets replaced or covered before the crew leaves.
Checking the opening
With the old window out, the installer can see what was hidden. Usually the opening is sound. Sometimes there is soft wood at the sill from years of water getting past a failed seal. A careful crew stops and shows you that before covering it up, because a new window set on rotten wood will not stay tight.
Setting, leveling and insulating
The new window goes in, gets shimmed until it sits level and plumb, and is fastened to the framing. The gap between the window and the rough opening is then filled with insulating foam made for windows, which expands gently so it does not bow the frame. That step matters a great deal in a city with a cooling season as long as ours. A beautiful window with an empty gap around it still leaks hot attic-temperature air into your living room.
Sealing the outside
The exterior perimeter is sealed so rain cannot work its way behind the frame. If your quote includes exterior capping, the crew wraps the outside trim with a custom-fitted cover. Capping is a popular add-on because it protects old wood trim from sun and water and cuts down on repainting.
Interior finish
Inside, the crew fits trim or stops as needed so the window looks finished from the room. Expect them to check that each sash opens, closes and locks smoothly before moving on to the next window.
Cleanup and haul-off
Old windows, packaging, cut-offs and debris leave with the crew. Ask about this on any quote you compare. Getting rid of a dozen single-pane units yourself is a bigger chore than most people expect.
The walkthrough
Before the crew leaves, the lead installer should walk the house with you. This is your chance to open and lock every window, look at the caulk lines outside, and ask anything you want. They should also show you how your specific styles work: how a double-hung sash tilts in for cleaning, how a casement crank operates, how screens come out.
What is usually outside the job
A replacement window quote covers the window and the work to install it. A few things commonly fall outside that, and it helps to know them in advance:
- Interior painting or touch-up of walls and existing trim around the window.
- Repairing hidden framing damage found once the old window comes out. A good company tells you right away and explains your options before going further.
- Rehanging blinds, shutters and curtains. Some crews will take them down for you; putting them back is normally on you.
- Reconnecting alarm sensors. Your security company handles those.
- Changing an opening’s size or adding a brand-new opening, which is a construction project with its own steps.
None of these is a reason for concern. They are just worth confirming in writing so everyone agrees on where the job ends.
How to get your house ready
A few minutes of preparation makes the day go faster. Clear about two or three feet in front of each window inside. Take down window treatments and wall art near the openings, since power tools send vibration through walls. Trim back shrubs that crowd the windows outside. Turn off or disarm the security system. Plan for pets and small children to be somewhere away from the work, and if you work from home, find a quiet room, because the noise moves through the house with the crew.
Warranty and paperwork
Once installation is done, you should leave with paperwork for your windows. The Window Source of Austin offers double lifetime warranty options, but coverage depends on the product and the written terms, so read them and keep a copy with your house records. Ask us about warranty coverage for the exact windows on your quote. If you used financing, available to approved customers, keep that paperwork in the same place.
Keeping new windows in good shape
Vinyl frames need very little. Wipe them with water and a drop of mild dish soap, and skip abrasive cleaners that can dull the surface. For glass, a soft cloth and plain glass cleaner is enough; avoid razor blades and scouring pads on the coated surface. Screens collect a lot of fine dust here, from limestone and from the construction going on across the metro, and they hold onto cedar pollen in winter and oak pollen in spring. Pull them a couple of times a year, rinse them gently and let them dry before putting them back. Keep the tracks and weep holes at the bottom of each frame clear so water can drain.
Talk to us about your windows
If you want to see exactly what a job at your house would include, call The Window Source of Austin at (512) 524-9455 or request a free in-home estimate. You can also browse our replacement window styles before we visit.