Window Replacement a Pane in Your Butt? Here’s How to Know If You Should DIY or Call the Pros

Getting a bit drafty in your home?

Not only do old, shoddy windows look horrible on your house, but they’re also a huge energy efficiency issue. Your kids will complain about their rooms being chilly and you’ll be complaining about that massive heating bill.

So what do you have to do? Can you install new windows or do you need to call a professional?

There are a few important factors that go into answering these questions. The most important being your capabilities and the amount of time you have on your hands to complete a job like this.

Maybe you got a quote from a local window installation company and you think you can do a good job for way cheaper. That’s fine.

But let’s weigh your options here. Should you DIY your window installation or call the pros?

Can You Install New Windows Yourself?

There’s one important factor you need to consider when deciding whether or not you should install your own windows. Your capabilities as a handy-person and your experience doing large-scale housing projects.

If you’ve got no experience to speak of, then you should really get the thought of a DIY job out of your head. You should just pay up and get it done right. You probably don’t know how to make double glazed windows.

If you’ve worked on housing projects like this, it’s entirely possible to do a good job installing windows. You need to figure out if you’ve got the necessary tools to do the job and then you need to decide if its worth your time.

Sometimes the feeling of accomplishment trumps any financial upside or downside. Most people like the feeling of accomplishing a challenge successfully. We get that. But you don’t want your house to be freezing come winter time.

The money that you save by doing things like this yourself doesn’t necessarily outweigh the cost down the road if you have to make repairs, etc.

Why Is It Better to Pay for a Professional?

Your time is worth something. Installing multiple windows yourself could take a huge chunk of time out of your week, whereas hiring a professional will take a day or two. 

In hiring a professional company, you’ll get trained crew members at your house getting specific measurements. Then, the products will be delivered to your house or brought over by the company you hired for installation, rather than you having to get it.

Depending on the amount of work you’re having done, the crew will complete the job while you’re away at work. For large jobs, it could take a couple of days, but it’s still a lot less time and headache than you doing the whole thing by yourself.

Let the Pros Install New Windows

The verdict here is that unless you’ve got advanced carpentry skills, you should stick with letting the pros install new windows.

Don’t let it hurt your pride. It’s more cost effective, and you and the family will be happier when the job is done in a few days rather than a few months.

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