The rep I signed with (from ProTech Windows & Doors) was pretty candid. He said their average was 12 weeks but sometimes it goes 14-15 if something goes wrong, and they’d let me know. In my case it was done in 12 as promised. I appreciated the honesty.
I’d rather have a real expectation set than an overly optimistic “oh sure, 6 weeks no problem” and then get disappointed.
It’s refreshing when companies are realistic about the timeline. I had a few come out for quotes that made me suspicious—like one guy promised 4-week installation which is almost unheard of for custom impact windows. I didn’t go with that one; felt like a sales tactic.
I chose a company with a more average timeline but a great reputation. It paid off in peace of mind.
I’ve actually replaced windows twice (two different houses) in the last 10 years here. The first time was in 2015 after those big 2004-2005 hurricanes (I procrastinated a while). Back then, the wait was crazy because everyone was upgrading to impact windows. It took 6 months.
Recently did my new house last year, and that took about 3 months. The process has improved, and I think companies have gotten better at managing permits and orders. Now a lot is done digitally which speeds up permits. Just wanted to note how far things have come. 😊
The big takeaway: plan for a few months. If it happens sooner, great! 🙂
I told myself from the outset that it would probably be 4+ months so I wouldn’t get antsy. And indeed, mine was about 4 months total. No disappointment since I expected it. If you expect 4 weeks and it turns into 12, that’s when frustration kicks in.
And definitely don't remove any old windows yourself ahead of time (sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised). The installers will handle everything when the time comes. I had a friend who thought he'd save the crew time by taking out a couple of old windows himself before the install date... Then his window delivery got delayed another week, and he had two big holes boarded up. 😆 Not worth it.
Haha, oh no @tim_joker! Yeah, let the pros do the removal when they're ready to install the new ones the same day. In my install, they went one window at a time: take one out, put one new in, then move to the next. That way the house was never open to the outside for long. By evening, all openings were closed with new windows or at least covered securely if they had to pause.
One more thing about weather: keep an eye on hurricane/tropical storm forecasts as your installation date nears. If a storm is coming, even a small one, the installer might postpone. We had a tropical storm watch on the week my install was originally scheduled.
The company pre-emptively rescheduled by a few days just to be safe. It only pushed us back 3 days, and I totally understood. You don’t want workers caught in nasty weather or your house open if something sudden came up.
Good advice. Safety first for sure. I actually got lucky with perfect weather on my install days (October install, mild and sunny). But yeah, Florida can be unpredictable. A rain shower here or there is fine, they know how to deal with that. But anything more severe and it's better to delay a bit.
Speaking of seasons, do window companies offer better deals in the slow season? I timed mine for winter hoping not just for faster timeline but maybe a discount. The company I went with gave me a small off-season discount (5% off) because I signed in November.
In summer they weren’t offering any deals because they had more demand than they could handle. So it might be something to consider—some companies run promotions when business is slower.
I've seen that too. Around the holidays or just after New Year, some companies advertise promos. For example, I recall Karoly Windows & Doors had a winter special last year (my neighbor mentioned it). It wasn't huge, but any savings help.
More importantly, like you said, in off-peak the crews have more availability so you might get things done sooner. Just don't expect like a massive price drop or anything; windows are a pretty fixed-cost item.