You’ve been waiting for this day. All the hand-wringing you did over every little decision is in the rearview. It’s replaced by the excitement of having a more stylish and comfortable home. Soon your vision will be a reality.
Installation day is finally here.
The decision-making might be over. Your work is not done quite yet. There are several things you can do to help ensure your window replacement goes smoothly.
Preparing your home for window replacement
Be prepared for the installation crew in the timeframe you selected. You can help make the crew work as efficiently as possible by prepping your home for the work at hand:
- Deactivate any alarm systems that may connect to your current windows. You may want to arrange to have a professional from your home security company disconnect the alarms and then reconnect them after your new windows are installed.
- Clear the work area of anything fragile or delicate. Remove anything hanging on the walls or sitting on floating shelves. Take down your window treatments if you’re saving them to use over your new windows.
- Cover your furniture with blankets or sheets to protect from dust created during the project. Move furniture four to six feet away from the window openings that will be worked on.
- Trim your landscaping if needed — bushes, trees and shrubs — to give the crew enough clearance to work on the exterior of the window. They’ll need at least two feet to work comfortably. Bay and bow windows require even more room to work, so check with your window installer for additional space needs.
- Plan a separate workspace for the installers to set up their equipment. They will need access to an electrical outlet, so pick a spot within range. You may want to make room for the crew in your garage if there’s a chance of rain in the forecast.
- Keep your children and pets away from the work area. For the safety of the crew and your loved ones, restrict access to the work area for the duration of the installation. If you need access to something while work is going on, arrange some time with the crew to stop work and let you get what you need done and be on your way.
Understanding the window replacement project
With the prep work done, the window replacement crew can get started as scheduled. Once they arrive at your home, you’ll need to show them where they can park and set up their equipment. While the crew unloads the truck and gets set up, you can ask the crew lead to walk through the entire project with you. Together, you can check that all the window openings and units match the work order to ensure everyone knows the correct locations, sizes and configurations.
If something’s wrong, don’t panic. The installer will contact the branch office and work towards a plan to resolve the issue. Now’s the time to get things cleared up and communicate any special instructions you have for the project. You may want to save your old windows or trim, preserve your treatments or just have the crew use a certain door to get in and out of the house. Point out any landscaping, or other things inside or outside your home, that must be protected during installation.
After everything is communicated and the crew begins work, you are free to leave. You don’t have to be present for the entire window replacement project. Let the crew lead know of your plans before you go and exchange phone numbers in case anything comes up during the installation process. You can coordinate a time for the final walkthrough based on the best estimate for completion of the project or check in on the progress while you’re away to schedule a more accurate time.
For a Pella installation, the installation team will park where it's convenient for you, clearly display their Pella identification, review the installation plan with you, and cover their work area to protect your space. Your Pella installation team will install your new windows and doors in almost any weather, contain their work area, and keep you updated on the project status throughout the day. Your Pella team will take extra steps to respect your home. They'll clean up after themselves, haul away your old windows and doors, and show you how to operate your new products.
Cleaning up the mess
If you decide to stay, beware of the noise and dust. The professional installers will remove your old windows, prepare the openings for new units and install the new windows following the manufacturer’s instructions. They’ll insulate your new windows with low expansion foam insulation, add trim and seal them inside and out with the appropriate materials. All that can create quite the mess, but the crew takes measures to protect your home and clean up after themselves.
The Pella installation crew will place drop cloths, tarps or other protection on the floors where they will be walking and around the work areas. This helps keep the mess of the project from dirtying or damaging your home. They’ll thoroughly clean the work areas inside and outside your home and haul away all job-related debris — unless you specified that you wanted to keep your old window, trim or treatment. However, dust goes airborne, so you should expect some collection of dust inside your home.
Walking through your completed project
For a Pella job, after all work and cleanup is complete, the crew lead will walk through the job with you and demonstrate how to operate each window unit. You should be completely happy with the quality of work and comfortable with the operation of your windows. Ask the crew any final installation questions you may have and point out any areas of concern.
For most window replacement companies, there will be a follow-up process for you to provide feedback, good or bad. Your feedback is valuable. It’s documentation of your comments if anything is wrong or that you’re completely satisfied. They’ll make sure any remaining issues are resolved.
Installation day brings the window replacement process to an end. The investment of time and money you put into the project finally pays off and you can start enjoying a more beautiful, more comfortable home.
Window Replacement 101:
Getting Started | Decision Time | Installation Day