Which Windows to Buy for an Installer to Install — Labor Only
You want to buy the windows yourself and hire the labor. Here is what to compare between brands and stores, and what to send us so the order is right the first time.
Which windows to buy for an installer to install: any brand sold at a store, online or through a lumberyard, as long as the unit type, size and jamb depth match your opening. Compare insert vs new-construction, frame material, jamb depth, lead time and where the brand is sold. JMB Builders is an independent installer, not a dealer, across the Twin Cities metro. Send photos before you order; we check the order for free, then install it, priced per window.
- Priced per window, labor only, any brand
- We check your order for free before you buy
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Independent installer, not a dealer
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
The window brand matters less than most people think. What matters is that the unit you order is the right type for the opening, the right size, and the right jamb depth for the wall. A window from the store shelf, a special order from the pro desk, and a lumberyard order all install the same way once they show up correct. Where it goes wrong is an insert ordered for an opening that needs a full-frame unit, a 2x4 jamb in a 2x6 wall, or a size taken from the old sash instead of the frame.
The brands you can buy without a dealer are the ones stocked or special-ordered at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards and lumberyards. Brand names on this page are examples only. We do not sell windows, we are not a dealer for any of them, and we install whatever you buy the same way: old unit out, opening checked, new unit set square, flashed, foamed, sealed and trimmed.
Before you order, send us photos of each window inside and out, the frame measurements, and the wall type. We tell you insert or new-construction, the size to order, and the jamb depth, and we look over your cart or quote before you pay. That check is free. The install is quoted per window within one business day.
What you supply
- Photos of each window from inside and outside, plus one of the whole wall so we can see the siding or stucco
- Width and height of the existing frame, inside the jambs, measured at three places
- Wall type: 2x4 or 2x6 framing, and whether the interior is drywall return or wood-trimmed
- The store or lumberyard quote, cart screenshot or order confirmation before you pay for it
- The windows, delivered to the house, with screens and hardware in the boxes
- Interior paint or stain — painting new trim is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A free check of your order: type, size, jamb depth, handing on casements and sliders, egress and tempered glass where required
- Removal and haul-away of the old windows
- Sill pan or sill flashing, flashing tape, low-expansion foam, shims and fasteners
- Exterior sealant and trim, capping or J-channel work as the siding calls for
- Interior trim in a standard profile, or matched to the rest of the house, primed and caulked
- Painting or staining of the new trim when you want it done, quoted as its own line
- Photos of the finished windows in your job folder
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Insert (pocket) window vs. a new-construction unit that needs siding cut back and refastened
- Siding type: vinyl, LP or cedar lap, steel, stucco or brick, which sets how the exterior is opened and closed
- Size and floor: a second-story unit or a large picture window takes two people and a ladder plan
- Interior finish: drywall return, existing trim reused, or new casing and stool
- Rot at the sill or framing found once the old window is out, quoted when we see it
- Number of windows in the same visit
Send the order before you pay. If a size or jamb depth is off, we would rather catch it in your cart than on the truck.
How long it takes
Insert windows: three to five in a day. New-construction units with siding work: one to three a day depending on the siding. A whole house runs two to four days.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos and measurements
Each window inside and out, one of the whole wall, the frame width and height at three places, and the wall type. A photo of the tape on the jamb tells us the depth.
- 2
We spec the order
Insert or new-construction, size, jamb depth, handing, egress and tempered glass where the location calls for it. You get the install quote at the same time, within one business day.
- 3
You order it
Any store, online seller or lumberyard. Send us the cart or quote before you pay and we check it line by line for free.
- 4
We install it
Old windows out, openings checked, new units set square and level, flashed, foamed, sealed outside, trimmed inside, screens and hardware on, cleaned up.
Situations and options
Insert vs. new-construction
An insert (pocket) window goes inside the old frame and leaves the siding alone. A new-construction unit has a nailing fin, replaces the whole frame, and needs the siding cut back. Buy an insert when the old frame is sound and square; buy new-construction when it is rotted, racked, or you are changing the size.
Frame material
Vinyl is the stock option at every store and does fine on most houses. Composite and fiberglass frames (Andersen Fibrex, Marvin Ultrex, Pella Impervia, as examples) are stiffer and take paint. Wood-clad units are usually special order. All install the same; the frame choice is about looks, color and what the house has.
Jamb depth
The window jamb has to match the wall thickness or the interior trim will not sit flat. Stores sell one jamb depth for 2x4 walls and another for 2x6 walls, and some inserts come with a jamb extension kit. Tell us the wall type or send a photo of the existing jamb with a tape on it and we call out the depth to order.
Lead time
Stock sizes are on the shelf today. Special-order sizes and colors run weeks, and a whole-house order of one brand usually ships together, so one wrong unit can hold the job. Order once we have confirmed every size, then book the install for after delivery so nothing sits in the garage over winter.
Where each brand is sold
As examples: Andersen 100 and 400 series at Home Depot and lumberyards, Pella 150 and 250 at Lowe's, JELD-WEN at Menards, Home Depot and Lowe's, Marvin Essential and Elevate through dealers and lumberyards. Menards also carries its own lines. We install any of them, labor only.
Screens, grilles and hardware
Order screens with the windows; they are hard to add later. Pick grille style and color now because they are built into the glass on most units. On casements, note the hinge side; on sliders, which sash moves. These are on the order form and easy to miss, and they cannot be changed once the window is built.
Which Windows to Buy for an Installer to Install — Labor Only: questions, answered
Which windows should I buy for an installer to install?
Buy the type the opening needs first and the brand second. If the old frame is sound, an insert (pocket) replacement window in vinyl, composite or fiberglass from any store works. If the frame is rotted or out of square, buy a new-construction unit with a nailing fin. Match the jamb depth to the wall. Send photos before you order and we tell you which type and size; the brand can be whatever you like the look and price of.
What are the best windows to buy yourself without a dealer?
Any brand sold at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, online or through a lumberyard can be bought without a dealer, and those are the ones homeowners bring us most: Andersen 100 and 400 series, Pella 150 and 250, JELD-WEN, and the store house brands, as examples. Which is best depends on frame material, color options and lead time for your sizes more than on the name. We are an independent installer and do not recommend one brand over another.
Should I buy replacement inserts or new-construction windows?
Inserts fit inside the existing frame, keep the siding and exterior trim untouched, and are the faster install. New-construction windows have a nailing fin, replace the whole frame, and need the siding opened up. Buy inserts when the old frame is solid and square. Buy new-construction when there is rot, the frame is racked, or you want a different size. A photo of the old frame from inside and out is usually enough for us to say which.
What do I send you before ordering windows?
Photos of each window from inside and outside, one wide shot of the wall, the frame width and height measured inside the jambs at three places, and the wall type. Then send the store quote or cart before you pay. We check type, size, jamb depth, handing, and egress and tempered glass for bedrooms, bathrooms and stairs, and reply within one business day. That check is free whether or not you hire us.
Do you check my window order for free?
Yes. Send the quote, cart screenshot or order confirmation before you pay and we go through it line by line against your photos and measurements. We are looking for the wrong unit type, a size taken off the sash instead of the frame, the wrong jamb depth for the wall, casements hinged the wrong way, and missing screens or tempered glass. There is no charge for the check.
Does the window brand change the installation price?
No. The labor price is per window and is set by the type of install, the siding, the size and floor, and the interior trim, not by the brand. A vinyl insert from Menards and a fiberglass insert from a lumberyard go in the same way. What does change the number is a new-construction unit that needs the siding cut back, or rot found once the old window is out.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All install what you bought pages
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