Whole-House Full-Frame Replacement: New Frames, Flashing and Trim
The frames are tired, the trim has been painted a dozen times, and you want the house done right once.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
Whole house full frame replacement takes every old window, frame and trim out to the rough opening and starts each one over: rot repaired, a sill pan set, the new window flashed into the wall, foamed, and trimmed inside and out with one profile chosen for the whole house. JMB Builders does it room by room across the Twin Cities metro. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Every opening to the studs: pan, flashing, foam, new trim
- One trim profile inside and out, chosen once
- Photo reply within one business day, or free estimate
Full-frame replacement is the whole window, not just the sashes. The old unit comes out with its frame and its trim, the rough opening is checked for rot and squared, a sloped sill pan goes down, and the new window is set with its nailing fin or frame flashed to the house wrap in the right order: sill first, sides over the sill, head over the sides. Foam fills the gap. Then new trim goes on, outside and in.
On a whole house that is a bigger job than inserts, and it is the right one when the frames are soft, the house has old vinyl or aluminum windows that come out in one piece, or you want new trim anyway. It also gives you the full glass size back, because the new frame sits in the rough opening instead of inside an old frame.
The decisions are made once for the house. Exterior: PVC trim, wood trim, or the siding cut back and finished to the new frame. Interior: casing profile, stool and apron or picture-frame casing, or drywall returns with no casing at all. Painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself.
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 763-250-3621.
What you supply
- One photo of each window from inside and outside, labeled by room
- Photos of each side of the house showing the siding type
- Your interior trim choice: match the existing profile, a new profile, or drywall returns
- Your exterior trim choice: PVC, wood, or siding finished to the frame
- A paint color if you want the trim painted; painting is a separate line
What JMB supplies
- A line-item quote with the exterior and interior trim named for the whole house
- One in-person measure of every rough opening before the order
- Removal of every window, frame and trim, and haul-away
- Rot repair at sills and framing as found, priced as written on the quote
- Sill pan, flashing lapped to the house wrap, low-expansion foam and sealant at every opening
- New exterior trim or siding returns and new interior casing, stool and apron or drywall returns, primed and caulked
- Photos of the finished windows in your job folder
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Full frame costs more per opening than an insert because of the trim and flashing work
- Siding type: vinyl unlocks and relocks; lap siding, stucco and brick each take more cutting and finishing
- Exterior trim: PVC, wood or siding returned to the frame
- Interior trim: casing matched to an existing profile, a new profile or drywall returns
- Window line, series, style, color, glass package and grilles
- Rot found in sills or framing once the old frames are out
- Second-story openings that need brackets or a lift
Send an outside close-up of one window where the siding meets the trim. The siding type sets how the outside is finished, and that is a big share of the full-frame price.
How long it takes
Full-frame windows are built to the rough opening; lead time is on the quote. A whole house in full frame runs three to six working days for most houses, longer with stucco or new casing throughout.
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
Full frame with matched trim
New casing cut to the profile the house already has, stool and apron where there was one, so the rooms look the same with new windows in them.
Full frame with drywall returns
No casing at all: the drywall wraps to the window frame with a corner bead, for a clean modern look. Common on 1980s and newer houses that had returns to begin with.
Full frame with new exterior trim
Flat PVC trim around every opening in white or a color, with the siding cut back to meet it. The outside of the house gets a new, even frame line at every window.
Whole-House Full-Frame Replacement: New Frames, Flashing and Trim: questions, answered
When does a whole house need full frame instead of inserts?
When the old frames are soft or out of square, when the old windows are vinyl or aluminum and come out in one piece, when water has been getting past the frames, or when you want new trim anyway. If most of the frames are failing, full frame on every opening is cleaner than a mix. We check each frame at the measure and write the call per line.
Does full frame replacement mean new trim in every room?
Yes. The old casing comes off with the old frame, and the new window gets new casing, stool and apron or drywall returns. You pick one profile for the house. 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.
How is the outside finished on a full frame job?
It depends on the siding. Vinyl siding is unlocked around the opening and relocked to new J-channel. Lap siding is cut back and new trim is set against it. Stucco is cut, the window flashed, and the edge finished with trim or a stucco patch. Brick usually keeps its opening and the new frame is sealed to it. The method is written per wall on the quote.
How many days does a whole house take in full frame?
Three to six working days for most houses with one crew, longer with stucco around every opening or new casing in every room. Each window is removed, set, flashed, foamed and trimmed before the next is opened, so the house is closed every night.
Do I get more glass with full frame windows?
Yes. The new frame sits in the rough opening, where the old frame sat, instead of inside the old frame as an insert does. The visible glass is close to what the original window had. On a house with small bedroom windows that matters for light and for egress.
What happens when rot is found on a full frame job?
It is expected and planned for. The old frame comes out, the soft sill or framing is cut back to sound wood and rebuilt, the opening is squared, and the new window is set on a sill pan and flashed so the water that caused it cannot get back in. The quote says how rot repair is priced before the first window comes out.
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 25, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All whole-house projects pages
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