We will never ask you to measure your windows for the order. A replacement window is built to the sixteenth of an inch for one opening, and the one visit in our process exists to take that measurement. What we do ask for — a rough width and height, a few photos, the wall type and the house era — is enough to turn the instant estimate's range into an accurate one and to tell us which openings will need full-frame work before anyone drives out. Ten minutes, a tape measure and your phone.
Step 1 — count and name the openings
Walk the house room by room and list every window: "Living room front, left" and so on. Count a bay or bow as one opening with a note. Count a pair of double-hungs under one lintel as two. Basements count; the estimate treats hoppers separately.
Step 2 — rough width and height
For each opening, measure the width and height of the glass-and-frame area you see from inside, from the inside edge of the casing to the inside edge of the casing, to the nearest half inch. That is a rough opening size, not an order size, and it is all we need. Standard sizes in St. Louis housing cluster around 28–36 inches wide and 48–62 inches tall for pre-war double-hungs, and 30–36 by 48–60 for 1990s vinyl; anything over about 40 inches wide or 72 tall gets a note.
Step 3 — the photos
| Photo | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Each elevation of the house from the yard (front, back, both sides) | Shows wall type (brick, siding, stone), window count and arrangement, lintels and sills, how the trim is treated, and whether a street façade is in a historic district |
| Your worst window, inside and out, close up | Rot, settlement, condensation, failed seals — the things that decide insert vs. full-frame |
| One typical window from inside, whole, with the casing | Shows sash configuration and grid pattern, interior trim, and whether it is weight-and-pulley (look for the pulley at the top of the jamb) or spring balance |
| The sill from outside, close | The single most common rot point; a photo saves a surprise |
| Any window you want to change (size, style, add an egress) | So we can flag permit and structural work early |
Daylight, no flash, phone held level. Six to ten photos is plenty.
Step 4 — wall type and era
- Wall: brick masonry (pre-war City and inner ring), brick veneer over frame (1950s–70s ranches and most newer houses on the front), siding over frame, stone. If you are not sure, the elevation photo tells us.
- Era: year built, or the decade. Pre-1978 sets lead-safe work on the quote; pre-1940 in the City prompts the historic-district check. Your county assessor's site has the year if you do not.
Step 5 — tell us what is wrong
One line per window, or one line for the house: "all fogged," "front four rotted at the sill," "steel casements don't close," "want egress in the basement bedroom." This is what turns a range into the right range.
What happens next
Put all of it into the quote form, or run the instant estimate first and attach the brief it produces. We reply within one business day to set the measure visit. At the visit a member of our installation crew measures every opening three times (top, middle, bottom for width; left, center, right for height), checks square, probes the sills, notes the wall and lintel condition, and confirms the historic-district status if the house is in the City. The written quote follows from that.
What we will not ask you to do
- Measure for the order.
- Remove trim or stops to "check the rough opening."
- Climb a ladder for an exterior photo of a second-floor window — the elevation shot from the yard is enough.
- Give an email or phone number to see the estimate range.
Frequently asked questions
My measurements are off. Does that change the price? Not meaningfully; the quote is from the measure visit. Rough sizes only decide whether an opening is standard or oversized for the estimate.
Do I need to photograph every window? No — every elevation, your worst window, and one typical one. Add any window you want to change.
I'm in a historic district. Anything extra? A straight-on photo of the street façade and a close-up of one street-facing window with its brickmould. That is what the Cultural Resources Office review will look at too.
Can you estimate a four-family or a small apartment building? Yes; the same checklist per elevation, with a unit-by-unit count.
Next step
Instant estimate · Get a quote. Related: how it works · the complete St. Louis guide.