What Actually Happens On Install Day
Nobody explains this part, so here it is: from the measure to the last bead of caulk, and how long each stage really takes.
Step one is a tape measure, and it is weeks before anything gets removed.
Custom windows are built to your openings, which means the sequence starts long before install day and the waiting is the longest part of it.
1. The estimate and the measure
A free, in-home estimate walks every opening. This is where insert versus full-frame gets decided per window, where the frame condition gets assessed, and where openings that need nothing get identified. It is also where the home's age comes up, because anything predating 1978 raises the lead question below.
2. The order and the wait
This is the stage people underestimate. Industry guidance puts standard window orders at roughly four to eight weeks, with custom or unusual designs stretching to eight to twelve weeks, and longer through the busy spring and summer production season. Because these windows are locally manufactured in New Mexico rather than shipped across the country, that is one link fewer in the chain, but it is still a build, not a pickup.
3. Removal and dry fit
The old unit comes out and the opening gets inspected properly, which is the moment hidden rot or a failed sill actually reveals itself. The new window is set in and checked before anything is fastened.
4. Shimming, and why it matters more than it sounds
The window is shimmed level, plumb, and square, with shims doubled to create parallel bearing faces so the frame is supported evenly across its width. A window fastened into a twisted opening will bind, and no amount of later adjustment fixes it.
5. Flashing and insulating
Flashing tape goes on the side flanges first and the top flange last, in a shingle-lap pattern, so water running down the wall sheds over each seam instead of being trapped at it. The gap between frame and rough opening is filled with low-expansion window and door foam specifically, because standard high-expansion foam can bow a frame and interfere with operation. It reaches tack-free in one to two hours and fully cures in about twenty-four.
6. Trim, caulk, cleanup
Interior and exterior trim goes back or gets rebuilt, the perimeter is sealed, and the work area is cleaned. Industry figures put a standard window at roughly thirty to sixty minutes of install time, with large bay or picture units taking an hour and a half to two hours each, so a whole-house job is usually days, not weeks.
Questions about your specific house are best answered by looking at it. Call (505) 336-9753.
Lead paint, and permits.
Homes built before 1978
Lead-based paint was in use in housing until 1978, and replacing a window disturbs the paint around the opening, which is why the age of the house is one of the first questions on any older property. Lead-based paint testing is available before any work starts, so you know where you stand before a pry bar touches the trim. Mention the home's age when you call and it gets handled up front rather than discovered mid-job.
Permits
Requirements vary by scope and by jurisdiction, and structural changes such as enlarging an opening or converting a window to a door are a different matter from a like-for-like replacement. The City of Albuquerque's Building Safety Division is the authority on what your specific job needs, and it is worth a call to them if you are changing an opening rather than replacing what is there.
Full-service, custom window replacements, locally manufactured and built specifically for New Mexico, with Energy Quest vinyl windows or premium Jeld-Wen options, a limited lifetime warranty, and financing for new windows and doors.
Installation process FAQ
How long does a window replacement project take end to end?
The install is fast, the wait is not. Industry guidance puts standard window orders at about four to eight weeks and custom designs at eight to twelve, longer in the busy spring and summer season. The installation itself usually runs days rather than weeks.
How long does one window take to install?
Industry figures put a standard window at roughly thirty to sixty minutes, with large bay or picture units taking an hour and a half to two hours each. Frame condition and whether it is an insert or full-frame job move that.
Why does the type of expanding foam matter?
Because the wrong one wrecks the window. Low-expansion window and door foam is used specifically, since standard high-expansion foam can bow the frame and interfere with operation. It reaches tack-free in one to two hours and fully cures in about twenty-four.
What is shimming and why does it matter?
Shims set the window level, plumb and square in the opening, doubled so they create parallel bearing faces and support the frame evenly across its width. Fasten a window into a twisted opening and it binds permanently. This is the step that decides whether the window still works in ten years.
Why is flashing tape applied in that order?
Sides first, top last, in a shingle-lap pattern, so water running down the wall sheds over each seam rather than being trapped at it. Reverse the order and you have built a funnel into the wall.
Does my house need a lead paint test?
If it predates 1978, it is worth doing, because lead-based paint was still in use in housing until then and replacing a window disturbs the paint around the opening. Lead-based paint testing is available before work starts.
Do I need a permit to replace windows in Albuquerque?
It depends on the scope and the jurisdiction, and changing an opening is a different question from replacing what is already there. The City of Albuquerque's Building Safety Division is the authority on your specific job. This page is general information, not a permit determination.
Will you have to tear up my stucco or interior trim?
Only if the diagnosis calls for it. An insert leaves exterior and interior trim in place. Full-frame installation removes the frame back to the opening and rebuilds it, which is the right call when the frame or sill is compromised. Which one applies is decided per opening at the estimate.
Want to know exactly what your job involves?
A free, in-home estimate, per opening, with the honest timeline attached.
(505) 336-9753