One of the biggest questions homeowners have about impact window and door installation (other than how much it will cost) is how long does it take to install a door or window?
It’s an understandable concern. We’re all busy, we all want to get on with our day without wondering if we’re going to have our routine disrupted for some huge amount of time. Also, considering that most impact window and door companies require a down payment to cover the cost of making your custom doors and windows, you may want to know if you’re going to get that custom fenestration in your home sooner rather than later.
So, how long does it take to install a door or window? What are the major factors that contribute to delays in the installation process? Why should you opt for custom windows and doors that take a little longer to get installed than off-the-shelf models?
How Long Does It Take to Install a Door or Window?
When you’re ordering a custom window or door for your home, the biggest delay is typically for the actual manufacture and shipping of your new fenestration product. It takes time for the window installation company to submit the measurements for your new door or window, for the manufacturer to process the rest of the orders ahead of yours in their production queue, assemble your door, run quality control checks, and ship the door to the installation company.
From there, the installer needs to perform their own quality control checking, arrange for a crew of installers, then ship the impact window or door to your home.
This portion of the process can take several weeks or even months during the busy season for impact door/window manufacturing (which typically coincides with hurricane season).
The actual installation of a door or window can vary a bit depending on the size, style, and installation location, but most installs only take a couple of hours or so, maybe up to four hours for really involved projects on higher floors. This is why most whole home window replacement services can be done the same day they start.
This helps to ensure that window and door installation has as little impact on your daily routine as possible.
What Are the Biggest Delays in an Impact Window or Door Installation?
So, there are any number of reasons why an impact window/door installation might get delayed longer than normal. Some of these reasons are easy to anticipate and plan around, while others may be more sudden and unexpected.
The most common reason for a long wait time on a new window or door is typically that the manufacturer has a long production queue. Every year, thousands of orders are made for custom impact windows and doors across Florida.
Before your window or door can be made, the manufacturer has to finish making all of the orders that were placed before yours. This can be a major or minor delay depending on how busy the manufacturer is.
If it’s the middle of hurricane season and there’s just been a major storm that damaged much of Florida’s coastline, that’s when manufacturers are going to be at their busiest and you may have to wait a long time before they can get around to making their windows. If it’s during the off-season and they’re only handling a standard workload, then you may only have to wait a few days before they get to making your order.
After your windows and doors are made, the manufacturer may need to run quality checks to verify that they’re free from defects. This part of the process takes minimal time. However, if there is a major defect, they may need to take apart and remake the window or door to fix it.
Once all of that is done, then the manufacturer can send the products on to the installer.
On receipt, the installer will need to do their own check of the windows and doors to make sure that they’re in good condition to be installed. While rare, even the best manufacturers can occasionally make a mistake and ship a flawed product.
If there’s an issue that needs fixing, the product will have to be sent back to the manufacturer for replacement, potentially adding another few days or a week to the manufacturing time.
Then, once the windows and doors are verified as being good to install, you might need to wait for an installation crew to be available to handle the actual installation.
For some installation companies, this isn’t a source of any delay at all. For others, it can take a while. The difference? Companies that only use licensed, in-house installation pros tend to take a little longer to arrange a work crew than ones who farm out their work to every random low-bidding subcontractor in the state of Florida.
Here, having a bit of a delay can actually be a good thing. Why? Well…
The Consequences of Going for Fast & Cheap Over Quality
There’s an old saying that goes “haste makes waste.” While it’s natural to want your new windows as soon as humanly possible, it’s important to work with a window & door company that understands the importance of doing everything the right way.
What’s the harm in a rushed job done by unlicensed and potentially uninsured workers?
A few of the top problems with going for fast & cheap over high-quality, if moderately slower work include:
Insurance Liability if the Contractor Is Uninsured/Underinsured
Did you know that, if an uninsured contractor is working on your home and suffers a workplace injury, the money needed to pay for their medical care might have to come out of your pocket? As noted by legal firm Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath, “if the contractor is not insured, you as the property owner become the general contractor. That makes you responsible for all their errors. If you hire an uninsured contractor knowingly, it’s likely that your insurance will refuse to cover any of the damages.”
So, not only are you risking a hit to your homeowner’s insurance policy, your insurer may flat out refuse to cover the costs!
Considering that the cost of a hospital stay for an injury can easily exceed $100,000, it’s often well worth spending a little more to work with a company that has workers’ compensation insurance already!
Improper Installation
Window and door companies that are obsessed with doing the work as fast as possible often use subcontractors who will actively cut corners to save time. They may do things like rush putting in the frame so it isn’t perfectly square in the window opening, skimp on insulation around the window so it’s draftier than it should be, or even forget to properly secure the window to the opening so it quite literally falls out with a stiff breeze.
Many subcontractors who aren’t window installation specialists don’t understand why certain steps are important to the installation process, leading to them skipping critical steps in the process because they think they aren’t necessary to the function of your windows.
When this happens, you may need to get a whole other window replacement service done, effectively meaning you have to pay twice to get your windows and doors.
Not Getting the Doors and WIndows You Ordered
When a company has a turnaround time that’s too fast to be real, that might be a sign that they aren’t actually providing custom-crafted windows and doors.
For example, say that a sales rep promised you that your new windows and doors would be installed in the same week. Even in the middle of the least busy seasons for major window manufacturers, that would be an insanely tight turnaround time for custom-made windows.
Rather than getting custom-made windows and doors, you’re more likely to be getting premades that are meant to fit “standard” openings… the only issue is that not every window and door opening is a standard size or shape, even when they look like it from the outside.
That’s because, over time, building foundations may settle, causing openings to bow or bend slightly. In these cases, windows and doors need to be made in such a way to accommodate the altered opening or be made smaller so a window buck can be used to create a square, stable installation point for the window.
Also, some building designers may not have made their windows and doors standard size openings. If there’s a difference of more than an inch from the ‘standard’ size in the ready-to-go stock, then that’s going to be a major issue, especially if the installer doesn’t properly shim or buck the window opening to account for the difference.
Worse, prefabricated windows and doors may lack the specific enhanced features you wanted for your home. If you ordered low-e glass windows or doors, but the window seller doesn’t have that in stock and substitutes plain glass without warning, you could lose out on critical energy efficiency benefits.
Want Quality Window Installation That Gives You What You Ordered?
Reach out to Karoly Windows for reliable, trustworthy impact window and door quotes. With Karoly, the price we quote is the price you pay, free from bait-and-switch shenanigans and hassles.
We’ll communicate with you proactively to keep you informed about when your new windows and doors will be installed, informing you about any delays as soon as possible.
Reach out today for more information and a free in-home consultation with one of our window and door experts!
