Window Upgrades After Buying an Apartment Building
You just closed on a building, the inspection report has a page on windows and doors, and the business plan says the units get upgraded.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
For window upgrades after buying an apartment building, JMB Builders walks every unit with the new owner, lists each window, patio door and entry door, sorts them into a priority list (safety, leaks, egress, then drafts and looks), and bids by unit so you can plan with your lender and partners. Twin Cities metro to St. Cloud, priced per unit. Send photos for a reply within one business day, or book a free estimate and walkthrough.
- Every unit walked, every opening listed
- Priority list: safety, leaks, egress first
- Bid by unit for lender and partners
A new owner usually knows the building from a due-diligence tour of a few units and an inspection report. That is enough to buy. It is not enough to order windows. The first step after closing is a walk of every unit, because the worst windows are often in the units nobody showed you.
We look at every window, patio door and unit entry door and sort them. Safety first: broken glass, bedroom windows that will not open, doors that do not latch or self-close. Then water: leaks, rot at sills, stains under openings. Then the drafts, failed seals and worn hardware that drive tenant complaints, and last the look of the building from the street.
You get a bid by unit with each opening listed and the priority marked, so you can fund the urgent lines now and fold the rest into the value-add plan. Before we bid a building of five or more units, we check the city's contractor licensing and permit rules for that building.
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
- Access to every unit, with tenant notice from your side
- The inspection report or condition report from the purchase, if you have it
- Your plan: hold and fix, renovate on turnover, or full value-add
- Lender or partner format requirements for the bid, if any
What JMB supplies
- A walk of every unit and the common areas
- Each window, patio door and entry door listed by unit
- A priority list: safety, water, egress, then comfort and looks
- A bid by unit, with priority lines marked
- Fire-rated corridor doors noted where the building has them
- Photos of each problem opening, filed by unit
- 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:
- How many openings need work now vs. later
- Repair (glass, hardware, balances) vs. replacement
- Insert vs. full frame, decided by frame condition
- Rot at sills and rough openings
- Egress corrections in bedroom windows
- Fire-rated unit entry doors, where they apply
- Doing units on turnover vs. all at once
Send the inspection report pages on windows and doors and a few photos. The bid firms up after every opening is measured.
How long it takes
Walk of every unit: a day or more, by unit count. Urgent repairs first; replacement typically one to two working days per unit after lead time, which depends on the brand and is 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
Urgent lines only
Broken glass, egress, locks and leaks fixed now. The rest stays on the list for later.
On turnover
Each unit's windows and doors done when it goes vacant, to the same written spec, so the building upgrades unit by unit.
Whole building
One order, one schedule, every unit done. The cleanest result and one mobilization.
Window Upgrades After Buying an Apartment Building: questions, answered
Should I replace the windows right after buying an apartment building?
Fix safety and water problems first: broken glass, bedroom windows that will not open, and leaks. Full replacement can wait for the plan and the budget. A walk of every unit tells you which is which.
What windows and doors get priority in a value-add apartment plan?
Safety and code items, then leaks and rot, then drafty or fogged units that drive complaints, then looks. Patio doors with rotted sills and unit doors that do not close and latch belong near the top.
Can you give a bid I can show my lender?
Yes. The bid lists every opening by unit with the price per unit and priority lines marked. If your lender or partners need a certain format, send it with the request.
Do you check every unit or just a few?
Every unit, when the owner can give access. Sample units miss the worst openings too often. The bid is only as good as the count behind it.
Can the windows be replaced as units turn over?
Yes. Write one spec, then order and install each unit as it goes vacant. Vacant units are faster to work in, and the building upgrades without disturbing tenants who stay.
Do you need a permit for windows in an apartment building?
Often. Buildings of five or more units fall under the commercial building code, and many cities want a permit for replacement windows. Before we bid, we check the city's contractor licensing and permit rules and pull the permit when one is needed.
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.
Related jobs we do
Replace Windows After Buying a House — Before or Right After Move-In
You just bought the house and the inspection report says the windows are done. Here is how to time the replacement around closing and move-in.
Read moreHome Inspection Repair List — Contractor Before Closing
The buyer's inspection came back with a list, the repair addendum is signed, and closing is three weeks out.
Read moreRental License Inspection Repairs — Correction Orders Fixed
The city inspector left a correction order with a compliance date. We work the carpentry lines on that order in one visit, unit by unit, and send you the photos to close it out.
Read morePricing Windows From a Property Condition Report — Apartments
Your property condition assessment says the windows need replacing and gives a cost estimate. You need a contractor's price for those same lines before closing, refinancing or setting reserves.
Read more1960s Apartment Building Window Replacement — Aluminum Sliders Out
Your building went up in the 1960s or '70s, and the original aluminum sliders sweat, frost, rattle and leak in every unit.
Read moreAccessible Apartment Door Upgrades — Levers, Thresholds, Wider Doors
A tenant uses a wheelchair or walker, or you are updating common-area doors, and you want levers, low thresholds and wider doors done right in an occupied building.
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: