Install day runs in a set order: protect the home, bring in the new unit, set and level it, then clean up and hand it back. Most of your part happens the day before. Here is how to get ready and how the work goes, using a real job we photographed from start to finish.
Installation usually takes 1 to 3 days for most homes, longer for large whole-home jobs. A whole-home project has more stages around those days, and replacing just one or two windows makes the day smaller. The order stays the same, and the work is done by our own installers, never subcontractors.
Get the house ready the day before
A little preparation keeps the day moving. If something is too heavy to move, tell us when we schedule.
- Clear each opening. Move furniture, plants and anything on the sill away from every window and door on the list.
- Take down what hangs nearby. Blinds, curtains and rods come down. Take pictures and mirrors off the same wall.
- Protect what dust would bother. Move electronics out of the room if you can, or tell us which pieces matter most.
- Plan for pets. Openings will be out of the wall for part of the day, so pick a closed room. Ke4mcl K. appreciated a crew that was careful about "not letting my pets escape".
- Clear the way in. Keep the driveway, side gate and path to each opening free. Large panels are carried by hand.
- Check your alarm. If sensors are wired to a window or door, ask your alarm company what to do before the old unit comes out.
The sequence, from a real pivot door job
Our pivot door install story shows every step in photos: a single oversized impact pivot door with a sidelite, installed in a courtyard by four Blue Diamond installers. It is a bigger lift than a standard window, which makes the order easy to see.
Prep the opening
Drop cloths go down first. On the pivot door job the crew then checked the new frame inside the opening, and an installer worked the top of the frame so it would sit square in the wall. The level, tools and supplies were staged next to the opening before the glass arrived. On a replacement, this is also when the old window or door comes out. Expect noise and dust at this stage, and keep children and pets out of the room.
Bring the glass in
The panel stayed wrapped and was walked through the house, keeping floors and walls clear. Two installers carried it by hand and turned it through the tight interior without touching the finishes. If your route has a tight corner or a narrow gate, mention it at the estimate so the crew knows before the day.
Set and adjust
At the opening, the panel was stood upright and the crew tilted it into the frame together. The door was seated on its pivot point. From the ladder, an installer adjusted the top pivot so the door would swing true, and the bottom was checked against the level until the gaps were even. This is the slow part, and it should be. A door or window set square opens, closes and seals the way it should.
Finish and hand over
The door was hung and plumb with the factory film still on the glass and drop cloths still protecting the deck. The level stayed out until the final check. Then the film came off, the hardware went on and the debris was hauled away. The homeowner got the opening back the way it should look, with nothing to clean up.
Plastic, dust and clean-up
Taking an opening out of a wall makes dust, and no installer can make that zero. What a careful crew can do is contain it.
Two reviews show what that looks like indoors. Ivanna G. wrote that the crew "took care to set up plastic to protect our things and airways from dust." The review goes on: "We were especially grateful for this because we had a newborn in the house at the time of installation." Carlos B. described an installer "keeping the area clean of dust and debris at all times with a vacuum and covering the room and bed with plastic sheets."
Those are fair standards to ask of anyone working in your home, so ask before work starts:
- Will plastic go up inside the room, or only at the opening?
- Who moves the furniture, and who puts it back?
- If an opening is not finished by the end of the day, how will it be closed up overnight?
Read more reviews about dust and clean-up.
Check the work before the crew leaves
Before the crew packs up, take a slow walk with them:
- Open and close every new window and door, and try every lock.
- Look at the edges inside and outside, where the new unit meets the wall. John M. wrote that the team "finished patching the inside and outside of the windows where it was needed."
- Check floors, sills and the area outside for anything left behind.
- Ask if any labels on the new units should stay on until the final inspection.
What install day does not finish
The permit still needs its final inspection after the crew leaves, and that's part of our job. Our guide to permits and HOA approval explains that side of the project.
Small adjustments can also show up after everything looks done. Alexander P. wrote: "There was an issue a day after installation due to the door expanding with weather, and Jonathan came out right away to fix it." If a door rubs or a lock feels stiff in the first weeks, take a photo and call your installer while the job is fresh.
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