How to Prepare for Window Installation — The Homeowner Prep List
The install date is on the calendar. A couple of evenings of prep makes the install days shorter and keeps your things out of the way.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
How to prepare for window installation: clear about three feet inside each window, take down blinds, curtains and rods, move wall hangings near the windows, plan where pets stay, call your alarm company about window sensors, clear the driveway for the trailer, and move pots and patio furniture back outside. JMB Builders covers floors and cleans up daily across the Twin Cities metro. Priced per opening.
- About three feet clear inside each window
- Coverings down before we arrive
- Alarm sensors: your alarm company's job
The crew needs room to work at each window, inside and out, and a clear path from the door to it. Anything in that path either gets moved by you ahead of time or slows the day down. Most of the prep is moving things a few feet.
Some things are yours to handle because they are not part of the window job. Blinds and shades come down and go back up by you; we do not install them. Alarm sensors on the windows belong to your alarm company. Plants in the beds under the windows are easier to move or tie back than to replant.
Do the prep for the rooms on the schedule. On a whole-house job you can go room by room: we tell you at the end of each day which rooms are next.
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
- About three feet cleared inside each window, furniture pulled back or out
- Blinds, shades, curtains and rods taken down and stored
- Pictures, mirrors and shelves near the windows taken off the wall
- Pets kept in a room we are not working in, or out of the house
- A call to your alarm company about window sensors before and after
- Driveway space for the trailer and pots, grills and patio furniture moved back from the house
What JMB supplies
- A written room order so you know which rooms to prep first
- Drop cloths or runners from the entry door to each window
- Covers over furniture too heavy to move
- Old windows and debris hauled away the same day
- Each room vacuumed when we finish it
- One number to call if your plans change
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of openings and the install method on each
- Brand, frame material and glass package
- Access: second-story windows, decks, steep grades or tight side yards
- Built-ins or heavy pieces that have to be worked around
- Interior and exterior trim scope
Tell us at the measure about built-ins, pianos, aquariums or anything that cannot move. We plan around it.
How long it takes
Prep takes most homeowners an evening or two. Install days are set once the windows arrive; inserts run about three to five a day.
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
Window coverings
Take down blinds, shades, curtains and rods, and keep the brackets and screws in a bag taped to each. New windows can change bracket spots; putting coverings back up is yours or your blind company's.
Alarm sensors
If your windows have contacts, call your alarm company before the install so the system can be bypassed, and after, to move or reattach the sensors on the new frames.
Outside the house
Move pots, grills and patio furniture back from the walls. Tie back shrubs that touch the windows. Leave the driveway or a spot on the street for the trailer and the new windows.
Kids and pets
Windows and doors are open for stretches. Keep pets shut in a room we are not working in that day and tell us which one, so we do it last.
How to Prepare for Window Installation — The Homeowner Prep List: questions, answered
How do I prepare my house for window installation?
Clear about three feet inside each window, take down window coverings and rods, take pictures off nearby walls, and plan where pets will be. Outside, move pots and patio furniture back from the house and leave room in the driveway for the trailer. Call your alarm company if your windows have sensors.
Do I need to move furniture before window installation?
Yes, pull furniture back about three feet from each window and clear a path from the door. If something is too heavy or built in, tell us at the measure; we cover it and work around it.
Should I take down my blinds before window replacement?
Yes. Take down blinds, shades, curtains and rods before we arrive, and keep the hardware with each one. Putting them back up is yours or your blind company's; we do not install window coverings. Brackets may need new spots on the new frames.
What about my security system during window installation?
Call your alarm company before the install so the window contacts can be bypassed, and after, so they can reattach or replace sensors on the new windows. The sensors and the panel are the alarm company's equipment.
Do I need to clean my windows before they are replaced?
No. The old ones are leaving. Clearing the area around them and taking down coverings matters much more than cleaning.
How far ahead should I start preparing for window installation?
An evening or two before the first install day is enough for most houses. On a whole-house job, prep the first day's rooms, and we tell you at the end of each day which rooms come next.
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
Window Installation Day: What to Expect, Arrival to Walkthrough
The windows came in, the date is set, and the trailer pulls up in the morning. Here is how the day runs.
Read moreWhole House Window Replacement — One Measure, One Order, Room by Room
Every window in the house at once: one measure, one order, one schedule, and the house closed up every night.
Read moreCan I Stay Home During Window Replacement? A Whole-House Install Week
Every window in the house is coming out over several days, and you, the kids, the dog and the work laptop are staying put.
Read moreHow Long Does Window Replacement Take? Order Wait vs. Days on Site
You want to know two things: how long until the windows show up, and how many days the crew will be in the house.
Read more1.5 Story Dormer Window Replacement — Upstairs Knee Wall Bedrooms
The upstairs windows in the dormers are drafty and hard to reach, and the bedrooms up there are the coldest rooms in the house.
Read more1920s Bungalow Window Replacement — Original Trim Kept, Pockets Filled
A pre-war bungalow with wood double hungs, broken sash cords, storms on the outside and wide craftsman casing inside that you do not want to lose.
Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
Where we work
Window Replacement & Installation near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: