As someone new to Tampa (moved here in 2023), this thread is an eye-opener. Back where I used to live (up north), contractors generally kept pretty strict schedules, so I was caught off guard when my first Florida contractor experience was... let's say, more casual with timing. It's good to know going in that I need to explicitly ask about punctuality and maybe get references. I'm definitely going to grill any window contractor I consider about how they stick to schedules. And thanks to everyone mentioning Karoly and Pro Tech – I'll be adding them to my shortlist for quotes. Love the local insight here!
Quick question for those who've been through it: do window contractors usually give you a specific arrival time or just a time window? My installer keeps saying "we'll be there in the morning" which is super vague (morning could be 8 AM or 11 AM, as I've learned 🙄). Is it reasonable for me to ask for a tighter timeframe, or is that just how it goes? I'm fine with a window like "8-10 AM" as long as they stick to it, but right now I'm basically on hold every day until they show up. How have you all handled this?
@dobbyskier In my experience, most contractors will give a 1-2 hour arrival window rather than an exact time. If yours isn't giving you that, you should absolutely ask for it. Like @jmartin52 pointed out earlier, being the first job of the day can help. When I scheduled with my window company, I requested the earliest slot and they told me "we'll arrive between 8 and 9 AM" – and they actually stuck to that. If you're stuck with a vague "morning" promise, push them for clarification. It's not unreasonable; you have a life and can't just wait around indefinitely. A professional outfit should understand that.
Punctuality was huge for me because I was juggling work and kids' schedules during our window install. I told the contractor upfront that I needed to do school drop-off at 8:30 AM, so if they could arrive after that it would be ideal. They agreed to a 9-9:30 AM arrival window. Some days they showed up right at 9 (perfect), but a couple times it was closer to 9:45, which made me late for other commitments. At least they called when running behind, but it was still a scramble on those days. I think contractors sometimes forget that homeowners often arrange their whole day around the crew's schedule. When they don't stick to it, it can really throw things off on our end.
It's funny (in a sad way) how some crews start strong and then slack off. My window replacement crew showed up at 8 AM on the dot the first two days, and I was thinking, "Alright, these guys are great." But by day 3, they rolled in at 11 AM with barely an explanation. Day 4 was similar, late morning arrival. It was like as the job went on, they lost the urgency to be on time. I did bring it up to the foreman, who apologized and said they had an issue at their shop, but who knows. They did finish the job well, but that mid-project dip in punctuality was weird and a bit irritating. Consistency would have been nice!
Has anyone here ever put something in writing about punctuality or job timing? Like a clause in the contract that says if the job isn't done by X date or if they no-show without notice, there's a penalty or discount. I'm curious if that's even possible with residential window jobs. I thought about it when I signed my contract, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up without scaring off a good contractor. In commercial construction they have deadlines and penalties, but in home projects it seems more like an honor system. Anyone tried making timeliness part of the agreement?
@tim_seeker I've wondered the same. I haven't personally put a penalty clause in a contract (most small contractors would probably balk at that), but I have heard of homeowners negotiating payment schedules that incentivize timely completion. For example, holding the final payment until all work is done by the agreed date. It's not exactly a penalty, but it ensures they have motivation to finish on time. In my window contract, I made sure the final 10% wasn't due until completion. That way, if they dragged their feet, I'd at least have some leverage. Luckily, the company I chose (Pro Tech in this case) finished on schedule, so it wasn't an issue. But it's definitely something worth discussing upfront if you're worried about timing.
Responsiveness is such a big part of this too. The window company I went with (small local business) would reply to my emails and texts within an hour whenever I had a question about scheduling. Even if it was just to say, "Got your message, will confirm soon," it made a huge difference in my stress levels. Compare that to a contractor I used years ago (for flooring) who went MIA for a week – night and day. So now when I'm vetting contractors, I pay attention to how responsive they are even before I sign anything. If they're slow or flaky in communication during the quote stage, that's a red flag for how they'll be later on.
I've learned that when some contractors say "we'll start at 8 AM," they might actually mean "we'll leave our shop at 8 AM." 🙄 In my last project, 8 AM often turned into 9 AM by the time they rolled up. At least by the end I knew to mentally add an hour to whatever they promised. Not ideal, but it kept me from boiling over every morning. Still, wouldn't it be nice if more teams just showed up when they say they will? A homeowner can dream, I guess!
I was honestly surprised when my window replacement actually started exactly when it was supposed to. We signed the contract with Karoly Windows & Doors in December, and they estimated an install in early April (due to window manufacturing lead time). I half-expected that date to slip based on stories I've heard, but nope – come the first week of April, they called me to schedule the exact days and kicked off right on time. It was refreshing to have a company stick to their word on scheduling. The whole job was done by the end of that week. It just goes to show, some contractors in Tampa Bay really do operate punctually from start to finish.