Replace the Main-Floor Windows
The main floor is where guests sit and where the biggest windows are. Doing that whole level at once finishes the rooms you live in and leaves the bedrooms upstairs for another year.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
To replace the main-floor windows, JMB Builders measures every window on the first floor, usually the living room, dining room, kitchen and a bath, and puts the five to nine of them on one order. One floor is a normal job for us, priced per opening, mixed styles welcome. Twin Cities metro. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- One floor is a normal job, priced per opening
- Living, dining, kitchen and bath on one order
- Mixed styles on one order, no ladders needed
The main floor of a two-story or split-level house usually carries five to nine windows: the living room picture window and its flankers, the dining room, two or three in the kitchen, a bath and maybe an office. They are the largest windows in the house and the ones everyone sees, inside and out.
Doing the whole level at once has a practical side. Every main-floor window is reached from the ground or from inside, so there are no ladder sets or roof brackets, and the crew moves room to room on one or two days. The order is one order, so the color, glass and grilles match across the floor.
The styles do not have to match. A picture window with casement flankers in the living room, a slider in the dining room, a casement over the sink and a small awning in the bath can all come from one line. Mixed styles on one order is normal. The upstairs windows stay, so at the measure we note their brand, frame color and grille pattern and order the main floor to sit with them from the street.
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 main-floor window from inside, labeled by room
- Two or three photos of the outside walls showing the main-floor windows and siding
- A photo of an upstairs window you are keeping, for the match
- Furniture pulled back from each window the morning it is replaced
- Paint or stain color for new trim: painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A line-item quote, each main-floor window priced per opening
- One in-person measure of the first floor and a match check against the upstairs windows
- All main-floor windows on one order through our supplier so they match
- Removal, sill pan or flashing tape, shims, low-expansion foam and sealant at each opening
- Interior stops or casing and exterior capping or trim as written on the quote
- Drop cloths room by room, cleanup and haul-away of the old units
- A permit when the city requires one, and photos 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:
- How many main-floor windows and the size of each, the living room units most of all
- The mix: a picture window and casement flankers cost more per opening than sliders or double-hungs
- Insert into sound frames or full frame, decided window by window at the measure
- Brand, series, frame material, glass package and grilles
- Siding, stucco or brick around the openings
- Interior finish: trim kept, new stops, or new casing and stool in each room
- Rot found in a sill or framing when the old windows come out
Label each photo by room. A main-floor order often has one big living room unit; a tape across that frame in the photo helps the first number.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the line and is written on the quote. Five to nine main-floor inserts: one to two working days from the ground, every opening closed the day it is opened.
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
Main floor now, upstairs next year
The level you live on is finished first. The brand, series, color, glass and grilles are written on the quote and the upstairs is measured, so the second order matches.
Main floor plus the patio door
The patio door off the dining room or family room is on the same floor and often the same age. It goes on the same order in the same color and glass.
Main floor with new casing
Because the main-floor rooms are the ones guests see, many owners add new interior casing, stool and apron to this order and leave the upstairs trim as it is for now.
Replace the Main-Floor Windows: questions, answered
Can I replace only the main-floor windows?
Yes. One floor is a normal job for JMB Builders, usually five to nine windows on one order, each priced per opening. The upstairs windows you keep are checked at the measure so the house matches from the street. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
Should I replace the main floor or the upstairs first?
The main floor if the living room and kitchen windows are the ones failing, or if you want the rooms you use and show finished first. The upstairs first if the bedrooms are cold at night or a bedroom window will not open. Whichever goes first, the line and color are written down so the other floor matches.
Can main-floor windows be different styles on one order?
Yes. Mixed styles on one order is normal. A picture window with casement flankers in the living room, a slider in the dining room and a casement over the sink can all come from one line in the same frame color, glass and grille pattern.
How long does it take to replace the main-floor windows?
Five to nine inserts in sound frames usually take one to two working days. Every main-floor window is reached from the ground or from inside, so there is no ladder time. A large picture unit, a full-frame install or a rotted sill adds time. Each room is finished before the next is started.
Will the main-floor windows match the upstairs ones later?
The windows upstairs are checked at the measure for brand, frame color and grilles, and the main floor is ordered in the closest current line. When the upstairs is done later, it is ordered from the same line written on the first quote. If that line has changed by then, we show you the difference before ordering.
Do main-floor windows need to meet egress?
Only in rooms where someone sleeps. A main-floor bedroom or a den used as a bedroom keeps its escape opening when the window is replaced, and we check that at the measure. Living room, kitchen and dining windows have no egress requirement, though a low window near the floor may need tempered glass.
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 windows pages
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Window Replacement & Installation near you
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