Questions to Ask a Window Installer Before You Hire

Most people compare window companies on price and brand. The questions that protect you are different: who’s licensed, who pulls the permit, whether the product is approved for your address, and what happens after the crew leaves.

All Glass & Windows has sold and installed windows and doors in the Sarasota area since 2009. These are the questions we’d want a neighbor to ask any installer before signing, us included.

Are You Licensed in Florida?

Ask for the license number, then look it up yourself. Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the state’s licensing agency, lets you verify a contractor at MyFloridaLicense.com or through its mobile app. A number on a truck or a website isn’t proof until you’ve checked it.

Ask about insurance in the same conversation. The state’s licensing agency warns that if a contractor isn’t properly insured, you could be liable for injuries or shoddy work on your property.

All Glass & Windows is a Certified General Contractor, license CGC1511766.

Who Pulls the Permit and Schedules the Inspections?

Get this answer before you sign, not after. The same agency advises homeowners to confirm the work is properly permitted and to keep proof of it, because missing records can make a home harder to sell.

We handle permitting in every county we serve. If you want to know what that involves, including HOA and condo approvals, read our guide to window and door permits, inspections and HOA approvals in Sarasota.

Is This Product Approved for My Address?

A window can be impact rated and still be the wrong window for your opening. Where your home sits sets the wind pressure the product has to be rated for, so ask two things:

• Which Florida Product Approval (or Miami-Dade NOA) covers this product?
• Is it approved for the design pressure at my address?

An installer who does this work every day answers both without hunting. If you want to check the approval yourself, you can look it up by its FL number on the state’s Florida Product Approval search. For more on ratings and approvals, see our page on hurricane windows.

Should I Replace One Window or the Whole House?

Honestly, it depends on the house. On most older Sarasota homes, every window went in the same week, so when one starts to fog, stick or leak, the rest usually aren’t far behind.

There’s a code reason to plan ahead, too. For older one- and two-family homes, Florida Building Code, Existing Building, Section 707.4 lets you replace up to one quarter of the home’s total glass area in any 12-month period without adding opening protection. Earlier replacements count toward that limit.

We lead with whole-home replacement because it’s usually the cleaner project: one assessment, one permit, every opening protected the same way. We still take smaller jobs. See how we approach replacement windows in Sarasota.

Can You Show Me Recent Work and Put the Quote in Writing?

Ask for references from recent jobs near you, and read what past customers say. You can read reviews from our customers any time.

Then ask for a written quote that includes installation, not just the windows and doors. A written scope is what you’ll compare against when the work is done.

Which Brands Do You Install, and Why That One for My Home?

An installer who sells one brand will recommend that brand. That isn’t wrong, but it’s worth knowing. Ask why a product fits your house specifically: the frame material, the exposure, how close you are to salt air.

We install PGT, ESW, WinDoor, Kolbe, Marvin, Euro-Wall and Signature Door, so we can match the product to the opening instead of the other way around. If you’d like to see and handle them first, our Sarasota showroom at 6384 Tower Lane is open by appointment.

What’s Covered After the Install, and Who Do I Call?

There are usually two layers of coverage, and they aren’t the same thing:

• The manufacturer’s product warranty, which covers the window or door itself.
• The installer’s workmanship coverage, which covers how it was put in.

Ask for both in writing. Ask how long each one runs, what it excludes, whether it transfers if you sell the house, and exactly who you call when something needs attention. For one example of how a manufacturer program works, see our breakdown of the PGT Crystal Care warranty.

What Happens on Install Day?

Most people don’t ask until the crew is in the driveway. Ask ahead of time:

• How will you protect my floors and furniture?
• How is the interior trim around the new openings finished?
• What does cleanup look like at the end of each day and at the end of the job?
• Will we do a final walkthrough together?
• If something needs a fix after the walkthrough, who handles it, and how do I reach them?

Good answers here tell you a lot about how the rest of the job will go.

How Fast Will You Get Back to Me?

Responsiveness before the sale is usually a fair preview of responsiveness after it. When you request a quote from us, we follow up within one business day.

Hiring a Window Installer in Sarasota: Common Questions

Ready to Ask Us These Questions in Person?

Request a quote and we’ll get back to you within one business day.