Getting ready for window installation next week and suddenly realizing I have no idea what actually needs to be moved/covered/cleaned up beforehand. Should I take down all the curtains and blinds ahead of time, or do installers usually handle that? Also, is it overkill to move furniture a few feet away from each window, or just enough so they can squeeze by? I’ve got a bunch of plants on the sills too… anyone have tips for not totally wrecking my living room in the process?
Should I take down all the curtains and blinds ahead of time, or do installers usually handle that?
If you don’t want strangers wrestling with your drapes (and possibly yanking them off the wall), I’d pull those down yourself. I’ve seen more than a few “mystery stains” after a crew tried to be helpful. As for furniture, give ‘em a couple feet—nobody wants to play Tetris with your couch mid-job. Plants? Move ‘em if you love ‘em. Dust gets everywhere, and I’ve watched a fiddle leaf fig get absolutely demolished by a stray ladder leg.
If you don’t want strangers wrestling with your drapes (and possibly yanking them off the wall), I’d pull those down yourself.
I get the worry, but my installers actually offered to take down the blinds for me. They seemed used to it and had the right tools, so nothing got damaged. I guess it depends on the company? If you’re not super attached to your curtains, sometimes it’s just easier to let the pros handle it—less stress for me, anyway.
If you’re not super attached to your curtains, sometimes it’s just easier to let the pros handle it—less stress for me, anyway.
That’s fair, and I get why people would just let the installers do it. I’ve had crews offer to take down blinds too, but after one guy accidentally bent a bracket (nothing major, but still annoying), I started doing it myself. Maybe I’m a bit picky about how things go back up, but I’d rather spend the extra 10 minutes and know everything’s safe.
Depends on the company and how much you care about your window stuff, I guess. Some folks are careful, others just want to get in and out. If you’ve got any weird custom rods or finicky hardware, I’d definitely pull those down yourself. But if it’s just basic blinds and you’re not worried about them, yeah, letting the installers handle it can save you some hassle.
Funny thing… last time I replaced windows, I found a ton of dust bunnies behind the curtains. Might as well use it as an excuse to clean while you’re at it.
I’ve had crews offer to take down blinds too, but after one guy accidentally bent a bracket (nothing major, but still annoying), I started doing it myself. Maybe I’m a bit picky about how thing...
- I’d second doing curtains/blinds yourself, especially if you care about the hardware or have anything custom. Too easy for them to get dinged up.
- Furniture: I just made sure nothing was right up against the sills—moved stuff back 2-3 feet. Installers seemed happy with that, and it was less chaos than shoving everything into the center of the room.
- Plants: Last time I moved all mine off the sills and put them in a bathtub, just to keep them out of the way and away from dust. Not perfect, but better than trying to wipe drywall off leaves later.
Honestly, I’d rather spend an hour prepping than deal with scuffed-up trim or lost screws later.
- I get the worry about blinds, but honestly, I let the crew handle mine and just took photos of how everything was set up beforehand. Saved me a headache, and they actually reinstalled them better than I would’ve managed.
- For furniture, I found that covering stuff with old sheets worked just as well as moving it way back—less heavy lifting, and dust didn’t get everywhere.
- Plants in the tub is smart, though. I tried leaving a couple on a shelf across the room and still ended up wiping drywall dust off for days.
Guess it comes down to how much you trust your installers... or how much you hate moving furniture.
- Took a bunch of “before” pics too, but the crew ended up moving my blinds into a pile and didn’t bother with the order. Had to rehang them myself—definitely not as good as yours turned out.
- Used plastic drop cloths for furniture, but somehow dust still got under them. Maybe I should’ve taped the edges?
- Plants in the tub worked, except my monstera hated the low light and dropped a leaf.
Did anyone have issues with the window sensors or alarm wiring? I was paranoid about them getting messed up, but maybe I overthought it...
I actually didn’t bother taping the edges of my drop cloths and didn’t notice much extra dust, but maybe my crew was just tidier? Or maybe it depends on how much they’re cutting or demo’ing. On the window sensors—mine were wireless, so I just popped them off and stuck them back after. I was more worried about the old alarm wires getting pinched, but the installers seemed used to dealing with it. Unless you’ve got something really old or complicated, I wouldn’t stress too much.
On the window sensors—mine were wireless, so I just popped them off and stuck them back after. I was more worried about the old alarm wires getting pinched, but the installers seemed used to dealing with it.
That lines up with what I ran into, except my sensors were wired and I learned the hard way not to assume the installers would know where every wire was. My house is mid-70s, so the alarm setup is a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster. When they started prying out one of the old sashes, a wire got snagged and the alarm panel started beeping like crazy. Not a huge deal—just meant I had to crawl into the crawlspace after they left and patch a break. If you’ve got older wiring, I’d say it’s worth tracing where those wires run before demo starts, or at least mentioning it to the crew.
About the drop cloths and dust—maybe it’s just my luck, but I always end up with fine dust sneaking under the edges unless I tape them down. I’m in a pretty dry area, so maybe the static or airflow just kicks up more. The one time I skipped taping, I found a layer of grit under the baseboards that took forever to vacuum out. Not the end of the world, but next time I’d just take the extra five minutes with the painter’s tape.
One thing I wish someone had told me: double check the window measurements yourself before the order goes in. My installer was pretty good, but one window came in half an inch too small because of a misread on the rough opening. It got sorted eventually, but there was a two-week delay and a lot of cold air coming in while we waited for the replacement.
Overall, I’d agree—unless you’ve got some really old or complicated setup, most crews have seen it all. But if your house is quirky (mine definitely is), a little extra prep can save some headaches.
Yeah, the dust is unreal—no matter what I do, some always gets through. I’ve tried both taped and untaped drop cloths, and honestly, taping is the only thing that keeps me sane when it’s time to clean up. On the wiring front, did your installers actually want a heads-up about the alarm stuff, or did they just kind of wing it? Mine seemed a little too confident, which made me nervous. Also, totally agree on double-checking measurements... learned that the hard way with a bathroom window that ended up looking like a mail slot for a week.