A window installation timeline runs about 6 to 10 weeks from signed contract to finished opening, and almost all of that is manufacturing. The work at your house is short: a two-person crew normally completes 6 to 10 standard openings in a day, spending 60 to 120 minutes on each one from pulling the old sash to the last bead of exterior caulking.
Below is what happens at every stage, how long each one really takes, and exactly what is needed from you so nothing stalls.
The full sequence at a glance
| Stage | Typical duration | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation and preliminary quote | 45–90 min | Be home, know which rooms are in scope |
| Technical measure | 30–60 min, 3–10 days after signing | Provide access to every opening, including the basement |
| Manufacturing and delivery | 4–10 weeks | Nothing, but confirm colours before the order ships |
| Your prep | 2–3 hours, week before | Clear interior and exterior work zones |
| Installation | 1–2 days for a typical house | Adult on site, pets confined, driveway free |
| Finishing and cure | Same day, sealant cures 24–72 h | Leave caulk and foam alone while curing |
| Walkthrough and paperwork | 30–45 min | Test every sash, sign off or list deficiencies |
Stage 1: consultation and preliminary quote
The first visit sets scope and budget, not final dimensions. Expect a walk through every room in scope, a look at the exterior wall type, a discussion of retrofit versus full-frame, and rough sizes taken by hand. The quote that follows is firm on price for the specified units and install method, but it is not yet a manufacturing order.
Bring your own list: which rooms are cold, which sashes stick, where condensation forms, and whether any bedroom window is also your escape route.
Stage 2: the technical measure
This is a separate visit for a reason. A replacement window is built to the opening within about 3 mm (1/8 in), and a sales estimate is not that precise. The technician measures each opening in three places for width, height and depth, checks it for square, plumb and level, and records what the finished detail will be.
What gets checked while the technician is there
- Sill and jamb condition, probed for rot, which decides retrofit versus full-frame per opening.
- Header condition and wall depth, which decide whether framing work is needed.
- Egress in bedrooms. The Ontario Building Code requires a clear openable area of at least 0.35 m² with no dimension under 380 mm, openable from inside without keys or tools, and outside basements a sill no higher than 1,000 mm above the floor. That requirement often dictates the operating style, not your preference.
- Where tempered or laminated safety glass is required, including glazing in and beside entrance doors.
- Swing and hinge direction, screen side, crank clearance behind furniture.
- Exterior capping colour, or new brickmould profile on full-frame work.
- Access: decks, driveways, gas meters, air conditioners, anything the crew has to work around.
If any opening is being enlarged or a new one is being cut, that is a permit conversation before the order goes in. Replacement in an existing opening usually does not require a permit; changing the size usually does, and your municipal building department has the final word. Our article on window and door permits in Barrie covers the distinction.
Stage 3: manufacturing and delivery
Four to ten weeks is the honest range for custom-sized units in 2026. What pushes you toward the long end:
- Exterior laminate colours and non-standard interior finishes, which are often produced on separate lines.
- Triple glazing with specialty Low-E coatings or krypton fill.
- Arched, angled or mulled combination units.
- Tempered or laminated glass, which is cut and processed before the sealed unit is built.
- Integrated blinds between the panes.
- Peak season. June through September is the busiest stretch in Simcoe County; January through March usually books faster.
Standard white vinyl casements and sliders with Low-E and argon are the fastest path. If timing matters more than colour, say so before the order is placed, because a change after release restarts the clock.
Stage 4: what you do the week before
Two to three hours of preparation removes almost every reason a crew loses time.
- Clear about 1.2 m (4 ft) of floor in front of each window and move furniture out of the way.
- Take down blinds, curtains, rods, valances and interior shutters.
- Remove or disarm alarm contacts fixed to the sash, and tell your monitoring company.
- Take pictures and mirrors off the walls near each opening; removal work transmits vibration.
- Clear a 1.5 m strip outside each window: planters, patio furniture, bins, hoses, garden decor.
- Leave the driveway free so material and the debris trailer stay close to the work.
- Confine pets to one closed room away from the work and tell the crew which room that is.
- In winter, clear snow and ice from the exterior working strip and any deck the crew must stand on.
- Confirm the capping colour in writing, since it is bent on site and cannot be changed afterwards.
Stage 5: installation day, hour by hour
| Time | What is happening |
|---|---|
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Walkthrough, confirm scope per room, lay floor protection and dust sheets |
| Per opening, 10–20 min | Old sash and glass removed and carried out |
| Per opening, 10–30 min | Old frame removed (full-frame) or host frame prepped (retrofit) |
| Per opening, 15–20 min | Dry fit, shim, level, plumb, diagonals checked within 3 mm, then fastened |
| Per opening, 15–30 min | Perimeter air-sealed with low-expansion foam and backer rod, sash operation tested before sealing is closed in |
| Per opening, 20–40 min | Exterior aluminum capping bent and fitted or new brickmould installed, then caulked |
| Late afternoon | Interior casing or drywall return, cleanup, magnet sweep for screws, debris loaded |
Only one opening is ever open at a time. A given room is exposed for roughly 30 to 60 minutes, the furnace keeps running, and the room temperature typically drops a few degrees before recovering. That sequencing is why installations continue through a Simcoe County January.
Stage 6: curing and finishing
- Low-expansion foam is tack-free within about an hour and is trimmed the same day.
- Exterior sealant skins in 30 to 60 minutes and cures fully in 24 to 72 hours, longer in cold or damp weather. Do not pressure wash or paint over it until it has cured.
- The windows operate normally right away. Hardware needs no break-in period.
- Mount blinds and curtain rods into the wall or the wood casing, never through the vinyl frame, which voids most product warranties.
- Light condensation on the glass in the first weeks is normal. New windows seal the house tighter, so construction and household moisture shows up somewhere; run the HRV or bath fans and it settles.
Stage 7: walkthrough and warranty paperwork
Do this with the installer still on site, not after the truck leaves.
- Every sash opens, closes and locks with one hand.
- The reveal is even top to bottom and side to side, with no bowed jambs.
- Weep holes at the exterior sill are clear and unobstructed by caulk.
- Caulk joints are continuous, capping has no open seams or oil-canning.
- Screens fit and are undamaged.
- Record the U-factor and ER from the glass label before removing it, then keep it with your paperwork.
- Anything unfinished goes on a written deficiency list with a date attached.
Ask for both warranty terms in writing: the manufacturer’s coverage on the product and the installation warranty from the company that did the work. Because our crews are in-house rather than subcontracted, one company answers for both.
What actually causes delays
- Design or colour changes after the order is released, which restart the manufacturing clock.
- Rot discovered at the sill on install day. Usually one to two extra hours per opening, occasionally a return visit for framing.
- Permit work when an opening is being enlarged or a new egress window is cut into a foundation.
- Shipping damage to a sealed unit. The frame still goes in and the glass is swapped later, typically within a few weeks.
Your next step
Book the on-site measure early, because the 4 to 10 week build is the part nobody can compress. See styles, glass packages and hardware options on our replacement windows page, review the performance numbers in our Barrie winter window guide, then call (647) 448-8439 or 1-800-917-0317 to get on the schedule.
