Last updated October 28, 2026

How to bid window and door jobs

What a window and door bid has to say, a worked replacement price by the unit, why the deposit starts the lead-time clock, and the insert-versus-full-frame line that changes the price.

Windows and doors are custom orders with long lead times, and the bid has to say so, because the customer who signs in May and expects windows in June is a customer who calls every week in July. The deposit is what starts the clock. Say that on the bid, say how many weeks, and say whether the install is an insert into the old frame or a full-frame replacement, since that is the difference between a half-day per window and a day.

What a window and door bid has to answer

Each unit on its own line: size, style, brand and series, glass package, color inside and out, grids, screens, hardware.
Insert or full frame: an insert keeps the old frame and trim; a full frame removes to the rough opening, replaces the flashing, and includes new interior and exterior trim.
The lead time from order to delivery, and that the order is placed when the deposit clears.
Removal and disposal of the old units, and what happens to the existing trim and paint.
Entry doors: pre-hung unit, jamb width, swing, threshold, lockset prep, and whether the lockset is included.

How to price it

Example numbers for replacing eight double-hung vinyl windows, insert style, with screens, old windows hauled, in a typical market. Yours will differ.

Units: eight at cost plus markup, say $4,400 for a mid-grade vinyl line with low-E glass.
Install labor: two to three hours per insert for a two-person crew. At $260 a window, $2,080.
Foam, flashing tape, caulk, interior stop and exterior trim touch-up: $400.
Removal and haul of the old units: $320.
Delivery from the supplier: $150.
Total: about $7,350. $8,400 is a common landing with the measure visit, the ordering time, and the margin for a rotten sill found behind one window. A full-frame replacement adds a day per window and new trim, and prices well above this.

Entry doors price by the unit plus a day of labor for a pre-hung unit, with the lockset, the threshold, and any jamb repair as lines. Patio sliders price like a large window with a line for the sill pan.

Where window and door bids go wrong

The lead time was not written, and the customer expected an install in two weeks.
The bid did not say insert, and the customer thought the old frames were coming out.
A rotten sill was found behind a window, and there was no line for what that costs.
The lockset was not on the door bid, and the customer thought it was included.

A finished window and door bid, line by line

Three sample estimates: window replacement, entry door install, and patio slider replacement. The window and door proposal template is the blank version with the lead-time line on it.

Deposit and payment terms

Half at signing is the standard on windows and doors, because the units are custom, ordered when the deposit clears, and cannot be returned. Balance on completion, the day the last unit is set and the old ones are gone. Write that the lead time starts at the deposit, in weeks, and that the install date is scheduled when the order ships. On a large order, a payment at delivery before the install day is reasonable.

Getting more window and door jobs

Window customers compare bids unit by unit, so a bid with every unit on its own line with the brand and the glass named is the one they can compare, and the one that explains your price. Measure on the first visit and send the bid within a day. Put a mid-grade and a better glass package on the same bid so they choose between yours. Follow up at a week, since these decisions take time. Ask for the review when the last window is cleaned and the old ones are gone.

BidWriter Pro writes the bid from your notes with each unit as a line, two glass options, and the lead time and deposit terms on it, signed and deposited from the customer's phone. $29 a month, 30 days free.

Questions contractors ask

How much should I charge to install a replacement window?

The unit at cost plus markup, two to three hours of crew labor per insert, trim and sealing material, removal, and delivery. Many markets land between $700 and $1,400 per mid-grade vinyl insert installed, with full-frame replacements well above that.

Should the lead time be on the bid?

Yes, in weeks, with the sentence that the order is placed when the deposit clears. It is the line that stops the weekly phone call.

Insert or full frame, which do I bid?

Bid the one the opening needs, and say which on the bid. If the customer is choosing, put both on the bid with their prices, because the difference is a day of labor and new trim per window.

Write a windows and doors bid from your notes

Type the job the way you would text it. It comes back as a finished estimate in about five seconds, in your words. No account.

Type a job the way you would text it

Only what you type goes on the estimate. Nothing gets added.

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Free, no account: estimate checker, job price calculator, markup vs margin, hourly rate, and 84 sample estimates.