Installation-only window service makes sense when the windows are already yours, or about to be, and you want a licensed crew for the part that decides how they perform. You handle the product, the order and the delivery. The installer handles the opening: tear-out, sill pan, flashing, setting, foam, interior air seal and trim, priced per opening.
It applies to builders and GCs buying direct, homeowners who ordered from a store or online dealer, property managers and flippers, and insurance jobs with approved units. The one risk to manage is measurement, and it is covered below.
What does installation-only include?
Installation-only covers the whole install of windows and doors you supply: tear-out of the old units, prep of the openings, a sill pan where the unit and the opening call for one, setting each unit level, plumb and square on shims, the specified flashing details or exterior sealing, low-expansion foam in the rough-opening gap, an interior air seal, interior trim as scoped, operation adjustment, and haul-away of the old units where agreed.
You handle product selection, ordering and delivery timing. The installer handles everything that determines how the product performs once it is in the wall.
Who does installation-only fit?
Installation-only makes sense for:
- Builders and GCs who buy windows direct and want a labor crew on their schedule.
- Homeowners who bought windows through a supplier, a big-box program or an online dealer.
- Property managers and flippers standardizing products across several units.
- Insurance jobs where the carrier has approved specific replacement products.
- DIYers who handled everything else but want the install done by a crew.
Who owns the measurement?
Measurement is the biggest risk in installation-only. When you order the windows, you own the fit. A unit measured a half-inch too big does not go in, and one too small cannot be shimmed into performing right. Replacement measuring, inside the existing frame, is not the same as rough-opening measuring for a finned unit.
If you have not measured for replacement windows before, send photos of each opening before you order. We check the size, insert or nailing-fin, and jamb depth from the photos, and measure in person only when the photos are not enough. That is cheap insurance against a re-order that costs weeks.
What should you check on the window before you buy it?
Because you are buying the product, the spec is on you. Two windows that look identical on a shelf can perform very differently in a Minnesota January. Read the NFRC label on the glass and the spec sheet on the frame before you pay.
- Glass package: Low-E coating on the inside surfaces of the panes (on the inner pane, surface #3, it keeps more winter solar gain; on the outer pane, surface #2, it cuts gain on a hot west wall), argon fill as the standard, krypton in thin gaps, double or triple pane, and a warm-edge spacer at the glass edge rather than plain aluminum.
- Frame: vinyl with multiple chambers or foam-filled cavities, fiberglass, or wood with an exterior cladding. Compression weatherstripping on casements and awnings, pile or fin seals on sliders and double-hungs, and a locking system that pulls the sash tight.
- Ratings: whole-unit U-factor (lower is better) and SHGC on the NFRC label, the optional air leakage rating (lower is better), and the ENERGY STAR mark for the Northern zone, which covers all of Minnesota. The Version 7.0 Northern criteria are the strictest U-factor tier ENERGY STAR sets.
- Fit: insert (block frame) or nailing fin, the jamb depth against your wall, the handing on casements and sliders, and tempered glass where the opening is near a floor, a tub or a door.
What does the installer control that the label does not?
Every number on that label was measured on a whole unit in a test frame with a sealed perimeter. The perimeter in your wall is built on install day, and it is the part a labor-only quote is really buying.
A sill pan with a back dam catches the water that will eventually get past any window and sends it back outside. Flashing goes on in shingle order, sill first, then jambs, then head, with the housewrap lapped over the head flashing. The gap between frame and framing is filled with low-expansion window-and-door foam, not stuffed fiberglass, because fiberglass is not an air barrier: indoor air moves through it, moisture condenses in it, and once it is damp it barely insulates. Then backer rod and sealant, or a continuous foam bead, closes the interior edge so warm indoor air never reaches the cold frame.
Skip those and the air leakage around the frame outweighs anything the glass package saves. A window with a good U-factor and a leaking perimeter is a good window in a hole. That is why the install details belong in the quote line by line.
What does a clean labor-only quote look like?
A labor-only quote should give per-unit pricing by type and size, name the install details (pan, flashing, foam, interior seal), say what happens if delivered product is damaged or mis-sized, spell out the trim and finish scope and disposal, and tie the schedule to your delivery date.
Have the windows on site and inspected before the crew is booked. Open the packaging at delivery and check size, handing, glass and frame damage while the delivery can still be refused. The smoothest labor-only jobs are the ones where the material is confirmed right before anyone swings a hammer.
What JMB Builders does
JMB Builders is a licensed Minnesota residential building contractor (BC809005) based in Zimmerman, working across the Twin Cities metro for homeowners, builders and GCs. We install the windows and doors you bought, any brand, labor only, and we install as a subcontractor for builders on their schedule. One crew, paid by check or direct deposit. Call 763-204-2099 (text) or send a photo of the openings, per-opening pricing, reply within one business day.
- Labor-only installation of windows and doors you bought at a store or online — jmbbuildersmn.com/services/labor-only
- Install a window you bought online — jmbbuildersmn.com/services/doors/install-window-bought-online
- Which windows to buy for a labor-only install — jmbbuildersmn.com/services/labor-only/which-window-brand-to-buy-for-labor-only-install
- Window and door subcontracting for builders and GCs — jmbbuildersmn.com/services/contractors
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy my own windows and just hire someone to install them?
Yes. Installation-only means you buy the windows at a store, from a supplier or online, and a licensed crew does the tear-out, the pan and flashing, the install, the foam and interior seal, and the trim. You handle the order and the delivery. Send photos of the openings before you order so the size, insert or nailing-fin, and jamb depth are checked first.
What if the window I bought does not fit the opening?
Too big does not go in. Slightly too small can sometimes be built out with a framed buck or wider jamb extensions, which is extra trim work priced per opening. Well short means a re-order. Whoever measured and ordered owns that cost, which is why the openings get checked from photos before the order.
Do I have to measure the windows myself for a labor-only install?
Not if you send photos first. We check each opening from the photos and tell you what to order, and we measure in person only when the photos are not enough. If you order without that check, the fit is on you.
What should I look for on the window label before I buy?
The NFRC label gives the whole-unit U-factor and SHGC, and often an air leakage rating; lower is better on U-factor and air leakage. Look for the ENERGY STAR mark for the Northern zone, which is where all of Minnesota sits. On the spec sheet, check for Low-E glass, argon fill, a warm-edge spacer and a multi-chamber or foam-filled frame.
Does labor-only installation include insulating around the window?
Yes, and it should be in the quote by name. The gap between the frame and the framing is filled with low-expansion window-and-door foam, and the interior edge is closed with backer rod and sealant or a continuous bead before the trim goes on. Stuffed fiberglass is not an air seal and should not be accepted as one.
Does labor-only installation include interior trim?
As scoped. Jamb extensions, casing, stool and apron, or drywall returns are their own lines on the quote, priced per opening. New trim goes in primed, filled and caulked. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
