Apartment Capital Improvement Windows and Doors — Plan, Budget, Bid
Windows and patio doors are on the five-year capital plan, and the line in the spreadsheet is a guess.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
For apartment capital improvement windows and doors, JMB Builders walks the building with the owner or asset manager, counts every opening by unit type, and returns budget pricing per unit with a phasing plan by year and one written window spec. The budget becomes a firm bid after every opening is measured. Low-rise buildings, Twin Cities metro to St. Cloud. Send photos for a reply within one business day, or book a free estimate and walkthrough.
- Budget pricing per unit type
- Phasing laid out by budget year
- One written spec for every phase
An owner or asset manager planning capital improvements needs three things for windows and doors: what is there now, what it would cost to replace by unit, and how to spread it over the years the money is available. Most plans start with a number per window copied from somewhere else. That number rarely survives the first real bid.
We walk the building with you. We count windows, patio doors and unit entry doors by unit type, note sizes and styles, and photograph what drives the price: rotted sills, failed seals, aluminum frames, missing capping, corridor doors that are labelled fire-rated assemblies. Then we price one or two window lines per unit type, with each opening listed, and lay out a few ways to phase it. Before we bid a building of five or more units, we check the city's contractor licensing and permit rules for that building.
The spec is written down once: brand, series, color inside and out, glass package, grilles and install method. Every phase is ordered to that spec, so the units done in year three match the units done in year one. When you are ready to order a phase, every opening in it is measured in person and the budget becomes a firm bid.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- The unit list and unit types, or a rent roll with unit numbers
- Access to a sample of each unit type and the common areas
- The years and rough amounts the plan can fund, if you have them
- Any spec your portfolio already uses for windows or doors
- Your vendor forms and insurance requirements
What JMB supplies
- A walkthrough of the building and each unit type
- Opening counts and photos filed by unit type
- Budget pricing per unit, each opening listed, in one or two window lines
- Patio doors and unit entry doors priced as their own lines
- Two or three phasing options by year, building or elevation
- One written spec every phase is ordered to
- A firm bid per phase after every opening is measured
- A certificate of insurance and a W-9 on request
How it is priced: per unit
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Unit types and the number, size and style of openings in each
- The window line and glass package in the spec
- Insert vs. full frame, decided by frame condition
- Rot, flashing and capping work found at the walkthrough
- Fire-rated corridor doors, where the building has them
- Exterior access on upper floors of a low-rise building
- How many phases, and manufacturer price changes between them
Budget pricing is a planning number at today's prices. Each phase is re-priced and measured before it is ordered.
How long it takes
Walkthrough: part of a day for most low-rise buildings. Budget pricing follows. Installs typically run one to two working days per unit once product is on site; lead time depends on the brand and is written on the quote.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Whole building, one year
One mobilization, one order, every unit matching the same season. The biggest single draw on the budget.
By elevation or building
The worst side or building first, the rest in later years, each phase ordered to the same written spec.
Doors as their own phase
Patio doors and unit entry doors priced and scheduled separately from windows, so they can move up or back in the plan.
Apartment Capital Improvement Windows and Doors — Plan, Budget, Bid: questions, answered
How do I budget for window replacement in an apartment building?
Start with a count of every opening by unit type and a current price per unit from a contractor who has walked the building. A per-window figure from another job misses rot, capping, access and door work. We give budget pricing per unit with each opening listed, then a firm bid when you are ready to order.
Is a capital plan budget the same as a bid?
No. A budget is a planning number from a walkthrough and sample units at today's prices. A bid comes after every opening in the phase is measured in person, and it is priced to the written spec at the time of the order.
Can the window replacement be spread over several years?
Yes. Common splits are by building, by elevation or worst units first. Each phase is ordered to one written spec so the building matches, and each is re-priced before the order because manufacturer prices change.
Should patio doors and unit entry doors be in the same capital project as the windows?
They can be, but price them as their own lines. Unit entry doors off a corridor are often fire-rated assemblies, which changes the product and hardware. Separate lines let you fund doors with the windows or in their own year.
Do you give dollar figures on the website for apartment windows?
No. Prices depend on the unit types, the window line, frame condition and access, so we price after a walkthrough. Budget pricing per unit is part of the walkthrough, at no charge.
What do you need from the owner before a capital walkthrough?
The unit list, access to a sample of each unit type, and any spec the portfolio already uses. If you have funding years in mind, tell us so the phasing options fit them. Insurance and vendor forms can be handled at the same time.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All apartment buildings pages
Where we work
Apartment & Multifamily Window and Door Projects near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: