Why windows should be the first thing you order in a renovation

There’s a particular kind of excitement that comes with planning a renovation. The plans are finalised, the builder is booked, and you’ve spent more time than you’d care to admit looking at paint colours. It’s all coming together.

Windows, though. You’ll sort those nearer the time. Or maybe your builder will. Either way, it’ll be fine.

If you’ve never project managed a renovation before, you’re going in without a clear picture of what needs to happen when. Most people don’t realise windows need to be one of the first decisions made, not one of the last. This is what the timeline actually looks like.

How long does it take to order Timber Windows?

It starts with a home consultation. One of our design consultants visits, takes measurements and talks through what’s right for the property: the style of window, how it opens, the finish, the hardware. On a period home there are often constraints to work around, and on a renovation there are decisions that knock on to other trades, so this conversation is as much about the project as the product. You’ll then receive an initial quote.

At that point it’s worth coming into one of our showrooms. A quote on paper tells you the price. It can’t tell you how the timber actually feels in your hand, or how a window moves when you open it. Seeing that in person makes the decision a lot easier, and it’s usually where any remaining questions get answered.

Once you’re happy, a surveyor comes out. This is a separate step from the first consultation, and an important one. The early measurements are enough to quote and plan. The survey is where the exact, technical measurements are taken, the ones each window is actually built to. Nothing goes into manufacturing until that’s done.

From the survey, installation is typically around two to three months after. That gap exists because nothing is sitting in a warehouse waiting. Each window is made to order in our own factory, built precisely to the measurements taken at survey, then put through a rigorous quality process before it leaves us. When it goes in, it needs to be exactly right.

It’s worth being honest about what that means. From the first consultation through to windows in the wall, you’re looking at a span of months, not weeks. None of that is wasted time. It’s what it takes to have something built for your house rather than pulled off a shelf. And it’s exactly why the timing matters. If windows are one of the last things you think about, that lead time lands at the worst possible moment, right when you want the project finished.

A renovation that ran late, and windows that didn’t

The Jacobsons had been in their new home barely a year, and in that time they’d taken on most of it. A new roof. The garden landscaped from scratch. Redecorating throughout. New windows and doors across the whole house. For every job, they did the same thing: gathered at least three quotes and compared them properly before committing.

For the windows and doors, the decision came down to a few things.

“The Timber Windows products were the best quality we saw, and the pricing was favourable. Being able to visit the showroom in nearby Cirencester was a major plus point.”

Then the plan met reality. The Jacobsons had every trade lined up to follow neatly on from the last, which is exactly how it’s supposed to work. But the roof, quoted at four weeks, took three months. That kind of overrun doesn’t stay contained. It pushes everything behind it, and the window and door installation had to move with it.

Here’s where ordering early earned its keep. Because the windows and doors had been ordered and were already made, they were ready to go in either schedule, the original one or the revised one. The delay elsewhere didn’t create a second delay waiting on windows.

“Timber Windows were able to accommodate this for us. The main thing was that the products had been ordered and were ready to go, in either the original schedule or the revised one.”

Once on site, the install itself ran to the schedule we’d quoted. That part isn’t luck. We fit our own products day in and day out, so the installation time we give you before sign-off is the time it actually takes. When everything around a project is shifting, a fixed point you can plan around is worth a lot.

You can read the full story of the Jacobsons’ renovation in our case study.

When should you order windows for a renovation?

Earlier than feels necessary.

You don’t need to have everything finalised. But if windows are on the list, getting the conversation started while designs are still being confirmed means the timeline works with your project rather than against it. We’ll tell you clearly what’s involved at each stage, how long things take, and where there’s room to work around you.

The renovations that run smoothly tend to have one thing in common: the decisions that needed time were given it. Windows are near the top of that list. Get them in early and everything else tends to fall into place around them.

If you want the detail on products, guarantees and payment terms, our FAQ page covers it, alternatively please do get in touch, or visit your local showroom.